We've had wild monsonal weather for the last week and a half. Bike practices has been cancelled, my back yard has been practically turned into a swamp and shallow pond. Some of it has been fun.
Here are a few photos to show how differently Ellie and I see things. I love her photos.
Ellie has an Olympus Stylus Tough camera that is both waterproof and drop proof. As a result, she can take when she plays in the rain. I applied the palette knife effect in Photoshop to this lovely image.
This one has the posterize effect applied.
Don't you love her pinkish cheetah spotted rain boots?
Here's my image. It is what I see when I sit at my computer. I love how the light filters through the grape leaves. Today I also enjoyed watching how the rain interacts with the leaves.
Tuesday was the worst storm yet. In the mid afternoon I had been seized with the desire to give grilled pizza a try. There are people all over the internet who love making them, so I wanted to give it a go. I wanted to make the crust recipe fro King Arthur, but found that my semolina flour was bad. I simply went with all purpose flour, upped the recipe to 4 cups of flour and forged on.
Just as I had assembled what I needed and was set up outside, it began to drizzle. The drizzle quickly turn to a deluge. Popping open my giant golf umbrella I began to attempt to protect the pizza dough shapes I had rolled out as one of them cooked on the grill. I watched the rain as it hit the hot grill. Watching me must have been funny. I had my head stuffed up high in the umbrella and I was leaning in such a way as to protect the food on the table. I contorted my shoulders to hold the umbrella in place when it came time to flip the pizza crust or remove it and place another one. (I had the oven heated up inside in the event that I had to ditch the grilling idea) In the end I grilled the dough outside and loaded it with topping, finishing them off in the oven. We used wee bits of spaghetti sauce, chunks of fresh mozzarella, Italian sausage and basil from our garden.The family enjoyed it. I liked it, but was not pleased with how watery some parts were. I am certain that it was so many fresh ingredients. I will have to figure out how to solve that.
Later that night I set up to dye fabric in the garage as the back yard grass was too wet. I am making a quilt from my hand dyed fabric and need more colors. Thunder boomed, Lightening cracked and I mixed colors. I was nearly finished when an especially loud crack took out our electricity. I finished the job wearing a head lamp. After a hasty clean up I trotted back inside, much to the relief of my son who was sure the lightening was going to reach into the garage and strike me.
This rainy weather has also meant reading time on the porch. I have finished reading Water for Elephants and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the series.
I have not decided if I will see this movie. I am tempted, but I also know that there is no way to capture that book on film completely.
I will most definitely see this movie. The end of this series caps off a wonderful part of how I have spent time with my son. We sat riveted together while reading these books. It began when he was little and ends now just as he becomes a man, he and Harry together. It is something that defines his childhood.
I wonder what today will bring. More rain, I imagine.
Our Favorite Pizza Dough
via King Arthur Flour
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups semolina*
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Pizza Dough Flavor (optional, but delicious)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
*Use 3 cups all-purpose flour OR 3 cups Perfect Pizza Blend in place of the all-purpose/semolina mixture, if desired
Toppings
tomato sauce, cooked meats, vegetables, and cheeses of your choice
Directions
1) Dough: Beat the ingredients at high speed of your electric mixer, using the beater blade, for 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook, and knead for 7 minutes; the dough should be smooth and quite soft. You can also make the dough in a bread machine set on the dough cycle. If kneading by hand, mix the ingredients, then let the dough rest, covered, for about 30 minutes; this will give the flour a chance to absorb the water, which will make kneading easier.
2) Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes; then refrigerate it for 4 hours (or up to 36 hours); this step will develop the crust’s flavor. It'll continue to rise in the fridge, so make sure it's in a big enough bowl.
3) Divide the dough in half. Note: for thick, Sicilian-style pizza, leave the dough in one piece, and press it into a rimmed half-sheet pan (18" x 13").
4) Working with one piece of dough at a time, pick it up and let gravity gently stretch it into an oval. For a more circular shape, move your hands around the perimeter of the dough as it stretches. For thin-crust pizza, make a 12" round or oval. For thick-crust, make a 9" round.
5) Cover the dough, and let it rest while you heat your oven to 450°F. For thickest crust, let your pizza rest/rise for 60 minutes before baking.
6) Baking: After about 30 minutes, use a giant spatula or pizza peel to transfer the pizzas and parchment to your hot oven stone; or place the pizzas and parchment on a pan, and place the pan on the middle rack of your oven.
7) Bake for 6 minutes (for a thinner, larger crust), or for up to 8 minutes for a smaller/thicker crust. Remove from the oven.
8) To enjoy pizza right away, top it with your favorite toppings, return to an upper rack of the oven (not to the stone), and bake for an additional 8 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbly.
9) To serve pizzas some other time, remove the parchment, cool the un-topped crusts, wrap them well in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature for 2 or 3 days. Refrigerate for up to 5 days; or freeze for up to 4 weeks.
10) When you’re ready to serve, remove the crusts from the refrigerator or freezer. While they warm to room temperature, heat your oven to 450°F; frozen crusts should be taken out of the freezer and thawed earlier in the day; leave them in the bag, but leave the bag open as they thaw. Top crusts with your favorite toppings and place them on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet, then on an upper rack of the oven. Bake the pizzas for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbly.
Yield: 1 large or 2 medium pizzas.
I also want to try this one from the Make It Naked blog:
Crust recipe from “How to Cook Everything”
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Toppings:
1 chicken breast
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
Grated pepper jack cheese (1/2-1 cup, or to taste)
Cilantro, chopped
Crushed red pepper (to taste)
Directions:
For the Crust:
Combine the yeast, pepper, flour and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor. Turn the machine on. Add 1 cup of water through the top opening. Process for about 30 seconds. Add the last 1/4 cup of water a little at a time until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Grease a bowl, at least double the size of the dough, with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to double in size (this should take 1-2 hours). You can cut it short if you need to. This is pretty fool proof, so just go with it.
While your dough is rising, cook the chicken. In a saute pan, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the whole chicken breast. Allow the chicken breast to cook for about 15 minutes, then add the onions. When the chicken is cooked completely, slice into thin strips and set aside with the onions until your crust is ready for topping.
When the dough is ready, divide it into as many pieces as you’d like. I split mine in half. Place each piece on a floured surface and roll out into somewhat of a circle. Any shape will do if a circle just isn’t happening. Slide the dough onto an edgeless cookie sheet. Don’t have one? You do! Just flip a regular cookie sheet over.
Light the grill and let it heat up to its max temperature with the lid shut. When hot, pick up your dough with two hands and lay it on the grill. Trust me. Leave it alone and in about one minute it should start to bubble. Using tongs, move the crust around a little to keep it from burning. Flip it with the tongs when you feel like the first side is grilled enough for your liking (anywhere from 2-4 minutes). Do the same on the second side for about another 2 minutes. Slide it back onto the cookie sheet. Shut the grill but do not turn it off.
Come into the warmth of your home and add your toppings. I layer sauce, cheese, chicken and onions then sprinkle with herbs and spices. Slide it back on the grill and shut the lid cooking it just enough to melt the cheese (another minute or two). If your crust is already charred to your liking, you can turn off the grill at this point and just use the remaining heat (with lid down) to melt the cheese.
Let cool a little. It’s easier to cut once it cools. Enjoy with a nice, bold glass of red wine!
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