kidding around

I love pizza.
I love homemade pizza.
I love it so much that I want to share the crust recipe I use.

In the beginning months of my regular blogging, I shared my affection for my family’s pizza night. We still have it, although not as often…

This past weekend my husband and son were off camping. I thought I would take the girls to a pizza place that many have recommended. It was pretty good and the excitement of the girls was well worth it, but I like my own much more! So here is the recipe…easy peasy.

You need:

425 pre-heated oven

1/2 cup water
2 1/2 t. active dry yeast
1 t. sugar
4 cups flour
1 1/2 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
1 1/4 cup warm water

First, dissolve water and yeast in mixer bowl (above).

Then add flour, salt, olive oil, and water and mix with dough hook on your mixer.

Knead dough until the lump is nice and soft…put in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray and flip dough around so that the top has oil on it (this prevent the dough from sticking to the plastic wrap).

Let the dough rise for at least an hour. I usually place my dough in the sun or on the stove top and forget about it for 2-3 hours…just make sure the dough has doubled in size!

Press dough into a pizza pan or baking sheet. Be sure pan is sprayed! I also like to make individual pizzas…but one big pizza is fast.

I like to pre-bake my crust, it makes it nice and crunchy! I bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or just take it out when I like the color. A hot oven really makes this pizza great.

Yum.

This is usually the time I round up Simon and he helps with the toppings. We like to use Trader Joe’s Marinara sauce (in the can) and sprinkle with a little garlic salt (I am a huge fan of salty sauce).

Obviously any toppings you like make your pizza tasty. I like tapenade, red onion, and pepperoni…

Yum, again.

What I like about this recipe is that you can make the crust as thin as you like and it bakes really well. You can make 2 pizzas with this recipe for a thin crust. You can also freeze it and when you want to use it, just take it out and let it thaw on your counter. Genius.

It’s also great on the grill.

Let me know if anyone tries out the recipe!

Today I will be spending the day with my sweet son. Lunch and then some pizza making are in the plans. This card he made for his teacher and I wish I could keep it!!

Time really does fly…we moved back to Chicago when I was pregnant with my Simon and I can’t believe I am now having conversations about the solar system and that “oo” makes an “oooo” sound. Age six is a pretty fantastic age. The world is opening up through independent reading, making more choices, more responsibility. Not that things are perfect all the time, but life with Simon Ariel is a joy.

Speaking of joy, this cake gets me happy! I made the cake from Ina Garten’s newest book and the frosting is Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Isn’t the frosting beautiful?! So easy to make and it looks just like a delicious cloud.

Hands off, Peppy! We still have about 9 hours before chow time.

I have recently discovered a cookbook that I absolutely love- you know when the book is necessary to own yourself when you make 5 recipes out of it AND you constantly are checking it out from the library!

Anyway, living outside Chicago, I have been to Rick Bayless’ restaurant a few times for dinner and brunch (even saw Julia Child there!) and dream about meals from that place…so, this book makes me really happy.

I made a “Fire roasted Chiptole/Tomatillo Salsa” 2 times this week and really CAN NOT get enough of it. It is so simple and fun to roast tomatillos- a vegetable/fruit (?) that I have not personally used, but LOVE.

All you do is place 8oz of tomatillos (sliced in half, face down) in a dry skillet along with four garlic cloves. Cook until fragrant and the tomatillos are soft. Add them to a blender, add 2 Chiptole peppers (in a can) with some adobo sauce, salt, 1/4 cup of water and give it a whirl. You’ve got yourself some hot, complex, and tasty salsa! Easy and GOOD.

Make sure you do not do what I did and wipe off your blender with the lid off and 4 cups of salsa in the pitcher- you got it, a mess.

I don’t know why, but this past week I have been wildly contemplative. Perhaps it’s because my birthday is in a few days, or the holiday chaos is now finally over OR I find myself in silence while I am alone (thankfully Penelope hasn’t deserted her naps yet!).

The time I do spend by myself I often find myself thinking of obscure memories from my childhood.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and my family would often take trips to New York/Connecticut or Iowa to visit with family (on both sides). The word “road trip” brings up memories of peeing in coffee cans, black licorice, having my older sisters laying all over me in the back seat and anticipation. I loved reunions with the welcoming family…living far from relatives wasn’t a big deal. In fact, I really have to say that this strengthened my love for connection, family, and independence.

So- anyway, the ferry trip…right…Last week, while I was leafing through this book-I stumbled upon this crumb cake recipe. It was like a flash- the image of me on a ferry eating crumb cake was as clear as a day! I was about 8years old and remember puttering about around the Statue of Liberty with a big slice of this cake in my hand. I undeniably thought this was the best bit of “sweetness” I had ever tasted…so, this morning with Penelope by my side, I re-created a memory.

Can I just tell you all how incredibly wonderful this is? If you have the cookbook- GO MAKE IT THIS WEEKEND!

…check.

…getting help from eager toddler, check.

…had fun, but glad to take off list…check, check!

I KNOW I should be doing something other than making caramels, but I just had to try the recipe in MS Homemade Holiday magazine. I absolutely love caramels and when you add a touch more sea salt to the mix I absolutely lose control!

Apparently Peppy takes after me.

Not a whole lot going around here. Just working a lot and being busy like everyone else. I’m anxious for January so I can start some projects I have swimming in my mind. But until then, I am happy to find some chunks of time to finish up on Christmas gifts and do all the other “house stuff” that needs to get done. Today we had 30 degree temps. so Peppy and I hit our normal walking routine…it was nice to get out and breathe some fresh, crisp air!

Over the next few weeks I will be posting more photos than writing…I really enjoy posting images and have missed doing so over the last week. Since I am not sewing as much and feeling a tad bit more overwhelmed than usual- I still like to feel “connected”, you know?

I made Pumpkin Whoopie pies at work last night. I just had to make some for dessert tonight. Wish some of you kind readers lived down the block…

I know what we could devour!

Oh and look here, left over cream cheese frosting. I bet Ellie will be the luckiest school girl tomorrow when she finds some graham cracker/cream cheese frosting cookies!

By the way, instead of being able to share some whoopie pies- I want to share my husband’s new web site he created this weekend. He has done an exceptional job documenting our family and other little events in our home. He also is a huge Mac fan and loves using all iMovie and iDVD and iWeb…glad he does! Check it out, if you can!

A collaborative effort between my husband and I- he shot some photos while I prepared to make a cranberry apple pie. Unfortunately, after all the nice imagery, I was foolish and the pie slid off of the baking sheet and landed flat faced onto the ground. Did we eat it? You bet! Is it pretty? Uh…No! But it sure tasted delicious and smelled lovely.

Jeepers, all that fun in planning and now the party is over! My sister’s baby shower was a success and my other sister and I had fun in all the preparation. From picking up my sister Susan at the airport to going to a flower mart for the party to making my house ready for the bash… I had fun and sort of let down now that it is all over!

We had lox and bagels, crispy goat cheese salad, tomato basil stratta, scones, brioche cinammon rolls, fruit, pineapple bake, mimosas, bellinis, bloody marys, coffee, 2 kinds of cupcakes and whoopie pies.

I was crossing my fingers all week long for no rain- unfortunately it was miserable outside, but really warm inside which is far better that 90 degrees with the air con. on. Sorry for the poor photos, not only was there no sunshine, but my kitchen is not the best “non-flash” environment. And taking photos of food with a flash is quite frightening. I also did not take nearly enough photos- but I think that I was totally enjoying myself and felt no need to document the whole event.

Next up- Tizzy’s arrival!

I’m taking a blogging break, not sure when I will be back. Take care friends.

Okay- so my son and I have a typical “mother/son” relationship, but there are many times I am often challenged by him…he takes me to places of aggravation I have never been (the kind in your mind, I should stress that). I do know he has helped me be patient and how to act in love and I have such gratitude to this kid. Maybe it’s because we are alike or maybe it’s because I have never been around little boys before. I grew up in a family of all girls.

Anyway, I find getting him and I involved in the kitchen together brings us much more closer and we really work together well. By the way, notice Si’s special friend watching as we work? I think it’s funny since in Penny’s scone making, her friend was checking out the process.

To go with the traditional Labor Day BBQ, we decided to make pudding. I bought a really dark dutch-processed cocoa and man, it’s black! The photos don’t show the nice chocolately pudding you would imagine, but the taste was there.

Of course everyone loved the treat- something we actually don’t have often after dinner…dessert that is!

Anyway, thanks in advance to all of those who can relate to my experience as a mother…it’s so humbling and not perfect all of the time and pretty darn lonely.