Homemade Pizza Dough

We recently discovered the awesomeness that is homemade pizza dough. The older I get, the more I seem to be able to taste all of the preservatives and other seven-syllable-ingredients rampant in processed food. We've used Boboli crusts with bottled tomato sauce for years, but after tasting this dough? Never again. It's so easy to make, and it's infinitely more delicious than either the pre-prepared crusts or the stale cardboard put out by your local delivery joint.

There are a bunch of recipes for homemade pizza dough out there, and I've heard great things about the Pioneer Woman's recipe, but we used the following. It made enough for two pizza crusts, each of which serve 3-4 adults. We froze our second one, and it was a nice little treat a few weeks after we made the initial recipe.

Thin Crust Pizza Dough
adapted from Pizza and Other Savory Pies by Brigit Binns

3 1/3 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 package (2 1/2 tsp) quick-rise yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/4 cups warm water (approximately 110 degrees), plus extra as needed
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra as needed

In a food processor, combine both flours, the yeast, the sugar, and the salt. Pulse to mix ingredients. With the motor running, add the water and olive oil in a steady stream, and then pulse until the dough comes together in a rough mass, approximately 12-15 seconds. If the dough does not form into a ball, sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of water and pulse again until a mass forms. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes, and then process again for 25-30 seconds. The dough should be tacky to the touch, but not sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form it into a smooth ball. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place (e.g., on the kitchen counter) until doubled in bulk and spongy, about 1 1/2 hours.

Afterward, put the dough on a lightly floured work surface, punch it down, and shape it into a smooth cylinder. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, dusting with flour only if the dough becomes sticky. Cover both balls with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes before proceeding with your chosen pizza recipe. If you are using only one ball of dough, place the second ball in a gallon size Ziploc bag and freeze it for up to 2 months. When ready to use, thaw the frozen dough for 3-4 hours at room temperature. (I let our frozen dough thaw in the fridge all day while I was at work, and that worked fine too.)

We topped our pie with some homemade sauce (also infinitely better than the store bought variety and super easy to make in a big batch and then freeze for future use), shredded mozzarella, a few slices of fresh mozzarella, and a large sliced tomato. The original recipe calls for baking the pizza at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes, but we found that with the sliced tomato topping it takes more like 10-14 minutes to get the crust cooked all the way through and slightly crispy on the bottom.

After we pulled it out of the oven, we added some shredded prosciutto and fresh basil and then uncorked a nice bottle of red.

Buon Appetito!

Eighteen Months: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

You are eighteen months old today! It is hard to believe that half a year has already sped by since your first birthday, and even harder to believe that you are now closer to two than one. This second year sure has gone by fast, and, although challenging at times, it sure has been fun!

On to the stats. Your official 18 month visit isn't until the first week of August, so I'll update this post then, but as of a recent doctor visit (due to yet another ear infection) you are weighing in at about 27 and a half pounds. I'm guessing that's at or above the 50th percentile. I'll add your height after we see the doctor in two weeks.

Your language development continues to speed along at a rapid clip, and your pronunciation of many words is getting noticeably better. Even just a few weeks ago you said "Mon-ee" and "Da-ee." Now you clearly say Mommy and Daddy. You can say a wide variety of animal names or noises, including "dah" (dog), "fuff fuff"(ruff ruff), meow, "boooo" (moo), neigh, rabbit, chicken, bird, "dut" (duck), and rawr (for both lions and bears), and you can open and close your mouth like a fish. (You like to do this when you eat Goldfish crackers or when you wear your One Fish Two Fish Dr. Seuss bib.)

You've always loved songs, but now you are starting to try to sing along. You're always good for a round of Old MacDonald, and happily chime in "yi-ee-yi-ee" during the "ee-i-ee-i-o" part. You also recently learned Row Row Row Your Boat at school, and you will say "woah woah" (row row) and make little oaring motions. It's pretty cute.

A few weeks ago on July 7th, you made my day when you told me you loved me for the first time. (I'm not sure you actually know what it means, but I'll take it any day!) I was rocking you in your glider before bed and told you I loved you. Then I asked if you could say it. You said "wuv-oo." It was cute, but I knew you were just mimicking me, so I didn't think much of it. A few minutes later, I laid you down in your crib, said good night and "I love you," and turned to walk towards the door. A few seconds later, as I was opening the door to leave, I heard you pipe up "wuv-oo!" from your crib. Be still my heart. It was adorable. I haven't heard it since, but I know you'll surprise us one day and say it again.

You say a bunch of other funny and cute things on a regular basis. You love to point out cars or trains in books and comment that they are going "bye bye!" (And your "bye bye" often sounds like you are a distinguished Southern gentleman with a thick accent -- "buh bahye.") You always ask if your food is "ot? ot?" (hot) and want me to blow on it. However, hot is the only temperature-related word you know, so you use it to describe any food that is not room temperature, including fruit straight out of the fridge or a sippy cup of ice water. You love some "ot" ice water. You have started using the sign for please (rubbing your chest) and will accompany it with a high pitched "peez?" when you really want something, especially a "snat" (snack). It is nearly impossible for me to refuse you when you say "peez." You just sound so polite and look so earnest!

You continue to be obsessed with all things transportation. You love "truts" and point them out constantly during every car ride. ("Truts" include trucks, SUVs, most sedans, and sometimes trains, wagons, riding mowers, or other types of large equipment.) You will also say "vroom vroom" and "beep beep!" We leave tomorrow for a summer trip back to Seattle and Portland, and you have been talking about it for weeks. You can't wait to "fy" on an "ah-pane." I can't wait to see your excitement when we board the real airplane, and again later in the trip when we take a train from Seattle to Portland.

You love your daycare, especially your teacher, Emily, and you frequently mention her name, along with your good buddies Archer, Jack, and Drew. You are learning a lot at school and always surprise us with new words or concepts that we know you didn't pick up from us. Just last weekend, I was trying to entertain you in the dressing room while Daddy tried on new shirts and started asking you to point out your body parts. You have been saying and pointing to nose and eyes for a month or two, but I asked about your mouth, head, hands, feet, tummy, fingers, and hair and you were able to point all of them out. Way to go, buddy! You are so bright and so observant. You don't miss anything. I know you will keep us on our toes over the years, and I love that about you.

Nicholas, we just love the little person you are becoming. You are such a joy to be around, and your laugh and smile light up the room.

All my love,
Mommy

Five on Friday

I'm linking up again with Darci, Natasha, April, and Christina to share what's been going on in our world this week.

First up?

1.) Five on Friday: I love opening my Feedly (yes, I'm proudly team Feedly-- I just think the interface is a lot cleaner than BlogLovin') and seeing all of these Five on Friday posts from some of my favorite bloggers. So many good ideas and interesting nuggets of information. Friday is quickly becoming my favorite blog reading day.

2.) Yard Stuff: We bought a lawn mower and edger this week. Yes, we've lived in this house for almost 9 months and are just getting around to purchasing our first yard care tools. To date, we've relied on a lawn service to come sporadically-- as in, once in a while Jason runs outside and flags them down while when they're doing the neighbor's yard and asks them to come mow our lawn while they're at it. Effective, yes. Organized and cost-efficient? Not so much. Realistically, Jason will probably be the one handling most of the yard care, but I'm strangely excited about this purchase.

3.) Selfies on the iPhone: Nicholas is obsessed with my phone. He loves to grab it, put it up to his ear, and say "ullo!" Last night I discovered that taking a series of selfies is a surefire way to burn 15 minutes and turn a hungry, screaming kiddo into a happy one while dinner is cooking. Witness exhibits A and B below.

4.) Nordstrom Anniversary Sale: It begins today. Said my husband this morning: "If a bag of money just fell out of the sky today, I would go to the mall." Well put. That's probably not going to happen, but we may need to take a trip to the mall this weekend to check out the goods anyway. It's a little hard to think about fall clothing when it's 100 degrees out, but with a late August birthday coming up, it's always good to have a few pretty fall items in mind.

5.) Rodeo Day: It's Rodeo Day at Nicholas' school today, complete with a petting zoo and bounce house. I wasn't able to get him to hold still long enough for a good photo this morning, but how cute is his little sheriff shirt? The bandanna and western star belt buckle kill me. He looks like he's going to go rustle up some trouble at the OK Corral.

Happy weekend friends!

San Antonio Zoo

We had a low key 4th of July weekend and stayed mostly local, but we decided to make a little excursion down to San Antonio to visit their zoo. Nicholas loves anything animal these days (with accompanying sound effects), and since Austin's "zoo" leaves much to be desired, we thought this might be the perfect little day trip. We hit the road early and made it to the zoo by about 9:30am to meet up with some friends in the area.   

Many of the larger animals were snoozing in the summer heat, but the bear was up and cruising around his caged area. Nicholas was a big fan.

Look at that face! He's saying "Ooooooh!"

He also loved the colorful flamingos, the ducks, and the fish. (Not coincidentally, bird, duck, and fish noises/gestures are some of his favorites.)

And, for this relatively new walker, one of the highlights was that we let him (mostly) just run around. It was nice that the zoo wasn't too crowded, so we felt comfortable letting him wander a few feet away from us to check out a bird (or flower, or rock) that struck his fancy.

The zoo was the perfect size for a not-quite-year-and-a-half-year old-- big enough to see all his favorite animals in about two hours. Once the heat started getting to us, we headed off to fill our bellies with a delicious Mexican lunch at Paloma Blanca. And then a long nap during the car ride home, of course. Definitely a fun day for all of us.

Seventeen Months: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

You are seventeen months... which, as I'm posting this a few weeks late, means you are amazingly close to a year and a half. You are a full fledged toddler now, and despite wearing me out everyday, I just love this stage.

Your 17th month began just before Memorial Day and lasted through most of June. Although it was a quiet month for us at home, you were a busy boy-- growing, changing, and learning. The day you turned 17 months you figured out how to climb up on the ottoman in your room for the first time. It took you a few tries, struggling with all your might to get your leg up over the edge and then hoisting yourself up. But once you did it, you were so proud. And then you did it over, and over, and over again. I can tell there's no stopping you once you set your mind to something. (And, as a result, I'm a little nervous about entering this new stage of climbing!)

One funny thing about this story is that you made your first few attempts while Daddy was in the room with you. Then, when you heard me walking down the hallway, you abruptly stopped and jumped into his lap, as if you didn't want me to know about your new skill. Once you figured out that I wasn't going to scold you, you went right back to work trying to climb up on top of the ottoman. Apparently you can already tell that I am destined to be the disciplinarian around here. You may look innocent, but you definitely have a mischievous streak!

During your 17th month, you also started giving and requesting "igh-pie" (high five.) I had given you high fives a few months ago and then one day you grabbed my hand and said "igh-pie! igh-pie!" It took me a minute to figure out what you wanted, but once I did you were thrilled to slap my hand over and over. Now you give them on demand (including to your teacher at school) and it's pretty darn cute.

You continue to wow us with new words. On Memorial Day, we woke up to find our street lined with flags in the neighbors' yards. You were so excited look out the window and point out all the "fyyygs." Daddy and I were shocked that you knew the word "flag." A few weeks later, on Flag Day, you had another occasion to point out all the neighborhood "fyyygs," and you continue to point them out whenever you see a Texas or US flag. You are extremely observant and point out every "fowa" (flower), "fyg" (flag), and "wot" (rock) you notice from the car, on our walks, or in the yard.

You are becoming more and more of a big boy every day-- so much so that you've outgrown "mama" and "dada." We're now officially Daddy ("Da-ee") and Mommy ("Mon-ee"). OK, so maybe "Mommy" needs a little work, but you're getting close! Pretty impressive for not quite even a year and a half!

Over the past two months, we've started eating dinner together as a family more and more frequently, and I think this is really helping to broaden your palette and alleviate some of your pickiness. You still have your moments, but increasingly you'll try new fruits and vegetables (strawberries and green beans are favorites) when you see Mommy and Daddy eating them, and we've discovered other hits like shrimp and guacamole ("mo-nee.") Your consistent favorites include "wo-guh" (yogurt), "pata" (pasta), "pita" (pizza), apples, cheese, and "ah-sauce" (applesauce). I'm looking forward to introducing you to more and more foods, and hopefully cooking with you one of these days.

This past month, your lower incisors finally broke through. I think it was a long, painful ordeal for you. As usual, you handled it pretty well, but I'm sure it contributed to some fussy moments. You continue to chew on your fingers, so I think you are working on at least two more molars. I'm pretty sure we'll both be glad when the teething phase is over.

At 17 months, you love reading books-- particularly "Bah Day" (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day), "Al-bet" (your alphabet book), and "Truts!" (the cars and trucks, work trucks, and fire trucks pages of your Richard Scarry word book.) You also love spending time outdoors, particularly splashing in the pool and kicking your ball (really any ball, although the soccer ball is your favorite.) You are actually getting pretty skilled at kicking the ball and will dribble it around the house and in the yard. Although we don't really let you watch any TV, occasionally Daddy will let you hang out with him while he's watching soccer on TV. It's really the only TV programming that holds your attention-- you will sit down for several minutes at a time (an eternity in your world), watch with rapt attention, and excitedly point out the ball every time you see it. "Ba! ba! ba!" I'm not biased or anything, but we may have a little soccer stud on our hands. Just sayin'.

I'm not sure how it's possible, but somehow I love you more with every month that passes. You are simply the best part of my day, each and every day.

Love always,
Mommy

Five on Friday

TGIF... Can I get an Amen? I'm linking up again with the ladies for Five on Friday. Here's what's going on with us:

1.) Blues on Green: We felt like hip, urban parents this week when we took the little man out to meet up with friends at Blues on the Green. I like to think of myself as hip and urban, but the reality is that I live deep in the 'burbs, and these days I usually go out of my away to avoid anything that involves a 30 minute walk from our parking spot, while schlepping my toddler (out past his bedtime), along with a cooler, blanket, and diaper bag, through massive crowds, in 102 degree heat. However, we all had a great time. Despite staying out waaaay past his bedtime Wednesday night (which we're still paying for today), Nicholas had a blast running through Zilker Park, eating all of our friend's blackberries and corn chips, and people watching galore. And we enjoyed hearing Bob Schneider, cooling off with some chilled wine, and catching up with friends. Win win.

We had the Bob packed to the gills... Nicholas had to ride with his feet on the cooler!

2.) Kale Salad: I'm late to the kale band wagon. Despite being both a fairly healthy and adventurous eater, I haven't eaten much kale-- let alone tried preparing it. Last weekend, however, we attended a fun 4th of July BBQ (thanks Amelia!) and one of the pot luck dishes was an amazing kale salad. I'm talking warm bacon vinaigrette, capers, shallots... delicious. I am now on a mission to recreate this salad or find another equally delicious kale salad recipe. (If you have any good recipes, feel free to send 'em my way.)

3.) Revenge: Continuing with my summer theme of a near-weekly new TV series, I recently started Revenge. Intellectually stimulating? Nope. Trashy? Kinda. Totally entertaining? Bingo. Jason's sitting this one out, however. We wrapped up season 1 of House of Cards last week (anyone know when season 2 comes out?), so this will fill the void until I find something else that we can both enjoy. Jason's pushing for The Sopranos (he owns the DVDs for all 6 seasons), but I'm just not feeling it. I know it's supposed to be one of the best shows ever made, and it's not the violence or crime that deters me (ahem, I am counting down the days until Breaking Bad returns), but I'm just not that into mafia stories. Thoughts?

4.) Sales and Stripes: I'm loving all the summer clearance sales going on now. Considering we've still got 2+ months of 100 degree temps ahead of us, I can't pass up a few summer items on the cheap. I recently picked up this cute striped dress from GAP

 ... and this striped tank from Banana Republic

... both on clearance. Can't pass up a steal.

5.) Vaca! We're heading back to Seattle and Portland for 10 days in less than two weeks. It can't come soon enough! I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends, and enjoying our first getaway sans baby for two nights on Orcas Island to attend a friend's wedding.

What's new with you?

Weekend Fun

We had a nice little weekend 'round these parts. Saturday was a scorcher (high of about 108), so we took Nicholas out into the yard bright and early for a little outdoor time before it got too hot. Jason was doing some watering and of course Nicholas had to help, so we just let him strip down and play in the hose water.

He was a fan.

Later in the morning, I hit up the free Barre3 class I mentioned on Friday (still sore this morning...), while Jason and Nicholas strolled around the 4th of July festival at Hill Country Galleria. After my class, we checked out the petting zoo, and of course I took no pictures. Nicholas was very curious about all the animals, but a little nervous when they got too close. However, we didn't stay too long because it was already well above 100 degrees. On the way home, we stopped at Chick-fil-a for lunch (which I'm sure is exactly what Barre3 recommends to help maximize your fitness routine.) Afterward, we came home for afternoon naps and then grilled burgers for dinner.

Sunday, I woke up to this:

After a difficult week, Jason surprised me with flowers and a breakfast of creme brulee french toast, topped with powdered sugar and blueberries, and bacon. Yum. Afterward, we made a quick trip to Home Depot for some new flowers and herbs to spruce up our patio, along with a real sprinkler for Nicholas to run through. 

Fortunately, it was a lot cooler (mid-90s) on Sunday afternoon, so I potted my plants while Nicholas ran around in the sprinkler (this time properly attired in a swimsuit.)

Two of my new pots - German thyme and pink vinka.

We wound down on Sunday evening with a dinner of grilled Copper River salmon, asparagus, and roasted potatoes. I can't say I was totally ready for Monday, but the upcoming holiday definitely makes it easier to face the week!