Homemade Pizza

I made pizza tonight for supper. It is really quite easy to do. This is a recipe I have been asked about several times so I thought I would share it this week.

I’ve included two recipes for the dough. I use recipes as a guide more than an exact model. 
Notice in both recipes you start with yeast, a type of sugar such as honey or table sugar, and warm water. Let’s talk about the sugar. You need a little bit of sugar to get the yeast working. Artificial sweeteners will not work, nor will Stevia. You need sugar for the yeast to feed on and activate the bubbles. It could be molasses, raw sugar, granulated sugar, honey; it is your choice but it needs to be a type of sugar.

Dissolve the yeast in the water and sugar, then dump everything else in and mix it all up using your hands or a KitchenAid mixer. My sister uses her bread machine, then she stops it and takes the dough out. You can make extra dough, too, and put it in the freezer in a ziplock bag. Let it thaw before you use it.

In the past, I used to let the dough rise once in the bowl, punch it down and knead it again, but I don’t do that anymore. Now I let it rest in a ball in the bowl while I get out my baking dish and spread cornmeal on it (no oil). The cornmeal makes the crust brown and crispy on the bottom. Then I press out the dough and let it rise for a while while I get on with my day.

After about 2 hours or more (seriously, I never time it) I put the crust in the oven on 350F for about 10 minutes (I do time this part). Baking the crust for a few minutes before adding toppings helps it to not be gooey in the center. After the 10 minutes, take it out of oven, pour on spaghetti sauce (homemade or from a jar, it doesn’t matter) and spread it  evenly, then add the cheese. I use whatever cheese is in my fridge and I don’t measure any of it; I just do it until it looks good to me.

I cut up all sorts of vegetables; onions, peppers, olives, etc., and throw them all on, sprinkle on some Italian seasoning and bake it in a 425-450F oven for about 10 more minutes. You just have to keep checking it to make sure it is cooked to the point that you like. My family tends to like the cheese a little brown. 

Well, that’s a bit about my process when making pizza. Give it a try and tell me how it goes.

Journaling in Beaufort

At this moment I am in Beaufort, NC. The balcony of my room happens to look out on the water. It is a pretty amazing spot. The boats are going back and forth. A school bus just went over the bridge. Across the way, some men are using a hose to clean off their place of business and they are all wearing white boots; I saw some boats up next to that building earlier. Another man is on the pier fishing. The wind is blowing as the seagulls fly and squawk.

 And here I sit, watching it all happen. I wonder if any of them are aware that they are being watched, or has it crossed their minds at all. For that matter, someone might be watching me as I sit on this balcony writing this.

I do my best to take in my surroundings because I might be able to use it in a story later. I want to remember what I see, so I write it down in a journal. I describe the birds (I think they are storks) floating on top of the water, the rattle of the bridge as the cars go over it, the absolutely blue sky that graduates from a true Carolina blue to a pale baby blue in the distance. The smell of fish, the bottle cap left on the rail, the odd shape of the pier. Any of these descriptions could go into a story.

When I am sharing a story I want to paint a picture. My goal is to disappear so all that is left is the story. I sometimes go to a coffee shop or store and try to disappear into a corner to watch people and take in the surroundings. Being aware of how the people walk, hold their coffee, cross their legs, or even talk to the barista helps me to prepare a story.

Sometimes friends will call or text me with something that could really add to a story. For instance, a friend sent me a text telling me that a man in Starbucks ordered a cup of regular coffee and spent nearly $10 on it. I responded with a gasp. She continued to tell me that he got 6 shots of expresso and a bunch of other stuff dumped in it. That tidbit she shared with me will so go in my journal to use in a story one day. 

As I finish writing this post, I wish I had some inspirational note to wrap it all up, but I don’t. Instead, I'm attaching some pictures of the view from my balcony.

Now, I am going to go disappear into a corner.

Pondering...

If you read my blogs very often you can probably tell they are just ponderings.

I ponder most of the day and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. I think about a lot of things; for instance, why do emergency vehicles have different sounds in different countries? OK, so I realize there is not a United Federation of Emergency Sounds, but really, why are they different? Who decided what was a good emergency sound? Was there a group of people who got together in a secret room somewhere and brought a bunch of noise makers to come up with the proper sounds?

I think about stuff like that. My brain just goes; it’s not like I intentionally think; stuff just pops in my head. It is not uncommon for me to exclaim, “Oh, my, gosh!!”, because something has just opened up in my head. I have been notified that there is something else to ponder.

These little sparks make me want to learn. I want to find out about things. I want to explore it all; visit museums, watch documentaries, talk to people, go to plays and the theatre. I want to travel to Ireland, Scotland, Alaska, California; take a cruise around the Caribbean. I want to experience life and think about it.

I have been asked many times, “Why do you think about things like that?”  I don’t know; thoughts just climb into my head and take a seat, so I ponder about it.

Since I am a storyteller and puppeteer, it is good that I think about things so much. Pondering is how I develop my stories and create my characters. 

Take some time today and ponder. You might be surprised what climbs into your head.

All plans subject to change without notice!

My blog has been lost. Darn it!!!

I write my blogs ahead of time. I do my best to stay ahead of the game and most weeks I can do that but not this week, and not next week. I wrote my blogs but they have gone AWOL… absent without leave. When I saw that they were gone, I gasped and then shouted to no one, "NOOOOO!!"

This… was… not… my… plan!!! My plan was to have it all in order, to write something philosophical, to inspire, to speak truth. Oh well, so much for that.

This situation does remind me, however, of a mantra that my father often stated when I was growing up, “All plans subject to change without notice.” Ain’t that the truth? It is a mantra that still rings through my home and my siblings' homes, as well. 

Let’s face it, we all make plans — then sometimes our plans work out and sometimes they just don’t. The key is to change and keep on going. It might seem like everything is falling apart, but really they might be falling into place. Change leads you down a different path, to a new opportunity, often to something bigger and better. But let's be honest, sometimes it just rots, too!! In that case, you take a breath and change again.

Stuff happens. It is what it is. Sometimes it seems the only thing constant is change. So go ahead, make a plan and set priorities — but always keep this in mind as you tackle that to-do list: All Plans Subject to Change Without Notice.

Fire trucks, doughnuts, and cider

I LOVE the Fall!! Always have!! The cool fresh air, crisp apples, cider, sweaters, scarves, and, of course, the colors of the leaves! Love it, love it, love it!!

I grew up in a tiny community, Richmondville, New York. There are still only about 2,000 people in the village. The school, Richmondville Central School, was one main building and it housed K-12, less than 500 students in the entire school district. The brick structure had three floors and the high school was on the 3rd level. There were a couple of extra buildings for shop class and a house for home economics. 

Every Fall near Halloween, there was an evening when the Volunteer Fire Department would open and they would serve powdered doughnuts and apple cider for free to the community. The big thrill, though, was the ride on the back of the fire truck. We would step on the landing and climb up onto the heavy fabric of the hoses. When there was no space left for anyone else to get on that big red machine, the driver would clang the bell and run the siren and we were off. The air was cold on our faces and nearly everyone on the ride wore a jacket with a hood and gloves. It only took about 10 trips for every child in the community to get a ride. I participated in the tradition even through high school and college. It just wasn’t Fall without powdered doughnuts, cider, and a ride on the fire truck.

It’s a simple memory and it comes back to me every October. I live in Charlotte, NC, now and although there are no October fire truck rides (that I know of), I do have to have at least one powdered doughnut and cup of cider to welcome the season!! It just wouldn’t be Fall without it.

Here are a few pictures I took on a summer trip back to Richmondville.