Pizza Margherita

This came out pretty well and really wasnt that hard to make.

Makes one 14- to 16-inch pizza; serving 4 to 6

Pizza Crust (Neapolitan Style )
• generous 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm (about 100 degrees) water
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 to 1-1/4 cups organic, stone ground all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt additional flour

1. In a medium mixing bowl or food processor, blend yeast, water, and teaspoon of flour. Foam should form on the surface in about 8 minutes (if not, yeast is past its prime; find fresher).
2. Then blend in rest of flour and salt, forming a smooth, quite soft, slightly sticky dough. Blend in food processor no more than 30 seconds (then knead 5 minutes by hand); in mixer blend for about 5 minutes; by hand stir to blend and knead 5 minutes.
3. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap.
4. Let stand in a cool place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours). If not ready to bake, keep dough covered and hold up to 8 hours.
5. About 20 minutes before baking, punch down, knead a minute or two and then form into a ball, cover.
6. To make pizza, lightly oil a 14- to 16-inch pizza pan.
7. Preheat oven to 500 degrees, setting rack as low as possible in oven.
8. Roll out dough as thin as possible to about a 16-inch round (no more than 1/16-inch thick). Spread over pan, rolling in edges to form a rim. Let rest 10 minutes.
9. Top as desired or suggested below and bake 10 minutes. Then using a spatula and thick oven mitt, slip the pizza off the pan directly onto the oven rack by pulling out rack, grasping pizza pan firmly with protected hand, and using spatula or pancake turner to slip pie off pan and onto rack. Slide rack back in place and bake 2 minutes. Slip pie back onto pan, remove from oven. Cut and serve.

Margherita Topping:
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, minced
• 1 sprig parsley, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1-1/2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
• 3 ounces fresh mozzarella (in liquid), thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt
In a 10-inch skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high. Sauté onion and parsley to golden, then stir in garlic and oregano for a few seconds. Add tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pan (do not substitute crushed tomatoes). Boil, stirring, 5 minutes or until thick.
Spread sauce over rolled out crust, sprinkle with basil, mozzarella, and finally the oil. Finish with generous black pepper and a little salt. Bake as directed above.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Being somebody who loves the looks of things, it was the book cover that first attracted me to this book. The story however was just as engrossing. While this book isnt terribly deep, it is really entertaining. You are taken into the life of an unordinary girl who grows a flower on her back. this may not sound interesting but it is. A nice light read if you're looking for something good but not all that layered, which works for this particular book.

Almond Honey Cookies

these make me feel awesome because i crave the cookies all the time and i dont have to feel bad about eating them cause they're really healthy for you too and they actually taste awesome!

Ingredients

1 cup raw unsalted whole almonds (slightly toasted)
1 ¼ cup unbleached whole wheat pastry flour (fluffed w/ fork)
1-cup flour
1tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
2/3-cup honey
¼ cup agave nectar
1/3-cup coconut butter (melted)
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup of ground flaxseed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup sliced almonds (toasted for garnish)

1. Place almonds in food processor and process until well ground. Remove from processor and dump into large mixing bowl. Add flours, baking powder and salt. Mix well to combine.
2. In another medium-sized bowl combine honey, agave nectar, coconut butter, applesauce, flaxseed, egg and vanilla. Mix well with a mixer.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients in larger bowl. Use clean hands to mix or mix well with wooden spoon.
4. Place, covered in refrigerator for one hour to allow dough to set.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees
6. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
7. Using 1 tbsp, scoop out dough and shape into balls. Place on cookie sheet and press middle of dough down with your thumb to make a little well. Here is when you will place the almond slivers.
8. Bake each sheet of cookies for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch the last few minutes of baking so the cookies don’t burn.
9. Remove from oven and let cool.
10. Garnish with toasted almonds

The Xenogenesis Series - Octavia Butler

Definitely a fantastic sci fi novel. It was so good that everytime I try to get more into science fiction by reading something else, it only pales in comparison to these novels. I love it when science fiction is not completely reality and not completely fantasy. the characters were multi-dimensional and completely believably as well as the situation that they found themselves in. Also the aliens were ingenious in how Butler imagines a species with control over the un-controllable, yet not in the way that produces them as gods but just a very different kind of intelligent species

Apricot-Rum Glazed Apple Tart

so far, this has been one of my more successful dishes. It has a Lemon rum flavor to the glaze which I find amazingly good.

Ingredients
For the pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup ice water
For the apples:

• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
• 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water
Directions
For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Fledgling by Octavia Butler

So about a week ago, I received Fledgling by Octavia Butler from the library. Since I hate most things vampire nowadays, I was hesitant to read it. However, I have read Kindred which was excellent so I gave this a shot. Glad I did.

I loved the backstory behind the vampires, the plot, and all. However the most interesting bits of this book were 1. the physical and emotional effects (and essentially bondage) of a vampire's bite and how their clans and covens work, and 2. How experimentation and skin color were integral in the story.

Even though this book isnt going to be a favorite of mine like Kindred, it still held me until I was done with it. Actually, now that I think about it, "held" is not the right word. This book held me in literary chains until I could finish it and when I did, I immediately looked online, hoping there was a sequel. Unfortunately there is not but I did place most of Octavia Butler's other books on hold. I wish I was able to get them in time for my jury duty tomorrow but they arent there yet.

I will now proceed to attempt to lure my sister into deeper waters in reference to her book choice. She LOVES all this Twilight/ vampire stuff so she wants to read the book. However, I think I will withhold just how Fledgling differs from the conflict-less Mormon tale.

a Step away from my day to day rollercoaster

so whenever i blogged on my other blog, it was about question i had about my life, how i was living it, blah blah blah. but i miss blogging about things that make me happy and books i've read, chocolate i have consumed, and people i run into. so this is what this is.