Hi everyone!

With so much happening at Mia’s this new year we want to make sure to keep you, our loyal customers and friends, up to date with the news! (And while you can find our big monthly blogs here, we have more updates and conversations happening on Facebook and Twitter – so head over there for more of Mia’s!).

Breakfast Pizzas

Some of you may have noticed that we are doing some menu expansion, particularly in the brunch department. If you haven’t heard, we decided that pizza shouldn’t be relegated to only lunch and dinner, but that it should be celebrated as an excellent vehicle for all things breakfast!

Want to know how to be part of this elite test group? Well, all you have to do is come in on a Saturday or Sunday (or both!) morning and taste for yourself. We are featuring three delicious breakfast pizzas, including Bacon & Potato Pizza, Sausage, Red Pepper & Onion Pizza, and Spinach, Mushroom, & Potato Pizza, each with over-easy eggs and lots of cheese. Last but not least, after you’ve shaken off that pizza-coma, send us an email, Facebook message, or tweet about your experience – we’d love your feedback!

Straight A’s + Mia’s = Free Dessert!

We know many of our most influential customers are receiving their report cards this week, and Mia’s wants to congratulate and reward those who excelled this term. Come show off your straight-A report card and we will be delighted to send a free dessert your way. Now your only homework is to decide what you’re going to get!

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating those you love, and we at Mia’s are planning a few extra-special additions to our usual menu to help make the night a memorable one.

First, we are expanding our Wednesday night tradition of half-priced bottles of wine to Tuesday night – nothing says “celebrate” quite like a bottle of bubbly Prosecco! We are also whipping up a few holiday-themed treats, such as Red Pepper, Goat Cheese & Artichoke Heart Crostini and heart-shaped chocolates handmade by our in-house pastry chef. In addition, we will have an appetizer, soup, and pizza special just for that night, so stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook accounts for the big reveal later this month.

If you are planning on coming by for Valentine’s Day, remember that while we do not have a traditional reservation policy, we highly encourage you to give us a call twenty minutes prior to your arrival. That way, we can add your name to our list and be able to give you priority as soon as you come in!

happy new year!

With a brand new year in front of us, I would like to take the opportunity to extend extra thanks and appreciation to all our customers who have helped in making this past year such a success. Whether you dine with us once a year or once a week, you truly are considered part of our family. We hope that you will come make memories over a pizza, a glass of wine, or a cupcake again soon.

Happy New Year,

Melissa Ballinger
Chef & Owner

this holiday season

Mia’s Pizzas is excited to announce our participation in a great and local charitable cause this holiday season. This year, the Inaugural Mia’s Holiday Charity Drive supports The National Center for Children and Families at the Greentree Shelter located in Bethesda.

The National Center for Children and Families strives to create holistic and healthy living environments for vulnerable children, youth, and families. Their residential programs serve homeless families, victims of domestic violence, and vulnerable adolescents. This year, in the spirit of giving, we encourage our guests to pick up a wish list at our host stand and donate a new and unwrapped gift to help less fortunate local families have a wonderful holiday season.

Please click here for NCCF’s 2011 Holiday Wishlist!

We will be accepting your donations until December 20th.

If you wish to make a monetary donation, please make a check payable to “The National Center for Children and Families”.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@miaspizzasbethesda.com.

thanksgiving recipes

Being thankful for our customers, both new and old, is something we celebrate at Mia’s on a daily basis – we really couldn’t do it without you. So, on this holiday of thanks, we wanted to share some of our favorite recipes with you, in hopes that we can give back a little of all you have given to us.

Mia’s Sweet Potato Casserole with Gingered Marshmallows

For potatoes:

8 medium to large sweet potatoes

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

6 egg whites

For topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup crystalized inger, minced

2 cups Jet-Puffed mini marshmallows

  1. Prick sweet potatoes in several places with a fork and place on rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until soft when pierced.
  2. Remove from oven, scoop out flesh, and place in a bowl along with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Using an electric mixer, beat sweet potatoes until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and/or cinnamon.
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites to a stiff peak. With a rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites into sweet potato mixture in three bathes, being careful not to over mix and deflate egg whites.
  4. Transfer sweet potato mixture to a tall, straight-sided and generously buttered ceramic serving dish. Place in oven on middle rack and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
  5. White sweet potatoes are baking, make marshmallow topping by mixing together sugar, ground ginger, and minced crystallized ginger.
  6. Remove sweet potato casserole from oven and raise temperature to 375 degrees. Place marshmallows in a single layer over surface of casserole. Sprinkle ginger-sugar mixture on top and return to oven immediately.
  7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until marshmallows are golden and rise slightly over top edge of dish. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Green Bean Casserole with Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions

2 pounds green beans, fresh, trimmed, blanched in salted water and then shocked in ice water. (Note: These can be blanched a day ahead and then wrapped in paper towel and stored in refrigerator.)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound mushrooms, white button, wipe clean and sliced

3/4 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/4 cup whole milk

Salt & Pepper to taste

  1. Heat butter in large non stick saute pan over high heat.  When butter melts add sliced mushrooms and stir until all mushrooms are evenly coated with butter.
  2. Cook mushrooms on high heat stirring until mushrooms are soft and start to turn golden brown. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.
  3. Reduce heat to medium. Add Soup and milk and bring to a low simmer.  Do not boil. Stir soup mixture until well combined.
  4. Add pre-blanched green beans and stir until well coated with mushroom cream sauce.  If you would like for the beans to have more mushroom cream sauce add a little more of soup mixture.  If you would like green beans to have less sauce ladle a little out.
  5. Taste mushroom sauce and season with salt or pepper to your liking.  Remember the canned Cream of Mushroom Soup probably has a fair amount of salt in it so be careful.
  6. Cook 3-5 minutes, only long enough for beans to heat up.

Remove green beans from pan with tongs to a shallow serving platter and ladle sauce over beans.  Heat caramelized onions and mound in center of platter. Place cooked mushrooms over green beans and serve.

Caramelized Onions

These onions are very easy to make and can be used in a multitude of other dishes.  The great thing about them is they can be made ahead of time and be kept refrigerated for up to 5 day in an airtight container.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons sugar

2 large yellow onions, peeled, root end removed, cut lengthwise and then sliced 1/4 inch thick into strips

  1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large non-stick saute pan over high heat.
  2. When butter has completely melted add onions and stir until onions are completely coated with oil and butter.
  3. Sprinkle sugar over onions while stirring coating onions evenly with sugar. Continue stirring onions until they begin to soften and release some moisture.  Approximately 3-5 minutes.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook onions stirring occasionally.  Onions should start to brown in 10 to 15 minutes. If onions are not browning raise heat slightly, if they are burning, reduce heat.
  5. Continue to cook onions, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes until they are a nice golden brown color.