Thursday, May 26, 2011

Its Grilled Pizza tonight!

I have a really great and easy pizza recipe that I think you should try.  It only takes an hour and you are ready grill.

This dough make two large pizzas.

2 cups of warm water - 90 degrees
2 packets of active dry yeast
4-6 cups of all purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus oil olive to grease your bowl and grill
1 teaspoon salt
cornmeal for dusting the pan


If you have a standing mixer this is perfect for the job. If not, then place in bowl and use a wooden spoon.

Place water in mixing bowl, and sprinkle yeast on top. Mix gently until fully dissolved. Stir in half the flour, 4 tablespoon of oil and salt. Use dough hook or wooden spoon combine well, then gradually add the rest of the flour.

The dough should now be a large sticky mass and might appear to be a hopeless mess. Don't despair! When it begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl, turn out on a floured surface and begin to knead. If you are using a mixer continue mixing for five minutes and dough will no longer be sticky.

You know you are done when the dough has a smooth texture and if you press into it, it will have a little give.
By hand this should take about 10 minutes, by mixture it should take about 3-5 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a oil bowl and cover for 30 minutes.  Punch dough and cover again for another 30 minutes. If you are looking for a really soft dough you will need to double your time for rising.

Uncover the bowl and punch down the risen dough, expelling the gases. The dough is now ready to be used.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and cut it in half. Starting in the middle and working outwards, roll each half into a circle. I use the bottom on a cookie sheet to place my dough on that has been dusted with cornmeal. This makes getting the pizza onto to the grill very easy.
Let your dough relax while you are getting your ingredients together. Turn your grill on to 500 degrees.

Note: Don't use raw meats, cook them first. Your pizza will only be on the grill for about 5-7 minutes and that is not enough time to cook your meat. Also the same if you like your onions, mushrooms and peppers completely cooked.

Sauce: You really don't want anything heavy on this pizza or it will be soggy. I use a can a Italian diced tomatoes. Drain most of the liquid out and smash tomatoes so they will spread nicely. Jazz up your sauce. Add crushed red pepper, if tomatoes are to tart try adding a pinch of sugar. Remember this is YOUR pizza have fun with it.


Is your grill ready?  Dip a large wadded paper towel into oil and using tongs quickly rub your grill grates so your dough wont stick. I also lightly oil my dough, not to much or it wont cook right.


You are going to cook on side of the pizza for 5-7 minutes then flip it over. This is when you start adding everything onto your pizza. The side that has already been cook. Be quick about!

Don't walk away from your pizza, you can have some flare ups and then you will have burnt pizza. Yuck!

I would cook the pizza one at time until it gets easier for you.

Sometimes I use the second dough to make a dessert pizza. Half cinnamon and sugar, Half chocolate and marshmallow's.


Happy grilling,

Sara

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Have you ever tried to Multi-task?

I wake up each day knowing that I have things that need to get done. Get the kids up, feed and out the door. Make a mess getting lunches together, then cleaning the mess. What’s for Dinner? I need to sweep, mop and vacuum.  The list can go on until you feel like you may need a nap because of all of the things that you are thinking about doing today. First off let me say how much I hate cleaning. I wish that I could just go to bed and the little cleaning fairies would quietly put everything in order. Can’t you just see them with their little mops and brooms flying around your house have a grand time!

This is where multi-tasking comes into play for me. Since I don’t want to spend my entire day cleaning I try to see how many things I can do at one time.
It’s time to do the Laundry. I start a load while I’m working on lunches /breakfast for my kids. While my kids are eating I unload the dishwasher and put in the dirty ones.
I try to give my kids at least 20 of down time before we leave for school. They play games, watch T.V. or just hang out. While they are hanging out, I’m making all of the beds and cleaning the bathroom since no one knows how to put the tops on the toothpaste, hang up towels and put away all of the junk they use to make themselves beautiful /handsome.
By the time I drop of the kids my first load of laundry is done. I turn to the phone and chat with BFF while I am sweeping then mopping. You have to try this. It seems like no time at all and you have clean floors and you can thank the person that you are talking to!
It is time to fold the laundry.  Perfect timing since your favorite talk show or Soap Opera is on. Fold while you are watching TV., once folding is complete put the clothes away during commercials.  Same goes for dusting and vacuum cleaning. Dust while you watch and vacuum during commercials.

When you think about it’s all really a big game.  Start your day off with a bang. How much can I get done in the two hours?
Now that you have everything completed you can sit back do what you want for the rest of day. Go to lunch with friends, listen to them complain that they have to get back to a messy house and they are never going to finish it before the kids and hubby get home.  Knowing you can go home and eat bon bons if you want to.

Take care,
Sara

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The truth will set you free!

When I started this blog I wanted everyone to really like or even love it. In my first blog - Getting to know Sara I told everyone about my love of reading. I let everyone know that I read Erotica. There are a lot of people really don't even understand what Erotica is all about. I heard it described as porn on paper.  After that posting I received several emails shaming me for putting that out there. They said that I was nuts for sharing something like that. Wondering if I was some kind of a pervert for reading and enjoying the smut.


I took the cowards’ way out and I deleted it. Then my BFF got a hold of me and told me that I really shouldn't care what other people think, that I can write whatever the hell I felt like writing just as long as I enjoyed doing it. 


So here I am again, but this time I telling the complete truth of what I really love to read. What’s the point in typing up a blog if you aren't going to be truthful with yourself? This is also what I want from the people who read my blog. Be truthful with yourself and write what you want and not be afraid what other people will say or do.


Getting to it:

A friend of mine told me she had a really hot book that she wanted to me read. She knew that I loved Romance/Suspense and had hoped that I would enjoy the book. The book had everything you could ever want, murder, drugs, kidnapping, heroine, hero, sex, then love. I only made it to chapter 3 when I stared to blush, got a little hot around the collar, maybe a little squirming, lots of OMG's were coming from my mouth, but I couldn't put it down.

I'm the kind of person that gets completely lost into a good book. I can see the settings, I see the people in my head and I feel their emotions. I love Romance, there is nothing better than heart wrenching book with a great ending.  

 By the time I was finished with the book I had an entire new outlook on sex and the connection you can have with the person you are intimate with. Later that night I jump my husband bones and put some new moves into action! I told him what I read and how it made me feel. Hubby told me that if it made me happy and if we were going to continue to have sex like we just did that I could buy as many books as I wanted. :>) 


My first book was Maverick by Lora Leigh. It is part of Series. I believe there may be six books in the series. Maverick is the second book in the series, Wild Card is the first. If you have not read any of Lora Leigh books I think that you should really give this series a try. She has other series - Bound Heats, but they may be a little too intense for someone just starting out.

So there it is, all out in the open. Let me know what you think. still going to blog about Hubby, Children, cleaning and cooking. I’m just going to be adding a little extra to the mix.

Keep Reading, 

Sara   


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Its Spring Time, time to get organized!

Have you started your Spring cleaning yet?


Are you trying to get your house organized, but are having a really hard time as to where to start?

Not sure where you should put all of your stuff? Your "maybe I might need it someday" stuff?


I know that I don't have all of the answers to your problems, but I will tell you how I am able to get some control and some order in my house.

The first room that I would start with is the room that you use most. If you do this one room at a time you wont feel some overwhelmed. The Living Room is a great place to start.

 Do you have books, magazines and DVDs all over the place? Take a good look at your things before you start put them away. Do you really need all of those magazines? You could always recycle your magazines. Do you a couple of books that you know that you will never read again or maybe some children's books that no longer interest your children? The Library or send to a second hand book store is a great place to drop of those books that have been long forgotten. The same can be said for your DVDs, the Library is always happy to take your movies. After you have only the "keepers"  buy yourself some covered baskets or a nice bookshelf and start putting things in order.

I also find that if you are able to re-arrange your room, move the furniture around and place your decorations on the other side of the room it gives it and entire new feel.

If you have kids like mine as soon as they come home the first thing that hits the floor is Backpacks, shoes then socks. I bought a couple of hooks and placed them in my Laundry Room so everyday the Backpacks are hung up, the socks go into a laundry basket and their shoes go under the backpack if they are not able to find the strength to walk to their bedrooms and put them away.

The Kitchen, I think that this room has to be the hardest room to put to rights. What do you do with all of those school papers that come home everyday? Make a folder for each kid, keep the papers for a couple of weeks and then get rid of them. I have a large bin in my hall closet that I keep all of my beloved projects and outstanding grades that I could never throw away.   Also, have a couple of folders for bills, upcoming events and sport activities that you don't want to forget about. Do you have enough room in your Kitchen for a cork board? You could eliminate a folder and pin up all of your events and activities, once its done take it off the board.

Once you got rid of the the paper clutter remove everything from your counter tops and place them on your table. Step back and really look at your kitchen and all of the "stuff" you now have on your table. Do I use the stand up mixer often? Do I really need all of those cookbooks out in the open? How many jars does one person really need?

Only put back what you use. You need a funcutual kitchen not a chaotic kitchen. You need a place to work where is it easy to clean up. So you can be done in the kitchen and spend time with your family.

What do you do with all of the things remaining on your table? Do you have room in your pantry for a box so you could put your cookbooks in there? Do you have an extra shelf in your pantry or Island so your appliances can have a home? No room at all? Garage Sale maybe? Put up some shelves?
You will have to set place some ground rules for the family. If they are just used to dropping everything and walking away, it will take them awhile to readjust. That's the great thing about children they adjust really well.

These are the things that I do in my home to make things easier for me. You see girls its all about you. Its what makes your day flow smoothly. A happy mom is a good mom.


Send me your ideas, I really love to hear from you.


Sara

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Getting to know Sara

Hello Everyone,

My name is Sara and I decided to create a blog in the hopes that I will be able to meet and chat with Moms and women just like me.

I’ve been married for 15 years; I have two boys that are best described as "Wild Monkeys" and a daughter that can only be described as a "Princess". I'm a stay at home mom that has several titles - Cook, Maid, Chauffeur, Medical Aide /Mental Specialist and so much more.

With everything that I do for my family, it just really isn’t enough. What is a mom to do with herself during the day? I volunteer at school when I can, but that only takes a couple of hours of my time.

I have lunch with friends, go shopping, but after a while that also gets really boring.

I love to explore different foods and ingredients when I cook.

I strive to be organized. It is my mission in life to find a place for everything. I don’t like piles of papers in my Kitchen or Office. Shoes all over the house where you swear that you have a shoe wearing centipede living with you. Toys have a place and at the end of the day it is not on the living room rug so you can step on one and curse up a blue moon.

I like to multi task. If am able to two things at the same time, it frees my time to do the things that I really want to do. 

What I love most of all is reading. I could spend my entire day reading. Romance/Suspense is my true love. Don't you just love it when the big, bad hero saves the day? Maybe some of you could give me some of your book titles that you love most.

With this blog I want to give and get. I want to be able to share things with you I’m the hopes that I can somehow make your day a little brighter and in return you can share things with me.

Chat with you soon,