It started with a note. A note on the fridge. That’s all it took. I took out one of the pre-made pizza doughs out of the freezer and stuck it in the fridge, then went to work. It was thawed … Continue reading
Please and thank you. A gift from a friend who clearly knows me too well, and I cannot wait to try it out! 😀 hopefully a pie update soon!
So, it turns out, I didn’t have to go to the gym tonight for work. So instead, I had to figure out what I would actually do for a workout. Tonight, after a debilitating dinner of ravioli and garlic bread … Continue reading
Welcome to my Friday night. No, I don’t spend every Friday night making flower hair wreaths. But I do when Chris and I are going to a Renaissance Faire the next day with friends. We opted against serious costumes. Mainly … Continue reading
No, that isn’t pizza crust. That is rosemary from the garden. That is the reason I made pizza dough last night. Now that there is a crisp to the air, I am not sure how much longer the herbs in the garden will last. I am sure Google could tell me if I asked, but I much prefer a reason to cook. Or even better, to prep for cooking. This was done in the form of fresh pizza dough.
So I chopped up some rosemary (my mom chopped up the basil for a separate batch) and threw it in this pizza crust recipe. This was one of the few things I have found from Pinterest where I actually had nearly all of the ingredients in my house (I was missing yeast). The first batch was made with all purpose flour only and came out fine, but on one of my trips to the supermarket, I decided to treat myself to whole wheat flour. Now I just need other recipes for that! Feel free to suggest things. 🙂
Having oatmeal in this isn’t even noticeable as oatmeal. It just seems to enhance the texture. It is delicious. Trust me. And, I think it is easy, because you can make it ahead of time.
Now I have to be honest with you. I don’t follow directions well. Or ingredient lists. Rules I am generally okay with. Just not when it comes to the kitchen. So one may notice this base recipe I used has salt as really the only seasoning in the crust. I can’t have that. So I use sea salt. And rosemary. And thyme. And basically anything else I feel like throwing in the dough. I know olive oil is expensive, so I will use half olive oil, half herb seasoned basting oil. I really want to try one with some sesame oil. And maybe wasabi powder. Really experiment. I’ll let you know how it goes if I ever try. I just need someone to eat it with me.
I am okay that no two pizza doughs I make will taste exactly the same, all I hope is that I remember what works and what doesn’t. Like the lemon juice I put in the basil batch. Not sure how that will turn out. But that is the fun of cooking for me! I love to try new things, experiment with flavor combinations and individualize the recipe. I call it interpretive cooking.
As I said, it is easy as a make ahead item. It took me about 20 minutes to throw the ingredients together, then you wait for it to rise and then freeze it. I am not planning on eating this pizza dough for awhile. So, after following the directions according to me, I divide the dough into two balls and bag them up separately. That “individual” portion will feed myself, my mom and dad one night. We just take it out in the morning to thaw.
This is the basil one I was talking about with the lemon juice! I hope to make it into a Margherita pizza in the next week (again utilizing more basil). I’ll let you know how the lemon taste comes out!
Hi! I am resisting the urge to put !!!! everywhere. I am very excitable! I am finally discovering myself and it would be a personal tragedy if my “self” ceased to exist. I need to feel silly and excited running down stairs in such a way it feels like skipping. I need to find a million pick-me-ups in any given day because that’ll guarantee I smile at least a million times that day.
I am full of emotion. I try and channel it in a positive way, and I believe my enormous capacity for emotion allows me to be incredibly happy but the low feels like bottom. Â I think most people know that low, the nearly debilitating urge to hide under the covers for days. I fight that when it comes, I much prefer positivity.
Something happened in my twenties. I am not really sure where I fit in before then, in college and kind of slacking off, doing just enough to get by. Since graduating, I have found a form of personal happiness. That happiness seems to stem from totally embracing new experiences (such as blogging!). And that is not to say everything I have tried has stuck. Oh, not at all. (See: WoW) But I have definitely enjoyed everything I try in its own way and discovered my personal key to happiness, which involves finding a passion in new things. My happiness is pursuing new happiness.
Another crazy thing that happened after college? I now feel guilty sleeping past 10am. Now, even if it is just being up to share breakfast with my parents or catch up on Cosmo (the only magazine subscription I have, courtesy of my grandma), it is about feeling fulfilled.Â
Certain things I feel as though have gone full circle. I remember being embarrassed of my parents, not wanting them around and just generally being a teenager. Now, I fully admit I still live with them. I appreciate that we have such a relationship that I can. Other perks include my mom making my lunch Monday through Thursday. I could not support myself at this point and I am so grateful that I am still welcome at home.
So I guess my point here is this. This will be a place for me to share my passions. I could not decide on a singular topic I would want to post about. That is why this blog is about balance. I have not reached a point of internal peace but I am working to cultivate my desires into hobbies and thus, happiness. I have studied fitness, but I can’t imagine blogging solely about that. I love cooking but IÂ am not yet creative or consistent enough for that. I try being crafty every so often with drawing or creations I find on Pinterest but that isn’t worth blogging about.
So it is all of it then. All my attempts at recipes, exercises, plans, crafts, everything. This is trial and error for me; I am putting myself out here for the world to read and judge, but hopefully enjoy.
I am not perfect, I will never be perfect. Hell, I don’t want to be perfect. I just want to continue finding balance and happiness.
Striking a Balance 