Dear future Husband.

Hi.

I know you haven’t met me yet. And so I don’t want to give the wrong impression.

I’m not high maintenance. I swear. And I don’t come with baggage. Okay. Not that much baggage. But I mean, everybody comes with baggage. Unless they’re pod people. Are you a pod person? I hope not.


Anyway. I was hoping I could get you to sign this.

Think of it as a pre-pre-nuptual agreement. Kind of thing.

You see. I’m the kind of person who likes to put it all on the table. From day one. So here’s the thing.

There are some chores. That I will never be good at. I’m not big on vacuuming. Or cleaning the bathroom. Or dusting. I’ve never seen the point in dusting. And I never will. Maybe we just won’t own things that need to be dusted. Live a minimalist kind of life. I can be down with that. And as for the other two. I can definitely appreciate the value of vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom. But I just don’t look at the scum on the tub and say to myself, “Oh my god I really should clean that.” Usually it’s more akin to, “Hmm. Scum. Wonder how that got there…”

In my defense. Having dirty dishes in the sink makes me anxious. (We are talking anaphylactic shock anxious). So you will never have to do the dishes. Ever.
Basically. I was hoping I could bribe make a deal with you.

I, Joanne, solemnly swear. To make homemade pizza for you. (Pizza is a good bargaining tool. From what I can tell. Boys really like it. At least the ones I know. And honestly. Girls do too. So it’s really a win/win situation. Just try to pretend like it’s a really onerous task. We wouldn’t want them to think that they’re getting the short end of the stick.) Every week. In sickness and in health. For better or for poorer. Until death do us part.

But only if you do the toilet scrubbing.

Love. Always.

Your Future Wife.
So this pizza idea was spurred by the Southwestern Focaccia with Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese from HBinFive. It’s made with the 100% Whole Wheat Dough with Olive Oil, which you can find the recipe for here. I really liked this dough by the way. I know many HBinFive-ers had some issues with it. But I am a sucker for the flavor of olive oil. And I thought that really shone through in this bread. I just wish that the crust of my loaves had gotten. Well. Crustier.

Zoe and Jeff call this a recipe for focaccia. But I say. It has tomato sauce. And cheese on it. And it’s round. Therefore. It is a pizza.

Here’s what I did. I made half of the dough recipe. Weighed out a pound of it. Spread it out in a circle 1/2-inch thick on a pizza pan. Let it rise for 20 minutes. Preheated the oven to 425. Sauted some onions, a can of tomatoes, and a poblano pepper. Threw in some cumin and chili powder. Spread it over the pizza. Topped it with blue cheese. Cooked. 20/25 minutes. Done. It apparently serves 6 as an appetizer. Or. In my case. Two for dinner. I probably could have made it three. But I had just gotten back from the gym when I was making it. And self control is not exactly my strong point.

This has been yeastspotted. And check out Michelle’s blog on the 1st to see what everyone else cooked up with their dough!
I want to thank all of you for the birthday wishes yesterday. They meant the world to me. And a special thank you to Mia for organizing the best blogger birthday party a girl could have. Seeing the comments reel in absolutely made my day. You guys are my inspiration, what keeps me writing and blogging and I love you all. So thank you.

What did I do on the big day? My amazing roommate, Sophie, organized a dinner at a French restaurant called Les Sans Culottes for me and fifteen of my friends (seriously. The biggest birthday party I have ever had). Basically they have a prix fixe menu. The appetizer is a huge spread of veggies, sausages, rolls and pate. Huge. Really huge. Then. When you think you can’t eat any more. They ask you to order your entree. I got the onglet bearnaise. A.K.A. hangar steak with bearnaise sauce. It was fantastic. I think I’m in love with bearnaise sauce. Which is probably not a good thing. Because now I might have to make some. Hello five pound weight gain. Nice to meet you. Then for dessert, my friends arrangeed for these ice cream filled crepes to be delivered to me. I devoured them. They were amazing. I love ice cream.

Then, since it was a Thursday. We ended the night at my home away from home. Pete’s. For karaoke night. I came. I rapped. I conquered. It was quite the spectacle. And the best part was? My brother stopped by.

In short. Great day.

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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84 Responses to Southwestern Focaccia Pizza with Poblanos and Blue Cheese – HBinFive

  1. Luigi says:

    Looks delicious, and oh HAPPY BIRTHDAY for yesterday! Im only a day late, its fashionable to be late don’t you know. lol.

  2. Happy Birthday again! Your party sounded so much fun! It sounds so pretentious of me, but I think French restaurants are my fav ๐Ÿ™‚ Your pizza looks yummy!

  3. Jagruti says:

    Hey Jo
    Glad that you enjoyed your day yeasterday!!Wish I’ve said all those stuff what you said for your future husband..;0)) but I would say I’m lucky, got a nice husband who doesn’t tell me to do everything…instead he got me a cleaner…so I’m relaxed:-))

  4. Jagruti says:

    lol..forgot about your pizza..looks yummy..

  5. Pam says:

    You are one lucky girl…special friends and blogger friend and a special hubby on the way!

    Happy belated again my girl! Hope you had a nice one…..loved your post!

    xoxo

  6. Amy says:

    Love the letter! Finding a man to clean…definitely the way to go. My house would be a train wreck if Paul didn’t vacuum and keep soap scum out of the bathroom. Seriously, it’s scary how much of a neat freak I am, and yet how much I hate dealing with Lysol. Anyway, your future husband is one lucky man.

    Your birthday dinner sounds fabulous. Nothing like celebrating with friends, over a great meal. I sent you something – should arrive soon.

  7. Shannon says:

    yeah, i HATE dusting ๐Ÿ™‚ hehe. and what a fabulous bday!!! sounds fabulous ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. He he he….am real happy too that ur party had a good turn out…more than i expected ……but how could it not? Its ur party after all and i hadn palnned it tis way but happenned to behome and thought why not add to ur suprise and invite all ur frens?

    He he he…..what a pre nup for hubby dearest ….he better get u a cleaner too…

    And the pizza rocks babes…way way rocks….jus as all ur recipes….

    and dont leave me out of the regional fest ok …will email u the pic yeah though i cant decide which one:-))))

    Cheers and wonderful day….and u sure had the best party organised for u at a super rest. by ur super pals…..

  9. ha ha that was very thoughtful Joanne. I wish i would have thought it before marriage…but my man is good. when am down he does all the chores. so no complaint.
    the pizza looks awesome. am planning to bake my own base for ages but yet to find good yeast.

  10. Barbara says:

    That’s what I say, Joanne…put it all out there in front and there won’t be any surprises after marriage! (Well, perhaps a few, we can’t give EVERYTHING away.)Besides, I have always thought cooking a fair exchange for dusting.

    Nice pizza/focaccia! And the whole wheat bread looks great- wonder why the crust wasn’t crunchier on your loaves?

    Lovely way to spend your birthday! Aren’t you snowed in up there?

  11. Debbi Smith says:

    We all need a pre-nup like that! I’m with you on the dishes, they never build up but the toilet? Grr. Not pleasant at all but with 2 little boys that pee on seat and floor daily it does get the attention it deserves.

    The pizza looks fantastic. I love pizza, I’m gonna have to make me a homemade pizza pretty soon. Yum.

  12. Dear Jo,
    Happy Birthday! Am glad that you had a rocking party and I absolutely loved the letter addressed to your future Husband:)
    Focaccia…or shud I say Pizza looks really yumm! Have a great weekend!

  13. I’m sorry I’m late for the party! Happy Birthday, Joanne! I had to laugh at the name of the restaurant – oh, la-la! I’m glad your friends spoiled you rotten. You’ve got to live it up on your birthay!

    I love what you did with the recipe! Not being a goat cheese fan, I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet. You’re going to have men lining up to scrub your toilet ๐Ÿ˜‰

  14. Hey happy birthday!! Loved the post..and the recipe..the pizza looks really yummy..

  15. sounds like the deal my wife and i have… If you find this guy (when), you will be ahead of 90% of those that do not negotiate the IMPORTANT stuff early!

  16. Perfect Joanne: Plan it all out! Wish I could tell you with “sincerity” in my voice that life will unfold the way you planned it! Hmmm.
    But keep planning, at least this way, you will definitely get most of what you want!
    Sounds like you had a great B-day! That French place “les sans culottes” what a funny name, the owner must have been a fan of the French Revolution. That dessert sounds wonderful, a friend made it once for me with a chocolate sauce on the side. I still swoon thinking about it.

  17. Joanne- You gave me the best idea for dinner tonight. I need to make Gluten Free Meat Free Pizza tonight. Yours looks amazing.

  18. Joanne this is amazing! I love then gluten free recipe and who doesn’t love focaccia?

  19. awwww what a great post. =D i think i would tell my future husband: hey, future husband, you better be as crazy in the gym as me. thanks. and you better like sweaty people. bye.

    totally ate an orange yesterday. and ran it out this morning. feeling better- i went to bed crazy early! =D
    being sick = you are allowed to be a baby. it’s a law.

  20. Julie says:

    I’m already married, but if I wasn’t I’d sign your pre-nup! I missed the big birthday bash, but hope a belated wish will do…glad you had a great party.

  21. Marcia says:

    Pizza looks great! I don’t like scrubbing the toilet either. When I hit 34, it was time to hire that out.

  22. Bob says:

    I’d sign that pre-nup, but my girlfriend would kill me. Heh. I also have to agree with you, that’s definitely more pizza than focaccia. Looks fantastic though! Glad you had a good birthday!

  23. Nice to know that you enjoyed your bday joanne…pizza looks fabulous and so very yummy

  24. This is a great deal for your future husband. Pizza looks fab!

  25. Kim says:

    I’m so glad to hear that you had a wonderful birthday!
    I laughed my way through your letter. I don’t do toilets or dusting either:D I let my husband do them!
    I agree with you on the title of this, definitely a pizza. It looks delicious though with the mix of poblano and blue cheese.

  26. Hua says:

    Hey Joanne,

    This looks delicious! Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you had an amazing day.

    I found your blog while searching for unique and helpful content on healthy cooking. I think you could benefit from sharing your personal story to an audience of people seeking information on healthy cooking. Wellsphere’s HealthBlogger Network (HBN) is comprised of over 3,000 of the web’s best health writers, including doctors, patient experts and people pursuing healthy living.

    For more information about joining, please visit http://www.wellsphere.com/health-blogger or email me at hua [at] wellsphere [dot] com.

    Best,
    Hua
    Director of Blogger Networks

  27. Debbie says:

    Sounds like you had a blast on your birthday!!! I would have loved the ice cream crepes. Your pizza looks delicious too!!!!

  28. Happy belated birthday! The pizza sounds excellent!

  29. teresa says:

    aw, so glad you had a fun day! birthdays are the best. this looks great, i made mine like a pizza too. i wish i’d done blue cheese though. hard as i try, i just can’t get myself to like goat cheese, sad.

  30. Catherine says:

    This looks so good! Great post Joanne, hope this coming year brings you much happiness!

  31. Mimi says:

    Mmmmmmm! Pizza.

    I think you should marry a guy who has really bad vision. Then he won’t notice the scum on the tub. Works for me…

  32. katecooks says:

    wow, that sounds like a really fabulous birthday! so glad to hear you rang it in with style!!

    and dont worry too much about the soap scum. have you ever SEEN a boy’s bathroom?!?!! in other words, if he cares that much, he will do it himself ๐Ÿ™‚

    and for the most part, it appears they dont care one bit. ick.

  33. Mari says:

    “In my defense. Having dirty dishes in the sink makes me anxious. (We are talking anaphylactic shock anxious).” I am the same exact way!!!

    I am glad that you had a great birthday!!!!! you totally deserve it!

  34. Chef Aimee says:

    Fantastic letter! Whoever your future husband is, he is one extremely lucky guy! And I don’t mean about the homemade pizza! ๐Ÿ™‚

  35. The line between focaccia and pizza can be a thin one ๐Ÿ™‚ Looks absolutely delicious.
    Happy Birthday! So glad you had a good time.
    I have been married twice. Both have understood that tub and floor scrubbing is men’s work. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  36. Nicole, RD says:

    I hate dirty dishes, too…but I’m not AS good about getting them done as you ๐Ÿ™‚ I concur with vacuuming, dusting, bathrooms, and so on. My husband married a slob, what can I say other than I needed a pre-nup stating something of the like cause I sure do cook! Pizza included. Which looks awesome, by the way!

    Have an awesome weekend, Joanne!

  37. oh funny post I bet you will get a great hubby and man he will love your cooking

  38. theUngourmet says:

    I agree, it’s a pizza and a great looking one at that! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Glad you had a nice birthday!

  39. So glad it was a nice birthday! ๐Ÿ™‚
    The pizza looks wonderful! I’d even do the opposite and scrub the toilets if my husband would make the pizza – but no, I get to do both, ack! TGIF! Have a great weekend!

  40. sophia says:

    Post a pic of your dear bro!! I’ll bet he’s a hottie, like you.

    Dear future husband of Joanne:
    Don’t meet her TOO early. Or she’ll be too busy to cook her wonderful recipes. But don’t meet her too late either. She’s a catch, and she needs someone to do her dishes.

  41. PJ says:

    lol.. its such a delight to read you, Joanne! infact, even better, just let you to-be husband see your place in the state its usually in, and he wont need to be told (thats what I did — I so know when you say that cleaning and dusting is not your thing!) ๐Ÿ˜€

  42. Debinhawaii says:

    It looks delicious–I’ll come scrub your toilets for a piece or two of that pizza! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  43. Luciana says:

    Happy birthday my dear friend, the description of yourself, for your future husband, is very beautiful…and pizza…wonderful…mmm…I seem to hear the smell…a kiss Luciana

  44. Velva says:

    I think your pre-nuptial agreement is more than reasonable. He would be a fool not to sign it.

    So glad to know that your birthday was special!

  45. If more pre-nuptual agreements looked like yours, there would be more stable marriages in this country ๐Ÿ™‚

    The pizza/focaccia looks tasty. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to pizza, personally, but my husband would be absolutely all over this!

  46. Mary says:

    Whoever he is, where ever he is, he’s one lucky guy. That pizza looks divine. Have a great day. Mary

  47. Azita says:

    happy belated birthday! that sounds like a great plan to me! this pizza looks absolutely delicious! best wishes

  48. Elra says:

    Happy belated birthday Joanne!

  49. Karine says:

    Ha ah I hate all the cleaning tasks you mentioned! I also hate doing the dishes… but I have a dishwasher. Best invention ever. The big problem between my spouse and I is that he also hates cleaning. Anyway, I spare you the details ๐Ÿ˜›

    You seemed to have had a great birthday! And great combo of flavors in your pizza ๐Ÿ™‚

  50. Faith says:

    I think this pizza would lure in pretty much any prospective hubby! Great toppings, and the crust on that thing is gorgeous! And I also hate cleaning the bathroom! (Luckily, Mike was sweet enough to consider that his chore, lol!)

  51. Jeanne says:

    Your pizza looks so yummy! I’m a sucker for homemade pizza, and so are potential husbands (not that I would know…I’m not married). But all the guys I know love pizza, so I think you’re on the right track with this one. Great post!

  52. Joanne says:

    1. So how many hundreds of offers from potential hubby’s did you get? ๐Ÿ™‚
    2. Happy Birthday to you – it was yesterday?.. hope it was fantastic!
    3. That pizza? I can’t let my hubby see that or he’ll divorce me and go knocking at your door.
    It looks FAB!

  53. Sophie says:

    Hahahahaha,…I love the letter!!

    Your pizza looks so tempting & so good,….mmmmmmm!

  54. Katy ~ says:

    I’m weird. I LOVE cleaning house. I love foccaccia and pizza. Wonder what that all means…

  55. Kevin says:

    I really like the sound of the poblano and blue cheese combo for a pizza!

  56. Michelle says:

    Happy Birthday!

    Gorgeous pizza too. I loved the WW Olive Oil Bread as a pizza crust…we were fighting over the slices!

  57. Tasha says:

    I’m so like you- I can overlook dusty baseboards or shower scum but dishes in the sink, I just can’t handle! I’m also obsessive about perfectly cleaned off countertops, but can completely ignore that the floor needs sweeping.

    What a cute post this was- and the pizza looks awesome!

  58. Ezzie says:

    Love you sense of humor! Happy belated birthday! And great looking pizza!

  59. CMC says:

    Love this….pizza and blog. Happy Happy late b’day to you……

  60. Heather B says:

    yum! Great job on the pizza. It looks delicious!

  61. Bonnie says:

    Happy birthday and your pizza looks delicious. That’s a great bribe (bargaining chip).

  62. Shirley says:

    Belated birthday wishes to you! You will scare your future hubby if you tell him all that. But if you cook like you do… am sure fellows will fall in line.

  63. Bridgit says:

    Funny, in my house my husband cooks the pizza AND cleans the bathroom. Oh, he does the dishes, too. But that pizza? I might clean the bathroom for THAT pizza.

  64. Raelyn says:

    We love to use this dough for pizza too. If you want it crisper just roll it thinner and bake longer at a really high temp (450-500). Great job!

  65. ruchikacooks says:

    Droolworthy noodles Jo. Homemade pizza is the best. Great spread. We in TX are having snow on and off, even now, seriously all of us need Sun..Fast..So that we can hit the beach and complain about how hot it is ๐Ÿ™‚

    The best way to reach a guy’s heart is through the tummy and you cook like a dream, he’ll sign it with his eyes closed ๐Ÿ™‚

  66. Andreas says:

    Pizza, Focaccia.. who’s there to judge.
    Blue cheese on pizza sounds interesting.

  67. Ok, so (a) totally agree with you on dusting and dishes, (b) stop tempting me to increase my already bulging-at-the-seams cookbook collection (including their 1st book), and (c) what a fabulously original and delicious pizza! So glad your bday was a blast, too.

  68. Aparna says:

    First of all, belated birthday wishes. We didn’t like this bread too much, but I can see how it would make a good pizza.
    And that’s a great bargain to make with a future husband. Wish I had thought of it all those years ago, its too late now! ๐Ÿ™‚
    Actually, I shouldn’t complain as I do have it good.

  69. Graziana says:

    great combo the poblanos with blue cheese! I’m not growing poblanos this year, I think I will try some other mild chili instead

  70. Marisa says:

    Pod person! You crack me up. ๐Ÿ™‚ Hope you had a super awesome birthday.

  71. Old Pop says:

    Pizza looks great, but I am spoken for.

  72. Your pizza looks great! I thought this dough worked well for pizza as well. Yummy!

  73. Danielle says:

    ya, I was kinda wondering myself why it wasn’t called pizza LOL. looks like thats what most of the HBin% peeps did ๐Ÿ™‚ And yes, pizza is a good bargaining tool….probably #2 on the list LOL

  74. petra says:

    and she did it again, you made me crack up. Funny indeed! Happy belated birthday too.

  75. msmeanie says:

    Love it! I just made a focaccia too sans sauce, but yours sounds fabulous — and yes, I agree it is more like a pizza, and yes pizza is a great bargaining tool!

  76. Jenny says:

    Your pizza looks great. I think you should be able to bargain a little with yummies like that to back you up!
    ~Jenny~

  77. Kerstin says:

    Your future hubby will be one lucky guy ๐Ÿ™‚ What a unique pizza – it sounds fabulous! And I’m glad you had such a perfect bday celebration!

  78. Nina says:

    I came to comment on the HB5 and found so many wonderful recipes here.I agree it was more like a pizza…looks fabulous:)

  79. Looks so mouthwatering, Joanne! And happy belated birthday! What a wonderful day for you.

    I LOVE reading your blog. Your future hubby will be really lucky. I would suggest one that also leaves the toilet seat down (mine does)!!

    ๐Ÿ™‚

  80. Joanna says:

    Happy Very Belated Bday, and your pizza looks amazing!

  81. Elwood says:

    Belated Happy Birthday! Great use of the dough, poblano and blue cheese, yummy. Thanks for such an entertaining post.

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