One of my favorite foods

Is pizza. I like the basics...pepperoni, canadian bacon. I like more advanced varieties...hawaiian, taco, barbeque. I like the specialties...pesto chicken, margherita.

I really like pizza. But, homemade pizza was just okay until recently.

I decided to try a whole wheat crust. It actually is very good. We have been having pizza on it for the past 6 months. It is a good thickness. It is pretty simple. And it is very tasty.

But last night, I made the best. Homemade. Pizza. EVER. I tried a new dough - and it was perfection. I put just the right toppings on - and it was delicious.

But lets back-up just a bit, I have been research what makes a great homemade pizza. And here are the few tips that I have learned.

#1 - Your oven must be very hot. I'd say somewhere between 400 and 500, but I personally had it on 450 last night.

#2 - Cook all ingredients first. We have chicken on our pizza a lot all the time. So, grill the chicken up ahead of time.

#3 - I baked one pizza on a stone, already heated and one on a plain, flat cookie sheet. They both turned out equally yummy.

#4 - Cook your pizza for 10-12 minutes. That is all it should take if your oven is hot enough, which it should be (see #1).

#5 - Be creative with your pizza. Put whatever you like on it. Last night, I used pesto as the sauce (which  makes an amazing pizza), added mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, topped with grilled chicken, pine nuts, parsley, and red pepper. The flavors melded together just right.

By the way, the pizza I make has a relatively thin crust. I'm sure different advice would apply if you are into thick, bread-like crusts.

So since I have found the homemade pizza recipe of the century that we will probably make every week for the rest of our lives and a recipe that I feel comfortable making for family and friends, I thought I should share it with you. Although, I can't take credit for it. I was told about it from a friend, who actually got it from a cookbook, which I went out and bought.

Here you go:
2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp lukewarm water
2 cups unbleached bread flour (I just used regular flour)
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 tsp salt

In a bowl, combine the years, 1/4 cup of the water, and 1/4 cup of the flour. Let it stand until it bubbles up, a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp water, the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour, the EVOO, and the salt. Mix the dough thouroughly. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, elastic, and a bit tacky to the touch, 7-8 minutes.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to cover it with the oil (I just used cooking spray). Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1-1 1/2 hours. (Or let this dough rise in the fridge overnight. The next day bring to room temperature and proceed.)

Punch down the dough. On a floured surface, divide into 2 pieces and form into round balls. Roll into a 9-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Bake in a HOT oven for 8-12 minutes.

Check it out!

Remember this pot of dirt?

Yesterday I found this little guys poking out!

Little baby garlic chives! Aren't they cute?

Things

THIS is my free pound of bold coffee. Please tell me you participated in the bold-a-week deal at Starbucks! If not, you sure missed out. It was worth it for me, since I am at Starbucks at least once a week anyways. So, why not earn a free pound of coffee? My choice was this organic shade grown Mexican coffee. Can't wait to try it!

THIS is the fabric of the dress that Hubs bought for me. He left me was gone for 5 whole days and he brought me home a very cute dress and sweater. I know. He's awesome!

THIS is Pups, who is feeling much better. This is what he does when he thinks I have been neglecting him, he is bored, and he wants someone to play with him.

THESE are my new running shoes that I bought on sale at the same time that I bought...

THESE. My $110 shoes for which I only paid $10. Not only a fabulous deal, but also a super cute pair of shoes.

The only good thing

There was only one good thing about Richard being gone:

It took less time to make the bed.

Suffice it to say, I'm so glad you're home!!!!

Absolutely No Desire

There are a lot of wifely duties that I want to learn. There are a lot of things I would like to improve upon. I'd like to learn to cook well. I'd love to find ways to organize better and clean better. Eating healthy is up there on my priorities. And learning how to wisely spend our budget. Studying my Bible better and reaching out to women more. Oh, and decorating skills for our home. Planting flowers and vegetables and someday learning how to raise children. These are wifely skills that I really and truly have a desire to develop.

There is one skill, however, that I have never had a desire to cultivate, learn, develop, or honestly even watch.

Sewing.

I would rather put time and effort into anything besides sewing. I have friends that make wonderfully cute things with their sewing skills. But, I honestly have not the smallest inclination of trying it. Not. Even. A Button. Oh, and by sewing, I mean any type of crafty project using material, thread, needles, etc.

Really, I don't think I have the knack for crafty stuff anyways. I cannot visualize the final result. The closest I have EVER gotten to sewing was when I made a fleece blanket. I bought 2 pieces of fleece and tied the ends closed - walah!

So, when Hubs's suit coat needed a button re-sewn, I cringed. I have about 8 tiny spools of thread and a package of needles stored in a plastic grocery sack somewhere in my linen closet. I've sewn a few buttons on, but not with any instruction, rhyme, or reason. In our almost-4 years of marriage, Hubs has needed a button sewn on a pair of shorts...which I never did. He also wanted me to patch a hole in a pair of shorts...I never did that either.

I cannot neglect the suit-coat button, though. And I know it bugs Hubs that I have put it off for the past month. Honestly, I'd rather pay $5, even $10 for someone else to do it. But, since I have put it off this long, I must bite the bullet and learn.

I have a video from u-tube. I bought thread that matches the rest of the buttons. Wish me luck!

By the way, do any of you have one area of wife-dom that you don't have a desire to learn or improve upon?

Dog-motherhood

Usually my pups is happy. He has more energy that we know what to do with. He loves to play, chew his bones, be outside, and he gets super excited when we come home.

Since Sunday, however, my pups has been sad. I came home from church to find not 1, but 2, piles of vomit. Ransom got out of his crate only to vomit 2 more times. When we came home from evening church, he had vomited, yup, 2 more times.

Something was wrong.

Since then, Pups has not eaten his food. Not one tiny morsel. Not even when I put peanut butter all over it.

Something was definitely wrong.

So, I called the vet this morning. They asked me to bring him in and leave him so that they could fit him in between other appointments (I don't think you can do that with actual children).

Now I totally told myself I would never be one of those parents that can't stand to leave their children, but after this episode,  I am second-guessing myself.

When Pups realized what was happening - that I was leaving - he flipped. He pulled and pulled trying to get away from them and come with me. He furiously moved his paws, scraping against the slick linoleum to follow me. I know if he could have spoken, he would have been yelling, "I'll eat! I'll eat! Just take me home and I promise I'll eat!"

But I left, with my heart wrenching. Only to come back 7 hours later and find out there is nothing. wrong. with. him. WHAT? I mean, I guess that is good news, but seriously? My Labrador retriever doesn't eat for 2 days and there is nothing wrong? This is the dog that ate batteries. An entire library book. And a wii condom. This is the dog who likes banana peels. And, gag me, poop at the dog park.

But we were sent home with a prescription diet and stomach pills.

We walk in the door. I head straight to the bathroom. When I emerge, this is what I see:

Somebody likes my spearmint plant. He lifted it by its leaves out of its pot and began eating it.

PS - He still won't eat his food.

Planting

After a stop at Starbucks this morning, my friend and I took off to the greenhouse. She has a nice big garden to stock with vegetables and herbs. And I, after such great success with my indoor herb garden last year, was out to start a new, bigger indoor herb garden.

Note: my blog is not, nor has it ever claimed to be, a photo blog. Therefore, I did not feel the need to go retake my pictures after I realized they were blurry and not-in-focus.

Last year, if you'll remember, I only had one planter (the front one). Obviously, I have stepped it up a little. Why? Because I love cooking with fresh herbs! They add a tremendous amount of flavor to veggies, sauces, and any other dish! The cashier actually asked, "Are you going to cook with all these herbs?" Why else would I buy them???

First, I have 2 basil plants. Basil will be used for pesto, caprese salads, and tabbouleh - all great summer dishes! Last year my basil was out of control, so if you ever need any I'm sure I will have some to spare.

Actually, the oregano is an herb I wasn't planning to plant. I don't use it all that often, but I will put it in pasta sauces and on pizza.

Next is the flat-leaf or Italian parsley. I use this is lots of dishes, including tabouleh. It has a great flavor. My parsley also went crazy last year, so I'll share!

I really wanted garlic chives, but in plant-form they only had onion. I think these will go well on baked potatoes, but not really sure what else. Any suggestions?

Next are 2 coriander plants - aka cilantro! This is my favorite. I just learned today that the leaves of a coriander plant are what we call cilantro; the seeds are what we use when we say, "coriander." Anyway, this will be used in our homemade indian dish, among other things. It's hard to not love this herb!

Finally, we have spearmint - another all-time favorite. It will also go into tabouleh (notice a theme) and into iced tea. Plus, I may just go smell it every once in a while. I put this one in a pot of its own since my last spearmint plant grew into an insane bush. Hopefully, I will use it more this time!

I really did want garlic chives. So, I bought seeds. I have no idea how to plant them, so I just scattered them in this pot. I'll keep you updated on what happens...if anything!

When I think of my childhood summers, I think of fresh vegetables - mainly cucumbers and tomatoes. I loved going out to the garden and eating cherry tomatoes off the plant. So, I got one cherry tomato plant for outside. This variety is actually an orange tomato and is super sweet. It is more like dessert than veggie. It is going to be hard to wait until for them to grow!

I'm so exited to watch my plants grow. I'm even more excited to use them!