Recipe Friday: Homemade Pizza

When asked the question "If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?" My answer is always pizza. I love the variety that you get with having pizza. One of my favorite things to grill on our barbeque in the summer time is pizza. I just found this recipe for Italian-Style pizza crust and I am excited to try it out on the grill. Its still a bit chilly outside so I won't be grilling this one. I have looked long and hard for a good pizza crust recipe. All of the ones I have tried have tasted really yeasty. But this one was delicious and didn't have much of a yest taste!!! I also I have added pictures of the process. I didn't think of taking pictures until after I had already made the crust so that is why there aren't any pictures of the crust making. Not to mention, it was a bit messy.

Italian-Style Pizza Crust

1 packet active dry yeast

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup warm water (110°F to 115°F)

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Dissolve yeast in water in a large bowl.

2. Mix in half the flour then add sugar, salt, and oil.

3. Add flour until the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl.

4. Take dough out of the bowl and kneed for 10 minutes (or until smooth and springy) on a lightly floured surface.

5. Place dough in a oiled bowl. Turn dough to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 20 minutes.

6. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours but no longer than 48 hours.

To make pizza: 
Choose your toppings. 

I like to do Margarita which is olive oil for the sauce, sliced roma tomatoes, chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper, fresh mozzarella cheese topped with basil.

I also like Chicken Pesto which is pesto sauce spread on the crust, chopped chicken, red onions, artichoke hearts, sliced roma tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella cheese.
You really can put anything on a pizza... all kinds of meats, veggies, you can even do a dessert pizza topped with your favorite goodies. Have fun and experiment with different toppings.

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F and move one of the racks to the lowest position.

2. Grease a cookie sheet or 12 inch pizza pan with oil. Press dough into 12 inch circle using floured fingers. Press dough from center to edge so the edge is slightly thicker than the center.

3. Spread the sauce out then put on the toppings

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool for a few minutes allowing cheese to set. Cut and enjoy!!!

Happy Cooking!

Its that time again...

Gosh. I am horrible at updating this thing. I actually try to sit down once a week to update my blog, but I end up looking at everyone else's latest posts and by the time I'm done with that someone is needing my attention. Today I was driving home from my in-laws thinking I should really give everyone an update on our lives and I was thinking about starting this out by saying "I've been really busy lately and thats why I haven't updated..." But really that would just be a lie. Although I have my hands full most days, I have plenty of time to update you all. The truth is, I always want a picture to post and I am horrible at taking pictures. My parents asked me to stop sending pictures from my phone (because of the poor quality) and making the time to take pictures with an actual camera. I have yet to take a picture with my camera... oops. Hopefully I'll start tomorrow.. haha. 


As for an update on our lives... Gideon is busy as ever. He is becoming more and more mobile, although not crawling yet. Last week he started getting into the crawling position from sitting up. Which, he is sitting up totally unassisted and has been for about a month. He will just sit on the rug and play and laugh. The rug we have in the living room is wool so its not to inviting to lay or sit on, so we always put down a blanket so its more comfortable for him. The blanket we use is actually a full size quilt. Its not anything special so it works great for him to use. We will sit him down there with all of his toys and after just a few minutes he will have gathered the entire blanket into his lap. It is the funniest thing. 

He clearly thinks he is funny too!

Another big development for Gideon is that he is fully sleeping through the night... and not just the 5-6 hour window, but a full 11-12 hours. It is the best thing ever. Even a month and a half ago, I thought I would never get my sleep back. But then one day I was talking to a friend who really encouraged me to let Gideon cry it out at night. She said it was the best thing she ever did for her daughter. So we waited for a weekend where we could sleep all day if needed and let Gideon cry himself back to sleep. It only took us two days and he had figured it out. I am a new momma. It is so great to get uninterrupted sleep. I was feeling so defeated every day because I was just so tired in the mornings after waking up multiple times a night. As of Saturday he has been waking up at least once a night because he is getting his top teeth. One of the teeth cut through part way yesterday and then disappeared. But I've heard this is totally normal. Hopefully we will be back on schedule in no time. Here are some cute pictures of Gideon sleeping...

oh the positions he sleeps in...

I love this one because his little feet were crossed. (We have the sweetest ultrasound picture at 20 weeks of just his feet crossed over each other!)

A man's gotta have have his binkies... He's "biwinning" as my sweet husband would say #tigersblood

I have also been busy and overwhelmed in the kitchen as well because I decided to make all of Gideon's food. I was totally gung-ho in the beginning but I am losing steam. Its obviously not hard to cook and puree food, but it is pretty time consuming. Not to mention a lot of pressure to make sure that the food reaches the right temp while cooking and then again as it cools. Man oh man, and add on top of all of that figuring out what to make, how much to make, when to replenish my stock pile of food, what to buy in jars.. the list goes on and on. I'm not totally discouraged yet, I am saving so much money by doing it this way. That is enough to keep me motivated. Plus I have a good friend who made her own baby food and gave me some pointers yesterday. So heres to hoping I can get my act together.

So here is one last picture of Gideon doing naked push-ups... this kid loves to be naked. He will take all the chances he can to be free....

just living the dream...

Recipe Friday!!!

I have to say that meals around the Lyda house have been a little lack luster the past few weeks. We have been so busy that I haven't had much time to cook like I would like too. Three nights a week I don't get home until 6:15 and Gideon goes to bed between 6:30 and 6:45 which means that we wouldn't be eating until 7:30 or so... that being said I've been all about easy meals. Here is a recipe for super yum fish tacos. I love this recipe because you can make the majority of it before hand. 

Fish Tacos with White Sauce

White Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregon
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (add more or less for desired hotness)


Mix the sour cream and mayo together. Then add the lime juice. Stir until smooth and a bit runny. Then add the seasoning. Set aside half of the sauce in the fridge. You will add the other half to the finely shredded cabbage. 


Tacos:
6-8 pieced of panko breaded Tilapia -- found at Costco, or any other fish of your choosing
6-8 flour tortillas
1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded


1. Cook fish @ 425 on a baking sheet for 20 minutes, turning over after 10 minutes. 
2. Put a spoonful of cabbage mixture on a tortilla, the add a piece of fish and then drizzle with white sauce. 

Pretty simple right? Enjoy!!!!

Valentimes Day :)

Well I am going to go out on a limb here and say that yesterday was probably the best "Valentimes" day that I have had yet. I don't really like Valentines day for the same reason that most people don't like it. I want to feel and know that I am loved on a daily basis. I don't feel like my husband needs to spend $60 on a dozen roes on February 14th when he can buy them on May 2nd for $10. They are the same roses, just least expensive. Just because the price is more doesn't signify more love.


I did however feel extremely special and loved yesterday. Jared went out of his way yesterday so that I knew he cared for me and my heart. He wrote me a sweet card and left it for me before he went to work.


The day progressed with him sending me texts just to let me know he was thinking of Gideon and I. We normally have small group on monday nights but at the last minute we decided to cancel. So I ended up getting a heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's. (This may be a new tradition for us!!!) It was so yummy and so easy.

Jared then came home with all this yummy goodness... man knows the way to my heart. haha

After dinner we settled in with our snacks and watched a movie. I should also add here that we put Gideon down at 6:30pm and he slept until 6:30 this morning. What a sleeping angle. I feel like a new woman today! 

The whole purpose of writing this blog is to not only give a shout out to my sweet husband for making me feel so loved yesterday but to give a shout out to God who makes it possible for my husband to love me so dearly. We listened to a sermon a while back by John Piper called Gospel. I will post the link at the bottom. I really encourage you to listen to it. Piper is asking the question how does the love God have for me relate to his passion for me? He says that the God-centered way in which God loves us, for his Glory, brings our joy out of self and into the infinite greatness of God, which brings us full and lasting satisfaction. One of the things that stuck out to me is when Piper addresses Christian couples. He tells us to go to the other person often, even before you get married and say to them "You are my second love." If they are not over joyed with the statement then they should not marry that person or maybe the have some adjusting and searching to do. He says that if Jesus is you number one love, your spouse will be a way more loved number two than if they were number one. I am absolutely over joyed at this statement. I am very proud to be a more loved number two. God is my ultimate. Neither I nor my husband is my ultimate. Here is why, God is the ultimate source of joy because He is the Master and Creator of all things. If my ultimate joy is found in another person, that person will eventually let me down and my joy will be jeopardized. People don't make reliable gods, this includes your spouse. There is only One who is reliable. 

Thankful Today

My parents left about a half hour ago and I just tucked my little man into bed for a nap. He is totally worn out. My mom and dad came for a really sort visit but came and blessed us more than they know. On Monday morning, I woke up to the sounds of my sons laughter coming from the other room. I walked in to our guest bedroom to see him cuddled in with his Grandma and Papa. They were so cute tickling him and making him giggle. What a sweet sight for a momma. Not to mention the blessing of an extra hour of sleep... something that has been lackin' in this momma's life since little man started to teethe. 


We then got ready for the day and were off to Spokane. We spent the day hanging out, laughing, and shopping. It was so nice to spend the day with them. I have really missed having them around during this stage. Kiddos grow and change so fast. Its like you blink and you miss it. So every time they have seen Gideon, he is such a different baby. My dad made the comment, as Gideon was enjoying some rice cereal, that he is turning into a little boy... what a true statement that is. 


I am extremely thankful today for the way that God knows our ever need and our every burden. My parents coming up here was a true testament to that. They absolutely blessed us more than they know by stocking our pantry, fridge, freezer, and Gideon's room. Not only did they fulfill that need, but my "love tank" (as my husband calls it) is more than full. I feel so refreshed and rejuvenated. Its amazing what just a day with some of the people who know you best will do for you. I am sitting here blown away by God's love and the way he takes care of us. 


Here are some pictures from our trip out yesterday:

The whole time we were at Costco, my dad kept saying that he was pretty sure he would have to walk home because we had so much stuff... Thankfully we made it all fit because it had just stated to rain. 


Also here is the sweetest picture of my dad and Gideon.. melts my heart.

"I think my God in all my remembrance of you" Philippians 1: 3

What are you thankful for today?!?!

Recipe Friday!!!

We eat a lot of chicken at our house, so I am always looking new ways to fix it. I recently saw a recipe for Breaded Ranch Chicken in the paper but never bothered to write it down. So I just kind of made something up. I looked in The Joy of Cooking cookbook for the baking time. Here is what I came up with... it tasted pretty yummy.

Crummy Ranch Chicken =) 

4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts 
1 packet of Ranch Dressing, dry
1 cup of Garlic and Herb bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup (ish) butter, melted


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a shallow, mix together dressing, bread crumbs, and cheese
3. In a separate shallow dish, melt butter and coat the chicken with butter
4. Roll the chicken in the bread crumb mixture and the place in a greased  9X13 baking dish. 
5. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until internal temp is 165 degrees. 


I also made a favorite of mine that comes out of one of my best friends kitchens. I remember being in college and my friends mom inviting me over for dinner. She would always make these green beans ands send me home with the left overs. I never complained. Jared just asked if they could make the cut for a "Lyda Family Recipe." I hope thats okay Tonya. =)

Swiss Green Beans

1 T. butter
1 T. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 cans green beans, drained
2 cups grated swiss cheese


Topping:
2 T. butter
1 cup corn flakes




1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt 1 T. butter in a sauce pan. Then add dry ingredients until combined, then add sour cream. Heat until bubbly but not boiling.
3. Mix in drained green beans
4. Put mixture in a greased casserole dish. Top with grated swiss cheese.
5. Melt remaining 2 T butter and mix with corn flakes. Cover top of casserole.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.



The great thing about both of these dishes is that you can make them both at the same time. I love everything about that. =)
Happy cooking!!!

Recipe Friday!!!

I made this soup last night.. it was super yummy. It is a great recipe to double and freeze half. Just leave out the potatoes. Enjoy.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

5 slices of bacon (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 a rotisserie chicken (about 4 cups of chicken), shredded
1 Onion, chopped
4 ribs of celery, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/4 corn starch
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernal corn
1 can (14.5 oz) creamed corn
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 red potatoes, peeled and boiled - optional. leave out if freezing
Green onion


Cook bacon and set aside. Save some of the drippings to saute the onion and celery. Mix the corn starch with milk. In a large stalk pot add chicken broth, milk, corn, chicken, potatoes, most of the bacon, onion and celery. Bring soup to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow soup to thicken. Then add in cheddar cheese and serve. Garnish with bacon and green onions




Happy Cooking!