Pizza on the grill makes for a perfect summer date night. Making them and experimenting with pizza in a whole new way was interactive and delicious. I started the day shopping for the ingredients. Pizza #1 was planned and Pizza #2 was a bit of a modge-podge. The dough came from Wealthy Street Bakery in East Town. The toppings came from Aperitivo and Relish located in the Downtown Market.

Pizza No. 1 Monique's Marvelous Marinara Sauce La Quercia Prosciutto Americano Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Farm, VT Fresh Arugula Mozzarella Cheese Drizzled with Balsamic Reduction

Pizza No. 2 Smoking Goose Dodge City Salami Roasted Red Tomatoes Mozzarella Cheese Feta Cheese Fresh Purple Basil

We also enjoyed a bottle of Mesta Rosado which is our absolute favorite Rose of the summer. The 100% Tempranillo from Spain is fresh, crisp and has slight tones of strawberries.

The pizzas were very easy to make. Simply stretch out the dough and glaze one side of it with your favorite high quality olive oil. Lay on the grill at Medium-High for 1-2 minutes. Flip and add toppings (minus the fresh herbs!) and shut the grill cover for 5-7 minutes. We toyed around a little bit about how long to have the grill lit for and which burner. It was recommended to us to have only one burner on and let the whole grill get hot before starting. Just watch it closely and you will figure out what works best for you.

Cheers to the many meals of summer and may the season stay long.

Day One - Stop One of my road trip up the coast of Maine into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I've always heard such wonderful things about Portland, Maine. I knew my first time in the state I would have to stop. Coastal cities are my favorite cities to visit. I love the mix of laid back salty beach goers with the liveliness a city offers. Portland is known for its beer and that sits very well with my family and I. We were only there for a few hours so I knew we just wanted to have a couple great meals and great beer to start the road trip off right. I did a little research and we happened upon The Thirsty Pig. Located in Old Port right downtown by the water and was an awesome atmosphere with local Maine beers and hand crafted sausages. They make all of their specialty sausages in house. I had not seen my dad or brother since February and this was the perfect place to catch up. Next we went to In'finiti Fermentation and Distillation. They served up some great samples of in house brewed beer. We also really enjoyed the home-made pretzels and beer cheese. Our view was a harbor full of lobster traps and when in Maine you eat lobster…or lobster mac n cheese. I highly recommend these two places for a laid back dinner with a vibe you can't beat.

Cheers Portland!

Pizza on the Grill

The Thirsty Pig | Portland, ME