A new family member, so to speak...

Oh where to start.... . I am not an animal person to a high degree. I will pet a dog or cat if it approaches me, but I wont push one in a stroller or carry it in my purse. I also will never swerve to miss anything that crosses my path on the road as my children's welfare is much more important. That being said, our family has never had a house dog. Oh, they have begged and pleaded but I have stood firm. I have enough going on in my daily routine without the added stress of a dog underfoot. I have stood firm that is, until last week. Meet Roy..

I went to the pet store last week with my husband and daughter to buy some toys for the new dog we got for OUTSIDE and came home with this little guy.  He is a 4 1/2 pound papillon. They kids are in their glory between the outside dog and the inside dog....what have I done?

Pray for me!

Homemade is best!

Our family loves homemade pizza. I have found a wonderful pizza crust recipe (see below) that is pretty much fool proof. We always make 2 jelly roll pans so there is some for lunch the next day and the pizzas are never the same. We try all kinds of combinations. These were pepperoni with onions and mushrooms (on one) with all the left over cheese that was in the fridge. Some mozzarella and some cheddar and a little Parmesan. My husband made the dough for these for me last night and even he was impressed with how easy it was.

For the two pizzas above, Joe made a double batch of dough and the crust is not too thick.

Pizza Crust

1C. warm water

1T. Yeast

2 1/4 t. Active dry yeast

3 T. Olive oil

1t. Salt

2 1/2 C. Flour

Directions:

Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. I usually let this set for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add olive oil and salt. Stir in flour until well blended and let rest for 10 minutes.

I usually knead the dough on a floured surface about five times, but that isn't necessary. I roll the dough out on the pan, add sauce and toppings and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. If I bake two pizzas at the same time, I increase the baking time by five minutes and switch the pizzas half way through. 

This recipe is easily changed by adding herbs to the dough or using whole wheat flour.

Enjoy!!   

Tomatoes are ON!

OK! Tomatoes are on and need to processed into all things tomatoooeeyyy. Salsa, catsup, pizza sauce, diced tomatoes and maybe even spaghetti sauce if the bounty is large enough. Below I have given the recipe for Catsup that I am using this year. My mom already made some up and we all loved it, even the kidos. It is simple in that it does not require any stirring once its put in the oven for 10 hours.

8 quarts tomato puree (24 lbs tomatoes)
12 oz. thick tomato paste
3 green peppers
5 large onions
2 C. cider vinegar
1C. light corn syrup
1C. sugar
1t. pepper
2T. pickling salt
2t. ground allspice

Puree tomatoes with a squeezo strainer (I use my Kitchen Aid attatchment). Liquify the tomato paste, peppers, onions and vinegar in a blender or food processor. Mix the purees with the remaining ingredients in a large roaster pan. Stir well.
Cook, uncovered, in a 200 degree oven for 10 hours. Do not stir. When the cooking time is up, ladle the hot catsup into clean, hot jars. Leave 1/2 inch head space. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for quarts.
YIELD 6 Quarts!  Our family of 7 seems to go through about a quart a week so I hope my tomato plants really produce!