Pizza in Paradise

We have homemade pizza once a week. I usually make my own dough, but if I am short on time I will purchase the raw pizza dough at Publix, roll it out, and then use homemade sauce and fresh ingredients. (On a side note, my Mom makes the best pizza ever. And her dough is ALWAYS homemade.)


Last week I planned a pizza night and decided to try the recipe for Two-Ingredient Pizza Dough that has been popping up here and there on the internet. That's right, two ingredients. All you need is Greek yogurt and self-rising flour.


To be honest, I was skeptical, but I was also willing to give it a try. I combined the two ingredients. I kneaded the dough and rolled it out on a flour surface. And you know what? Don't ask my how or why, but it actually worked.


I am sure you're wondering, though, how it tasted. Well, compared to my regular pizza dough, this one was more dense; also, when I was rolling it there was a tangy smell from the yogurt that I didn't like. But the boys enjoyed the end result,  and with just two ingredients it was definitely very easy.


Would make it again? Probably not. I'll stick to my original recipe.  But here's the thing ... if I am ever stranded on a desert island and I only had Greek yogurt and self-rising flour, it's nice to know I would have everything on hand to whip up a pizza.

Two-ingredient pizza dough: Greek yogurt and self-rising flour.
That's it.

Strangely, it worked.
But I will stick with my regular pizza dough recipe.

I am an artist at heart, but my execution stinks

Last night a friend organized a Van Gogh and Vino session. It's a wonderful concept: gather a group of friends, and with a glass of wine in one hand and a paintbrush in the other, you are given step-by-step instructions on how to create your very own masterpiece.


Now, I truly believe that I have the soul of an artist. I feel colors with my heart. I dream of shading and brushstrokes. In my mind I see blank canvases of daisies sprinkled with raindrops, a covered bridge on a foggy morning, or an old man napping under the shade of an olive tree.  It's all there ... I can feel it ... but I cannot bring it forth.


Case in point was last night's Van Gogh and Vino session. Maybe there was too much vino and not enough Van Gogh because even though I felt the artist within me stir, by the end of the evening what appeared on canvas did not match what I saw in my heart and soul.


And if I needed any confirmation of the fact that I am not an artist, Joe calls me from work.


"Hey, I saw that painting on the kitchen table this morning," he says. "Did Timothy do that in art class?"


Sigh.


And with that, I rest my case.

I peacock ... or a bowling pin with feathers?

Timothy in Training

It's basketball season, and Timothy is in training. He even comes up with his own training schedule, and yesterday he spends a good 30 minutes sprinting up and down our driveway, doing pushups, and huffing and puffing up and down stairs.


"Done," he tells me, looking very sweaty but triumphant. "I think I can already feel a pack."


A pack ... as in a six-pack abs. This was Day One of training, and he already feels a pack coming on. But he wants to show me, so he lifts his shirt and stands up tall.


The only pack I see in my skinny boy? Twelve ribs, which I can see very distinctly.


However ... if I squint my eyes ... and let the light fall a certain way ... perhaps ... just maybe I see something?


"Whoa," I tell him. "You need extra dinner tonight."

Go. Vote.

Nicholas' fall break is over, but before heading back to Clemson we went to vote (his first time!) and then I took him out to lunch to celebrate.

Bia and Joe Go Off-Roadin'

Just when we thought we knew all the biking paths in and around the Augusta Canal, we discover another one: a mountain bike trail maintained by SORBA (Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association of Augusta). You have to know it's there because it's off the beaten path (to get to it you have to leave the canal and follow the railroad tracks about 25 yards until you come to a sign marking the trail).

You'd never know it, but it's there!

And there are rules ... who knew? Odd days you go to the left (clockwise); on even days you head right (counter-clockwise).

See the blue pathway marked on the map?
That is 2.8 miles of pure mountain bike trail.

This is the real stuff, folks. The path is about a foot wide, and it follows a winding route through dense woods, up and down hills and gullies, and alongside the Savannah River. The path was muddy, sandy, bumpy, and a veritable mine field of tree roots. Joe had one wipeout, and I had to walk my bike down all the steep hills because my front brakes weren't working (bad timing), but 2.8 arduous miles later we emerged victorious.


Then we biked home.

We discovered a secret swimming hole ... complete with swinging rope.

The Battle that Mom Won

Remember Jonathan's senior photo session? The one to which we had to drag him? The one of which he complained and complained about? The very one in which his outfit of choice was a Celtics t-shirt?


Well, I won every battle on that front.  (You go, Mom!)


And I must say ... he cleans up very nicely.

Bia's Pasta e Fagioli

I have lots of recipes for minestrone, but this classic recipe for pasta e fagioli is one of our favorites. It is perfect for a blustery winter day, and served with a tossed salad, freshly baked artisan bread, and a glass of vino rosso ... it is the ultimate comfort food. (In all honesty, sometimes we go without the salad and just have pasta e fagioli and bread.) (Oh, and wine. Don't forget the wine.)


This recipe makes enough for our family of five, with plenty for leftovers. If you have a small family, the recipe can be halved.


Bia's Pasta e Fagioli


Olive Oil
3 carrots, diced
2 onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped


2 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes (I use the Cento brand)
4 potatoes, cubed
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. oregano
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
salt & pepper, to taste


32 oz. carton low sodium chicken broth


1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach, partially thawed and cut into small squares


1 small pkg. ditalini pasta
Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated (for garnish)


1. Cook carrots, onions, and garlic in olive oil for 20 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients except beans and spinach. Add one half of the chicken broth (or enough until everything is submerged in liquid). Cook until potatoes are tender.
3. Shortly before serving, add beans and spinach. Bring to boil. Add the pasta and more broth (if needed). Cook until pasta is al dente.
4. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.




Some additional notes:


-Even though I buy frozen chopped spinach, it is still too stringy for my crew. But when I partially thaw it and cube it ... no more spinach strings!


-Pasta e fagioli tastes even better the second day (it's true!), but because the liquid will have been absorbed overnight, simply add more chicken broth before heating it up. I keep the leftover carton of chicken broth in the refrigerator just for this purpose.


-The amount of chicken broth you add during cooking is a personal preference: if you want a thicker pasta e fagioli, add less broth; if you like it soupier, add more. We like it somewhere in the middle (see photo below).