No Yeast Pizza Crust

I made a pizza this weekend. This might not seem like a terribly big deal but believe me it was. Kev and I have been on a no-buy July kick and we were determined to eat though the stuff we had in the house by the end of the month. For me that means eating though all my Jenny food and not having naughty. (I owe you all a weight loss update, soon...) For Kev is was me making a pizza instead of ordering one. Baby steps folks.

We had mozzarella, pizza sauce and pepperoni in the house (they're staples) I figured why not? Let's make a crust. I did what everyone does, I headed over to Pinterest for some inspiration. I found a few recipes, make some tweaks and came up with my own version. Full disclaimer, this is NOTHING like a store-bought or pizzaria pizza. This is the pizza that when you're a kid you ask your mom if you can order out and she says
"no, we have all the ingredients for pizza in the house".
And you're like "IT'S NOT THE SAME"
Mom - "It'll be fine, this is just as good as Pizza Hut"

It's not Pizza Hut but it's still a decent version of homemade crust and you feel domestic AF when you finish.

No Yeast Pizza Crust:
2 1/2 cups of all purpose (or self rising) flour
3/4 Cup of water
2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 Tbls Baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Extras:
1 Tbls melted butter
All the oregano, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder you want

Pre-heat oven to 450

First; pour the water, olive oil, baking powder, salt and sugar in your mixing bowl, swirl it around. Then slowly add your flour. Or be like me and dump it all in at once and get a giant flour poof in your face. I used the dough hook on my mixer and it was nice. That dough hook never gets used.

After it was all mixed, I remembered that we have a pizza stone that we've used maybe once. I went digging in the cupboard looking for it. Found it, washed it off and felt I should put some olive oil or something on the stone since the curing died a long time ago.

Then I pulled out a cool mat I got a long time ago from Pampered Chef that has circles on it. It's the think I use to roll all my dough and keep the counter relatively clean. I slapped it on the mat and tried to roll it into a circle. Didn't work. Then I tired to be like a pizza guy and toss it in the air to make a circle. This also did not work. Finally I got it rolled out and onto the stone

Yea, dough

 Then I smeared on the melted butter and sprinkled on the cheese, oregano and garlic powder. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes

After the 5 minutes are up, take it out and add your toppings. In hindsight, I should have buttered and seasoned the crust edge.

This was apparently dangerously close to the edge.

I put it back in for another 15 minutes until it was golden brown and bubbly. Then I forgot to take a picture because I'm a shitty blogger. Imagine it's all golden brown with bubbly cheese.

Overall it was a pretty decent crust. In a pinch if you don't have yeast or yeast hates you and refuses to rise, this is a good alternative. I was concerned that it would taste like Bisquick pizza crust and it definitely didn't.

In summary, when you're trying to eat the stuff in your house and want a pizza that reminds you of the kind you mom made when you couldn't go to Pizza Hut, this is for you!

Thanks Y'all

No really, thank you so much for all of the kind comments here and on Instagram. I've been really salty about this and the longer it went the madder I became. Like I said before. F them. F the haters.

So, where to begin... lots of things have happened since I last posted. Apparently 460+ pictures that need to be uploaded worth of things. Awesome.

Let's do roses and thorns. For those folks who aren't familiar, that's when you post something nice, (roses), and something not so nice, (thorns).

Rose: Still on Jenny Craig, still working on my weight loss journey!
Thorn: STILL on my trip, still not at goal. Let's be honest, I've eaten like crap over the last 2 months because making vegetables with one hand is hard. Eating cereal while bouncing a baby is easy. I've probably gained back 7-ish pounds from my lowest back in March.
Rose: I'm not stopping. This week is my first full week back on track and I've been to the gym 2x this week so far. Coordinating gym and baby isn't easy. In a month I can take her to the kid's club at the gym. One month more...

Rose: I won the Halloween costume contest at work. 

There's nothing bad about dressing up as Hulk Hogan

Rose: Took my first trip to Texas for work in November. I've never been to Texas before and in the last several months I added 4 more states to the list of "states I've visited".

Thorn: It was over the election. It was rough to be in another state and be "on" when all I wanted to do was hide under the covers and drink wine. 

Thorn: AND I missed Hillary coming to NC State the evening before the election WITH BON JOVI. Bon Jovi came with her to the midnight rally. I would have lost my shit. So bummed about that one.

Rose: But hey, you know, Texas was new and it was Austin so most people were super sad and protesting in the streets.

Rose: The brisket was good. 

Rose: We went to NYC and NJ for the family Hanukkah party for the first time.

Rose: NYC during the holidays is cold and awesome. 

Thorn: Really though? I ate my weight in bagels. Other than that, nothing was bad.

Rose: We went to New Orleans to celebrate Kev's birthday and that was pretty awesome.
Thorn: Holy shit I had no idea just how devastating Hurricane Katrina was. That was some BS.
Rose: NOLA is great. The food, the booze... noms.

Rose: WE GOT A BABY! Come on now, OF COURSE this is hands down the best thing that's happened in the past few months. There's a much longer story to tell, which I will later. The adoption agency, the matching, the how completely unprepared we were. I mean, we've wanted a baby for a very long time but I'd never changed a diaper in my life until we got to the hospital. And we'd purchased 0 things before she arrived. Literally nothing. I was wandering around Target texting my SIL asking how many onesies a baby needed. Again, another story to tell.
Thorn: There will always be bumps along the adoption road, but in the end, it was so worth it.

Super quick recap, but let's be honest, you know I have some thoughts on baby things. So many thoughts on baby things, but this will by no means turn into a "mommy blog". Kill me first please.

Thanks everyone! 

I'm Probably Back. Really kinda, most likely back.

My three blog readers might have noticed my several month absence. The last time I posted was back in September. Well, nare you fret, I'm still alive and well. But something happened a few months ago, something that kept me away for a while. No, I'm not pregnant.

Someone didn't like something I posted on my blog. They didn't like my opinion and felt that I was responsible for how my words made them feel. Nothing came of it, but it shook me badly. I felt that my little corner of the blogosphere had been violated. My awkward bathroom selfies, workout recaps and low grade snark, made them unhappy. Well, I'm sure it was the snark. Who doesn't like a bathroom selfie and picture of booze?

I was upset, really upset. I am 100% responsible for anything I post, but my opinions are my own, and I'm entitled to them. Words are meant to make people think, and feel, and contemplate places within themselves that they may not always like. Some of the most defining moments in my life were when I received feedback that was tough to take. I remember each and every one of those interactions, how they made me feel and what I did afterwards.

I blogged for a bit after it happened but my heart wasn't in it. That's when I changed the name of my blog and locked down a lot of the personal information. Eventually I stopped all together.

For the last few weeks I've been thinking about it and I found myself getting angry. I like blogging, I've done it on and off for years and I enjoy it. I like having a creative outlet for my thoughts, I like how it holds me accountable and I'm mad that someone took that away from me.

So many times I've been told not to be too loud, not to be too outspoken, to temper your voice and what you have to say. When I was much younger I listened and I did. As I got older I moved into a career where it was expected that I'd be outspoken, I've taken on various leadership roles where those traits are prized instead of shunned and I surround myself  with people who appreciate me for me.

Now it's happening again, and I let it.

FUCK THAT

Seriously FUCK THAT.

My opinion might not always be pretty, but it's mine. I try to be kind but I might fail. I hope my words make someone think or laugh or feel some sort of emotion, that's what life's all about.

I have another reason too, a really good one.

Two months ago Kev and I adopted a baby girl and I will be damned if she ever feels that she can't express her opinion or stand up for what she believes in. All I can do now is be the best possible role model I can be. One step at a time.

Nine Things about Me

Another Fun List today. I saw this one on Instagram and decided to put it up in ye olde Blog instead. So, here goes.

1. Last thing you watched on Netflix – I don’t know if it was on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, but eh, they’re the same thing for me. Naked Gun. Damn, I forgot how funny that movie was and if you were wondering, it totally holds up. Kev and I were watching the most recent OJ documentary series, “OJ, Made in America” and they were talking about his acting career and how it never really, shall we say, took off like he wanted. Everyone thought Naked Gun was perfect for him. He was in if for all of 5 minutes and got shot and the crap kicked out of him. Heh heh heh.

2. Height – 5’3”. Yes, I’m short, and whenever possible I wear heels or something to make me a little taller. One time my chiropractor suggested that I perhaps wear flats or an orthopedic shoe. I explained that he must have me mistaken for a different patient, because that would never happen. It only happened 1x and he realized the error of his ways.

3. Last thing you listened to? - Like on purpose or something that happened to be playing? If we go wit on purpose, I was listening to the Broadway Showstoppers Pandora channel all day at work yesterday. It was definitely a Broadway sort of day. When I was at the nail salon last week, there were playing a fab mix of songs (I can’t believe I wrote that when you read the next part). I asked which Pandora station it was and she said it was the “Artists like Celine Dion” channel. In my defense, they were playing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” which is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE SONGS, because Jim Steinman (he wrote most of Meatloaf’s songs AND Celine’s “Its all coming back to me now”.

4. Cats or Dogs? Ahhh. Both? If I had to choose, I’ve always been a cat person and cats really like me. But I have a dog too and Cleo is awesome.

We went for a run one day and she reached maximum derp.

5. Zodiac Sign? - Sagittarius. If you read anything about the characteristics of people with certain zodiac signs, yea, it's totally me.

6. Worst Fear - I could get really deep here, but worst fear, heights. I hate hate heights. F them. 

7. Relationship Status - Married. It'll be 10, yes 10 years for me and Kev in August!

8. Favorite Band?- For everyone who knows me, and I'm sure I've mentioned it on the blog 100x. BON JOVI! I have been a fan since Slippery When Wet came out in 1986. Yes. That long. 

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH GREY HAIRED JON BON JOVI IN THE DIRECTV COMMERCIAL?!?!?! BECAUSE I DO. There is no need for him to be grey. color that -ish. Really, it's making me feel old. Jon, you are my first crush and I have mad love for you, but I need you not to  be grey, M-kay?

9. One thing you can’t live without - Chapstick.

This is just on the end table next to me. There are 3 in my car, 2 in my purse, 3 at work, a few on the bedside table... In my defense, Godiva knocks them off the table and they roll under the couch. I think I've lost them, or Cleo ate them (she likes to chew on the tubes) and I get another one from the stash. Kev found 5 under the couch the other day. #IMightHaveAProblem

Happy Wednesday!

Five Thing Friday

Hi again, it's Friday! Hooray! Even though this was only a 4 day week, it was jam packed full of all kinds of work and interesting things. I'm definitely ready for the weekend.

Summer is right around the corner, well, it's kinda here in NC. The 90 degree days have begun and that means I spend even more time trying to figure out what to wear. I was trying to remember what I wore last year since I'm about the same size I was then and I swear  don't remember. Hopefully FB will show me or I might have to go through my intstagram and figure it out. I  have a bunch of loose shirts that I bought last year and yay for getting looser but boo because there's still 20 pounds between me and the summer wardrobe I have in the spare bedroom. OK, I'm rambling now. But it is a lovely segway into today's 5 things....Fashion edition. (queue the trumpets)

1. A few months ago, one of my friends starting selling Lularoe. For those of you who aren't familiar, they sell leggings, shirts, skirts and dresses. Each print only has 1000ish pieces made and they're distributed to consultants across the country so people end up losing their minds over popular prints.

I'm on a few of the BST pages and it's insane how much people will pay for a pair of leggings. Literally, $80+ for a pair of hard to find ones, and those might even be worn. People are paying $80 for used leggings! Look, I have no shame in paying a premium for leggings, but there's a bit of a difference between an $80 pair of Lululemon and $80 for a pair with pizzas on them.

Recently got these cut out crops from lulu. They're amazing.

But you know what, used leggings are nasty. I don't care if they were washed, they were right next to someone's va-jay. Like right there. almost touching. If not touching. It's like wearing someone else's underwear.

2. Romper / jumpsuit season! It is that time of the year again when you have to get completely naked to pee. I just really liked this picture and had to share.

I did draw a bra on the pic because girlfriend just had her boobs hanging out. I'm not modest in the least, but I'd wear a bra with my romper. Now it's more realistic. 

3. Going down another clothing tangent, Wednesday I had a terrible gym fail. I left work at 5:10 to get to a 6pm spin class, that's about 10 miles away. Nope. There was an accident on the other side of the road.

Kev was about 1/4 mile ahead of me and we were on the phone talking about how bad it sucked. Any who, I get to the gym, 10 minutes late and go to change. I only have 1 spin shoe. 2 running shoes and 1 spin shoe. Grrr. Then I don't have the correct undergarments. I had on some shape wear under the dress I was wearing which, well, you know if you've worn the full body version. So yea, just went to class late with what I had. Since I didn't get the entire class in, I stayed for yoga, lord knows I needed some centering and peace. Now I have a few pairs of... you know, in my bag, just in case. 

Again, why you shouldn't buy someone else's leggings. 

4. It's casual Friday and I rarely wear jeans. I'm actually in a skirt today. Lots of people ask why I don't "dress down" and really, I don't like jeans and most importantly, skirts are 8000x more comfortable than a pair of jeans. They just are and dudes don't understand it. Fine by me.

Funny story, when I was a trainer at the cable company I had to police people's wardrobes all the time. I had to send people home to change or to Walmart to buy a pair of pants because they weren't supposed to be wearing jeans or I could parts of them that should be covered. Don't even get me started on the shoes. I saw so many pairs of platform hoochie shoes, it was ridiculous.

One day, after everyone had left, there was a pair of stripper shoes under the table where one of them was sitting. How they got to their car, or forgot that they left their shoes in class, I'll never know. 

I asked the person who was sitting there and she said they hurt her feet but she had socks in her purse so she put them on, wore them to her car and left her shoes. Now, maybe I'm out of touch and not that hip, but, if your shoes hurt your feet so badly that you can't wear them while sitting for 6.5 hours per day, you need new shoes. 

5. Have you heard about "Chubbies"? They're essentially shorter shorts for dudes.

One of my folks came in wearing a pair and I thought I'd have to have an akward conversation with a guy about the length of his shorts. Over the course of the day, the rest of the team teased him mercilessly about his short shorts. We've never seen them again. Problem solved and Lara didn't have to get involved. 

Happy Friday!

Linking Up! - Meet at the Barre

-Ish I Did and Didn't Blog About, Pt.1

A few months ago I started following a blog whose author was participating in a Winter Fashion Challenge. The idea is, for 21 days you mix and match all of your outfits from a pre-determined capsule. It fascinated me for several reason, the first being, I love seeing what other people are wearing. Like, love it a lot. I also love Instagram pictures of people's lunches, especially in bento boxes. TINY FOOD IN COMPARTMENTS!!! But I digress...

The second reason was the concept of a capsule wardrobe. Only a few pieces of clothing, all coordinating together in perfect harmony. Crazy, I love clothes and might have a few. OK, more than a few. Shopping is my happy... I don't wear most of my things and some things I only ever wear with other things. I need to better mix and match what I do have. #IHaveALotOfClothes

I loved watching the outfit re-mixes and the thought of knowing exactly what to wear the night before was super appealing to me. If you haven't been, check out the Get Your Pretty On website. Sign up for the mailing list and get a free style challenge from last year. 

Ok, on to the challenge. I signed up for the Spring Challenge and couldn't wait to get the shopping list. Alison does a great job teasing 2 outfits and it usually starts a shopping frenzy on the Facebook page, I however, showed remarkable restraint and waited until I received the entire list. 

The cool thing is that you can start by shopping your closet to see which pieces you already own and what you'd need to add. 

I won't go into a lot of detail about the shopping list because that kinda defeats the purpose of the challenge. Instead, here's what I selected for the challenge.

I did end up purchasing a few things that weren't already in my closet. White pants, camo pants (un-pictured), olive pants, black drapey tank, grey t-shirt, black-tshirt, floral skirt (un-pictured, FINALLY found in the last week of the challenge)

The evening before we received the outfit and had to style it for the next day. As part of the challenge, there's a HUGELY active FB page where the participants post their outfits of the day. Did I mention I loved seeing what everyone else was wearing? 

Most of the outfits are geared more towards the casual side and some days I wasn't able to follow the challenge 100%. For example, the first day....

The very first day of the challenge, the CEO was in town. Day 1 was camo pants, grey shirt and bright cardigan and even though I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have minded, I thought I should keep it a little more professional. Instead, I did grey tank, bright cardigan and navy skirt. I would have never thought to pair this tank with a colored cardigan, mission accomplished. #TryToDressUpWhenTheBossIsInTown

Day 2 was pretty spot on. Stripped dress with a cardigan.

Day 3 was also 100% on point, white pants, black drapey tank, white pants. I got a lot of compliments on this outfit but I'm not sold on it. 

My #1 accessory on white pant day? Tide Stick. 

Day 4 involved a chambray shirt, white tank and I don't remember what kind of pants but I subbed with these burgandy ones. 

Day 5 was jeans, patterned shirt and bright flats. 

I have pictures from the other weeks too, but I missed a few days because in week 3 we went to Florida. 

I loved participating in the challenge and you should do it too. The Summer Challenge is open and the Early Bird Rate of $29 expires on 5/29. Then it goes up to $39. Sign up here to join me and the other challengers! Full disclaimer, that's an affiliate link for me but honestly, I'd still tell you to sign up and do the challenge even of I made $0 off it, which I probably will. 

The shopping list comes out on 6/5 and the daily outfits on 6/14 - 7/4. Just like last time I'll be in Florida for part of the challenge and off plan, I'll be back in Orlando for the Kappa Delta bianniual convention and I'll be in dresses every day. But I'll still have plenty of inspiration for the rest of the summer. For example, one of the sample outfits is a white eyelet dress, and I JUST so happened to be looking for a new white dress for convention. #TwoBirdsOneStone #ConventionShopping #OneDayIWontBeAbleToUseThatExcuse #TodayIsNotThat Day

I know most of the outfits will involve shorts and since that's not happening in my office, I'll be subbing for more work appropriate bottoms, Even if you have to dress more professionally, it's easy to substitute. 

Alright, don't foget to check out the link up!