Friday Pizza and a Movie Night

One of the easiest and most made meals in this house...

1.5 cups warm water
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp yeast
1 tbsp Italiano Seasoning (make sure it has salt in it... if not add 1 tps coarse salt)
4 cups flour

 You know it's got enough flour when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl after a few minutes...

The dough is quite soft... let rise in a warm spot.

After it's risen, dump on your pan... be sure to use cornmeal on your pan for a crispier  crust. yum.

Spread out to the sides.

Use 1 can crushed tomatoes for the sauce... add 1/4 cup Italiano or Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning

1tbsp sugar

On my list of FAVORITE THINGS EVER is COARSE SALT.... oooooo baby.  use 1 tsp in the sauce

3 cloves garlic - minced

I add dried onions... fresh/fried is better

Mix & let the spices/onion rehydrate.  There is enough in this jar for a few pizzas.

Spread on pizza & add favorite toppings.... our kid friendly ones are zuchinni, pepperoni & mushrooms & mozza... I buy mozza in bulk and shred it with my handy dandy shredding attachment for my Kitchen Aid (thank-you tree planting) and then keep it in my freezer allllllll ready to go.

AAAAAND Bake until the cheese is golden!!!!!!!!

Every. Friday. Nite.  Everyone welcome. Just let me know before you show up.

I should be charging rent.

So, one of my hanging baskets has been invaded.... I wish I had the forethought to take some pictures when it was in process... but I was trying to chase away the Robin that was completely relentless in making her home in my hanging basket.

First she dug out the middle of the basket, killing the red-leafed accent plant in the centre.  Next she started bringing in twiggs and things to make her nest.  This process took about a week.  I'd chase her away every chance I got.  Apparently I didn't do such a good job.  We found a fully made nest in it the next time we looked.... then one day there was one egg, the next day there were two, then the next day there were three, then the next day there were four eggs!!!!    I think there were a few of you over when there were only 2 eggs in there... check it out now!!!

Cute huh?

Right in the VERY centre of the basket!

Here's the basket on my deck.

Here is that relentless bird, chirping at me from the old japanese maple tree just meters away.

And giving me the evil eye.  She doesn't like me so much.  But. I'll let her babies stay. I'm nice like that.  She owes me for the plant though.

Shake and Bake (FYI: I'm not talking about meth)

What's in a box of Shake and Bake?

Who knew that when I looked it up, I would find the ingredients list for methamphetamine. Clearly not me.

Wikipedia's page on Shake n'Bake lists the ingredients as the following.

Original flavor Shake and Bake includes: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate Vitamin B1, riboflavin , folic acid), salt, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, sugar, contains less than 2% of paprika, dextrose, dried onions, spice, caramel color, yeast, annatto (color), and natural flavor.
Barbecue flavor Shake 'n Bake includes sugar, maltodextrin, salt, modified food starch, spice, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, brown sugar, mustard seed flour, dried onions, dried tomatoes, dried garlic, beet powder (color), citric acid, natural flavor, caramel color, vinegar, and sodium silicoaluminate as an anticaking agent.

Because I can't identify or pronounce the things in that list... because I'm trying to avoid soy (as a filler) and things like maltodextrin (click on the links to learn more about the products), and because Dave LOVES Shake and Bake.... Here's a quick easy alternative that is soooo yummy, none of the additives, easy to keep in your freezer and costs less...

2 cups dried bread crumbs, crushed crackers
1/2 c corn meal (to make it a little crunchy)
2Tbs Fry's Seasoning Salt
2Tbs parsley
2Tbs dried onion
1Tbs garlic powder
1tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1tsp rosemary
1tsp cumin

 (feel free to add other spices as your taste dictates... but this was a good mix)

 I used crackers, added the spices, then used my rolling pin to crush and mix it all together.

 Crush it to a fine powder.

 Beat an egg. I added 1/8 cup of milk and 1/8 cup of olive oil as well.

 Beat with a fork.  Dip your chicken or pork in the mixture. I used pork.

 Cover in the Shake mixture.

 Place on a pan (I put it on tinfoil so that I would not have to clean the pan later)

Bake at 350º for about 45 minutes.

Served here with Green Beans & Roasted Potatoes (I poured the extra egg mixture on them with a shake of seasoning salt and re-baked them. They were left-overs from another meal in which they were steamed with beets which explains the pink tinge to them)  Yummy yum. You want this. Go!

Hair and Hockey Go Together like Henrik and Daniel, Coffee and Bailey's, Babies and Diapers.

I have fine memories of hockey... and hair... together.  Saturday Nights were hockey nights in our house, and it was also the nights us kids took regular baths.  My hair was past my bottom and in an Ontario winter, I could not go to bed with it wet.  My dad would blow-dry my hair and watch the hockey game that was on.  The other thing that made it pretty special was that it was the one night of the week that we were allowed to eat chips and have half a pop.  I found myself re-creating old memories the other night during Vancouver's Game 4 against the Sharks.

Twirling Kaelyn's hair while the Vancouver Canucks played Game 4 of their series with the San Jose Sharks.

Dave and Wes were out running errands.

Kaelyn and I watched the game... and did our hair.

Luongo under seige.

Our attempt at trying to create curly hair. I did not blow-dry it though... I can't even imagine the noise intrusion during a game... I'm sure my brothers resented my hair and were pretty happy when I cut it just before hockey season when I was in grade 3.

Bringing my girls up right!!!  The curly hair was a disaster, but the Canucks won 4-2!!!

So Yummy I made this two days in a row.

Bumbleberry Crisp
Modified from Pioneer Woman 's raspberry crisp.... her pictures are prettier... but mine is better... you'll see why at the end. 

's

 5 cups fruit

in a large bowl

2 T corn starch

1 cup sugar (less than original recipe)

2 T vanilla... yes marie... that's an actual measuring spoon!

1.5 cups butter... chopped into bits.

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup pecans chopped fine (optional)

Mix until crumbly.

Pour ontop of fruit in an 8 by 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden.

So... the best part about this and why MINE is better than PW's is... the topping.  It's almost double hers.... yup.  I love the topping. Everyone loves the topping.... why not satisfy your crumb topping craving? so good.

The second best part about this crisp?  You can cut a piece out and eat it with your hands... sans plate.... sans napkin.... just pick a piece of leftovers up and pop it in your mouth...  It holds together that well.  You will eat the entire rest of the pan this way I promise... when no one is looking.  Just don't ask me to explain what happened to the rest of the pan to your significant other.... there will be no dishes or cutlery to expose you... it can be our little secret.

Nov-ie Dov-ie

Special thanks to Joanne Abraham for capturing these shots.

Sooo... I'm not all that crafty.... I mean I try... I'm just not like the UBER-TALENTED Dave Vegt. 

Everything that guy touches turns to sweet sweet art.  But I'm just wondering if it gets any more stunning than this..... one of the four of my best creations ever. 

I'll do a tribute post to each of my 4 kids at some point... but here's sweet, quirky, chatty, caring, cute Nova.