My Pizza Dough Recipe

Here's a copy of the pizza dough recipe I use most every week. I use it not only for making pizzas, but calzones, cheesy bread, and French Bread. A photo follows at the end of the recipe.

What you need:

• 1 ½ Cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
• 3-3 ½ Cups flour (amount varies with humidity)
• 1 ½ tsp. Yeast
• 1 ½ tsp. Brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Salt (I use onion salt for more flavor. If you do this, you can omit the onion powder)
• 1 tsp. Garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Onion powder
• 1 tsp. Oregano

Putting it Together:

• Set your bread machine to the "Mix Dough" setting and then add the brown sugar, water, and yeast. Let proof for about 5 minutes
• Add 1 cup of flour and then olive oil, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano
• Start the machine and add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time. Let the machine incorporate the flour before adding more. Once all flour is added, make sure the dough is not too wet or dry (add flour or extra water as needed)
• Once the dough cycle is complete (about 1 hour 40 minutes), remove dough and gently roll into a ball
• OR remove dough from machine after it is finished kneading- about 20 minutes- and place in a large, oiled, bowl. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm area until doubled- about 1 hour), then remove dough and gently roll into a ball
• Let rest for 10 minutes and then you are ready to create your pizza
• You will have enough dough for 1 very large pizza or 2 smaller ones. Also, you could get 2 smaller pizzas and 2 calzones out of this recipe.

Here are a few ideas for you...

Taco Pizza

How to Make Calzones

My Version of Papa Murphy's Cheesy Bread


Here's a photo of the dough after it's been "de-fluffed" and shaped. This is the photo I used for the Cheesy Bread, so the dough is in a log shape. If you are making two pizzas with this recipe, then the log shape is fine, as it makes it easier to divide. If making one pizza, the dough should be in a ball shape.

Friday Fotos: 1/27

courtesy of... somuchpun.com

Friday Fotos: 1/20

courtesy of... somuchpun.com

Funny Bacon T-Shirts Review and Giveaway

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They say everything is better with bacon, but who would have thought that this applies to T-shirts? Well, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised when my t-shirt from Bacon Wrapped Tees arrived in the mail. As you can tell from the picture, they had a lot of fun designing this shirt. I particularly like it, because I am currently teaching my oldest (who calls it an awesome shirt) chemistry, so it is especially relevant for me. I mean, spelling out BACON by using the periodic table? I mean, it's both fun AND instructive (it also kinda makes me hungry, but that's something for another post). Now, on to the review portion:

I knew that design of the shirt was going to be fun, but while I waited for it to arrive, I was wondering what type of material it would be made from. I think you know what I'm talking about: you buy a fun t-shirt and then discover that it's made from the cheapest and flimsiest material you could imagine. I mean, some of them look as if they could fall apart just by looking at them.

First Snow of 2012

Here's a few pictures from our first snowfall of the year...



Here's our guard flamingos, Brutus and Killer covered in snow, but still on the job...

The area right in front of them is our driveway, so you know what I need to do...



Here's a view of our backyard bird kingdom...


I've just finished shoveling our driveway and I need to go back out and do it again. Oh well, it's great exercise.