My Family!!!

This is my family at the Hunter Farm Pumpkin Patch in Weddington, NC.

They are what it's all about.

Life is good.

Breadsticks, Dinosaurs, & Hearts!

I recently posted this quick and super easy Pizza Dough Recipe, and I've gotta say--it rocks!  Since then, other than making pizza, I've used it for breadsticks as well!
Here is what my breadsticks looked like before and after baking. 

They were a super hit!  I brushed some butter, fresh pressed garlic, and italian herbs on some of them, while the others I left plain with just butter brushed on top.

Tonight I needed a quick meal.  So once again, I threw together some of this fabulous dough and made my son a dinosaur shaped pizza and my daughter a heart shaped pizza at their requests!  They were THRILLED!!!
Here are some photos of the process!

Everything tastes even better when it looks cuter apparently! 

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Pumpkin Pancakes!

Happy Fall, Y'all! =o)
I LOVE Fall, I LOVE baking, and I LOVE Pumpkin flavored anything!
We had another "pancakes for dinner" night last week (and I had some canned pumpkin on hand), so I decided to search online for a Pumpkin Pancake recipe! I found one on allrecipes.com that I used and adapted! My kids loved it. In fact, my son ate 3 whole pancakes! These pancakes are hearty and rather filling too!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour *
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar *
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk *
1/2 cup canned Pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin Pie filling) *
1 large egg *
2 teaspoons vegetable oil *
Maple Syrup *

* indicates an organic ingredient was used

1.Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt in large bowl. Combine milk, pumpkin, egg and vegetable oil in small bowl; mix well. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened; batter may be lumpy.
2.Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly with vegetable oil (I used Organic margarine). Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle; cook until bubbles begin to burst. Turn and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

My pancakes turned out VERY thick so I had to spread them around a little in the pan with the back of a spoon and covered the pan while cooking as well. I got 11 pretty thick pancakes out of this mix. I served them with a little bit of Organic maple syrup drizzled on top.

These are only some of the pancakes. I took the picture of the stack after the kids started eating! You could definitely make a batch of these and freeze them between some wax paper for a quick-I-have-absolutely-no-time-to-cook breakfast!

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

The Quickest and Best Pizza (Dough) Ever!

I found this EASY and QUICK homemade pizza crust recipe online and I've been meaning to get on here for forever to share! It came out amazing and the kids loved it!!

My husband had to run out to Earth Fare (not far!) to pick up some Organic Mozzarella cheese. In the time he was gone, I had mixed the ingredients and rolled out the dough and was ready to pop it into the oven! One of the best things about this pizza dough is that you don't have to wait forever for it to rise!

Here is what ya need:

1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups flour *

2 teaspoons olive oil *
1 teaspoon sugar *
1 teaspoon salt


* indicates an organic ingredient was used


Combine yeast and warm water.
Stir until dissolved.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Let rest 5-10 minutes.
Roll out to fit your pizza stone. (I found it easier to place the dough directly onto my round pizza stone and roll it out on there rather than on a mat and having to transfer it over.) You can add a little flour to make rolling easier if you find the dough too sticky.
I prebaked mine for 10 minutes at 450*. Then, I added the sauce and toppings and baked for another 8-10 minutes until the cheese was melted.

Definitely keep an eye on the crust (even during prebaking) as it can brown FAST! I found that I had to poke holes in the crust as it bubbled up during prebaking.
Instead of sugar, you can throw in some Italian Seasoning or even brush some olive oil mixed with some freshly pressed garlic before prebaking--yum! Your house will smell divine!
You can use this recipe for calzones, breadsticks, individual pizzas, or whatever!!!

Here are some photos of the process!

This pizza is seriously healthier and quicker than ordering out for delivery!

YUM YUM YUM!!!!!!!!

Enjoy!

=o)

Jen