I've been trying to think of something to blog about for the past few days--then suddenly today I have SO MUCH, I don't know what to choose. Such dilemmas in my life.
Disclaimer: This entry may seem very random and out of order, but will hopefully all come together in the end.
Point #1:
I've been in a baking kick lately. This is very weird for me because I am not a baker. At all. I'm more of a cook, I just throw stuff in and skip the measuring...so baking requires way to much patience and science for me. Now that I've started my job as a baker, I've been on quite a kick to learn as much about baking as possible. I'm working on it...and hope to get there soon, but as of right now I'm failing (failing at home...I do okay at work with all the fancy equipment and real, true bakers to tell me how things go.)
Point#2:
I've been trying lately to become a more organized wife, grocery shopper, and recipe keeper. Ideally, I'd like to have planned dinner menu's for each week, which would result in actual grocery lists which equals greater money savings which equals better, more organized wifey. I also want to make a new fun meal every Thursday (since Thursday is my day off and I have all day to perfect it.) I found this amazingly wonderful application called MacGourmet which is helping me with all of my aforementioned list. This program is AWESOME. It allows me to enter all of my recipes; including pictures, and ingredient lists--which is just nice and handy to have...like a recipe box, but electronic and with the times. Along with my recipes, it has a weekly meal planner which compiles a shopping list of all the ingredients needed for the nightly meals--so no forgetting small things and running to the store during the middle of the dinner making process or 53829582 times a week. I love it. Love it love it love it. Yay. (I hope I keep up with it...)
Point #3:
With my new application, I'm working on making all of my usual recipes so I can take pictures of them to store with my recipe. With this comes the opportunity to share my favorite recipes with all of my fellow blogging friends (and include pictures! Everyone loves pictures.) I've also been reading a lot of cooking blogs which makes me want to do this even more. So with no further introductions, I present to you my Italian Focaccia Pizza-ey Thing. :)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of italian seasoning
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup of shredded parmesan
1 small can of sliced black olives
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped (optional)
pizza dough
(this was one of my baking endeavors that failed miserably.)
You can use store bought dough, such as Pillsbury (you'll need 2 packages) or you can make your own.
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Roll dough evenly onto round baking sheet.
3) In a small bowl, combine oil, italian seasoning, and minced garlic. Mix well and brush over pizza dough. Layer with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.
4) Top with sliced tomatoes, onions, and olives. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle with additional italian seasoning.
5) Bake 18-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
And there it is! The pizza is absolutely delicious, even for the non-tomato-likers...it tastes really great and is very simple.
I'm sure you've all heard of the Snuggie by now. It's the blanket with sleeves so you don't have to uncover your arms while reading a book, or to answer the phone while you're cuddled on the couch watching a movie. It may be kind of dorky, especially to wear to a sports game with your family like on the commercial, but it really is quite genius and you know you want one too.
