Technicolor Tuesday - Ancient Machine

This may be a little confusing to our lovely Bam-Bam.

Unlike our other phones, this one has a CORD from the base to the earpiece.

And a DIAL.

But somehow it's wireless. (No cord for the wall.)

And he can reach both Santa and Grandpa on it at any time.

'nuf said.

In Like A Lion

I don't like seasons, yet I sort of like snow. Figure that one out.

It's snowed for at least one day in each of the ten years I've been in Atlanta. Sometimes it disappears as soon as it appears; sometimes it stays for a couple days and is Snowman-worthy. Transplants from the northeast and midwest scoff at Atlanta "snow." Most folks rush to the grocery store and buy all the milk, eggs and bread they can get their mittens on. (No matter what type of snowfall there's always a shortage of these three items proceeding a bit of white stuff.) The local news has hour-long "storm specials." Again, this happens if *any* snow appears. In general, there's quite a commotion.

It's really coming down here in Atlanta today - March 1st:


This reminds me of Dorothy in Wizard of Oz when she opens the door to the outside after the tornado puts her house down...



Bunny looks for snowflakes



Bam-Bam fogs up the window



Brrrrrrrrrrrrr... Cold Bunny!



The view down my street around noon...

But now the big-time flurries have stopped and all those fluffy inches of snow are quickly turning to slush... I hope Bam-Bam and Buny wake up from naps in time to enjoy some play time in actual snow. Or at least in time for us to get to the store for milk, eggs and bread.

Barbie - FAIL

I’ve always been a big fan of Barbie.

She's a snappy dresser, works lots of interesting jobs and clearly has staying power and longevity.

In fact, I used to live just a few miles from the Barbie Hall of Fame. (Super neato.)

I don’t understand why folks get all in a tizzy and says that she’s a bad example for young girls. Please, people. My girl (and boy too) knows what’s real and what’s not. They know that real dogs don’t talk (Hi, Martha), real birds aren't neon yellow and 8 feet tall and real babies don’t really look one single bit like Cabbage Patch Kids. She knows that it’s all pretend and that most of the fun toys are a bit cartoon-y and exaggerated and fun. And she’s three. She gets it. (Granted this is mostly because I take the time to explain it to her…) She knows that not all females are tall and skinny, like her aunt and great aunt and other females but not like me.

I always figured that I’d get my wonderful Bunny girl her first Barbie and we would giggle and play fun role-playing games, and dress her up and dress her down... It would be great fun.

Then this happened:

(Can you see it o.k.? I took this crappy pic with my phone...)

Let me introduce you to the "Totally Stylin' Tattoos" Barbie.

The box says: Over 40 easy, no mess tattoos to design and decorate Barbie doll's fashions. Customize the fashions and apply the fun temporary tattoos on you too.

REALLY?

Full disclosure: I have tattoos. And I'm looking forward to getting more. But I don’t want my daughter to have them NOW. Or want them NOW.

And here’s my wonderful old friend Barbie rockin’ a tat.

So, why am I upset about this? It's not like they also include a "totally stylin' tattoo machine" with vibrating needles and lots of "totally stylin' tattoo ink." It seems that they're just riding that fake tattoo bandwagon. And sure, I can explain to Bunny that it's all fun and games and that most teenagers don't have tats... I think she'll get it... But...

It’s just not right.

I almost broke down in tears right in the middle of Target. Those memories that I was so looking forward to making with Bunny are dashed.

So, folks that make Barbie, I’m afraid you get a big FAIL.

Not cool.

Whatcha' Cookin' Wednesday - "Pizza Dough"

I've had many lives. Actress, dancer, singer, sports therapist, restaurant manager, t-shirt painter, property manager, spa promoter, bartender, digital printing sales shark, PR maven, writer, reporter, mom... and many more. (Butcher, baker, candlestickmaker...) One short-lived life was creating specialized, gourmet, organic pizzas to order. I set up shop in a large kitchen that had two ovens and three refrigerators. I bought flour in 25 lb. bags. I only used fresh, regional ingredients. No preservatives. I made a killing for three whole months. It was so dang fun and easy that I almost hated to take people's money for doing it.

Almost. (Heh.)

An undeniable truth: Making pizza is a great way to get people together. Who doesn't like to create their own perfect, custom pie, eaten too-hot right from the oven?


Making pizza with my fabulous nephews... Mangia, mangia! (Christmas eve - 2007)


Showing off our pre-topped rounds...


YUMMERS.

Pizza is awesome dinner party food and kids LOVE it. Don't get that gummy, fake-tasting stuff from the chain down the street. Make your own.

SIX INGREDIENTS.

TEN MINUTES PREP TIME.

FREEZES WELL.

Now you have no excuses.

PIZZA DOUGH

Ingredients:
(yields two small rounds)


5 c. all-purpose, unbleached white or wheat flour (don’t go near the bleached and enriched crap)
½ t. salt
½ ground pepper
¼ c. oil
1 packet of yeast (you can also use cake yeast)
1 ½ c. warm water

Combine dry ingredients and whisk together. In separate bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour water/yeast mixture in center of well. Add oil. Mix all ingredients together by hand until a ball forms. (You may need to add more water if too dry.) Knead dough on floured surface until it’s silky and smooth, about 5-7 minutes. Place dough ball in bowl and cover. Let rise in a draft-free area for one hour. Punch dough down and knead lightly. Stretch into desired size.

Add toppings and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes for small rounds and 15-20 minutes for large rounds.

Tips:
-Never roll dough, Instead stretch to desired size, leaving slight lip around edge. (Rolling will eliminate the lip. The lip is good.)

-Brush a little olive oil on edges once pizza is topped. This will ensure that the crust browns evenly and you won't risk overcooking it.

-Use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour if you like your crust a little lighter and less chewy.

-If you like a softer crust try letting the dough rest after forming into rounds, wait about 15 minutes before adding the toppings. This will allow the dough to rise a little more so you’ll get a fuller, more doughy crust.

Technicolor Tuesday - Pizza!

It should come as no surprise that we make our own pizza. In fact, a fave Christmas time tradition is making homemade pizzas with my twin nephews, while blasting music, talking with weird Italian-esque accents and generally goofing off. The pizzas are always the best we make all year. We call the kitchen (wherever we are...Miami, Atlanta...) "Giovanni's", complete with signage made by artsy G'ma and all... Fun, fun, fun.

I hope next year our kiddos will get into the act.


J with whole wheat pizzas topped Danger Dad's tomato sauce, spinach and mozzarella...

S is not so hot on the picture-taking... More interested in the eating part...

Just before they were popped in the oven... (The pizzas, not the kiddos...)

I would have included an "after" pic but the fruits of our labor were scarfed down pretty quick. I'll post the dough recipe tomorrow... It's so easy it'll make you cry.

Abundant Gratitude

I am thankful.

That's all I've got today.

Just feeling abundantly thankful for all that I have.

Whatcha' Cookin' Wednesday - "Chipotle Mayo"

I’m a big fan of the “zing.”

I like to wear red shoes (zing!), I love a saucy joke (zing!), I love to surprise people (zing!) and I like my food spicy (zing!).

Chipotle Mayo is the “zing” of my fridge.



I always keep a jar at the ready to zing up a dish. It’s fabulous in tuna salad, egg salad, deviled eggs, on sandwiches and in tilapia tacos. When you need some gastronomic “zing”, reach for the Chipotle Mayo.

CHIPOTLE MAYO

Ingredients:


- 1 cup mayo (I use Duke’s and only Duke’s. Give it a try and you’ll understand why. DO NOT use Miracle Whip. Yuck. It’s not thick enough and it tastes horrible. Use REAL mayo.)
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic
- 3-5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you can find this in the “Latin” area of your market, use more if you like more heat)
- 2 Tblsp. lime juice
- ½ t. kosher salt
- 1 Tblsp. olive oil

Combine all ingredients in blender or Cuisinart and blend until very creamy. Keeps in fridge up to 2-3 months. (Maybe longer but mine never lasts too long...)