the ramble

Last week I made my first attempt at pizza from scratch.  It came out lumpy, but utterly delicious. Here are the two recipes I used:

Dough:
2 cups warm water
1 packet yeast
1 tbs brown sugar or honey
1 tsp garlic
4 cups white flour (and a little extra for your hands)
Dash of salt
Olive oil
Dash of red pepper and/or basil

1. Combine yeast, water and sugar and let it get frothy.
2. Add 4 cups flour and mix. Add another cup if you need it and a dash of salt.
3. Mix in red pepper, basil and/or garlic.
4. Knead for 20 minutes. Form into 2 spheres and lightly coat in olive oil. Let it rise for 1 to 20 hours.
5. Toss in a circular shape.

Pizza #1: Red Sauce
1/2 jar Classico pizza sauce
1/4 red pepper sliced thinly
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Garlic
Cubed cooked chicken (sauted in chicken broth and pepper)

Pizza #2: Pesto Pizza
1/2 cup or so of homemade (or, in my case, Whole Foods-made) pesto sauce
Cubed chicken (sauted in chicken broth, pepper and basil)
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Red onion, thinly sliced

As Relatively Dashing Roommate pointed out: how would you know if something nefarious was going on at the Zombie Crawl? Everyone is screaming and growling and pretending to die.

Dress: Target
Belt: Target
Earrings: gift

“All my life I have known the truth and I have known right from wrong. Most of us do. To know the truth is one thing. To live it…to create the kingdom of heaven on earth is another. How many times in a man’s life does he do things that are repulsive to his morality in order to exist? How I have admired those few men in this world who could stand up for their convictions in the face of shame, torture, and even death. What a wonderful feeling of inner peace they must have. Something that we ordinary mortals can never know.” – Exodus, Leon Uris

So, after all this personal style feel-good talk, I thought I’d share some of the things I came across along the way. Things I not only came across, but came across and gasped, sputtering “Dear God…” in a horrified manner. Without further ado, then:

Fashion trends that I SO DO NOT understand:

1. The top knot. Really, girls, you want to look like an aging samurai?

2. Long, pleated skirts. Come on, those belong gone…along with bell bottoms and unshaven armpits.

3. Things that look like pajamas. Finally, those of you not interested in fashion are fashionable. Apparently.

4. Hats with ears. Dear God…