Homemade Artisan Pizza

Someone mentioned to me recently that we posted a lot of stuff about pizza...and I completely agree.  Pizza is good, cheap, and insanely easy to make.  So far, we've eaten out at a lot of pizza places, but we hadn't made a pizza ourselves.  Well, I decided to change that and make a pizza from scratch that didn't require but two ingredients for the crust.  Now my inspiration stems from brick oven or coal-fire pizzas, which in my opinion have the most character of any type of handmade pizzas, and they can be dressed with the most basic or advanced ingredients, depending upon your preference.

Before we get too far into this, let's mention what two ingredients you need for your crust:

Baked-In Apple (Apple) Pies

Mmmmm.......

My wife is an Pinterest fiend...always showing me stuff that she's pinned and whatnot.  It's the only form of social media I don't really understand in some fashion...even though I do have an account, and have pinned one thing since setting up my account.  I found it lame, until I realized that my wife was gaining a lot of insight on cooking new meals and becoming more adventurous with cuisine.

Recently, she showed me something that blew my mind...Baked-In Apple (Apple) Pies.

Now, I'm not much for baking...other than the occasional loaf of banana/pumpkin bread, and I've never even attempted to make a pie.  So in my mind, I thought that this would be the worst challenge I've faced.  Honestly it wasn't that bad, and ended up being a much easier process than I had anticipated; and the payoff was completely worth it.

Hearty (Homemade) Beef Stew

A few weeks ago while grocery shopping, I was looking for something I could make that would not require a lot of work.  You see, recently I've found that a lot of low-grade recipes have been more my speed.  With my work schedule getting more insane, school getting a bit more tedious, and my personal picking up and leaving the city in a few months, my brain feels like it's going in a million directions.  After a day involving any of the above, the last thing I wanna do, is cook something that will require a lot of time or attention.  Thank goodness while cruising through the meat case at Marsh, I saw the thick cut beef for stews, and immediately thought Beef Stew.

Filipino Fanatic

I once saw a saying about the Philippines. It read, "Where else is it completely normal to eat 5 large meals a day?"  Trust me, it makes sense, and once you've had a taste of some Filipino favorites you will completely understand.

Growing up Filipino was always great when it came to the taste and amount of food. We used to wrap our dining table up with newspaper, dump a large box of crabs, invite family over and feast! It seemed like the delicious amounts of food would never end. That is, until I decided to move out. There are only a select few Filipino dishes that I know how to cook, so actually finding a small Filipino restaurant in Indianapolis had me more excited than a kid in a candy store.  

Super Bowl Party? Try Some Variety...

This year's Super Bowl is bound to be a good game, showcasing both the offensive prowess of the 49ers, and the brute strength of the Raven's defense. In between breaks, when you're not watching the e-Trade baby or some stupid Doritos commercial, I'm sure you'll be cramming some sort of food or dip into your mouthhole. The question of what to bring/make for a party you're attending?

Truly Authentic (Carniceria Guanajuato)

There truly is an extreme difference when biting into a "Mexican dish" as opposed to a truly "Authentic Mexican dish". You get that true taste and mixture of herbs, salsa, guacamole, and meat that's cooked a certain way, that you personally cannot perfect yourself.  When visiting this restaurant I had a flashback of my cruise to Mexico. Since then, I've never had such an authentic Mexican dish outside of Mexico...until now. And the best part, it will not burn a hole in your wallet!

How Indianapolis does pizza! (Napolis Pizza)

One quick question. What do you call the day of the week, where you truly do not want to cook? I'm not to sure what you call it, but I call that night...PIZZA NIGHT.

Homemade Sushi, 3-Ways

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

A few weeks ago, my wife and I were grocery shopping.  While walking down the International Foods isle, I found a package of seaweed wraps, and thought, "How cool would it be if we made our own sushi?"

Alternative Pasta Dish - Spaghetti Squash

Other than the recipe that I have for Brussels Sprouts, I don't really have a whole lot of veggie recipes in my cookbook.  To be honest, I had never really been a huge fan of veggies until I met my wife, who at the time was a vegetarian.  For the sake of not having to prepare two meals each night, she decided to come back to the better side by becoming a carnivore yet again.  She has been a big influence on

La Chinita Poblana - Tiny B Rip Taqueria

La Chinita Poblano - "Asian Inspired Tacos"

Two simple thoughts run through my mind before leaving for a night in Broad Ripple. Number one, what we will be eating, and two, who's the designated driver? For now, let's just focus on number one.

The New Guy...(Trick)

                                                                                    Oh hey there,

My name is Jacob Trick, and I just joined Mealightenment! Day in and day out I think of food and eating. . . Its pretty much my favorite past time. With that being said I was more than happy and eager to join the team with Justin and James.  I hope to bring a lot of great ideas and opportunities to the table here at Mealightenment.

Indy All Night

How many times have you been in the mood for a juicy burger, amazing chicken wrap, pizza, or a great philly cheese steak late at night? If you live near the downtown area, you are in luck! Indy All Night caters for those late night foodies that are craving something that they don't have in their pantries! Indy all night is open till 4am downtown! The best part is... THEY DELIVER! They will bring your nacho's, fresh hand breaded mushrooms

Eggs in a Basket, Eggies and Toast...or whatever...?

I've become a huge breakfast buff...and recently cereal is just not cutting it for me.  I've been racking my brain for something not necessarily out of the ordinary, but something that I don't make often, or a spin on an old favorite.  While recently revisiting a movie favorite of mine ("V for Vendetta"), I came across the scene where V is preparing Eggs and Toast, together.  I thought to myself, that was just the thing!  It's quick, it's easy, and it doesn't interrupt my morning.

The Manliest Quiche Around

I'll be honest...I didn't think I'd like quiche. I'd always been told growing up, "That's girly food." Well, color me girly then, because this recipe I've made up made me change my thoughts on it. If it doesn't put a little bit of hair on your chest (ladies, my apologies if it does), then you've done something terribly wrong.

Here is what you'll need to get started:

Honouring Our Vegetarians...

Black Bean and Corn Salsa


In honor of last week being NATIONAL VEGETARIAN WEEK


As I am sure that everyone was aware that last week was national vegetarian week, I have brought to you a recipe for a simple side dish that is very refreshing!

The "Big" Announcement...We've Expanded!

Hello everyone!!!!

My name is James Thornburgh, and I just joined @mealightenment! Justin and I met in college last semester and we both thought it would be a great idea to work together! So, here I am! I'm very excited to help bring a lot to the table for Mealightenment! 

Insanely Moist Banana Bread

I love buying bananas at the market, just for the simple thought of knowing that at least those few bananas I don't eat through that week will make something of themselves. To be honest, the 6 bananas in this recipe really outdid themselves...I'll reveal to you how with this interesting recipe for banana bread. Here are the ingredients:

Circle City Spuds Truck Review

Thank goodness for a sunny day and fairly open parking on 4/13, when I went downtown to the One America Building and visited Circle City Spuds, Indy's premier baked potato haven for lunch or dinner.  This day, Heather was luck enough to have a helper on board.  As I showed up and told her helper at the order window who I was, I heard Heather say in the back of the truck, "I didn't think you were gonna make it," as she served me up the last two potatoes of the day.  I'm so glad I made it just in time.

Introduction

Welcome to Mealightenment.  This is not only another foodie-type blog, this is also a social project.  There are oh so many great places to go and so many websites that are devoted to just eating out and reviewing the experience.  At this site, the plan is to try and keep it interesting and remain as interactive as possible with the readers.