Tales from the Belly

Ok this is a two parter but totally worth it! Home made pizza dough is to die for and actually easy!

Dough
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey-you can use sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 cups bread flour -up or down 1/2 cup depending on humidity

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix.

2. Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn’t stick to your hands.

3. Once you reach this stage, turn the mixer on high to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away! Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes! The dough will be smooth and the bowl will be clean!

4. Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours.

Ok now the fun part. Put half the dough away or make 2 stromboli’s.

You can put whaever you would like in there, that is why it is fun! I had these ingredients on hand so presto!

Ham
Pepperoni
Pepperoncini
Pizza Sauce- or Pasta Sauce
Mozzarella
Oregano

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line large rimmed cookie sheet with parchment or spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Spread pizza dough out on baking sheet to be approximately 10×16. Spread pizza sauce over 2/3′s of the dough lengthwise, leaving a 3×16 rectangle of plain dough along one of the edges. Top sauce with half the grated cheese, pepperoni and ham. Top with remaining cheese. Pepperoncini’s go on last. Brush the plain strip of dough with the egg. Fold in the sides about an inch and brush them with egg. Roll up like a jelly roll lengthwise starting along the long edge of dough topped with all the fillings and ending with the plain strip of dough on the bottom of the roll. Brush the entire stromboli with egg and gently cut slats in the top of the dough every 1-2 inches. Sprinkle Oregano and cheese over top and bake 8-10 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes and slice into pieces. Serve with more pizza sauce.

Love this, only have to kneed once and I get 2 loaves, on Cinn Swirl and one Country. Nothing is better then fresh baked bread!

Ingredients

6 to 7 cups Bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
2 1/4 cups very warm water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted to brush on top

1.  Activate the Yeast
2.  Stir 3 1/2 Cups of flour, sugar, salt, shortening and yeast in mixing bowl. Add the warm water and beat with electric mixer for 1 minute, scrap the bowl as needed. Add 3 1/2 cups of four gradually until dough is easily handled. I use to turn the dough out and kneed but now I use my dough hook to kneed the bread as I add the other 3 cups or so. I kneed in the mixer for about 5 minutes until dough is not too taky and then kneed by hand. The dough should be soft and springy when done. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap for about an hour and half until it doubles in size.

3.  Split the dough in half after it has risen. Shape dough into rectangles. For the Country loaf just roll up and seal off edges and place in greased loaf pan.

4.  For the Cinn Swirl mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tbsp together and spread over the rectangle. Sprinkle a little water over this. Roll the bread up and place in a second loaf pan.

5.  Let both rise a second time for about an hour. Bake in 400 degree over for 20-25 minutes. When you remove from oven brush with melted butter. Turn loafs out after about 5 minutes of cooling.

I had always gone with bread or breadcrumbs so it was time to try a new twist…so tonight we try something new! IT WAS DELISH!

Ingredients
2lb Ground Beef-I use 90/10
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup choppped green pepper
1 cup Tomato Sauce-small can
1 egg beaten
1 cup of Ritz Crackers crushed
1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
2 tsp Paula Dean’s House Seasoning
A few splashed of Woozy (about 1/8 cup)

Topping
2/3 cup Ketchup
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp yellow mustard

Preheat oven to 350
Combine all ingredients, put in loaf pan-I had to use 1 loaf pan and a small mini loaf pan
Spread topping over loaf, bake 45 minutes-smaller loaf less

I believe everything is better with Buttermilk! These are my all time favorite biscuits combined from a few recipes

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk chilled
8 tbsp butter melted
1 cup finely shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Heat oven to 475 degrees
Line baking sheets with parchment paper

In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients and cheese. Stir melted butter into buttermilk until it forms small clumps. Stir buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients just until incorporated.
Scoop large mounds and drop onto baking sheet. Bake until golden brown about 12 minutes. Remove and brush with melted butter.

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I make these every Christmas and they are always a hit!

Ingredients
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup candied cherries
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, with electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined. Set aside.

Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add milk to the butter mixture and then add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Batter should be stiff.

In another bowl, combine nuts, cherries, and white chocolate. Then add to batter, stirring only to blend. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

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Made this last night amazing!!!!

Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh ricotta
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp. grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 small clove garlic grated
1 tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
A few leaves basil, chopped
A couple sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
4 small pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast, butterflied
EVOO, for drizzling
4 thin slices prosciutto di parma
A splash white wine
1 tbsp. butter

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, season the ricotta with salt and pepper. Stir in the parmigiano-reggiano, garlic, parsley, basil and thyme. Place some of the ricotta mixture on each butterflied piece of chicken and fold the breast over. Drizzle with EVOO and wrap with the prosciutto.

2.Heat an ovenproof skillet with a drizzle of EVOO. Add the chicken bundles and brown over medium-high heat, turning once, for 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to the oven to cook through, 12 to 15 minutes.

3.Remove the chicken from the pan and deglaze the pan with the wine. Swirl in the butter. Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.
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Ok so I say better late then never! I have been spending all my time with my little one so I have not done any posting.

I had my regular weekly appointment on Tuesday the 6th, I was still 4 cm so she striped my membrane. I was back in the hospital 2 hours later and 5 cm dilated…they took me directly to a room. I had my epideral within an hour….fantastic!!!! The doctors thought I would have the baby before midnight….little did they know how stubborn my little Rylan is! At 2 am I had still not progressed and contractions were very irregular. They started me on Pitosin. I finally moved to 6 cm at 7 am! I stayed that way for hours, took a napat 2 and woke up at 9.5cm. The put me on “the thrown” as they call it. My bed pretty much went vertical…see picture! Keep in mind I had been living off ice and popsicals this whole time as I could not eat anything…this is not a good thing for me and my blood sugar! At this point we also discovered that I had 2 hotspots, this is where the epideral is not working…yeah! They kept giving me more but it was not working so I felt labor on half my body.

I started pushing around 3:30, Rylan was so low they thought I would only push for 30 minutes. Let me tell you 2 and half hours later I was not happy! Rylan could not get past my pelvic bone, I thought I was going to have a c-section which I kept saying the whole day I didn’t want to have. It is true what they say though, I remember the first 45 minutes of pushing but nothing after that. The doctor told me he was going to use forcepts to get hime out. After two exhausting push’s little Rylan made it out!

Now there are things you don’t want to hear when your baby comes out…..one is “hmmmm…that’s intersting!” They put him on my belly and the first questions was “Is he breathing?” after they said yes I wanted to know what was so interesting? Turn’s out my little one is already an over-achiever and had a little extra finger….looked like a big sking tag but had a teeny tiny finger nail…..the entire finger was not bigger then my pinky nail. It is now gone, but it makes my little one unique.

So here we are at the end of our pregnancy. I know Bryan and I did not think after going into pre-term labor and being on bed rest that we would make it this far! I have been off bed rest for 2 weeks, back at work and nesting like crazy! Little Rylan has gotten nice and comfy in there! I felt so blessed to make it to 37 weeks, but making it an extra 2 weeks has been wonderful. I feel like I got part of my pregnancy back, I know it sounds weird. I have been able to wash clothes, go to babysrus, get things done around the house and yes even sit outside and read. I even went for a pedicure last weekend. I am so happy that I have been able to do these things before Rylan makes his apperance in the world.

Now, with that said, we are going to have a serious conversation in, oh about 5 days! At 40 weeks its time for him to checkout of Hotel Jen, or at least start moving in that general direction….maybe get in the elevator?! Its been a great 9 months, so glad you got nice and big and strong in there, but I am not sure you need to stay to 42 weeks! All kidding aside, he can stay in there as long as he needs! I just pray everyday for a healthy, happy baby, and a scare really puts everything in to perspective for you.

So maybe my next post will be my birth story and pictures of Little Rylan!

So this could get ugly when Rylan comes!!! Not only will he be getting less attention but now he is going think Rylan stole his bed too! I am waiting for him to get up, but he has been in there for 3 hours now! Its a tough life for him! Its really pathetic! I am very tempted to turn the the vibrate on, but I figure that would just be too mean!

I think everyone is shocked I have made it this far! I have been off bedrest for a week now, its so nice to be out and about! I limited on my nesting as I am still trying to take it easy but I get things done a little at a time! I have the best husband! He has been taking such good care of me! I think he is just glad that he doesn’t have to bring breakfast, lunch and dinner upstairs!