Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

I'm definitely trying this recipie this weekend! :)

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
* 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 12.38 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 3/4 cups), divided
* 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* Cooking spray
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
* 2 precooked mild Italian chicken sausages (about 6 ounces), casings removed, chopped
* 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
* 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
* 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
* 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

Preparation

1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in olive oil.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 11.25 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) flour, cornmeal, and salt in a bowl. Stir flour mixture into yeast mixture until dough forms a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).

3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough into an 11 x 15–inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; press dough up sides of dish. Spread 1 1/2 cups cheese evenly over dough. Arrange chopped sausage evenly over cheese.

4. Preheat oven to 400°.

5. Chop tomatoes; place in a sieve. Stir in oregano and basil; drain tomato mixture 10 minutes.

6. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in bell peppers; cook for 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Arrange vegetables over sausage; spoon tomato mixture evenly over vegetables and sausage. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until crust browns and cheese bubbles. Cool 5 minutes before cutting.
Nutritional Information

Calories: 330
Fat: 9.2g (sat 4.6g,mono 3.2g,poly 1g)
Protein: 17.8g
Carbohydrate: 44g
Fiber: 3.2g
Cholesterol: 31mg
Iron: 3.9mg
Sodium: 365mg
Calcium: 244mg

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2009

picture perfect memories . . .

The wedding, although it started an hour or so late, was a success!

On The Way To The Wedding/Betty Neels

There's a book by Julia Quinn that's that exact title (the first half, anyway), part of her Bridgerton series. I remember how it started too. The first line was:

"His lungs were on fire."

If that wasn't the best first line of a historical romance then I really don't know what is.

Anyway, today is the day of my godfather's wedding. I am excited to actually attend and not have to be apart of it. I've never been able to just attend a wedding; I was always apart of one. Of course, I'm taking my camera. I'm going to hopefully capture as many expressions as possible, from faces that show utter euphoria, and even from the ones that show dismay. Today will be a great day; I firmly believe it.

As a side note, I've been reading a lot of Betty Neels lately. She has such an odd sense of romance. Her heroes are always in the medical profession, absolute workaholics, and always Dutch, or part Dutch; their personality cold, distant, showing spurts of kindness and warmth when it suits them to. It's so ... weird, and a bit unfeeling. But in their own way their still very likable. Her heroines are indescribable. They're sometimes distant themselves, only barely so. And most importantly, half of them are ordinary and "have no looks to speak of", sometimes treated unkindly by a parent or some relative whom their living with, or perhaps recently dumped by a fiancé - they are written to bring out pity, but at the same their strength and determination makes you like them a lot.

In all fairness, I've enjoyed reading each of them, coming away with a bit of knowledge of how women were courted (and I use that word as lightly as possible) back in the day. :)

But you know what's missing from Betty's books? Passion. Lots and lots of it too. Some of that would definitely loosen her characters up from that straight laced jacket of cold politeness they call decorum.

I'm just saying.

Jenaya

Ps. Yesterday was my 24th birthday.
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"Cause black is the skin I'm in"

I read any and everything I can get my hands on once it seems interesting enough. Today I went to the library to pick up some books that were placed on hold for one of the kids I babysit. The books were chosen for her summer reading.
I, of course, had to check out the books and see if it was something I'd like to read. Like I said, "I read any and everything", even if its something that's meant for a 9 year old. Like that old saying goes, "Age ain't nothing but a numbah".
+ I personally have no clue what someone my age should be reading. You know how some people start out reading lower level books, and then move upward and onward from there? I started, in my opinion, at an extremely above normal level. I mean, I think I was the only 10 year old child in my class (or maybe the whole school) who had her head buried in mysteries & thrillers by Dean Koontz, James Patterson and Mary Higgins-Clark, just to name a few.
Anyway, what I've been trying to say is that one of the books off Ebony's summer list is a novel by Sharon G. Flake called "The Skin I'm In". I absolutely adore this book and will make sure it's the first that she reads. If the title of the book doesn't give you enough of a clue about what the book is about then you should know its about a young girl whose trying to accept who she is. Nothing is sugar-coated. You're in there with her, struggling along with her from day one. Here's a bit from it. My favorite bit:

"All I done for you," Char says. "You gonna leave me out to dry like this. Wait till later, you ugly, stupid black thing."
Call me by my name! I hear Akeelma say, and I scream it too. "Call me by my name! I am not ugly. I am not stupid. I am Maleeka Madison, and, yeah, I'm black, real black, and if you don't like me, too bad 'cause black is the skin I'm in!"

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