In Search of Perfect Pizza

We have a favorite pizza spot in downtown Salt Lake, but we have been trying to make them at home, which is tricky because the thing that makes them so good is the this crispy chewy crust achieved with the giant wood burning, brick pizza oven. My friend Heidi suggested grilling them which we will definitely try if we ever get a grill!

At any rate, we followed these directions (right down to the special flour and buffalo mozzarella thanks to the local Italian market) for my favorite Margherita pizza, used a pizza stone and loaded our gas oven with Terracotta tiles, and were quite pleased with the results. We have made many pizzas this way and I think we finally have it down. Plus it was a good way to use up some basil and tomatoes from our garden.

And since we are trying to eat healthier I think we might start trying some variations using grilled veggies and maybe no cheese.

Its a really fun tradition. For a few weeks we were doing it every Friday night, even once for a football party and let everyone make their own. Avery LOVES throwing the dough up in the air and twirling it around to stretch it (hers always end up not quite as pretty but she has fun so...), and the rest of us just loved stuffing our faces.

Pretty perfect pizza if you ask me.

Sometimes...

...I take pictures of the dinner I make (only the pretty ones) because its the only proof that I accomplished anything tangible that day. I know I actually accomplish many things (keeping children alive etc.) but boy there are days when I go to bed with the exact same to do list looming as the day before, with not a dent made in it.

I am OK with that, but sometimes its nice to be able to look at something you did. I think that's mostly why I blog. Do you ever feel that way?

How was your Summer Solstice? We had planned on a party (marshmallows+ fire equals a party in our house) under twinkly lights in the backyard but the power in our neighborhood was out most the day, so instead we had dinner out and a trip to Home Depot.

But it was just fun to be all together in the light of the day.

Visualize Whirled Peas

Was that a popular T-shirt slogan circa 1991 where you grew up also? What about "Love Sees No color"?

(I did grow up in Oregon where a lot of white folks rocked dreadlocks also so....)




I mostly make my own baby food.

Because for starters it makes me feel morally superior-- and also I like knowing what my baby is eating.

This kid is only five months old and normally I wouldn't have introduced solids so early, but boy oh boy, he just wants to eat them. He's been eyeballing us and drooling while we eat for months, and if I am eating while I am nursing him, he quits nursing and just watches me eat while giving me a "Why are you holding out the good stuff on me?" look. Its true.



Avery was always kind of "Meh" about solid food. Quite a dainty eater. Oliver on the other hand gets quite frustrated if he feels the speed with which you are shoveling sweet potatoes into his gullet isn't sufficiently quick.



I mean, we are obviously underfeeding the poor kid.

(By the way, I made this bib using those directions right over there on my sidebar --->. This kid has been know to be put to bed in a pink hand-me-down sleeper a time or two, but I figured he needed his own boyish bib.)

In case you are wondering, here's how I make baby food:

Cook vegetables or fruit (I like baking rather than boiling if possible). Throw them in a food processor for a while and add a tiny bit of water if necessary. Portion into cute little jars (make sure they are freezable jars...they will say so on the box). Put the lids on and toss into freezer.

Or line them up on your counter and photograph them and feel good about yourself as a mother (self-righteousness optional but highly recommended), and also as proof to your husband as to what you actually do all day.

When I am ready to use them I either put them in the fridge to thaw the day before if I remember (which I never do) or thaw them in hot water or the microwave. I prefer to freeze the baby food rather than can it in the traditional way because I think it retains more nutrients that way. Plus this way you can keep re-using the lids.

I totally do.

We Might Have a Problem With Moderation...

I was having a bad day last week.

So home came my husband with 2 cases of Samoas. He's a keeper.

It turns out our love language is processed sugar foods.

(me circa 1988)

I come by my love of Samoas honestly.

Drinking Her Veggies

...although truthfully its harder to get my babe to eat her fruits.
But thanks to our blender she's getting both.

Lately we're loving:

Fresh Pineapple
+
Cucumber
+
Fresh Spinach Leaves
+
Apple
+
Splash of OJ
+
Plain Yogurt (full fat please!)
+
Touch of Honey

Happy Friday To You

I'm posting over here today. Come on over.

(psst. there's a giveaway!)

Like the Cat on Curious George

A few days before Christmas, Trav and I had dinner at Cucina Tuscana.
Without Avery.
And ever since she heard about how "ay-licious" the handmade gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce was, she's been dying to make it herself. But if you believe the people on Top Chef (which she totally did), gnocchi is really tricky to make.

But then she saw this guy do it, and figured if he could do, then surely she could. (geez David, stop trying to make her look bad.)

Turns out its basically like making play dough. She's a natural.

We followed this technique. It turned out well. My only advice would be don't be too afraid to add enough flour. We were trying to be so delicate that the first batch came out too potato-ish, and we had to add more flour to get the texture right. Its a feel thing.

For the sauce: Saute some mushrooms in butter,
add a couple cups of cream (it will make you grow big and strong),
a whole clove of garlic (left whole then remove before serving...gives a subtle flavor),
some freshly grated Parmesan cheese,
salt+pepper.

Enjoy!

Vanessa + David

A few weeks ago we had a little couple's wedding shower for Vanessa and David because we love them.

And despite the suggestion of the photos...there were lots of other people there beside Vanessa and David. I just didn't get many good pictures of the people (I'm blaming the lighting), so had to settle for posting pictures of food. So thanks to everyone who came and loved them and showered them with gifts.

And aren't they going to have darling babies?!



*And thanks to the Harmans who (whether they knew it or not) supplied every single recipe for the food I made. It was a hit!

*And also...thanks to my brother Ryan, who doesn't have a blog that I can link, but who provided us with the most freshly caught (by him), delicious salmon I have ever had. 

Life...

lunch

Mmm. Yams. Avery loves them. My only experience with yams before trying to figure out what to feed a baby involved marshmallows and brown sugar, which I thought was disgusting as a child (now I wouldn't turn down anything with either marshmallows or brown sugar ever...but that's a different post). But Yams straight up are delicious! And baby girl can pick up little chunks of them and feed them to herself. I just slice and boil them.

Other favorites of ours include home made mac and cheese (not that I am above Kraft, but the noodles are too small for Avery to pick up...plus I really love the kind with sharp cheddar and cream), no salt added green beans from the can, avocado, and basically anything that we are eating...including Salt and Vinegar potato chips. I'm not kidding. I make it a rule to let Avery taste anything she is interested in eating (as long as its safe for her obviously) in hopes of encouraging a non-picky eater later in life. So she wanted a chip and I let her lick it thinking she would hate it....but she sure didn't. I might have to rethink that strategy. I don't really want her getting used to high salt foods.

Anyway, it's hard to think of things that are nutritious and safe to feed a baby. I often make a big batch of mac and cheese with some sort of steamed veggie mixed in and then freeze it in little portions. But I feel like we lack variety.

So what do you feed your baby/toddler? Please share. If you have time.





ps. Thanks for all of your nice comments about my room. Geez blogging is good for my self-esteem. In case you are interested, the table is from Ikea as is the picture frame. Picture from Etsy (dutchdoor press...one of my Christmas gifts from Trav), and the headboard I did not make... I got it for a steal of a deal at a Down East Home sale. The bed-skirt I got at the Sundance Outlet Store, not able to turn it down since it was hot pink and $5, and thinking I would cut it up into a little girl's skirt or something. But alas it ended up on our bed. That's how most things in my house are. Random. That's me.

party people

So my husband will often call me from work and ask if I want to have a party that night. He's a very festive person.

"Want to have a basketball playoffs party tonight?"

See the trick is, when he asks me if I want to have a party, it usually involves doing something that I might not otherwise be exactly thrilled to participate in. We have lots of watching-sporting-events parties, occasional movies-I-don't-really-want-to-see parties, and a few boring chore like cleaning-up-the-boxes-in-the-basement parties (they aren't all about TV).

So what sets these party events apart from our regular time wasting evening activities you ask?

Well besides a sparkling attitude, it's mostly the treats.

Because who can turn down an offer for fun and treats? You'd have to be a communist.

Last night, at Trav's request, it was tuna melts and Banana splits (mine was mostly bananas and strawberries in a banana split dish...but still, I got to justify the owning of another set of cute, but taking-up-lots-of-cupboard-space dishes my husband doesn't quite understand the purpose of...he does now).

And calling it a party invites magical good energy to fill up your home. Like last night when Kansas beat Memphis in overtime, and in turn Travis won his March madness office pool (OK so he kind of already knew he was going to win before the game because he had more points then everyone else--hence the reason for the party--but I'm making a point here), and now we are going to buy something fabulous with the money. (See...sometimes gambling does pay off). It's serendipity baby. Or the Secret.

Either way, I think tonight we'll have a pack-our-bag-for-the-hospital, talk-about-baby-names, and pick-a-baby-photographer party.

Now what to make for treats?

someone needs to explain moderation to me

So I made monster cookies this past week. The thing about my life, in case you didn't know, is that until recently most of my belongings have been in storage for about a year and a half--including my recipes. So its been a long time since I made these and I forgot that I usually cut the recipe in half or fourths because it makes so many. Anyway, I went ahead and made the whole recipe this time pausing only briefly as I cracked a dozen eggs into a bowl thinking, "I'm pretty sure this all fits in my mixer"...

It didn't--

hence the pot, which was the only vessel I own big enough to contain the cookie madness. Anyway, a few of you that I pawned my baked goods off on (mom remember when Ethan said that?), asked for the recipe. So here it is.

Monster Cookies
Serves 144 (that's no lie!)

12 eggs beaten
4 C. sugar
4 1/2 C. brown sugar
1 lb. butter (yeah all 4 sticks)
1 T. vanilla
1 T. light corn syrup
3 lb. peanut butter (6 3/4 C.)
8 t. baking soda
2 lb. 10 oz. (14 C.) quick oats
2 C. chocolate chips
2 lbs. M&M's
*optional can add 1-2 C. flour for thicker cookies

basically you just dump all the ingredients in a huge bowl and mix them together like any other cookie recipe (wets together and drys together) chocolate chips last. Then use an ice cream scoop to scoop onto large cookie sheet, 6 to a sheet...they get BIG. Then kind of smoosh them down a little flat and cover with M&M's:

Then bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes ( I did 12), till they are as big as your face:




When they are cool individually wrap them and enjoy!



I loved when my mom made these as a little kid...I mean, who doesn't love an enormous cookie.

So ready for some irony? The day before I made these I failed my glucose tolerance test (which if you are girl and have ever been pregnant you know what I am talking about, and if not then you probably don't care). So that means not only do I have to go back to my doctor and do the 3 hour fasting glucose test to make sure I don't have Gestational Diabetes, I really shouldn't eat sugar. So unfair.

So have a cookie for me.