Cool Peeps - Perfect Pizza and Cake Pops

If it is true that a person is judged by the company they keep, I must be pretty damn cool.

Take last Tuesday, for instance. I was lucky enough to be invited to a pizza party thrown by Christian and Jamie Bowers, the dynamic duo behind Austin Food Journal. I've had a total blog crush on Austin Food Journal ever since I discovered it - informative writing with just the right amount of snark and just some beautiful, beautiful photography. Love.

Anyway, they throw pizza parties on a regular basis, where Christian breaks out his should-be-patented pizza recipe and goes to town. He starts with a perfect ball of dough - which, by the way, requires a three day process. This man is committed to making great pizza.

Then he gently spreads the crust out:



Adds some topping action:



Does some crazy chant thing:



(or maybe he was just adding some spices)

And cooks it in this oven.



I know, right? The mind boggles.

And yet...this emerges.


The Godfather - Kocurek Italian sausage, caramelized yellow onions and smoked mozzarella


The Polka Dot: parmesan, mozzarella, fried sage and cherry tomatoes


Perfection on a plate.

Christian's pizza photos are much, much, much better. Check 'em out here, here, here, here, and especially here. Luscious.

Oh, and speaking of amazing talent, you should also check out Jamie's gorgeous line of handmade jewelry. I especially enjoy the write-ups on her Brothers Grimm collection. Jewelry that empowers...what's not to love?

Totally unrelated, but further proof of the wonderful company I'm lucky enough to keep, is the amazing Kathy Phan(tastic). Check out these cake pops she sent me for Valentine's Day & Chinese New Year:




(This year is Year of the Tiger.)

She made these. Is that not incredible? She's also made Longhorn football pops, Twitter bird pops, panda pops, and even Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno pops. Also, here are some better photos of her Valentine pops, taken by her talented photographer sister, Tina.

I recently heard somebody say, "You can't cook in the bedroom, but you can make love in the kitchen." I love having friends and family who prove this true over and over again. Thanks, guys.