Tostada Pizza

Last night I made Tostada Pizza from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

( recipe )

Variations and Thoughts

I used cheddar cheese and eyeballed the amount, though based on previous encounters, I think I was pretty close to the stated 4 ounces. My pizza dough was frozen and I don't remember how much it actually weighed; I suspect it was more than the recommended 10 ounces, though not by much. I cooked the pizza at 420 degrees Fahrenheit, a compromise between the recipe temperature and the temperature on the dough package (425 degrees). I didn't have cornmeal, so I used flour instead, which is what the pizza dough pacakage said to use anyway. I couldn't find pinto beans with jalapenos, so I used plain ones, and I used one Poblano pepper (roughly 4 ounces) since I couldn't find a four ounce can of green chiles.

I think the recipe turned out rather well, though I maybe should have rolled out the dough a little thinner. It did cook all the way through, but the crust was a bit thick and I almost didn't have enough room for all the ground beef. It tasted pretty good, a little kick from the pepper and the chili powder but not too spicy. I'm not sure I'd make this again though as it was really messy to cut and a bit hard to eat.

Erotic versus Sexual

I have a question for all of you out there, because my experience is limited and many of you have very different experiences and perspectives than my own. Can something be erotic but NOT sexual? The dictionary definition of both words seems to indicate not, but some late night musings recently made me wonder if something can be one but not the other.

First, I suppose it might be helpful if I defined what those two words mean to me. For me "erotic" is something that creates arousal, feelings of physical desire; something that is felt but not necessarily acted on. When I think of "sexual", I think specifically of the physical acts that lead to sexual pleasure and completion, or a thought and/or activity that leads to intense feelings of arousal and a desire to act on that arousal.

What got me thinking about this was massage and other touches like back scratches and petting and being drawn on, or having my hair played with. All of these feel really good, and sometimes I do feel arousal, but I rarely want to act on it. I would rather just enjoy the sensations of whatever touch I'm getting, and maybe revel in the potential arousal, but when it comes down to trading the sensual touches for sexual ones, I'd rather just keep going with the sensual touch.

So, I was just wondering if erotic and sexual have to go together, if they can be separate, or if there is another term out there that suits better that I've overlooked. I don't know if I necessarily have to be able to name it, but most of the people I've interacted with seem to use the sensual touch as a means to a sexual end, and don't quite seem to grasp that the touch can be erotic and arousing for me without me wanting to do anything about it.

Thoughts?