Fifteen for 50 - Vaccining and Cleaning

Daffodils - because we're all tired of seeing pics of vaccines

I know that vaccining is not a real word.  Just because I can say it and type it (though it does get the squiggly red line underneath it when I do) does not mean it is a word.  You don't need to tell me that the correct word is "vaccinating".  Vaccining rhymes better.  So there.

Vaccinations need a song.  If you know me, you know that I think everything should have a song.  I was trying "My Vaccination" to the tune of Carly Simon's "Anticipation" (aka "the ketchup commercial song" from back in the day).  "My Shot" from Hamilton was an easy idea - "I am not throwin' away my shot".  The Offspring "Come Out and Play" was in the running too - changing the line "You gotta keep 'em separated" to "You gotta get 'em vaccinated".  It's a work in progress.  Give me your suggestions (perhaps I'll get a playlist going!) and I'll keep you updated with any other brilliant lyrics I dream up.

I got my COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday and have spent a couple of days just sitting around making antibodies.  We drove to Fergus Falls (about 5 hours round trip) on Thursday, in the rain most of the way, to get the J&J vaccine.  E scored back to back appointments for us (apparently it helps to be awake and online at 1:30 AM) so we made the trip.  We wanted to get them sooner rather than later and had both the means and time to travel - luxuries that not everyone has.  There were snacks (thanks to my managers for a big box from Nuts.com a couple weeks ago) and beverages (iced tea for me, Arnie Palmer for E) on the road. I started reading him a new book to occupy the time (I am the living breathing audio book in our family) -  Montana 1948 by Larry Watson - a re-read for me.

The first 12 hours after the shot were smooth sailing - a little pain in the arm initially but I returned to work, helped interview a potential new hire, cleaned up my email and work inboxes and answered a few questions.  We had an easy dinner, watched a few episodes of TV (I was more than a little obsessed with finishing the final few episodes of Dexter this week), and E went grocery shopping after 10pm as he usually does.  Around that time, I started getting sleepy and then the aches began.  I slept fitfully, discomfort in joints and muscles most of the night, and woke up with a headache.  E reported feeling like he had been run over by a truck.  Friday was a head-achy muscle-achy day for me (E felt better earlier than I did) and I worked on what needed to be done with my co-workers but not much more.  That night, I woke up around midnight and was freezing.  Literally chattering my teeth and shivering to the point I had trouble pulling socks on because my hands were shaking so much.  I pictured myself like an old cartoon where Woody Woodpecker or Sylvester the Cat gets tossed in a freezer.  I put on 2 pairs of socks, flannel pants and a flannel button-down shirt over my nightgown.  It took about 15 minutes under the covers fully dressed before I warmed up enough to fall back asleep.  By morning I was fine and have been great since, but man!  Those antibodies sure must like it cold when they are building up their little army.

Besides making antibodies, I did a few other things this week.  Early in the week I walked, but not at all Thursday-Saturday.  I finished one little book, and started a new knitting project (red baby alpaca yarn for a large triangle scarf/smallish shawl). We finished Dexter so if you have been waiting to talk to me about it so as not to spoil it, I am ready for the discussion now.  All the rain has made the grass green up and the trees bud that intense lime green that kind of hurts your eyes.  The daffodils and forsythia have burst their yellow blooms in the front yard. I cleaned up my closet, putting the sweaters up top, bringing the shorts and capris where I can better reach (and am very happy to report that I have several warm weather clothes that fit me!).  The street sweeper has been by (if you are new to this blog, check out this post for more on why the street sweeper gets special mention).  Spring is here, I am vaccinated, and starting to feel cautiously optimistic. 

I have a post percolating in my brain about the pandemic, how social distancing works for me, and why I don't mind Zoom meetings or wearing real pants, but it isn't ready yet.  Instead, I will leave you with this limerick I am submitting the Minneapolis paper.  

The pandemic has brought out the memes,
With Fauci and shots as the themes.
I stick close to home,
And don't want to roam,
Socially distant like my introvert dreams.

Book 14

My one little book completed this week was Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace.  I read the first in the series earlier this year and enjoyed this one too.  As I read it, I wondered how many adventures today's children have.  I don't think too many get a chance to wander off up the big hill and into the woods with nothing but a picnic basket and their two friends who are also 9 years old.  Do we let kids explore anymore?  Discover new paths?  Make up imaginative stories or pretend to be the flying lady at the circus?  Be left alone at home to cook up grand experiments in the kitchen?  Moi, j'en doute.

Recipe 14 - Crusty Pizza Dough

I already have a pizza crust recipe that I have made nearly every week for about a year (except the 2 times I made the new cast iron deep dish crust), but saw this one in the instruction and recipe book that came with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer and thought I would give it a try.  All the commas are theirs - I hear in my head the voice of Mr. Gavin, my 10th grade English teacher ("Comma crazy" he called me), and want to remove some of them but editing is not my forte. Also, the weird and persistent capitalization of the word "speed" is theirs - I did it just so I could call out how weird I thought it was.

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp if you have a jar of yeast like I do)

1 C warm water (105-115 degrees)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

2 1/2 - 3 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, oil and 2 1/2 C flour.  Attach bowl and dough hook (I was so excited to use the dough hook!) to the mixer.  Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour 1/2 C at a time and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes (I probably could have used just 3 cups vs. the full 3 1/2).  Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down.

Brush 14" pizza pan with oil (or in my case, use 12" well-seasoned pizza stone and skip the oil). Sprinkle with cornmeal. Press dough across bottom of pan, forming a collar around edge to hold toppings. Add toppings as desired.  Bake at 450 deg for 15-20 minutes.

I use BBQ sauce on the crust and also a drizzle over top of the cheese

We made BBQ meatball pizza (BBQ sauce and sliced pre-cooked meatballs, topped with mozzarella).  It ended up being perhaps a bit more crust than we are used to but it made a very sturdy crust that held up well and tasted good too.  I will try it again with my more saucy tomato sauce next time.

The crust, ready for its close up.

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 14 (6 more in progress)

Recipes tried – 14

Blog posts published– 15

Miles walked in April - 13.77 

               Miles walked year-to-date –142.73

Scrap book pages completed –12

Hats donated – 20

Hours volunteered – 0

Until we eat or read again,

Hallie

P is for Pizza

Eating: This feels like a cheater post to me, because I have blogged about this before, but the first thing I thought of when creating my list of topics was, "P is for Pizza".  I love pizza, all kinds, but really like my own homemade 'za most of all.  We call it "ho-made" ever since seeing a sign in Door County, Wisconsin, for "ho-made" jam and laughing about the person who would call themselves a ho just for making jam.  We went through a phase last summer when we made pizza every Thursday for weeks, trying different toppings and flavors.  Our usual pizza is Canadian bacon (ham) and peppers (green, red or yellow bell, depending on what we have on hand) with a traditional red pizza sauce.  We also made sausage and pepper pizza (also with red sauce), Mexican pizza (with salsa instead of sauce and with taco meat, cheddar cheese and a little fresh cilantro), and barbecue chicken pizza (barbecue sauce instead of red sauce, and shredded or chopped cooked chicken, peppers, and if you like, onion).  But our favorite new discovery was Aloha Chicken Pizza which I have already given the recipe for.

Here's how I make my basic pizza.  I always use a pizza stone (Pampered Chef, though I supposed other kinds will work, too).  Some people make the dough in their bread machine, but I think that seems like it creates more work than it saves - I mix it by hand. 

Crust (from Betty Crocker, aka "Big Red") - this recipe is technically for 2 pizzas but we like our crust a little thicker so we use the recipe for one 14" pizza.
1 package yeast (or about 2 1/4 tsp)
1 C warm water
2 1/2 C flour
2 Tbls olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt (my 'secret' tip - when I am making for a red sauce pizza, I add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning into the crust mixture)
Combine yeast and warm water in a medium bowl and mix until yeast dissolves. Add remaining ingredients and beat 20 strokes. Let rest 5 minutes. Roll out onto warmed pizza stone (or of course you can use another type of pizza pan or other flat pan - I always use my stone and I always preheat it with the oven when making this crust). 

Basic Red Pizza Sauce (also from Betty) - also technically for 2 pizzas but does not seem too saucy when used on one pizza.
1 eight-ounce can of tomato sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced fine
(and my 'secret' ingredient - a bit of grated Parmesan)

Top with your favorite ingredients, and about 2 C grated mozzarella.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted/browned to your taste (we like ours medium brown) and crust is golden.

Yum.  I wish we had pizza on the menu tonight.

Until we eat again,
Hallie

Tattoos and Pizza

Reading: I will be reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by the Swedish guy who wrote it (can't think of his name right now... I am sure it will come to me eventually, or I will actually look it up because it will bug me.  Anyway...).  I have resisted reading this book for a couple of reasons.  First off, it is popular and everywhere.  That almost always turns me off a book.  Ask me if I have ever read some of the other books that "everyone" has read.  Unless it was chosen for a bookclub selection, the answer will nearly always be "no". 
Secondly, it is not my style of book.  Nothing I have heard about it has endeared me to it or made me want to read it.  Mystery/thriller kind of genre, graphic sexual violence, long descriptions and lots of character
Third of all, I don't like tattoos.  And the title always gets the Fountains of Wayne song, 'Red Dragon Tattto" in my head and then I call the book "The Girl with the Red Dragon Tattoo".  Look up the song.  It cracks me up.

Stieg Larsson.  That is his name. So anyway...

Why am I reading it?  Because one of the bookclubs wants to.  And bookclub is not all about reading only what I want to (as much as I try to sway people away from certain books...).  Maybe it will be a treasured read.  I didn't want to read Harry Potter and I ADORED that and became obsessed with the series.  I also did not want to read Twilight and HATED that and did not read any more after the first one.
We'll see.  I'll keep you posted.

Eating: When last we saw Hallie going off to cook, it was Aloha Chicken Pizza on the menu.  Did she make the pizza?  Did they enjoy it?  Will she share the recipe?  The answers are all "yes".
Aloha Chicken Pizza was truly delicious.  It may have bumped the previous favorite off the top of the list (though I must admit the top two are quite similar - the former #1 was BBQ chicken pizza).  It is a Pampered Chef recipe, though I have made my own tweaks (of course!).  First off, I made my own crust.  Second, I used rotisserie chicken instead of cooking and chopping chicken.  Thirdly, I made my own BBQ sauce.  And finally, we used green peppers instead of red, mostly because our red pepper plants barely produced one fruit, we haven't seen any at the farmers market, and the grocery store feels the need to charge up the wazoo for red peppers.  But I digress...  Here is the recipe.  Feel free to buy your own crust and BBQ sauce, and to cook your own chicken.
Aloha Chicken Pizza

Crust (from Betty Crocker, aka "Big Red") >>>>If you are using refrigerated pizza crust, it takes 2 of them.
1 package yeast (or about 2 1/4 tsp)
1 C warm water
2 1/2 C flour
2 Tbls olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt (Note: when I am making for a red sauce pizza, I add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning into the crust mixture)
Combine yeast and warm water in a medium bowl and mix until yeast dissolves.  Add remaining ingredients and beat 20 strokes (don't ask me why 20).  Let rest 5 minutes.  Roll out onto warmed pizza stone (or of course you can use another type of pizza pan or other flat pan - I always use my stone and I always preheat it with the oven when making this crust). 

BBQ Sauce (from Pampered Chef Casual Cooking)
Cook 1/4 C finely chopped onion in 2 tsp vegetable oil over medium heat (I always skip this step because someone doesn't like onions - the sauce turns out fine without onions).
Stir together in medium saucepan:
1 1/2 C ketchup
3 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbls cider vinegar
1/2 C honey
2 Tbls BBQ seasoning mix (I use the Pampered Chef BBQ rub)
1 tsp prepared mustard
(You will end up with about 2 1/3 C BBQ sauce - you only need about 3/4 C for the pizza.  The rest will refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 weeks.)

To make the pizza (as I made it - we like a thicker crust so we use the pizza stone instead of a larger pan like a cookie sheet)
Preheat oven to 425F.  Roll crust onto warmed pizza stone.  Spread 1/2 to 3/4 C BBQ sauce onto crust.  Sprinkle 2 C shredded rotisserie chicken, and 2 C well-drained pineapple tidbits over pizza (you can of course use fresh pineapple instead - it calls for 1 medium pineapple).  Top with 2 C grated mozzarella and 1/2 of a red (or yellow or green) pepper, chopped.  Bake 20minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is to your desired melted-ness and color (I like mine to be golden brown.).  YUM!  We served with Blue Hawaii drinks but would also work with Mai Tais!

Weeding: Today is the day of my plant swap and garden party.  So of course it is raining.  Sprinkling on and off, in the 60s and cloudy.  Good thing we cleaned out the garage and picked up the house too!  When I started planning this, it was August, hot and sunny.  I was thinking of summery snacks and dessert, summery drinks.  Now we are baking apple crisp and warming some cider.  We'll swap in the garage if we need to and retire to house for refreshments.  I am still looking forward to it and already thinking how I will do it differently in the spring.  Ready to swap monarda, black-eyed Susans, lambs ear, and ajuga.  And could be persuaded to dig up a few others on request.

Until we weed again,
Hallie