Day Two

Heyyy, I have a question for you. Have you made pizza yet? Yes, all five of you who follow this blog. I'm asking, well have you? Because it's super easy. I have to apologize in advance for the poor pictures. I just discovered that there is a white balance on my camera... but not before I snapped a picture of this:


Okay, so quality isn't so good. But just look at the pizza! Look how happy the sick boy is! Here's a really easy recipe for pizza dough. I'm still working on perfecting it, but this is a good foundation recipe to have:

PIZZA DOUGH
enough for a small thin crust pizza.
(smitten kitchen)

1 1/2 cups flour (half whole wheat flour works too)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.

Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl (a spritz of cooking spray perfectly does the trick) where you had mixed it — one-bowl recipe! — dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed at room temp. for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on a lightly floured counter, and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle a pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like. For the one above, I made an easy tomato sauce using romas, sprinkled some mozzarella and parmesan, added chopped up mushrooms and red onions, grilled eggplant, and fresh basil.

Bake it for about 10 minutes until the dough is just golden and the cheese is slightly browned.

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Okay so, besides the pizza and stuff, I went to day two of bikram. Thought I might not make it today. Should probably have thought it out before committing to a yoga studio so far from home... Granted, downtown la jolla is like a second home anyway. It's rare when I'm not up there during the daytime. Here's why:

Hey, okay, so the picture quality isn't good here either. But you get the idea. I work in a cafe, or we can call it a home, because that's pretty much what it is. And I'll put up some better pictures in a little while, but this works for now. Besides, aren't you impressed that I'm using my digital camera now? Can you tell I finally found my battery charger?

Also, guess what else I've been doing? This picture is a bit better because last night, N went over white balance with me. It's unbelievable that this picture was taken in a dimly lit yellow room. I've been making creatures! They're back, and in pastel this time! This one isn't quite finished yet. She still needs a name, a hobby, and a home. Any takers? I think I might name her Magda, or maybe Madeleine. Maddy, Mildred? Something along those lines... Oh, it just came to me. Sophie. This is Sophie, everyone:

Anyway, so I went to bikram today! That was the basis of my entire post. And look! You get another picture too! Don't barf now. In lieu of a corny Christmas greeting card, you get to view this gem in the privacy of your own home. Look ma, we both got haircuts!: