Pizza and Pesto

Tonight was homemade pizza night at our house. 

 It took three different pizza's to please everyone.

Honey Pizza Dough

1 package active dry yeast

1 tsp honey

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4-cup warm water (100-110 degrees).

In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. (can do by hand with spoon if you don't have a mixer).
Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 C water, mix on low speed until dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes.
If the dough is still sticky, then simply add a bit more flour until it pulls cleanly away from the hook.

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes.
The dough should be smooth and firm. Place in lightly oiled bowl an cover with plastic wrap.
Let sit for about 30-45 minutes. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).
Take dough out of bowl and divide into either 2 balls
Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times.
Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 15 to 20 minutes.
At this point, the balls can be used or wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

To make pizzas, stretch out onto greased pizza pan, top with sauce and toppings, brush exposed crust with olive oil and extra honey if desired and bake at 450 degrees for 12-16 minutes, until done. (smaller pizzas will take less time, so keep watching it)

I decided to make a batch of pesto for my pizza - or Kellie decided to take over the pesto making, all the while telling me how yucky it sounded....We had this at a cousins house over the holidays and I might or might not have camped right in front of the bowl.  maybe.

This is the best pesto ever.  Ever.

It is worth every minute and calorie that might be in it.

You'll need to test it out with a cracker or ten.

Artichoke Pesto

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

1 lg can artichoke hearts

1 cup fresh parsley leaves, packed down

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1 lemon, zested and juiced

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan

In a food processor combine the artichokes, parsley, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, and pepper and parmesan. Run the machine to finely chop all the ingredients, stopping the machine a few times to scrape down the sides. Then, with the machine running, drizzle in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil.
Serve on toasted french bread slices, crackers, etc. 

I used the pesto on my pizza rather than sauce, yummy.

And, as usual, when I uploaded pictures there had been another photo shoot I was unaware of...

and looks like there might have been some jumping on the bed... or "off the bed" as I was told when I asked about it...

I think this week deserves hazzard pay

This has been a crazy crazy week!  Mostly at school, not home, but a little at home, I think it's everywhere! 
Our hot water heater went out yesterday morning.  At 5:45 a.m. is when I made this discovery.  I went on with that shower but it wasn't easy let me tell you!  And of course the plumber can't come till tomorrow... I have dishes and laundry waiting on his visit!  And kids to bath without boiling water....
I'm ready to put the wash tub in the kitchen and not have to carry the water so far.

We have had some issues at school this week that I never dreamed I would ever encounter in an elementary school.  In addition to the big issues there have just been numerous crazy little issues.  I'm used to the little things in school nursing but it seems like they have been magnified this week-

I know your nose is stuffy but you really don't need to go home for that.
I know your stomach hurts.
I know it's your birthday but you can't go home.
I know your earring hurt your ear and it's your birthday but you still can't go home.
Who tried to poke your eye out?
I know your earring hurt your ear, your scratch on your leg hurts and it's your birthday but you still can't go home.
Why didn't you eat breakfast?
I could go on and on...

And as I was walking out the door today, I got a call to go to a bus wreck and check out kids... Are you kidding?  Shouldn't you call the ambulance?  I went, it was just a fender bender and no one was hurt but I just had never been called out to an accident before...

And to top it off, Mike has a meeting this afternoon that he is worried is the "you should prob. look for a new job" meeting.  Of course, he might not mind that.. . We are praying for a new job.  Now.  Quickly.  I'm good at praying.  I'm not so good at waiting.... can you tell?

I'm praying for a restful, quiet, warm water weekend!

oh, and on a side note... I just saw the funniest commercial ever on t.v.  check out http://www.worthit.org/tv_spot.php?id=7     LOVE IT. 

Sunday, it was great but I need it to be a few hours longer

I've gotten two days worth things done today.  More than I planned to do.  I came home from church and put a roast in the oven and decided to get a few other things fixed for the week.
It made me miss my sweet friend Jennifer and wishing she was near by for once a month cooking.
So, today I hadn't planned it, but made a few meals...It's not a month's worth but it's a start

• Roast
• Pioneer Woman's Rosemary rolls to go with the roast
• Sloppy Joes
• Meat loaf
• Chicken a la King
• Chicken salad for lunches
• Pineapple Upside down cake

I only remember having pineapple upside down cake once when I was a little girl at a friends house.  I thought this easy recipe looked like a quick one to try.  It turned out really good!

I had left over roasted chicken and remembered a Chicken a la King recipe I had seen.

 I remember being a little girl and my mother buying the "boil in the bag" version and serving it over toast and loving it.  I don't think I've had it since.  It tastes just like I remembered.

Chicken a la King

1/2 Cup chopped Green pepper

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp pepper

2 chicken bouillon cubes disovled in

1 cup water

2 cups milk

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup frozen English Peas

Pimientos and mushrooms optional

In a large skillet over med-high heat, cook green pepper (and mushrooms if using) in butter until peppers are crisp-tender.

Wisk flour in.  Add water slowly, stirring constantly.  Con't to stir or wisk and add milk.  Wisk till smooth.  Add peas.  Bring to a boil and con't stirring 1 minute. 

Serve over puff pastry, biscuits, toast or place in freezer bag and freeze or future use.

We also managed to get the little dog groomed today... she was waaaay past due!

before

oh, now she can see!

Got her nice and clean for the little bit of snow we might get in the morning...

A little dancing

We had a busy week... nothing new... just busy.  Last night both girls had friends spend the night.  Nothing like a house full of girls!  I'm very glad to have them at our house though! 

Today Katie had to dance in a Hospice of Lubbock benefit.  It was put on by the dance Sorority at Tech. 

My whole Sat. was spent running the girls back and forth to rehearsal, lunch, and then the benefit itself. 

It made for a very unproductive day for me but again, I'm glad to be the the mom they wanted to run them around!

Across from the theater they preformed was a little area with a few metal heart sculptures.  This one made me happy.

I know this is blurry but I had to take it... I look over before they started dancing and Katie is laying on the floor peeking out of a whole in the partitian to the side of the stage or floor rather, it wasn't really big enough to have a stage

My dancing girl.  Tonight made me hope she doens't do college dance.  Those intrepretive type dances they did were a lot longer and harder to enjoy than what she's doing now!  They really should provide a blurb in the program telling you what the choireographer was trying to say with the dance.  Then I wouldn't wonder - are they animals, are they sad, how much longer, why don't they just do some ballet or tap? 

Teaching Katie to boil water - Buttermilk Pound Cake

I had the cutest little grandmother ever.  She was actually my step grandmother, I think I was 4 when they married.  But, she is the only grandmother I ever had.  I'm pretty sure I was her favorite, even being part of the step family...

Katie is named after her.  Her name was Katie Bell.  I remember sitting by her when I was a little girl telling her how when I had a daughter I was going to name her Katie.  She replied "just don't name her

Katie Bell". 

She was one of those warm, fluffy, sweet grandmothers.

One who always had good food cooked. 
I remember that kitchen, how it smelled, where everything was, and how hot it was!  I'm pretty sure it was like 150 degrees in there every time she cooked...that window unit in the living room didn't help the kitchen...
She always had an apron on when she was cooking.  I remember her wiping her hands on that apron like a dish towel...She never took it off till my grandfather started the blessing.

If you were lucky enough to visit in the afternoon, say around 3ish, then there was always a little dessert and coffee. 

I can remember the smell and sound of the coffee pot percolating and knowing it was a sign that we could have a little afternoon treat soon.  I was always very excited if the desert happened to be her Buttermilk Pound Cake.  It was my favorite of all the afternoon treats! 

I have this recipe but don't make it often, but when I made it a month or two ago Katie, who doesn't like sweets, ate almost the whole cake.

Last night when I asked Katie to put water on to boil and she replied "I don't know how" I almost died!
Kellie could cook a meal with no help.  How did Katie miss all the cooking info.

So, today, in the first installment of teaching Katie to boil water and other essentials, we started with something I knew she would like to eat.... The Pound Cake from her grandmother. 

The best friend was here for the lesson so they both started with aprons

Katie learned to separate eggs, measure and fold today

She was very excited to get to use the mixer Kellie asked for at Christmas

Here Katie was telling her to "just wipe it out"

the pay off

Katie's Butter Milk Pound Cake

3 Cups Sugar

1 Cup butter, softened

6 eggs, separated

1 tsp almond extract

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp soda

1 cup Buttermilk

Preheat over to 350.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg yolks one at a time beating after each.  Add flavoring.  Sift dry ingredients and add to first mixture alternating with buttermilk.  Begin and end with dry ingregients.  Beat egg whites till stiff.  Fold into batter.  Bake in a greased and floured tube pan for approx 1 hour and 10 min.

It's all about the Timing

In all the Mike's unhappiness in his job lately, I have reminded him several times, talking about different things, that we would have to wait and see if works out because of the timing.
 
In all the things that have come up, none of them would work unless it was perfect timing, all the pieces would have to fall into place...
and through all of this I have really had peace that God would have all the pieces in place if we were to make a change.

All that said to say, I am still surprised by God's timing. 

We have moved between a few different churches since we moved here.  We joined one feeling like it was right were we needed to be but shortly after we saw that it wasn't the good fit we thought.

Lately we had been going to much smaller church and one girl loved it (the reason we went) and one girl didn't.  Today we went back to one of the first churches we tried and liked.  I'm not sure why we didn't continue to go there... 
Today we walked in and it felt like home. 
Both girls liked it. 
People were wonderful, the class I visited was great, and then, the sermon was completely for me I'm pretty sure...

So, in this time of feeling like we don't know quite what our future holds (again), God put us right where we needed to be.  I write this and realize that it shouldn't surprise me at all... but it was just a little gift today.  One area where I don't have to worry anymore. 

part of the lyrics in a song today:

A thousand times I've failed

Still your mercy remains

And should I stumble again

Still I'm caught in your grace

How thankful I am to have a God who knows just what I need when and who loves me when I fail.

The pants that took ALL DAY LONG

Katie has been telling me about a girl at school who has a pair of "sweat pants made out of old tee shirts" that she wanted me to make for her.  Oh, and if I can make them she has "some friends that are going to want some too"...

So, today since we had nothing we had to do, I offered to finally make the pants. Oh, and I've never seen the pants. I really thought this would be an easy project that would take a couple of hours... Wrong.

We started out by gathering up all the girl's tee shirts that had gotten too small and some of mine that were too big. Then we cut a lot of patches of fabric.

Then I tried to figure out what to do next... I ended up using a pair of pajama pants as a pattern... my first try was a little tight so I put a solid piece of fabric down the side of the legs. It worked and was actually cuter...

                                           The end result... She liked them.  Thank goodness!

                   Mike came home and wanted to know if we couldn't afford new pants for her...

They are some busy pants!  I never would have guessed she would want these...

My neck hurts. It took a long time....and now her best friend wants me to make her a pair tomorrow. ugh.

Oh, and because I was already playing with the fabric, I made a cute new headband too.

I'm going to take a hot bath and then make the kid with new pants rub my neck...

Happy Sat. night.