switching on

Hope is always on, giving us the power to continue.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here.

Blue Ice

The ice is blue and shoving its way up to the shore. Cracking and pushing and piling.

The Wisconsin winter is full of ice, thick ice! :0)

melancholy

Feeling wishful.  Things are so much better in my mind.  Never went outside today, just contemplated where things are, where I would like them to be, and how to get there.  Getting there is the toughest hurdle of all.  The maze of life.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here.

Pizza Dough Recipe (by demand) :0)

The Pizza Dough recipe I use in my bread maker is a 2 lb dough which makes 2 thick or 4 thin crusts. We typically make 3 with it but according to size of pizza you're making you can even make 5. We have frozen it and had good luck with it still however it takes SO long to thaw and rise it's much quicker to just make fresh dough. You can half everything for a 1 lb dough if you need less. I place everything in my maker in the order I am listing - you should follow the instructions with your maker I imagine.

1 2/3 c Water (80F/27C) (I don't actually take it's temperature, I just feel it and make sure it's cooler than me but not ice cold)

2 T Oil

2 T Sugar

2 t Salt

2 T Dry Milk

4 1/2 c Bread Flour

2 t Active dry yeast

I have a pizza dough setting on my maker and it does the following

3 min knead

22 min knead

30 min rise

If you're using the stones, we set the oven on 550 and cook about 15 minutes, but you can do it on sheets at 425 for about 20 minutes.

grandson drawings

When we put our heads together we can do anything!  At least in the world of my 3 year old grandson!

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here.

I let the grandkids break in my new planner. :)  Addy did scribbles but Twister made Spongebob.  I love how each little guy has more details.  I drew the heart.

Tristan writes his name really well!  I gave him a start for the good job!

Homemade Pizza

We have taken to making our own pizza instead of going out. This way we know what's in it. I rally don't know what has gotten into me, I keep worrying about what is in things and looking for better, healthier ways. Restaurants don't care about my health, but I do. I found a simple dough recipe, I throw the ingredients in the bread machine and an hour later it's ready for us to divide and conquer.

This one is mine! I used pepperoni fresh from the deli, sausage and ground beef as my toppings. The pizza sauce is from a recipe I found, then altered a bit. :0) I'll include it at the end in case you want to try it out.



Check out that crust! yummy!!



We spent a couple of days searching high and low for pizza stones right before Christmas - we made individual pizzas for Christmas dinner. When we couldn't find any nearby I started googling and duh! You can use any unglazed quarry stone/tile. These were 46 cents each, so a significant savings over the label pizza stone. AND these are much easier to store when you're not using them.  Our pizzas are baked at 550 degrees for about 15 minutes.

My Pizza Sauce

1 Big Can of Tomato Sauce or Diced Tomatoes

12 oz can of Tomato Paste (I add this a bit at time, checking the consistency - of course if you get it too thick just throw in more sauce)

1 tsp chopped garlic (I use jarred organic garlic)

Shake in some Dried Onion (I think I use 2-3 tsp)

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt (this sauce is not at all salty)

1 tsp sugar

1 large bay leaf

2 tsp fennel seed

I just throw all this in a saucepan and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  This makes enough for about 6 pizzas - since there's three in our family I just freeze whatever is left after the first use.

let me out!

I'm the small log, peeking through the rails, preparing for escape, but I am trapped.  Too much weight keeping me in my prison, unable to move.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here.