the only way to make pizza

Toppings L-R: green onions, green peppers, tomatoes, chicken and pepperoni, mushrooms, homemade pesto (best part!).

My husband works really late every Tuesday night, so I make pizza for dinner. He hates pizza... I know! Who hates pizza?! That's why Tuesday night=pizza night.

I on the other hand *heart* pizza. I think I could eat it every day. Seriously. This is my favorite commercial. Every time I make pizza I totally admit to singing this song.



In my opinion - the ONLY way to make homemade pizza is on the GRILL. Oh it's so tasty! And so trial-and-error to get it right. But I've figured out what works for me. Tracy does it differently. I used to do it the way she does, but I am lazy.

Option 1: Tracy's way: she gets her grill REALLY hot and then puts the pizza dough directly on the grill. Then puts the toppings on. It's too hot for me. I don't like leaning over the grill that much when it's already 106 degrees outside. But, the flavor is a little different then the other options. Very tasty.

Option 2: use a pizza stone on your grill heated up to 500 degrees. I don't have a pizza stone. I think this is technically how it's "supposed" to be done. But whatevs.

Option 3: buy cheap pizza pans from the dollar store (since they'll get trashed by the grill). Make your pizza on the pans - toppings and all.

Remember to spray the pans w/ non-stick cooking spray.
Have your grill heating while doing all of this then turn it on LOW-MED (this is the trial-and-error part), put your pizza on, and check after 6-8 minutes. Possibly rotate if not ready yet.

Enjoy! I love to put fresh Parmesan cheese on it too!

I modified a recipe for the dough, so I'll share it with you.

2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water

mix together and let stand until foamy
3 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tps salt
3 tsp olive oil

mix these ingredients and then add the yeast/water mixture.

cover and let rise. *this is KEY*

This makes enough for 2-3 pizza depending on how thick you make the crust.

*When I roll out my dough I like to brush olive oil on the surface before I put on my toppings* Don't forget to sing ;)

also - this is so easy to make the day ahead and refrigerate. Pull it out to warm up the dough and it's ready. I usually freeze my left over dough too. I almost think the defrosted dough is better than the fresh stuff.

The recipe is good in that Artisan Bread book too, but I like to make mine in my food processor, and the recipe in the book makes too much to fit.

strawberry fields forever

For whatever reason I can't think of strawberries without thinking of that song. Have you been to a farmers market yet and tasted the delisousness of strawberries in season? Oh! And did you know, strawberry jam is SO easy to make. As with most of my hobbies, I was inspired by Tracy to try making jam, but did not have a steamer pot thing to help seal the lids. My mom said (and it DID work) that after you put the jam in the jars, screw on the lids, you can turn them upside down and they will seal themselves. Test the lids by pushing down on them and if they don't pop back up - they're sealed. If they do pop back up, put them in the freezer. You now have freezer jam. The recipe for jam will be on the pectin box that you buy. Beware: Strawberry jam has MORE sugar in it than it does strawberries. But. I'm ok with that.

I made jam for the moms for Mother's Day. I got the cute tutorial for the cover from here. It's all hand sewing, and takes a bit of time to do. I LOVE how cute they look, but am torn on whether the time is worth it for something that just gets thrown out. Know what I mean?

Strawberry jam is a nice idea for teachers gifts though (is it too late for that?), and you could just put cute fabric under the lid. And inexpensive. I figured about $1.50/8 oz. jar.

home ec-y

We had ham for Easter dinner. While cutting the rest of the meat up to save for sandwiches the next day I discovered the bone. Now, this may seem obvious to you, but I decided I should make some kind of soup with it. It seemed very exciting and new. It also reminded me of that book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. At some point in the book the mom is making soup with the bone from a ham and she's used it to cook so many times there is hardly any taste left in it. At least that's what I remember. I could be thinking of something totally different. Anyway, the soup was divine. Tasty. I made the Challa bread from that book Tracy (and just about everyone I know) was talking about. I even braided it and put poppy seeds on it. Soup made from a left over ham bone and home made braided bread -- how's that for domestic! The house smelled so good all day long and when the bread was baking. . . mmmm. . . there was something comforting about it.

Here's the recipe to the soup I made. (Made in a crock pot)

-Ham bone left over from a yummy spiral ham dinner
-2 cups chopped potato
-2 cups chopped carrots
-1 chopped onion
-1/2 cup celery
-1 clove minced garlic
-1 can kidney beans
-1 can stewed (or diced) tomatoes
-4 cups water
-4-6 tsp (cubes) chicken bullion. It was a wee bit salty, but I'm not sure if cutting back here would make the difference.

I put it in the crock pot for 6 1/2 hours on medium heat. The bits of ham that was left on the bone was falling off. Wow! This soup was great!

... after dinner we took the bone to a neighbor's dog. Waste not want not, right!?

my turn

Hey Tracy - it's my Birthday today... not tomorrow. Ha! We've been best friends since we were 13 years old and neither one of us can remember WHICH DAY the other's Birthday is on. Actually, Tracy sent me some fun napkins that I will take a picture of (unless Tracy did and wants to post them herself). Oh yeah, the point. Pumpkin Cheesecake! Every year since I can remember my mom made pumpkin cheesecake for my Birthday. When I left for college she would send me the ingredients. The past couple of years my good friend has made it. Today, my husband made it. It was the first time he ever has and I thought it was very sweet of him.
Here's the recipe. It's easy. And involves Jello no-bake cheesecake, so it's sort of like cheating. OK - it is cheating, but there so much less guilt involved when finishing off a 9" pie full by myself because no one else in the house likes it...

1 pkg Jello Cheesecake (sold at Target for only $1.59!)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
3/4 c. pumpkin
3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
cool whip

Crust: Prepare crust of cheesecake mix per instructions on box.

Filling: Combine all dry ingredients. Add pumpkin, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Pour mixture into crust. Chill for at least 1 hr. Put whip cream on top before serving.

Yum!

birthday stuff

Two years ago today I woke up in the middle of the night with contractions - 5 weeks early and 3 hours away from the hospital. But we made it! And now he gets to wear this fun little shirt for his birthday that I made him (well, I appliqued the 2 on at least).

I saw this fabric at a local quilt store and knew I had to do something fun with it. Birthday banners are the best! They make everything so festive. I made a template out of card board for the triangles. I experimented with a few methods, but decided the best way for me was to sandwich felt in between the two triangles (so there is fabric on the front and back). The edges are raw. I prefer the felt in the middle because it makes the triangle a little more substantial. The triangles are 6" by 8". I could post a pdf for the template if anyone is interested.
Last of all - jumbo Space cupcakes - get it? Earth, Sun, Saturn, Jupiter, Outer space. Mars! I forgot the Red Planet - oh! That would have been so easy too! duh! I'm not a crafty cooking/baking person, but I have to admit, I though myself very clever with these. A few years ago I bought a Cake Decorating Delux kit from Williams Sonoma for a steal (only $10!). There is everything you could want to decorate cakes and cookies in that kit! Sugar sprinkles and food coloring in every color you could ever want - even brown. It was fun figuring out how to make the cupcakes look space-y. My sister told me I have to much time on my hands ; )

Happy Birthday (baby) C!

Something Sweet

I am in love with this web site.  Every time I view Bakearella's wildly creative concoctions I am in heaven.  She has really stretched the limits of basic cupcakes but with that said I had to try a white cake recipe she posted a while back. It isn't my favorite I think it is a little to heavy for white cake.  Do you have a perfect white/butter cake recipe?  If so I would love it if you shared it with me.  

still sorta M.I.A

I'm back, sort of. I'm not sure I'm ready to really be back yet. We went to visit my family (and T) in Utah over Christmas and it was idealic! Nothing to do. Nothing left to sew for Christmas. No church callings or work to handle. Nothing but playing in the snow with the kids. And shoveling snow with the 4-wheeler. So fun! (especially for us California people).

Anyway, there are crafts to share. . . but I wanted to show you this blog that a friend of mine shared with me. It's a whole years worth of crock pot recipes. No recipe book to buy. Love that. My goal for this next year is to plan meals for the month. I used to do this and it was so nice to not have to worry about "what's for dinner" and if I changed my mind, I had ingredients for another day. Plus - so much money is saved not running to the store a few times a month. So far, January looks like a month of crock pot yummy-ness.

Tiny Doughnuts

I am not sure why, but it seems that everything that is small is so much more desirable than its true to size counterpart. Especially when it comes to food. I think that is why I always tend to eat more of the snake size candy bars than I would if I where to eat a regular sized bar.  Anyhow I saw a picture of these delectable morsels and showed them to my children and then they where smitten they begged and begged until I final gave in and made them. I saw them first on the not Martha web site which has some really good ideas. (I think I will try the pies in a jar next) The doughnuts where fun.  We made a Cinnamon sugar, vanilla glazed and my personal favorite lemon poppy seed. This is perfect if you need a little something sweet or 5 of a little something sweet.  

Lentil Soup

  I love the desire fall bring to eat nothing but warm soup and crusty bread. Tonight I made a soup for dinner that was really satisfying.  the fact that my oldest daughter ate it, without complaining means that It will be going on the list of things to make again.  I found the recipe in a book I have had for a long time but haven't used much it was calling my name.  I am glad because this is the second thing I have made from it this week it is the Food Everyday Cookbook "Great Food Fast".

Lentil Soup

3 strips of Bacon chopped 

1 large Onion, chopped

3 medium Carrots, peeled, cut in to 1/4 half moons

2 Garlic cloves, minced 

3 TBS Tomato paste

1 1/2 cup Lentils

1/2 tsp dried Thyme

2 cans Chicken Broth

1 TBS red-wine Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a dutch Oven or other pot with a tight lid, cook bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of rendered fat.

2. Add the onion and carrots; cook until softened. Stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in tomatoes paste, add the lentils, thyme, broth and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover; cook until lentils are tender, 30 to 45 minutes. If soup becomes to thick during cooking, add water as needed (I added over 2 cup more.)

4. Stir in vinegar, and adjust salt and pepper.    

Happy cooking!!

    

Punkin Pie

We went to the BEST Halloween party a couple weekends ago. You can see pictures here and here. I brought a pumpkin pie that I made. It was for completely selfish reasons - I love pumpkin pie and will make it whenever possible.

Tracy is the true connoisseur of pies having made the desserts for a nice restaurant in Utah for a few years and gone to school studying culinary arts. I will fake it for you. I just use the recipe off of the Libby's pumpkin can BUT with this one alteration - split up the sugar, meaning do half granulated and half brown sugar. Mmmm. . . pie. . .

Peaches come from a can.....or a jar.

I can not stop putting things in jars. There is something so fun about canning food for my family for the winter. Even thought I can go to the Grocery store whenever I want and buy things all ready in a jar.  It is a lot of work but depending on the day I think my family is worth it.   Also I went to visit my grandpa last week and he gave me some of my grandmas old jars. It means so much to me to be able to do something that she loved to do as well, and who know maybe even my girls will love to put things in my grandma's jars to.  I am not counting on it. 

The Union of Zucchini and Chocolate

I would have never believed this was good but I had a friend bring me a loaf last year, that I scarfed it down like no other.  So this year when I had a surplus of zucchini I had to make some. In fact I think I have made six loafs (Not all for myself, I know how to share.) I found the recipe here. It is so good you have to try it!