"Spring - A lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be." - Dayspring
I love this quote and love the idea of embracing change and the unknown of what's ahead, as it may prove to be even more beautiful than the present.
We just returned from a camping getaway with all four teens and the pooch. In an effort to prepare food ahead of time to streamline the camping cooking experience a bit, while still pleasing the teen palate, I researched recipes that would meet everyone's needs. We settled on a new camping menu that proved to be pretty easy but delicious!
This Grilled Pizza recipe was concocted by using a pizza dough recipe that I mixed up just prior to our departure. We only had a two-hour drive, which was perfect for the dough to rise without having to be refrigerated in between, however, it could have stayed in the cooler, if needed and then brought back to "room" temperature later.
We have a camping stove that has a griddle on one side and a burner on the other. Using a flat frying pan would have worked just as well.
This dough has a slightly sweet hint to it which I loved. I used my hands to shape the dough and I didn't have anything other than a paper plate to flatten the pizza crusts with as we improvise while camping!
Homemade Pizza Dough for Pizza Crust for the Grill
1 cup flat beer or water (the beer gives it a great flavor and I think helps with the rising too)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (You can use bread flour for a chewier crust.)
1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoon)
Instructions:
1. To make by hand, dissolve yeast in warm beer (105º to 115º). I open a can of beer in the morning and let it sit out for a few hours to make it "flat". Add butter, sugar, salt, and flour. Mix until dough forms a ball and cleans sides of bowl. Turn onto floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down dough.
(To use the bread machine, add ingredients to pan in order listed. Use dough setting.)
2. For cooking while camping, divide the dough into 8 equal dough balls. Shape or form dough to the size of a paper plate. I used my paper plate as a preparation surface and molded the dough according to the size. I thought that the pizza dough would cook more evenly if the dough was pre-baked a bit prior to putting the toppings on, so we added each shaped pizza circle to the griddle and let each side cook about two minutes each.
3. I then set up a station and had each person come through spreading their pizza dough surface with prepared spaghetti sauce/pizza sauce, a generous sprinkling of grated cheeses (while camping it's perfectly fine to use the store-bought pre-grated cheese blend such as Italian Four Cheese. Who wants to grate cheese, let alone wash the cheese grater while camping?!?). I had salami, pepperoni and Canadian bacon as my topping options and each kid picked out what they wanted and how much.
4. The hubs had the griddle all warmed up for the pizzas and we cooked each pizza individually on the griddle. He experimented and decided that the cheese melted much faster with the lid on the griddle. Each grilled pizza took no more than 3-5 minutes with the pre-cooked crust. No one complained and our fellow camping friends were a tad bit jealous of the concoction our kids were filling up on (although we did offer some to share).
Alternative cooking option: For cooking in a home kitchen, the instructions are to turn dough out on floured surface. Roll or press into a prepared pie pan, forming a collar around the edge. Brush lightly with olive oil. Cover dough; let stand 15 minutes. Proceed with your favorite pizza recipe.
summer recipe, camping recipe, grilled pizza, grilling recipe, bbq pizza, camping pizza, pizza dough, roughing it recipes, griddle pizza
This Cherry Vanilla Smoothie with Chia tastes more like a cherry milkshake than a healthy (280 calories per serving and packed with calcium, protein and vitamin C and a great source of fiber, riboflavin, iodine, and phosphorus) way to fuel your morning.
Just a few ingredients tossed into a blender create a healthy, protein-packed way to start your day!
Chia seeds are one of the "superfoods" being coined as one of the healthiest foods on our planet! They are packed with antioxidants, protein, and fiber; high in omega-3 fatty acids (I was shocked to learn that they pack more omega-3's than salmon); and they deliver massive amounts of nutrients with very few calories. I love throwing them into smoothies for an added boost that doesn't distract from the flavor of the smoothie.
Did you know that cherries have natural anti-inflammatory benefits along with melatonin that helps regulate sleep?
Cherry Vanilla Smoothie with Chia
Recipe base adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy Cookbook
Ingredients:
2 cups pitted sweet cherries (unsweetened), frozen (or 2 cups fresh pitted dark cherries)
1 cup nonfat or low-fat vanilla yogurt (or cherry vanilla yogurt or cherry yogurt can be subbed)
1 cup nonfat milk or coconut milk
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1/4 cup chia (optional but packs more protein)
1 cup ice
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Enjoy!
Looking for an easy Fourth of July Celebration Dessert to take to a party or potluck?
Look no further than these Patriotic Brownie Dessert Kabobs!
Okay.
So, I promised these were easy.
All you need is wooden skewers, fresh strawberries and or fresh watermelon, fresh blueberries, marshmallows (or angel food cake) and a batch of brownies.
I soak the wooden skewers in water for at least 20-30 minutes prior to threading anything on them as it eliminates the wood pieces peeling.
Next up, I cut the brownies into small squares (a little bigger than bite-sized pieces), and if you are using angel food cake instead of marshmallows, cut those as well.
Wash your fruit and cut your watermelon into bite-sized squares, if using.
Then alternate your fruit and brownie creating a "flag-like" patriotic treat.
I guarantee that these will be one of the most popular treats at your celebratory Fourth of July or patriotic gathering.
Woo Hoo! It's the Weekend! Time for Happy Hour!
Today, we are renaming Happy Hour to represent a state of mind (happy, happy, joy, joy) to celebrate the kick-off of the weekend.
Here's my idea of a themed Happy Hour at Home for May complete with the beverage, small plates, ambiance, discussion topic suggestions and even a music playlist. For extra bonus points to celebrate your weekend, there's even a do-it-yourself party favor!
Date Night Theme for May
Beverages: Margaritas -either virgin or spiked
The Best Margaritas as rated by 434 Allrecipes.com reviewers.
The recipe combines 1 6-ounce can of frozen limeade, n2 ounces of triple sec and 6-ounces of tequila and a blender filled with crushed ice.
For a non-alcoholic version, substitute the triple sec and tequila for 8-ounces of pineapple juice.
Small Bites:
I think the light evening snack session should include Homemade Salsa or Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Spicy Southwestern Slaw otherwise known as "Mexican Coleslaw", and these easy homemade Refried Beans that can be cooking in the slow cooker all day - all served with tortilla chips.
We love this recipe from Jenny Flake from Picky Palate for Teedo's Famous Salsa.
D's Famous Salsa - This top-rated salsa on AllRecipe.com has been reviewed by 760 reviewers who love it and is made from pantry staples at the drop of a hat in 10 minutes .
Ingredients:
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup canned sliced green chiles
1/2 onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions:
Blend in a blender or food processor until desired consistency.
Or for those of you preferring to keep things even more simple, you could stop at your favorite taco truck or Mexican Restaurant for a few provisions.
Ambiance:
Head outside to an outdoor deck or patio with mood lighting! I picture a tree-strewn white patio globe lights (or white Christmas tree lights even) such as this cute backyard makeover from Hometalk.
Image from Hometalk
Or spread out on beach chairs and pretend you are amongst white sandy beaches.
Music:
This iTunes Essential Playlist of a Cinco de Mayo Party would be a great backdrop for this evening's theme with Mariachi and regional Latino songs.
Discussion Topic: Places to Travel
What is on your bucket list of places to travel?
Do you have short-term vacation travel destinations and lifetime must-see travel spots?
Where is the best place for a romantic vacation?
Where are great spots to travel with a mate? Check out the Travel with a Mate site for travel inspiration.
Extra Points for:
How about adding a surprise flourish to your evening with a pinata filled with date night goodies, love notes, future date ideas, lottery tickets, movie tickets, a deck of cards, breath mints, gum, ring pops, candy necklace, etc.
One Charming Party has these adorable, easy-to-make, mini pinatas that would be a fun way to celebrate.
Photo image from One Charming Party
Here's to your celebratory evening!
Ole'!
