GOODBYE 2011!

It has been a great year! We launched our web site , updated our oven design and added a door and chimney cap. We made many new friends and they have shared their oven designs and delicious foods.
We want to wish everyone good health and a wonderful 2012 with lots of good times sharing your Roundboy oven with your friends and family.   To say goodbye to 2011 I will share the wonderful pictures you were kind enough to share with us! 
                                 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 
 

THE PERFECT GIFT!

  Our first holiday promotion is exciting for us and I know we will have some surprised and happy Roundboy oven owners on Christmas morning! To make your shopping easy apply promo code 'holidaypromo' to your order of an oven kit, door and cap to receive the door and cap free! Remember shipping is always free when you buy a Roundboy oven and Karl 570-885-3269 and Harry 570-885-3268 are happy to answer your questions.

Karl has always been determined to buy "American made".  The kids and I have had many Christmas gift ideas for him crushed because we could not find the little "made in U.S.A." sticker.  I am writing this blog wishing I could surprise him Christmas morning with a Roundboy oven! What a great gift. The oven is made in Ashley, Pa. and we are a small business that cares about our product and our customer satisfaction.  A Roundboy oven is a gift that family and friends can enjoy. The oven is easy to put together and can be the focal point to your outdoor kitchen. Our promotion for the holiday is a nice deal and free shipping is a must when I buy on line.

I hope I gave you the ideal gift for your special person.  I can't buy Karl a Roundboy oven so if you have any suggestions for a "made in U.S.A." kinda guy I would love to hear from you. 

Happy Holiday Shopping....
 
HostGator promo

THREE SEASONS IN A FEW DAYS!

The Fall weather last week was beautiful! Then came winter....

As we made our way to the wood fired oven the next day, the temperatures were up and the sun was melting away the snow and I felt like it was Spring.  How wonderful if that could be true! If we could have skipped right to Spring after only one Nor'easter....

What ever the weather brings we don't let it stop us from enjoying our wood fired oven. The menu for the day:

Bacon cheeseburger pizza topped with fresh lettuce and tomato when it came out of the oven.

 

Dessert was a Rustic Apple Pie from WOMAN'S DAY magazine:

Our wood fired oven is something we enjoy all four seasons.

 

Karl's Mustang put away in the barn is a toy that can't be enjoyed year round!

 

ROUNDBOY VIDEO

We use our Roundboy oven all year long. There is nothing better then a star filled sky on a Summer evening. Friends over for pizza, topped with whatever we grow, served with a few ice cold beers.  In the Winter, I can't explain why we get such a thrill shoveling a path through the snow to get to the oven. We carry the steaming pizza inside to eat while playing cards.  When Spring finally arrives we can't wait to start the season baking something new in the oven. A new beginning and a new recipe to try. The Fall is for me the best season of all! The weather is ideal to be outside around the oven. It is when we spend all day baking bread. It is a feeling of something special, something you were lucky to sneak in when you bake pizza, and can one last time, sit outside and enjoy it all.

With the weather looking great for Sunday I made my plans. I wanted to bake pizza, make a video with my new camera and tri pod and try a new Rice pudding recipe I found in WOMAN'S DAY magazine November issue. 

I was able to enjoy all three! The Coconut Rice Pudding was easy and delicious.  I adopted my favorite recipe for Rice pudding with the WOMAN'S DAY ingredients and put a coconut twist to the flavor. It was a success with Karl and he loves rice pudding! 

I am getting better with my new camera. I started my camera course this week ( a birthday gift from K.C. ). I learned a lot in just one class! 

The pizza on a Fall day was perfect. We did feel like we were lucky to sneak in one last pizza outside with the Fall colors as our background, a refreshing chill in the air...

MORE ROUNDBOY FUN!

We have been very busy the past few months with launching our web site and adding a chimney cap and oven door to our oven accessories. We have been receiving such positive feedback from our oven owners on Facebook and with phone calls. We love hearing from all of our new friends and are happy to have a place for them to leave a review on our web site. If you have a Roundboy oven we would love for you to leave a review and share your thoughts with us and people looking for an affordable wood fired oven for their backyard.

We have been waiting for a nice Indian Summer day to celebrate our new web site and it finally came. What better way to celebrate our accomplishment then a backyard pizza party. I love having our friends, neighbors and family over because they share our love for good food and enjoying seasonal fresh bounty. We roasted chestnuts, baked apples, enjoyed an easy nacho dip and of course pizza. Everyone brought something to try wood fired and had a hand in making it. It was a great way to celebrate and nice way to enjoy a beautiful Fall day!

The nacho dip was easy to make and was gone before I had a chance to take a picture. You can try it and see for yourself. I layered cream cheese, salsa and topped with grated pepperjack cheese in a pie pan. We baked in the oven to melt together and served with nacho chips. 


I did get a few pictures of our fun and I am going to have to assign picture taking to someone for our next party. The guest were keeping me busy making pizza! Karl and I realized at the end of the night that we only had a slice of pizza each. So the next day we made pizza again just the two of us and I won't say how many slices we enjoyed!

Pizza and roasted chestnuts.

Apple Joe telling jokes.

The baked apples were delicious and easy.

All the way from Florida to Pa. to help make pizza.

 I hope you had a chance to enjoy Indian Summer with a Roundboy party before the snow comes and we have to shovel a path to our oven.....

WHAT TO DO ON A BEAUTIFUL FALL WEEKEND?

 Prune my perennials,  clean and paint my front porch,  put away the pool furniture,  put away the air conditioners,  cut and stack wood for the cold winter ahead,  clean up the garden,  put away screens and wash the windows,  put away the garden hoses,  winterize the lawn mowers,  get the snow plow ready,  wash and wax my car......

Or

I could invite my friends over for a last minute wood fired pizza party, maybe roast some apples in my Roundboy oven  and top them with vanilla ice cream. Pick up a couple bottles of wine and a case of beer to enjoy with the pizza......

What are you going to do this beautiful Fall weekend?

WHAT I HAVE BAKED IN MY WOOD FIRED OVEN

This week our new web site was launched Roundboyovens.com and we are so excited and pleased with our web page designer  Halibutblue and the creative design they made for us! 

The question the web site asks is "What do you want to bake?". I thought it would be fun to create a slide show of the wonderful food I have baked in my wood fired oven.  I showed Karl the slide show and we enjoyed all the memories the pictures brought back to us. It is funny that a picture of food could carry those memories to us. That is really what owning a Roundboy oven is all about, not just creating wonderful food but sharing time with friends and family. I enjoy creating something delicious for the people I love and as we experience the fun of being outdoors and cooking wood fired in our oven we take entertaining to a whole new level.
I hope you enjoy the show...

 

MOTHER NATURE

Mother Nature has been tough on Northeast Pennsylvania lately.  We have been hit with Hurricane Irene an earth quake and heavy rain that caused the river and streams to flood us and test our new levee. We all enjoy the beautiful things Mother Nature gives us like a rainbow, the fresh bounty from our gardens and the fall leaves and fresh snow we will be waking up to very soon. The power she has been handing us lately reminds me how important it is to respect her and our environment. I am also amazed and proud of the people in Northeast Pennsylvania and how everyone reaches out to help their neighbors.

We have had a few post on Facebook from Roundboy oven owners who used their oven when the power was out. What a great idea for a pizza party and also to cook up the food in your refrigerator before it goes bad. I bet Roundboy neighbors were thankful for the invite and a great way to enjoy a bad situation.  

We were glad for the rain to stop and enjoy our backyard after being inside for way too many days. Our yard is still so wet and Karl is not sure he will be able to cut the grass again before winter.
The first thing we did was fire up our brick oven! On the menu was personal pan pizza baked in a cast iron fry pan.
The recipe I found on line and is a good copycat for Pizza Hut. 

The dough rises in the cast iron pan. First I put 2 Tablespoon of oil in the pan (I used 2 TBSP. as my pan was smaller then the recipe called for).  I rolled the dough with a rolling pin and after placing the dough in the pan I cut it to by rolling a pizza cutter around the pan. I covered the pan with a plate to rise.

The toppings were placed about 1 " from the edge.

The cast iron pan is perfect for brick oven baking. The pan sizzled when we cut the pizza!

What a great recipe! It really was just like Pizza Hut a favorite date night for Karl and I when we were dating Oh so many years ago!

 

WOOD ROASTED CAULIFLOWER PIZZA

Roasted cauliflower has a sweet taste and is easy to do in you Roundboy Oven. I cut up the cauliflower and put in a bowl and added a little olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and white wine balsamic vinegar. I tossed it together to coat and let it marinate for a few hours. 

Using a cast iron fry pan we roasted the cauliflower in the oven until it was browned on the edges. Just a few minutes while tossing it around to brown evenly.  

For the pizza I started my toppings with a little olive oil spread across the dough, then mozzarella cheese, the roasted cauliflower and I grated some fresh parmigiano reggiano on top. 

Baked perfect in our Roundboy oven and I have another delicious gourmet pizza to add to my menu!

TIPS AND TRICKS for MAKING WOOD FIRED PIZZA

I bought eggplant to make eggplant Parmesan. I researched and I found the recipe I wanted to use. I even bought the eggplant. It is two weeks later and I had to throw away the eggplant and realize I am just not going to have the time. So I decided I would try my bread machine for making pizza dough and that would make a nice subject for my blog. I did make the dough with the bread machine and then the rain started. I had hoped to share my Stromboli recipe with you and make it in our Roundboy oven but I didn't want to take pictures in the rain. I made the Stromboli in my Jenn-Air and it was delicious but not a good subject for a wood fired blog!

Sometimes, for no reason, I just can't fit all I have planned into my day ( Karl is thinking as he reads this that I plan too much for one day). So I am going to blog today about tips and tricks that we have learned while using our wood fired oven. I am not going to feel bad that I didn't get done what I wanted because I am positive I did more in the past weeks then our government accomplished in it's journey to solve the great debt crisis! Eventually I will make eggplant Parmesan and Stromboli and I will share it with you. Eventually our government will solve the great debt crisis ( I hope because I love to listen to the news while baking and this subject is getting a little boring). 

I will start with my bread machine. What a handy machine this is for making dough. It does all the steps my Electolux Assistent does without me paying attention. I just put all the ingredients in and it does it all. It can't make a huge batch like my Assistant can handle but for a single batch of dough enough for three 10'' pies it is perfect.  

Pizza dough is not hard to make. I will repeat that pizza dough is not hard to make. I have found that most issues I have with dough can be solved by just walking away and letting it rest.  When it won't press out ( I like to press and stretch my pizza dough not use a rolling pin) I walk away for a few minutes and when I come back it cooperates. When we make pizza the first pizza is never the best. I let Karl think it is something he is doing or not doing when he bakes the pizza but I know it is because I start the first pizza without working and shaping and then letting it rest. As soon as I give him the first pizza I start my next one working and shaping the dough and then letting it rest while I eat the first pizza! For some scientific reason ( that I don't care to know) letting that dough rest makes the next pizza better. Each pizza gets better as we go and I am convinced it is the dough resting and warming a little. Now as to why I don't do this with the first pizza, just a habit and I am not good at breaking habits and there is a lot of debate over the reason the pizza is so good. Is it the dough and toppings I made or the way Karl handles the pizza in our oven? When the pizza is perfect it is because I made it and when it is not quite perfect it is because Karl didn't bake it just right!


I have found flour does make a big difference. Unbleached bread flour works well. I use a mixture or unbleached bread flour and oo flour that I buy from a local restaurant supply. Different flour makes the crust thin or thick and bread like. I like my pizza thin and crisp in the center with a nice big bread like crust edge. Experiment with different flours until you get the crust just the way you like it.  
 
Flour or corn meal on the peel helps the pizza slide right off. Now I mean just a little flour or corn meal because no one wants a mouth full of flour or corn meal with their pizza. Chef Corey does not use this trick, he gives the dough a little "throw" like it is a baby blanket and that puts a little air under the dough so it slides off easily. I have tried this but my dough just does not work for this technique.  I prefer to blame it on the dough!

When the dome of the oven turns white the oven is ready for pizza. Another trick for knowing you are at the right temperature is to toss a little flour onto the oven floor. If it turns golden brown it is ready.

I like New Jersey canned crushed tomatoes best. I am lucky because K.C. lives in New Jersey and keeps me stocked up. I do not season them. You can use seasoned tomato sauce or San Marzan tomatoes or any other tomato sauce you like. The trick here is do not put too much tomato on your pizza. You should see the white dough showing through the tomato and you do not want wet and watery tomato. This also goes with all your toppings - less is best.

Freezing you mozzarella cheese makes it easy to slice. I like slices of cheese over shredded. The oven melts shredded cheese too fast.

I wait a few minutes before I slice the pie and I put the fresh basil on after I slice it. This just makes it easier to slice and every slice ends up with fresh basil.

I like fresh mozzarella but it is too wet most of the time. I layer it with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture. 20 minutes usually is enough time.

When cooking the pizza if you lift the pizza as if to check the underneath and it bends it is not done. When it is crisp it won't bend.

The dome of the oven is the hottest part so if you need the cheese and toppings cooked a little more raise the pizza to the top of the dome before removing from the oven. This will also give the pizza a wood flavor. 
  
We have had dough that didn't rise the way we like, pizza dough with a hole and everything leaked out while we baked it, we have burned the pizza and under cooked the dough a little, topped our pizza with everything from cauliflower to apples,  Nutella and marshmallows, our pizza has stuck to the peel and fell apart, it has been too thin or too thick and I still have enjoyed every one we made and even if it was not my favorite it was really fun to make and really fun to bake outside with wood in our backyard! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA 2011

Another great 4th of July celebration. I realized how much fun I had when I uploaded my pictures and there were only a few! I missed so many great shots. Everyone had there hand in baking pizza and I was enjoying just watching, I never grabbed the camera for you to enjoy. The fireworks were beautiful and I enjoyed watching but forgot to snap a few pictures for you to enjoy. Pat, Becky, Danielle and I had a blast making pizza and Danielle took over and showed us all the tricks she learned from her high school job at a local pizza place. I only took one quick shot of Danielle making pizza and there were many chances for great pictures because Danielle cranked out at least 20 amazing pizzas. Thanks Dino for introducing us to your spunky, pizza making girlfriend! We want you to share her with us more often.... Here is a taste of the fun we had celebrating.

The calm before the storm. Mother nature provided some natural fireworks and heavy rain soon after the party started.

Every one moved inside the barn when the rain started.

Charlie loves the camera!

Friends and neighbors enjoying the celebration.

I wish I knew what Amanda was saying because it seems important!

Thanks Danielle, the pizza was perfect.

BLUEBERRY BOY BAIT ROUNDBOY OVEN STYLE

 The recipe can be found here Blueberry Boy Bait

The blueberries are from our blueberry patch. The recipe 
from The Smitten Kitchen.

We brought the oven to white hot and removed the fire, letting the oven cool to 400*.

Ready for the brick oven.

We checked in 20 minutes and turned the cake. The cake was done after 15 minutes more.

It worked my boy loved it!

STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH WOOD ROASTED STRAWBERRY TOPPING

 I love to read blogs and search for new recipes to make in our wood fired oven. Blogs are my favorite place to look because of the great pictures and good directions and suggestions.  I found the Strawberry Cake by Martha Stewart on a blog I discovered The Smitten Kitchen. I found many recipes I can't wait to make in our Roundboy Oven at this blog.

 I made the cake in a cast iron fry pan and it worked well. While the cake was baking I prepared the  Slow Roasted Strawberries from the blog She Who Eats. We Roasted the Strawberries in our Round boy oven of course!
 The wood fired cooking environment is so ideal for fruit recipes.
 

 Look how nice this cake recipe puffed up in the oven.



The cake was in the oven for 1 hour and the roasted strawberries for another hour after that. All this  from the original fire that Karl made to heat up the oven. He took the fire out and we baked for 2 hours and there was still plenty of heat in the oven to continue baking.  I hope this summer I can do a full course meal all wood fired. With a wood fired brick oven the best part is how well it holds and releases heat over time.  With a little planning this would be a nice dinner party idea. 
   
Martha Stewart you need a Roundboy Oven to prepare this cake!
This is a wonderful summer treat.

WHAT DAY IS IT?

  Karl and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary on June 5th. The good thing about this is the past 29 years. The bad thing is that we both forgot! This is not the only time over the years that we forgot our anniversary including our first anniversary. I am not sure I want to dig deep into what this means and for us it is not important. We are always busy with the whatever plans and projects that are going on in our lives. We love each other and our family is what is important for us. I guess you could say we celebrate every day in everything we do. How is that for a Hallmark greeting card?

  Father's Day was not much different. K.C. was home for Saturday and Karl enjoyed seeing him and spending time with him. Amanda came home from Texas and spent Saturday morning picking strawberries with her dad and for Karl that is what is important to him. He loves that our children are close to us. They really are our world! Sunday Karl worked on some landscaping and built the water fall he promised me years ago. He trimmed the weeping willow tree by the pond. As we sat under the weeping willow tree and admired the waterfall I thought this is a wonderful anniversary present. It wasn't a fancy way to celebrate or even a relaxing Father's day for Karl but this is our way and I like it!

  Thinking about the passion we have for our Roundboy Oven business and how hard we have worked to build it seems no different then the things that we value everyday. We love being with our family and our friends, we love being proud of something we create ourselves that can be as little as a good pizza or a new bread recipe or as big as a wood fired oven designed and built in a little shop in Ashley, Pa. I don't know if everyone would want a wood fired oven in their backyard but if you like to create a new recipe to share with your family or enjoy the morning picking strawberries with your daughter while she talks about the big new world she is discovering or helping your son with his car on a Saturday afternoon then I think you would like the simple enjoyment the oven brings to you and your family and friends. A change of pace in a hectic world,
a chance to enjoy what is outside your back door and often overlooked. 

This weekend Karl will rake and mulch the new flower bed and another project finished.

Sitting under the weeping willow feels like you stepped into the air conditioning on a hot day.

The view looking up!

The new water fall!

Blueberries are coming along great. I see wood fired blue berry dessert coming soon......

Mmm Brick Oven Bread!

Baking bread can be very easy. I look for books and recipes that are written for the novice baker and they make the task fun. I find that baking and cooking is a great way to take your mind off your worries (today that was Amanda flying to Texas on her first business trip for her first "real job".) As soon as she landed I could let my mind wander and enjoy my thoughts while ending up with something delicious that I am proud of.
I don't think I would ever have made bread if we didn't discover wood fired baking. Having the Roundboy Oven and the whole idea of baking old world style was so appealing to me. I always enjoyed baking as a hobby over cooking, I like how precise it is. Following exact directions and getting lost in my thoughts is my way of relaxing. The brick oven brings Karl into my hobby and we both enjoy it so much. 
Today we made Oatmeal Molasses bread and Buttermilk and Cinnamon Raisin bread. 
I don't have pictures of the bread in the oven because just as we put it in the oven the sky opened up to a downpour! We were able to fit 2 large loaves and 3 small loaves into the oven at the same time. The bread was delicious and there is nothing better then the aroma of fresh baked bread (except eating fresh baked bread).  

The bread is ready to start rising.

Risen and ready for the oven.

A little too browned on the top but that is part of wood fired baking!

We cut the cinnamon raisin right away. Warm, gooey and delicious!

Buttermilk

Oatmeal Molasses.

  Pizza for dinner after a day baking bread!