Fort McHenry trip ^_^

Aquarium & Science Center

Virginia♥

pizza♥

PIZZA!

ingredients:

2 ½ cups flour plus some for dusting (may substitute 1 cup flour with 1 cup whole wheat flour)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water (as close to 110 degrees as possible)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1 package yeast (1/4 ounce)

directions:

Before I start this I tend to wash my counters off really well so that I can knead the dough right on them. I wipe all the crumbs off then I spray bleach all over the counter and get any stains up using paper towels (taking care to keep my shirt out of the way) then I spray soapy water on it and wipe that up and then I follow up with hot water to get rid of the bleach and soap.

Mix the sugar in with the water (work fast the water will begin to cool immediately) and sprinkle yeast on top. refrain from stirring it more than once or twice, just leave it alone and it should do its own thing in about 10 minutes time. While waiting for that you could begin to gather and chop your toppings.

 

It should look like that > It will just about double in size. The top will be poofy and foamy but the bottom part will still be liquid.

Pour into a large bowl (use a scraper to get all the foam from the edges) and add salt and olive oil. Mix in flour in batches (mostly so that you don’t wear most of it).

Mix it using a wooden spoon or a silicone scraper until you can’t anymore.

Now move your bowl to the side and sprinkle flour all over your working space (I find using a small sifter gives a more uniform layer) and flip your bowl over. The whole blob of dough should plop right out.

Now set a timer for about 5-8 minutes and get to work on that dough! There are no laws to kneading. You can punch it, you can roll it you can karate chop it, as long as you’re sure whatever you’re doing is combining the ingredients. I find that pushing until it’s flat like and then pulling the top down the bottom, turning it and flattening it again works fairly well.

Then fold it into a ball like form (doesn’t have to be perfect!)

Now grab a bowl (I use the same one I mixed it in, washed out and sprayed with some Pam) and drop it in. Cover with a thin towel and place in a warm draft free place (the microwave is perfect here- but DON’T turn it on).

Now set a timer and walk away for 30 minutes. Resist the urge to check on it. Just leave it alone and forget about it. You can continue to chop veggies for the toppings or wash dishes… or do what I did and go play 30 minutes of video games.

DING

When your time is up go grab it and pull the towel off. It might not look different from before but sometimes it really really is.

This was one of those times for me.

Now knead it a bit more and divide in half (for a thicker crust, simply don’t divide it) and start flattening that baby. I use a rolling pin to get mine nice and flat and round. Keep checking with your pizza pan to see if the crust is large enough.

Wish I had a photo of this part but when you are ready to put your crust on the pan don’t try to just pick it up with your hands, it will rip. Place your rolling pin (or a wine bottle in a cinch) at the end and pinching the ends of the dough to the roller roll up the dough, as if you were rerolling a roll of paper towels. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t stick to itself. Now move it to the pan and unroll it.

Now this is the part where I normally hand the show over to husband and go play video games/ watch Stargate/ raid the fridge but I’ll stick it out for y’all.

Now before we put the sauce and cheese on, I like to add a drizzle of olive oil and use a pastry brush to spread it around. I also melt some butter and add a few Italian seasonings (garlic salt, basil, cilantro and oregano and a dash of rosemary) then brush that on.

Spread some pizza sauce on there (we used half a jar) and toss some cheese on top (we used most the bag).

Sprinkle some pepperoni on (I’ve been informed by the husband that what you see here is not – he repeats NOT really pepperoni… it’s mini TURKEY pepperoni, which is apparently sacrilege and does not deserve to be called pepperoni… I on the other hand, liked it – and I’m not a pepperoni eater).

If you’d like you can also use some of the leftover spiced butter to do a few quick swipes around the crust with a pastry brush (makes it so much tastier)

bake at 400 or 425 for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

Pull her out, wait about 5 minutes as you marvel and take a few pics while it cools and then dig in!

You can either use or freeze the leftover dough. I kneaded and rolled mine out before flash freezing it so next time we want pizza the only work will be assembly. Enjoy!

Dad's birthday

So one of the coolest men in my life (my Padre) has a birthday coming up- this Saturday to be exact! And seeing as I doubt he could find my blog via Google if his life depended on it (he can barely find solitaire  on their computer), I feel safe telling the internet what he will be getting for his birthday ^_^

First on the list:

Dr Mario and Tetris was mine and my parents' ultimate favorite game on Super Nintendo.

This is not Dr Mario and Tetris. However, they loved Puzzle League also. Remembering this (and having just bought my father a DS for Christmas last year), I felt blown away by the awesomeness of stumbling upon this in our local Power Gamer. Priced at $17, I immediately bought it. If you would like a copy of your own they are priced around $15 (used) on Amazon.

And Okami.

Now let me tell you. The graphics in this game will rock your socks. HOWEVER, the opening intro will take forever and a day. I've only gotten to the 3rd level but really love the storyline and the whole idea behind it. Sometimes I have issues forcing the wii remote to do what i want it to do, but that's nothing new. If you would like to buy it, skip over to Amazon where it costs less than $20 normally (FAR less then I paid in store).

Now I may possibly also bake my father these awesome cupcakes.

But I shall have to talk about those later as photos of those are at home on my other computer.

And everyone loves photos.

Mother's Day gift ideas

Seeing as how Mother's Day is kind of around the corner, I figured I should look into some things my 2 moms would like (2 moms being my actual mom and my new mom in law).

Anywho, here's what I came up with:

****** If you happen to be my mom or my husbands mom, please stop reading now and skip this post until 5/10/10. Thank you for your cooperation. ***********

note: these lovelies are not for sale but there is a recipe for them here!

another note: her blog is awesome, check it out.

note: while these lovelies cost a whopping $30 (for TWELVE) and are far more cost efficient to make at home, mine never look this pretty. If you are too lazy to make them pretty but still want these for your mum you can buy them here.

Almost all ladies love flowers and I'm certain most moms are included in that. These lovelies are lilacs (Syringa Prairie Petite to be exact) and sadly currently sold out. However you can buy similar plants from here for about $30.

another uber simple but easy to personalize gift:

custom mousepads from here for about $10 :)

I don't know how many of you ever had parents that did this but growing up my parents didn't spend too much money on birthday's or Christmas... heck they don't do that now either :) anywho, for many years I'd get these homemade coupons (good for one free trip to the ice rink, good for one free movie of your choice to watch with mom and dad, good for one free breakfast in bed) and loved them - these are coupons specifically for moms! Priced at $9 from here, I think these are adorable.

This one made me laugh too much to keep to myself. It's priced at $4.50.

Check here to see the inside and to order.

And Happy (almost) Mother's Day!