Simple and Happy

Homemade Pizza

A simple dinner tonight.....Not a lot of fuss, not a lot of clean-up!

Here's my recipe for pizza dough that you can mix up and use right away, or you can choose to let it rise for about an hour or so. I've made it both ways and either one is good.

Easy Pizza Dough

3 c. flour

2 T. sugar

1 1/4 c. lukewarm (not too hot!) water + 2 T. oil

2 1/2 t. yeast (or 1 of the square packets that comes in a group of 3)

2 t. sugar

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pour yeast into water/oil and add the 2 t. of sugar. Stir gently and let set about 15 minutes, or until yeast dissolves and looks a bit foamy. Measure 3 c. of flour into a mixing bowl. Add the 2 T. of sugar and pinch of sugar. Stir. Pour water with yeast into the mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Then, use your hand to gather and squish any residual flour into dough ball, kneading and squishing until it has formed into a nice ball. 

If letting dough rise, lightly oil a glass mixing bowl. Set dough in bowl, turning to coat all with oil. Cover with wax paper, and let set on counter for approx 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Then punch down, knead several times and prepare for pizza as directed in the paragraph below.

If using immediately, put onto lightly greased baking sheet and spread out until even and uniform. A small rolling pin is great to use for this. Cover with all toppings except shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until bottom is slightly golden brown. Top with shredded cheese and return to oven for another 5-8 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Simple, Low-Carb Ricotta Cheese Dessert

I added a few chips on top to make the picture pretty!

This is by far, the quickest dessert I have ever made. It's a creamy, tasty, no-guilt treat that's surprisingly quite refreshing. The best part is you don't have to follow a recipe - that's how easy it is! Here's what you need to make it:

Ricotta cheese

Mini chocolate chips* (I used regular because that's all I had)

Stevia, or other similar sugar substitute

Orange extract

Scoop out desired amount of Ricotta cheese into a mixing bowl. Add a small amount of sugar, and several drops of orange extract. Mix thoroughly and determine if you'd like to add a bit more sweetness, or more orange flavor. (The flavor will become enhanced as it sets in, so don't overdo on this.) Once you've added the right amount of sugar and extract to your liking, pour a small amount of chocolate chips into the mixture so that it looks like you'll get a few chips with every spoonful. Stir them into the cheese thoroughly and turn into a container to refrigerate for a couple of hours. When ready, scoop out portions into custard dishes, sit back and enjoy! If you've never had the flavors of chocolate and orange together, I think you'll really be surprised at how wonderful a taste their combination makes with the creaminess of the Ricotta!

*The idea behind using mini chocolate chips is to keep the carb count down. But, hey, if you're not low-carbing, any size chip will do!

Steamed Broccoli And Roasted Red Peppers

With some of the broccoli left over from dinner the other night (see my post http://simplymekimberlymarie.blogspot.com/2013/04/broccoli-and-garlic-penne-pasta.html), I was able to make a nice, tasty side dish for another meal.

Simple, easy and healthy!

Simplicity

Simple Sewing

I don't know if these patterns can still be found, 

but I loved them for their ease and variety.

And they're such cute outfits for summertime!