Recently I was watching the food network and the Neley's did a special on Salt Lake treats! It was very exciting seeing my state being represented. One of the things featured was Spotted Dog Ice Cream. Living half an hour from the city I was very disappointed I wasn't going to be tasting it anytime soon. However, as I was shopping at my local Harmons yesterday I saw some in the ice cream section! It was expensive, $4.99, so I was reluctant to buy it. But of course I did. I got the lemon cream pie ice cream and boy was it worth the $4.99! I would have paid ten bucks for one bite of it! It was amazing! Also featured on the food network was a bakery called Les Madelines. They have these amazing French pastries which I also tried but unfortunatly dont have a picture of. If you are ever in Salt Lake take advantage and try these yummy sweets!

Better late than never, right?

Last July I went on an amazing Alaskan cruise and have been meaning to post about it since I got back but somehow it got left out with all the baking I have been doing. So, even though I am a little embarrassed because this post is so late, I am still posting about it because as amazing as the cruise and the scenery was, the food was better! I had the best fish and crab I have ever had in my life. The fish and chips were to die for and the salmon-well- lets just say you haven't had salmon until you have had fresh Alaskan salmon. Today we are still enjoying Alaskan salmon because while in Alaska we went on a private boat to go fishing and I caught my first fish! A coho (I think thats how you spell it) salmon, and my husband and sister in law caught King salmon.

Here is the beautiful fish I caught:
And Micah's...
And the best fish and chips I have ever had in my life!

One of the very exciting moments on the trip was when we were in Skagwee and we were told about this little famous cupcake shop. So we went on the search and found it! It was the cutest little shop with the yummiest cupcakes! Look how cute....

Inside the darling store with my yummy cupcakes!

It was an amazing trip, probobly my favorite one to date. The scenery was beautiful and the food spectacular. We were able to do alot of fun and scary things. My least favorites were the many little plane rides we went on which I was convinced the whole time we were going to crash into a mountain. One of the most amazing things was the whale watching and going out in a boat very close to grizzly and black bears. We saw a momma bear with her three cubs. It was so cute but also very scary because we were so close to them. Here is a video clip of a little bit of what we saw...they were very cute, but also scary when you looked into their crazy eyes!

Candy corn kisses?

Yep, thats right! My main fall candy obsession has now been made into a Hershey's kiss. They don't taste exactly like candy corn but close enough and they are good! Thanks to cast sugar I got the idea to make these darling cookies with the kisses. However, I had to go to two different grocery stores before finding them. Harmons didn't have them but Albertsons did. I was so sad that my favorite grocery store let me down! I am still on the search for the pumkin spice kisses, neither grocery stores had those. So if anyone know where I can find them please let me know!

These cookies were so much fun to make and to give to people because the candy corn kisses shocked everyone! The recipe came from the back of the bag and its pretty good so give it a shot!

Hershey's Candy Corn Cookies
Ingredients:

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. shortening
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. quick-cooking oats, divided
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
66 Hershey candy corn kisses (pretty much the whole bag)

Heat oven to 350°F Beat peanut butter and shortening in large bowl until well blended. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together 1/2 cup oats, flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in remaining oats; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with tines of fork to form a crisscross pattern.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Remove wrappers from candies. Place 18 candies in heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; knead bag and candies. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, kneading after each heating, until candies are melted and color is uniform. Cool slightly. Cut off corner of bag about 1/8 inch from point. Lightly drizzle cookies. Before drizzle sets, place candy piece in center of each cookie.

Parisian Macarons take 2

Last week I made the Parisian macarons again, this time I did alot of research and found out the technique to perfecting these cookies. I am not going to lie, I kind of have a macaron obsession right now. I am so intrigued by their cuteness! And they don't taste half bad either. These macarons I made had a white chocolate ganache filling. The taste was so unbelievable that I had probobly 7 in one day. They were so good! They also make the cutes gifts. I encourage anyone intimidated by making these little cookies to go ahead and make them anyway because I think you will find they aren't that hard! Especially if you use the wonderful advice given in the desserts magazine. I found out my second time around making them that the first batch I underfolded which made them too puffy. This time, I felt like I overfolded them but they turned out just perfect. The recipe for these macarons also came from the desserts magzine.

I have found it really helps to sit them out for at least an hour
after piping to allow a shell to form on the outside. Some recipes
call for this and some don't, but this batch ended up looking alot better
I think because I allowed them to sit out for an hour. It prevents
cracking in the oven.

I am so glad I dyed this batch pink, it gave them such a fun touch.

Dont they make the cutest gifts!

Late Lavash Crackers....

So this month has gone by way too fast. I haven't even done my birthday post yet! I have been excited to make these Lavash crackers all month for the Daring Bakers but I knew I would be cutting it close to the dead line. However, little did I know that the deadline already had past! I was thinking the whole time the deadline was the 30th, but I was very wrong, it was the 27th so forgive me Daring Bakers but I did complete the challenge! I was in a hurry to complete them when i found out I was already two days late so I didn't do anything exciting to the recipe to jazz it up. And for the dip, I created my own vegan bean dip with black beans, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, and a touch of cinnamon. It was actually very good considering the hurry I was in to get it done. And pardon the absence of step by step pics, again, too big of a hurry to take the time! But here is the recipe if anyone wants to try these yummy and very easy crackers out, and make sure to see how the other Daring Bakers did on this challenge here!

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers
(I made the non gluten free version)

* 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
* 1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
* 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
* 1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
* 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
* Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-if-Bre … ong-Enough for a discription of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

or

2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

or

4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Baking for the Blues....

Yesterday I went to get my hair done and was excited to get an all over color to match my natural hair color. Well...it turned out a little darker-ok- alot darker than I had planned! I cried all last night about it and for a while this morning when I decided to whip myself into shape and get over it. I decided to bake something because nothing cures the blues for me like baking. I have been wanting to make Parisian macarons for a while and rummaged through my cuboards hoping I had the right ingredients. I luckily did and let me tell ya baking these cute little macaroons almost made me not hate my hair! (notice I said almost.)



They weren't as hard as I thought they were going to be. Actually, they were quite simple. They didn't turn out as good as they could have but I made them in a hurry and instead of using a piping bag with a tip I used a zip lock bag which made them a little uneven. I am going to have to keep my hair for 2 months until I get it done again, so, I decided in the mean time I will be doing alot of baking (more than usual) and I will practice these babies until I get them perfect! Heres the recipe for anyone wanting to take a whack at it.

Chocolate Macarons

Macaron Batter
1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar
½ cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces , 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)
3 tablespoons (25 gr) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar

Chocolate Filling
½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
4 ounces (120 gr) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 gr) butter, cut into small pieces

Chocolate Almond Buttercream

(this is the filling I used because I didn't have any heavy cream)

1/4 c. (2 oz) almonds
1 2/3 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

Grind the nuts and confectioners' sugar in the food processor. Cream the butter and add the nut dust. Sandwich the macaroons together with the pistachio buttercream.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.

Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn't quite fine enough.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the countertop to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

To make the chocolate filling:

Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the corn syrup. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using.

Assembly

Spread a bit of batter on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together. (You can pipe the filling it, but I prefer to spread it by hand; it's more fun, I think.)
I also tend to overfill them so you may or may not use all the filling.

Let them stand at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze. If you freeze them, defrost them in the unopened container, to avoid condensation which will make the macarons soggy.

3 is definitely an unlucky number...

Daring Bakers Challenge #3 completed-barely completed but none the less completed. I was a little relieved when I saw that the recipe was eclairs and that it looked fairly simple. Yes I thought this will be a nice challenge for a really busy month. I went to my moms for a nice relaxing dinner with everyone and decided to make the eclairs for desert.

First batch: everything was going well, I started with the dough and things went pretty smooth, I put them in the oven and began baking away. I reread the recipe while they were baking and noticed I had put 1/4 CUP of sugar instead of the called for 1/4 TEASPOON. Crap! I thought I might be able to get away with it but they didn't rise at all. I decided to shake it off and begin again.

Second batch: I made the second batch this time with the correct measurements. They started baking and I used the spoon in the door method as the recipe said and they just didn't seem to puff up. I baked for even longer when I finally threw the spoon idea out the window and shut the door hoping that the heat would make them rise.

Very bad news: at this moment a knock on the door. Neighbors told my mom that our little Maltese Gus (who is the most precious dog you will ever meet) was hit by a suburban. I completely freaked out and took out my eclairs ready or not. They brought us our dog and he was bleeding in the head. We rushed him to the hospital pretty much knowing that there had to be internal bleeding and that he wouldn't make it. Long story short, after waiting 3 hours at the vet he was able to get an x ray and no broken bones and no internal bleeding! He is still recovering but it looks like he will be ok. Whew!!

My little sister putting a heat pack on his cut so it wont get infected. Poor Gus!

So, for my third daring bakers challenge my dog almost died and it took the third time trying the eclairs out to get them to work. So I guess third times a charm, right? Ok back to the challenge...

Third Batch: I chucked the opening the door with a spoon idea out the window. I looked at other eclair recipes and tried a new baking method. This time keep the door closed and just alternate the baking temperature. So for those of you who aren't sick of reading this very very long post enjoy the following step by step pics...

The beautiful cream puff dough

Ready to bake in the oven (this is the first batch
so little do they know that they aren't going to make it!)

Pancake eclairs!

Now that's an eclair! The third batch finally made it,
after ignoring the stupid (yes stupid!) spoon in the door method

Just to show you the difference...

Filled with chocolate pastry cream, next time I will
do vanilla.

Chocolate glaze over the topVuala! Finally completed. It took me a while to get these babies to look
normal but they are finally done. Like I said, next time I think I will do
vanilla pastry cream but the chocolate was still divine.
Check out how the other Daring Bakers did here!
Pierre Hermé’s Chocolate Éclairs
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• Cream Puff Dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide the oven into thirds by
positioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven. Line two baking sheets with
waxed or parchment paper.

2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough.
Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers.
Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.
The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.

3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the
handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the
oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue
baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total baking
time should be approximately 20 minutes.

Notes:
1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.

Assembling the éclairs:

• Chocolate glaze (see below for recipe)
• Chocolate pastry cream (see below for recipe)

1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the
bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.

2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40
degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops of
the éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the meantime fill the
bottoms with the pastry cream.

3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms
with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream
and wriggle gently to settle them.

Notes:
1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water,
stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to create
bubbles.

2) The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.

Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• ½ cup (125g) whole milk
• ½ cup (125g) water
• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the
boil.

2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium
and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very
quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You
need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough
will be very soft and smooth.

3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your
handmixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time,
beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.
You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do
not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you
have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it
should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes:
1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking
sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the
piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Pastry Cream
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by PierreHermé

• 2 cups (500g) whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 6 tbsp (75g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Velrhona Guanaja, melted
• 2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.

2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.

4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.

5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

[bNotes:[/b]
1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.

3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

Chocolate Glaze
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1 cup or 300g)

• 1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream
• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature

1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.

2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

Notes:
1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly
 in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.

2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.

Chocolate Sauce
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1½ cups or 525 g)


• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (250 g) water
• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.

2) It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.

Notes:
1) You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.
2) This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts.

Cupcake pops poppin up again!

Last week I made the cupcake pops again, only this time with a little twist. I didn't have time to make a cake, so instead for the inside of the pop I made an oreo truffle (one bag crushed oreos mixed with 8 oz cream cheese). I have to say I think I liked these pops better than the original ones. You just can't go wrong with the oreo truffle filling. Also, my second attempt with these pops was a lot better than the first. Wasn't as time consuming and I think I am getting the hang of it!

Bouquet of cupcake pops! I really like the color scheme I used
this time, a little more fun than the other ones.

Happy Birthday Micah! And Welcome Home Matt!

Well this past week has definitely been a busy and exciting one. It was my sweethearts 24th birthday on the 13th and on that same day his brother Matt was coming home after serving a LDS mission in Italy for two years. I decided to make a big happy birthday/welcome cake for the occasion. I made a cookies n cream cake with a chocolate buttercream filling with crushed oreos and then vanilla buttercream on the outside. It was pretty good, but, unfortunately we didn't get to eat it with everyone. Matt's plane was given the wrong flight plans forcing him to be 3 hours late to the airport. But all was well when he finally arrived! I was however stuck with quite a bit of cake so I took it the next day to my parents and ate it in celebration of my dads birthday as well as Micah's.

I had to put a side shot of the cake on because the stripes of fondant
on the edges of the cake took me forever!

Me with the finished product

Micah and I at Benihana's for his b day dinner
right before we head to the airport
to pick up Matt.

Waiting anxiously at the airport!

Make a wish!
Happy birthday Micah!

Mama Mia!

A few days ago my mom came over to my inlaws to teach me, my mother in law, my cousin in law, sister, and sister in law a thing or two about making home made pizzas. My mother in law was particularly excited because she is Italian, but we were all excited to taste these delicious pies. The night started out pretty mellow, but with a Greek mother and an Italian mother in law it didn't stay that way for long...

My cousin started chopping the red onions for the pizzas,
when her eyes got teary I told her about my trick
and gave her some sunglasses...but my mother in law had a better idea...

Good thinkin Binc! That will definitely do the trick!

My mother in law Bianca, and my mom Penny
holding up the beautifully risen pizza dough.
I decided to try to get in touch with my Italian side
by trying out a pizza dough toss...
My cousin in law Tanya was a lot better, must be an Italian thing.
Next time I might try shouting "oopa!" as I toss, maybe my Greek side
will give me the oomph that I need to make that baby fly!

Now for the toppings, ready for this? Fresh mozzarella, fontina
(yes pricy, but worth it!), fresh tomatoes, red onion, and fresh basil from the garden
Mama mia now that's a pizza! It is probably the closest
thing you could get to without having to hop on a plane
to have a true Italian thin crust. My mother in law bought a stone from
Williams Sonoma for pizza's, it was supposed to give them that true fire oven taste, but to be honest, we liked the plain old cookie sheets the best. We felt it gave the pizza's a crispier crust.