Bi-polar weather

Okay- as a native Minnesotan, I can honestly say that this spring/summer has been very. . umm- bipolar? Luke and I had finally gotten some plants from his parents and began landscaping. Planted at about 50-60 degrees, which within a week became, well- yesterday was 102. My poor plants. My dad told me I couldn't kill my hastas if I tried, but man- oh man am I really testing them!

The back of the house before

Planting. . .

And the finished product!

We have 2 hastas, an iris bush and a bleeding heart dedicated to the losses that we've experienced these past couple of months.

I love it!

Home made pizza :)

First off, my pictures aren't uploading right now but I'm dying to get this posted so I'll do so and post pics tomorrow.

The other night, I decided to whip up a home made pizza. Too often we reach for the phone to order, without realizing that we have the healthy alternatives to the standard pizza ingredients right here! I decided to make some sort of modified margherita pizza, because the grocery store we shopped at didn't have any fresh basil left (I know- crazy?) So here's the ingredients:

Crust:
Corn starch (just a pinch at the end)
3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Yeast
1 1/2 C Water



Sauce:
3 whole Tomatoes (I used babies because they were all we had left)
10 baby or 2 large Carrots (all we had were baby carrots)
1 C Vegetable stock
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 small can Tomato paste
1 T crushed basil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 C diced onions
2 T olive oil

Toppings (Varies depending upon your desire) :
Fresh Mozzarella
Tomatoes
Fresh Spinach
Crushed/dried basil

Crust

1. In a Kitchen Aid mixer, add yeast and hot water. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until dissolved. Stir and let sit if necessary.
2. Add salt, and flour while mixing on low for 5 minutes
3. Add mixing hook and mix on low-medium for 10 minutes
4. Ball dough and coat with olive oil in a bowl for 1 1/2-2 hr
5. Once dough has risen, punch down and roll out
6. Place on a baking stone
7. Bake on 425 as long as needed to ensure the dough is cooked completely through (About 5-7 minutes)

Sauce

1. Add tomatoes, onions, carrots, chopped garlic, and olive oil to pan.
2. Once the onions are translucent, add vegetable stock
3. Heat to boil
4. Reduce heat to low and add in remaining ingredients
5. Simmer on low until vegetables are tender (I did about 10 minutes)
6. Once tender, place in a blender (or I used my magic bullet).
7. Blend sauce to your desired texture

Bringing it together

!. Once the dough has been pre-cooked, add a thin layer of sauce, sliced tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, your fresh spinach and crushed basil I also sprinkled a little salt and pepper on mine.

2. Cook until golden brown!