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Thursday, April 18, 2013

My Best Gluten Free Pizza Ever

I confess that if I'm ever going to get good at this blogging stuff, I should really start doing some photography. I need a picture of this pizza. The joke around our house is that I make stuff that tastes good, even if it isn't picture perfect. This was both for a change.

Just a little history. I've been on the paleo primal diet for over a year, maybe eating that way about 75% of the time. In doing so I've greatly reduced some long standing health issues. The rest of the time I eat gluten free and a great pizza is one of those things that is still impossible for me to pass up. After seeing my success, I was able to talk my husband into trying it all. He too has gone through some dramatic improvements in health, and has finally come to the conclusion that cheating is not an option. The pizza cheat was the most difficult thing for him though, and I knew I'd have to come up with some better bread, pizza and chocolate chip cookies in order to keep him on the wagon. I've managed to get the cookies down. Still buying the bread. Thankfully we started shopping at a store that sold a gluten free frozen pizza crust, and that has been working. However, I still felt I needed to come up with my own homemade crust. I think I finally hit on the right one. Last Friday night, on our traditional family pizza night, I was crowned queen of pizza for this crust adapted from the King Arthur flour recipe.
 
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Gluten Free Flour

2 tablespoons buttermilk powder

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

no stick spray or olive oil to oil the pan

 

1) Place the dry ingredients (except the yeast) into a large mixing bowl.

2) Place the warm water, olive oil, yeast in a bowl, stirring to combine. Let yeast proof.

3) Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and beat on medium-high speed for 4 minutes. The mixture will be thick and sticky. (I actually beat mine by hand and it turned out fine)

4) Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes or so-if you are in a hurry to feed the hungry Hubs 20 minutes works.

5) Preheat the oven to 425°F.

6) Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil onto the center of a baking sheet or round pizza pan. Scrape the dough from the bowl onto the puddle of oil.  No stick spray works if you are looking to cut some of the fat, but hey it’s a pizza…

7) Using your wet fingers, start at the center of the dough and work outwards, pressing it into shape. You may get some holes, so just patch ‘em up and keep going.

8) Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes give or take-I was in a hurry so we didn’t wait that long

9) Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes, until it's set; the surface will look opaque, rather than shiny. I’d say ours was closer to the 8 minutes.

10) Remove from the oven and top with whatever you like. ¾ pound of mozzarella, lots of pepperoni and some mushrooms works well. Bacon and spinach with a little cheddar added to the mozzarella is really good too. Return to the oven to finish baking, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the toppings you've chosen.

Yield: one pizza 12"-14"

 

 

 

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Spring Break

Spring Break and having some fun. Went to visit my daughter for a couple of days and got my hands on those little grand guys for awhile. The baby is growing so much. Enjoyed a visit to the university where my daughter works and we had a wonderful lunch together. Despite the snow, I enjoyed the gorgeous view along the ridge that leads from their town to the university. The Norwegians that settled that area knew beauty when they saw it.

Our oldest grandson didn't want grammy to go home, but I had to get back. Wish I could have brought him with me. On the other hand I'm looking forward to summer when I can spend some time up there. Besides 3 little boys there are some bike trails and rivers that are calling my name.

Today I've been puttering with housework and a little crafting. Made a few signs and plan to make some more. Thinking about trying a craft show in the future with some of the signs and of course baskets. So far these are just for practice and for use in our home. Think I could use more practice!



Thursday, March 14, 2013

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Lamentation 3:22-24 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 

The past few weeks have been a blur as I work, take my classes and try to keep up with being a homemaker, chauffeur after track practice and whatever else comes my way.  I've even thought a time or two in the past few weeks that my priorities must not be in order or I wouldn't feel so stressed. But stress comes to those who do. So maybe that's not the problem either.

Since my last blog posts I've been back to the doctor regarding my injury from last summer. Thinking something was torn or detached, an MRI was ordered and while there was some notable findings, there was nothing torn or detached. Nothing could be fixed. As I try to increase my activity, I still get pain in my leg that, well... is not real pleasant, but for now may be one of the stones in the river of life that I have to deal with. I have a great appreciation for the aged as I had to take my husband's arm coming out of church on Sunday and stayed home from second service. Some have suggested going for a second opinion and that is something that is yet to be decided. I continue in therapy nine months after the fact with glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel.

I was thankful to be at school yesterday when my second youngest son came to me and said he wasn't feeling well and was having trouble swallowing and breathing. I dropped everything and ran him to urgent care. He was later transferred to ER. Almost six hours later we were allowed to go home. Being a mother never stops, as I didn't sleep through the night and went to his room to quietly check on him. We're not done yet as he has some follow-up over the next several days. I was thankful that we didn't have to get transferred to another hospital as was at one point thought. Glad to be home with him today.

I weep with those who weep. A friend is a widow after losing her husband of almost 40 years to a very courageous battle with cancer. He was a believer who is with his Savior and his funeral was a beautiful tribute to a life lived in faith.

My cousin who was my best friend growing up, just had a new granddaughter from their one and only son. This young couple who has lost more than one child, is daily visiting their daughter in intensive care and praying to be able to take her home some day. She had to be resuscitated at birth and is in critical condition. It is their faith that is carrying them through this time of trial.

And I rejoice with those who rejoice. A niece gave birth to a baby boy last night. Harnessing the power of social media my brother and his wife posted pics just after he was born!

I'm so very thankful for my own blessed husband and eight wonderful kids, 3 grands and hoping the Lord will add more someday.

Despite the cold and piles of snow, some people are posting pics of their crocuses coming out of the ground, reminding us that spring is just around the corner. If I could get to mine I'd be taking pics too. God is so good! Soon.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

The New Grandbaby

Grampy

Grammy


We were finally able to do our 3 hour drive north to see our new grandchild last weekend. He was 3 weeks old already. Isn't he adorable? Grammy needs to get a new camera so that she isn't always taking pics with her phone camera. Think I have a good excuse, right?

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Friday, January 11, 2013

Foggy and damp night here in the midwest. The snow from our big blizzard is melting very fast. The kids at school had a little more than a week to enjoy the ice rink and today it was more like a lake out there.

We're hoping the fog lifts so that we can travel up north to see our daughter. Our grandbaby hasn't been born yet, but they've taken some steps to induce labor and hopefully they'll be giv birth this weekend. Even if not, I'll be glad to embrace those other two little grand guys and maybe help out where I can. We're taking a snowblower, for the next snow storm and a few odds and ends that we have been storing in the attic.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

A New Year's This and That

It's a crisp 16 degrees here. When we walked out of church last night, the sky was very clear, beautiful, full of stars and I figured it was going to be a bit chilly today. The mister says that anything in double digits is warm for this time of year. Today the sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky.

I'm enjoying my last day of Christmas break with my family. It has been a relaxing but also productive break and while I'm a little sad to see it end, I'm ready to get back to school and see what is in store for the new year. I've been up at the crack of dawn most days. That circadian rooster just can't leave me alone even when I'm off.

We are also eagerly awaiting the birth of grandson number three who is due this Friday. I know our daughter is very anxious to see this little one come into the world. I know the "big as a house feeling" is getting a bit overwhelming. Plus she has two busy little boys that make life more "exciting" and winter weather makes everything a little more difficult.

Having had 8 of our own, I know the "big as a house" feeling and "I wish this baby would come out" feeling. With one babe we even were at the hospital but got sent home. We ended back there the next night anyway, but it was a big let down at the time. I still believe that it was "white coat syndrome" that made my labors so long. As soon as I walked through the hospital doors... everything stopped dead in it's tracks. With another of the boys, they wouldn't let me go home, so we walked around the corridors and stopped in the family room to work on a 1000 piece puzzle throughout the day. Made quite a bit of progress on it too! No progress on the labor though. At 11:00 P.M. I was fit to be tied and the contractions had all but stopped. The nurses went on report for the next shift and my husband was snoozing. Honey you should have brought your tent and sleeping bag, your going to be camping awhile. I laid down in my bed feeling pretty gloomy, and only a nice picture puzzle to show for a day's work. Suddenly contractions started gripping me right and left and our baby boy was born shortly after 1:00 AM with only one push. Doc's words were, "I said, a little push." All my years of living on a farm taught me something. Babies are born when nobody is watching.

Anyway, I was there waiting for the last grandson's birth. I sobbed all over the place when they brought him back to the room. This time they won't experience all this joy from me until we get a chance to drive up after the birth. So now we just wait. Patiently. Maybe patiently. Okay, not so patiently. At this point it doesn't look like a New Year's day baby.

We have a new family game called Blokus. One of the best family games we've had. Highly recommend!

Our middle daughter who graduates from high school this year announced her college decision this week and we are pleased. Private school. In state. Not too far away. Guaranteed to get into the nursing program. A nice scholarship. We are very happy for her.

The guys have been working on putting up a new living room ceiling during the break. Looking so much better than joists. We've also been working toward finishing our kitchen which might get done someday. Only about 5 years in the making so far. Considering that for awhile my old cast iron sink was propped on a pedestal made with 2x4s and I now have cabinets and a dishwasher I'm pretty happy. If you ever think you can't entertain because your house isn't good enough, think again. I had company when there were only three walls in there. The flooring is still sitting in our dining room under our vintage 1800s church pew that we use as a dining room bench. Best storage place for right now. One thing at a time. The mister doesn't get much time off and for now the ceiling is taking priority. Truthfully, old houses are great. Every little bit helps. Just have to keep in mind that if you think something might be square, think again. The mister goes back to work tomorrow too, but hopefully we'll keep moving forward on the projects a bit.

I posted a new pattern on my basket weaving blog.  I wove this for a gift and painted a little scene with pines by a lake to hang on the side. Couldn't have a break without my favorite hobby, right?

Well, life goes on. Think I'm going to work on some chili for dinner. Now if I could guard it from the jalapeno people...

May everyone enjoy a healthy, happy, and blessed new year.