Hieronymus Hawkes's Blog, page 11
February 27, 2021
Sheet-Pan Pizza With Asparagus and Arugula
I get the New York Times Recipes every Friday and this one was in the list last Friday.
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh or thawed frozen pizza dough, atroom temperature
½ cup fresh ricotta (about 4 ounces)
5 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
½ bunch asparagus (about 1/2 pound), trimmedand cut into 5-inch pieces
1 or 2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
4 thin slices pancetta (optional)
½ cup pitted and torn green olives,like Castelvetrano
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
1 cup loosely packed Italian parsley
1 cup loosely packed baby arugula
Here are some of the comments about this pizza:
Absolutely the best pizza I have ever baked. I love the no soggy crust. Will make this over and over. I made the recipe pretty much as written but I cut up the asparagus in smaller pieces, added raw broccoli florets, used Black Forest ham instead of pancetta because I didn’t have any and sprinkled some sliced almonds over the top before baking. To. Die. For.
This is a delicious and easy recipe!! With toppings I would never have thought of. I used a 9 inch cast iron pan which worked great. Added garlic to asparagus and jalapeño , subbed prosciutto for ham. A perfect Sunday TV dinner!
Super excited to try this. My girlfriend and I were thinking this would be delicious if we subbed Pepperoni for the Asparagus and Sausage for the Pancetta and skipped the Olives and Arugula altogether. Maybe add some more cheese.
Or maybe we could just go out in the front yard and get some fresh grass clippings. 
February 23, 2021
This was my view driving to work yesterday morning
A blanket of snow covered everything. Even the trees were coated in snow. And then the red sun came up over the horizon with a clear sky above. Wish I’d had my better camera with me. It was pretty amazing.
February 20, 2021
Been trying my hand with a French Press
Ever since I saw Chuck Wendig’s post on his blog about using a French Press to make coffee back in 2013 I’ve been interested in trying it. My life accomplice, that’s what we call each other now, as girlfriend or boyfriend just doesn’t do it, and life partner sounds so cliché, actually owns a French Press. She doesn’t even like coffee. Says it tastes like dirt. So anyway, we pulled it out and decided to figure out how to use it, as she doesn’t own any other type of coffee maker.
I actually like coffee. I didn’t start really drinking it until I was about 30. I’m 56 now, so I’ve had a few years to figure out what I like, and my tastes are fairly pedestrian I would say. I like a little French Vanilla in it with the cream, enough to take away any bitterness, and enough sweetener to make it taste like a candy bar.
My first efforts with the press were meh. It tasted too weak. I had googled how to do it for fuck’s sake. I added more coffee and I think I found the sweet spot for timing, but I was using normal coffee. Finely ground. It left a residue on the bottom that was really bitter. I toyed with the amount of cream and sugar, but I finally decided to get some proper coffee. I dove back into the interwebs and after using my finely honed GoogleFu, I found a list of the best coffees to use in a French Press. I will be trying out Koffee Kult on my next attempt. Fingers crossed.
I haven’t given up yet, but I’m not completely sold on the whole idea that this is really better way to prepare coffee. You actually need to spend a lot of money on specialty coffees and creams and sugars, because after all this is coffee snobbery at its best. LOL
I will report back with my results…at some point…don’t hold your breath, it will be a few days before I get over to her house to try it.
February 14, 2021
February 13, 2021
Effacement Goodreads Giveaway!
Sign up here to win one of ten signed copies of Effacement!
The signup opened yesterday and goes until March 12th. I hope you win!
February 12, 2021
Thumb in a Robe
Slicing potatoes for scalloped potatoes and I got my thumb…twice. We even had a glove to use to protect the fingers, but did I use it? Yes, but on the wrong hand. LOL. I’m definitely not as sharp as the slicer.
February 11, 2021
So this arrived in the Mail
It’s inspired from one of the characters in the novel Effacement. Kasia Foss wears a bunch of different T-shirts, but this one turned out so well I made it into a mug also. It’s up on the Merch page
Jan Duursema: Comic Artist Extraordinaire
Jan Duursema is the artist of my favor comic line ever: Star Wars: Legacy. It takes place 100 years after Return of the Jedi. We got to meet Jan at Celebrations III where she drew a quick sketch of Quinlan Vos on the edge of the matte we brought to get autographed. She was gracious and charming. We have a lot of Star Wars paraphernalia all over the house and these two prints below are on the wall. I did my best to limit the glare. They are some of her best original characters, Quinlan Vos, Aayla Secura, and Darth Talon.
Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura
Darth TalonSome of her comics on Amazon. Below is one of my favorites, the Imperial Jedi. Of course none of this is canon now.
Probably the coolest of them all, the Imperial Jedi
A Taste of Duursema
Just a couple of prints by Jan Duursema that hang on the wall in our downstairs area. She is a wonderful artist and did the artwork for my favorite comic of all time Star Wars Legacy. The second print is from that world. This is the tip of the iceberg as far as Star Wars paraphernalia in our house. I tried to take these so the glare wasn’t horrible and they didn’t turn very well.
February 10, 2021
Blue Ink – 3 Simple Ways to Satisfy Reader Expectation
Three Simple Ways to Satisfy Reader Expectation, an article by the amazing Paul Goat Allen just posted on Blue Ink Review. He gives Effacement some kinds words. I changed the cover at his suggestion, as he points out in the interview. Great article, Goat! And thanks for the advice!
