Delicious homemade pizza

With our busy schedule this weekend, we still managed to find some time to eat!

What a relief because you should know how much I love food.

Earlier that day, we asked our friends how their cooking was coming along.

They said it was fantastic! 'We bought so much frozen pizza from Costco'.

Confession #10

Sorry...I couldn't help but laugh.

That totally does not count as 'cooking', does it?

I remember the days when I used my oven only for 'cooking' frozen food.

Now, you'll never even find that at our home!

_our own pizzeria

So I rummaged through our fridge.

Veggies? Check. Cheese? Check. Herbs? Check.

We're in business.

Italian Herb Pizza

yields 2 thin or 1 thick pizza

• 1 cup water
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose or bread flour (I used bread flour)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast
 

1. Measure all ingredients into bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.(Mine is always starting with the base of  water and then adding all other ingredients in order in different corners of the bread machine. Dig a little hole in the middle - not far enough for it to reach to the water - and add the yeast).
2. Select Dough Cycle.
3. After the cycle is finished, remove the dough and place onto a lightly floured board and cover with a large bowl. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
4. Divide the dough in half if you want 2 thin pizzas, or leave as is for 1 thicker crust pizza.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°.
6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board or mat (round or rectangular or whatever shape you want)... I must admit, I tried turning the pizza on my fists like they do in the pizza places!
7. Press dough into pans.
8. Bake for 8-12 minutes and remove.
9. Spread on your choice of toppings

Here's where you can get creative! While your pizza crust is in the oven, take that chance to prepare all the toppings and then have your kids help you out. I`m sure they'll have fun knowing that they can choose their own toppings. I personally used the following:

• olive oil 
• chopped garlic
• tomato-basil sauce 
• sliced mushrooms
• sliced red bell peppers
• diced tomatoes
• thinly sliced onions
  
• fresh basil
• thickly sliced ham
• thinly sliced pepperoni
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Brush the crust with a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Garnish with all other ingredients. Try a variety of combinations!
3. Sprinkle with cheeses. Don't be shy!!!
4. Bake at 400° for 10-20 minutes
5. Most important step: Mangia!

buon appetito!

Comments:

10/10

Excellent crust that was infused with flavours and the toppings were a perfect combination!

I can't wait to have my Italian in-laws over and show them my pizzeria skills.

Now THAT my friends, is a real pizza.

So much better than straight from a box!

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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Fondue night

Confession #9

Gathering with friends and family is always nice...

but...

Sometimes I panick when I`m about to entertain!

One of my worst fears is that I can't entertain my guests...

What do I serve?

Do we have enough for each course? 

Is there enough wine?

Did they already try that dessert?

Ahhhhhh... 

Sometimes I picture a little hamster running too fast in my brain.

I know the guests won't care if there's a crease in my tablecloth 

or if there is no artsy glaze on their plate

but in my mind, I`m always panicking!

But in those rare occasions that I try to relax,

I'll opt for something fun and different!

_try something new

If you're looking for a new idea for your next gathering, 

why not try fondue?

Everyone can pick whatever they're in the mood for.

Set up different types of fruits and chocolates and additional toppings

Get your fondue sticks ready

...and you're set!

What a great idea!

Literally, easy as 1, 2, 3!

The melted chocolate wrapped around the fruits,

dipped in chopped almonds...

it's like sweet, crunchy heaven!

I would totally do this all over again anytime.

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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Lazy sunday cookies

Finally, a weekend without plans.

We've been waiting for this for so long!

So we gathered the blankets on the couch

and got comfortable...

Sometimes, it's nice to do nothing.

Confession #8

There's no place like home.

Dorothy couldn't have said it any better!

Taking advantage of our free weekend, 

we watched season 4 of The Big Bang Theory.

If you haven't ever taken the time to tune in,

please do me a favour and put it on your to-do list!

Guaranteed to make you laugh hard,
even when you're by yourself

Bonus: Your man will truly appreciate it.

_lazy sunday cookies

And of course, the weekend wouldn't be complete

if I didn't whip up something sweet.

Crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside.

 mmm mmm mmm

Oatmeal Cookies

makes 2 dozen 

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup oats
• optional: 1 cup of raisins or nuts

1. Mix together the butter and the brown sugar until it's a creamy texture.
2. Beat in the egg and add the vanilla extract.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Add in the oats until it's all blended together.
5. Optional: add in the raisins, dried cranberries, nuts or whatever you desire.
6. Lay parchment paper over baking sheets.
   
7. I used a cookie scoop to make sure the sizes were all the same. 
8. Bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes.
9. Allow cookies to cook before serving.
   

(In this case, I only added the raisins after I made the first batch of cookies since my husband despises the taste of raisins).

 

Comments:
 8/10
I tried this new recipe hoping that they were going to be extra chewy but it wasn't as satisfying as my regular recipe. Still good, but I think I would a little more butter next time.

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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Love is in the air....

 Confession #7

I believe that real love isn't perfect.

_life

Growing up, I thought that everything would end like a fairytale.

Things in the real world aren't so.

As years go by, I learned more about myself.

Who I want to be and who I need to surround myself with.

One thing that I`ve learned was that in order for you to love someone else,

you need to love yourself first.

Really take the time to know yourself.

Be comfortable in your own skin and be able to look into the mirror and laugh.

Only then will you be able to be mature enough to deal with real life issues.

_what's love?

Does true love exist?

In my opinion, of course.

Does it mean that it will be perfect?

Of course not.

If you`re looking for that, then you'll never stop searching.

But you can find someone that's perfect for you.

So how do you know it's real love?

As my father once told me, 

you'll know when the other person makes you a better person.

That stuck with me since then and I couldn't agree more.

When I`m with him, he makes me want to do better and to be better.

*Thank you daddy for your great advice.

_i love my family

As I look at my family, it is continuing to grow. 

Love is surely in the air.

We're either all married, have children, or engaged.

There's just that one couple that we're waiting for.. (no pressure!!!)

I`m so lucky to have such amazing cousins 

... and 'cousin-in-laws'! 

We are a unique bunch with a tight bond.

A bond that will never break.

They are the icing to my cupcakes

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Surprise

Goodness gracious, I think I need to seek therapy.

I`ve done it again.

Confession #6

I`m addicted to baking.

I know my husband thinks I`m a crazy woman,

but I can't help but bake.

It's therapeutic for me.

And that sweet smell that hugs the home...

how can you resist?

I first saw these cookies on my facebook homepage.

It clearly was a sign.

As soon as I saw them I knew I had to try them.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Surprise

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• Box of Oreos

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl
2. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until it's creamy
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract in, and continue beating
4. Add the dry ingredients (If you're using a hand mixer, try to fold in the dry ingredients first so that the mixture doesn't fly into your face)
5. Add the chocolate chips
6. Refrigerate for a couple of hours 
7. Scoop our balls of  dough 
8. Wrap it around the Oreos completely
9. Set on baking sheet 2 cm apart
10. Bake at 350° for 8-12 minutes
11. Get a glass full of milk ready, trust me.

Comments:

10/10

Decadent. 

It was so perfect as soon as they came out of the oven.

The oreo inside softened and went well with the cookie dough.

It was heaven in my mouth.

Warning: Make sure to bring cookies for your co-workers.

After seeing the pictures, their mouths began to water...

So as you can read, it's incredibly easy to make!

Great for kid's parties... or the kid in all of us.

Feel free to go crazy and hide anything in your next batch of cookies.

  Twix bars, reeses, rolo, anything your heart desires.

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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Strawberry heaven

Confession#5

I have my midnight snacks at all hours of the day.

But desserts don't all have to be bad for you to enjoy. 

Just the perfect touch of sweetness topped with a light crumble.

Strawberry & Chocolate Slices 

• 1 1/2 cups  all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup strawberry jelly
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Begin by sifting the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.

Add both sugars to the flour mixture, then rub the butter in. I always like to cut the butter into cubes as I mix it in. Perhaps it's just me, but I find it so much easier to mix it together. Keep stirring until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.


Grease your pan. (I`ve tried this recipe using 9'' x 13'' and 11'' x 15'' and it use depending on how thick you want your bottom crust to be). Press about 3/4 of the mixture onto the bottom of your pan.
Bake it 8-10 minutes at 375°.


 
 
Spread the jelly over the base and sprinkle the chocolate chips.
Chop up the walnuts to your liking, then add it to the remaining flour mixture. Sprinkle evenly over and press down gently. 

Return to the over and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. You'll see the crumble golden and the scent of your home will be filled with yumminess.

Let it cool and it's ready to be cut into slices, squares, whatever shapes you want! Feel free to add a spoon of vanilla ice cream to it while it's still warm.

Comments

8/10

Little treat that won't make you feel so guilty. 

Stills satifies your sweet tooth without overdoing it.
Next time, I'll add a little bit more butter to the second flour mixture.
That way, the crumble will go straight into my mouth and not linger around.

It's a simple recipe that you can swap ingredients easily. 

Try different jams with different nuts and let me know how it goes!

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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Bacon lover

Confession #4

If I could have bacon everyday, I would.

I try to live my life as healthy as possible. It's a lifestyle.

But when it comes to bacon, I can't hold myself back.

_for the bacon lover within me

So this weekend, we had brunch on Saturday at Ben & Florentine,

located at 3555 St-Charles, Kirkland.

At this moment, I`m in no mood for simple eggs or fluffly pancakes, 

so I opted for the BLT served on a bagel.

After a long wait for our meals, it finally arrived.

The aroma of the greasy bacon got me excited.

I had to hold myself back so I wouldn't stuff it in my face...

But as scrumptious as this picture may look, don't let it fool you.

Unfortunately, this platter lacked some umph. 

Bland and dry to be exact.

So not only was the service slow, the food was completely not satisfying, 

both in taste and quantity!

Therefore, not worthy of our return.

Thank goodness I was surrounded by delightful company.  

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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Getting creative with cakes

Confession #3

I used to never cook or bake for that matter.

If someone would ask me about my cooking skills, I'd point to my freezer or a box of cookies. 

Frozen chicken wings were my specialty.

But as soon as my husband proposed, whispers began about how he would starve to death.

_little by little... I started

I made it my mission to learn how to cook, and most importantly, to bake!

I ventured on with dessert books that I'd find at Homesense, 

ran to Bulk Barn for ingredients, 

and Ares for my supplies.

I started off simple. Very simple.

 Toblerone Cheesecake

• 1- 1/2 cups of Orero Baking Crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 packages of cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 2 bars (100 g) Toblerone, chopped

Make sure to melt the butter through, then mix is with your crumbs. 

Take a springform pan and press the crumb onto the bottom. Pack it in!

Beat the rest of the ingredients together, leaving 1 Toblerone bar for the topping.

Pour it over the crust and top with the rest of the chocolate bits.

Bake it at 350º for about 30-45 minutes. (I have a gas oven so timing is different).

Shove into the fridge for about 4-5 hours and you`re set.

8/10

Comments:

This dessert is incerdibly easy to make and is always a hit. Perfect for those who have a sweet tooth.

Downfall: not as pretty and glamourized.

_getting creative

I continued making different kinds of cakes: apple crumb, pumpkin pies, tarts, etc.

Then watching all those cake competitions on TLC made me want to start too!

And so I did...

   Vanilla cake, vanilla icing, and graham cracker crumbs
Added tiny gummies as trees for a little surrounding.

 9/10

Comments: Next time, I wouldn't start baking when it's almost midnight.My face almost planted into the cake at 4am when I began piping the grass.

Chocolate cake, vanilla icing and jelly beans. Used a pipecleaner and wrapped it in yarn and ribbon.

6.5/10

Comments: First attempt at basketweave was a total FAIL.

Chocolate cake and chocolate icing
Got a mini teddy bear pan and carved away. I used 2 mints for his eyes and surrounded him with cookies.

9/10

Comments: If I had enough time, I would made my own cookies 

   



Strawberry cake with buttercream icing
Fondant used for all the office supplies

8/10

Comments: I would have added the numbers and characters if I had time!

   
Vanilla and chocolate cake
Icing for the condiments, fondant for lettuce and cheese, and topped with real sesame seeds. This won me my first cake competition!

8.5/10

Comments: looks amazing, but didn't add enough cocoa to the chocolate batter and would have made sure my icing was rich and smooth.

_baking galore

I found myself baking every week. It began a ritual.

And with each occasion, came another cake.

My husband wanted to kill me because the kitchen was a disaster zone.

_big brother's birthday

My brother is a shoe whore.

The amount of shoes he has is really overwhelming. 

Now, if only he would buy me a pair one day.

He never likes to make a fuss for his birthday, but this year, I took the time... 7 hours by the way... to create something special for him.

I can't take all the credit here. My husband really helped me carve out the shoe.

8.5/10

Comments: It was my first attempt at making my own fondant = semi-fail.

Don't know exactly where I went wrong, but couldn't make large pieces without it breaking.

So the box had to decorated only in icing.

_Cacciatore Family Reunion

I started with the base. Strawberry filled with vanilla icing between a vanilla and strawberry layer.

The actual tree was formed using rice krispies then wrapped in fondant and the branches are grape vines dipped in chocolate, then rolled in green dyed rice krispies. I added some chocolate rocks that you can find at Bulk Barn and I added a swing to add capture the sweetness of the entire cake.

10/10

Comments: The flavours really came out and blended nicely.

Downfall: Next time, I'll pipe the Cacciatore Reunion but I was scared it wouldn't turn out nicely. 

Used my Cricut machine unfortunately.

_lesson of the day
we all have to start somewhere.

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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Holidays on a budget

Confession #2

The holidays are my favourite time of the year. 

Am I crazy for wanting to put up all my decorations already?

Glitters, sparkles, and festive colours everywhere!

The red wall in my living room is best used at this time of the year!

So if you`re like me and have a mortgage and endless bills to pay,

this gift giving season might put on a little stress.

Why not create your own unique decorations?

Take the time to search on the net for creative ideas that won't burst your wallet!

_see the beauty in nature

Take these simple branches for example. 

Plain and simple... for now.

Buy a can of sparkle paint of your choice,

make sure to cover your workspace properly, then spray away!

Place them in a simple vase
(make sure to use the perfect height).

Got an abundance of pinecones laying in your lawn?

Gather them together and with a spray can,
you can work some magic.

Simple? Yes.

Cheap? Yes.

Unique? Yes.

Gorgeous? Yes.

What more can you ask for?

_diy projects
There are so many things around the house that has more potential!
Now these are projects that I'll just have to find the time to do!
Got empty wine bottles laying around? Put them to use!
Spray paint them with primer,
roll them in epsom salt,
and voilà!
Best part is that you can do this to virtually anything!

And everyone has empty toilet paper rolls!
Look how lovely these snowflakes are.
Imagine a bunch of them hanging on your wall!
You'll need:

• toilet paper rolls
• scissors
• glue
• clothes pins
• spray paint
• glitter

 For step by step directions,
 How to make a snowflake from toilet paper

So there you have it!

Add a special unique touch to your holiday decorations this year.

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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