Pizza Crust Recipe

The first time I tried this recipe was Valentine's Day 2012. Hubby (before he was hubby) came to pick me up for a little Valentine's date! He took me up to his mom's house and we made homemade heart shaped pizza for dinner and then went out with some of our friends. Here is a photo of said heart shaped pizza. I know, so super random I found a photo of the pizza we made more than 2 years ago… thanks, Facebook! 

Anyways, on to the recipe!! This pizza crust is quick, easy, and versatile. Tonight, I made pizza and cheesy breadsticks out of it. Thanks to mommy in law for the recipe!

For this recipe, you will need: 

1 pkg dry yeast

1/4 c warm water (almost hot)

2 3/4 c flour

1 Tb sugar

1 tsp salt

1Tb olive oil

1 c lukewarm water

Pizza Sauce

Any additional toppings you want! I used sauce, caramelized onions, Italian blend cheese, cheddar cheese, Italian seasoning, and pepperoni. Yum!

To start, sprinkle room temperature yeast over 1/4 c very warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. To make sure that it really bubbles up, I like to sprinkle about 1/8 tsp. sugar over it as well. While the yeast is bubbling, process flour, salt, and sugar for about 10 seconds in the food processor. If you don't have a food processor, this can be done in a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer. If you use a hand mixer or stand mixer, just make sure everything is very well combine as it will take longer in these appliances. P.S. please bare with me as I am learning food photography ;)

Once the yeast is nice and bubbly, add that in to the food processor and process for about 10 more seconds.

 Add 1 cup of water plus the tablespoon of oil. Process it all until it forms into a mass. If the machine slows down, add 1/4 c flour more and process for about 30 more seconds to knead things together. Knead the dough slightly, then flatten it into a circle on a pizza pan. I used a 12 inch round pan, and I definitely could have made 2 thinner crust pizzas with this much dough. Instead, I took a nice chunk of it and made some breadsticks!

Once you have the dough pressed into the pan, let it rise for 10-15 minutes until it about doubles in size. I usually let my dough rise in an oven that has been heated to 150 degrees and then turned off before the dough goes in. Once the dough has risen, spread with pizza sauce and toppings. Let it bake at 425 degrees on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! 

 MMMM… nice thick crust!

Check back for my cheesy breadstick recipe!:) 

Thanks for checking it out!!

Lindsay

You Are Enough

It seems that there has been a recent spike of suicides in the media. Celebrities, teens around the country, everywhere. What hits me the hardest, though, is the recent deaths in my own hometown. There have been multiple deaths since the new year at home. Some of these deaths have been accidental, but far too many have been incidents of suicide. 

Suicide is such a heartbreaking thing. It is 100% preventable, yet it is still prevelant in our society. Suicide can happen for a variety of reasons, but I believe that most of these reasons are coupled with depression and/or mental illness. A huge problem is that there is some sort if stigma around mental illness. This stigma runs deep in society and is often times just wished away instead of being properly handled and treated. It is forgotten until someone is pushed to the brink and takes their life. However, the pain doesn't stop there. The pain continues on through family members and loved ones in a vicious cycle. 

I think at some point in our lives, we all go through a "breaking" event. Death, depression, abuse, stress, divorce; so many things can leave us feeling broken. I've heard so many individuals that self harm say how broken they feel. That no amount of glue could make them whole again, but I know that isn't true. The Lord created us, and He can certainly fix us. It's kind of like stained glass. We see these beautiful, intricate pieces of art in buildings around the world, and they look whole and perfect and special. In reality, these works of art are just broken, melted glass that have been "fixed" by the artist. The artist took broken pieces of glass and made them into something bigger and more beautiful than they ever could have been before. He made them better than before. This is just like the Savior. He loves each and every one of us, and wants to help. He wants to give us everything. He wants us to be happy, strong, confident, peaceful, and faithful. But sometimes for that to happen, we have to break. Breaking is painful, but can be beautiful if we rely on the Savior to pick up the pieces and put us back together. The wonderful thing is that He will always leave us better than He found us. 

Please know that no matter what people say or do to you that you are enough! You are beautiful, you are loved, and you are wanted! Never let anyone tell you differently! No matter how bad things are, they can always get better. If you end things, you are only preventing things from improving. You are wonderful. You are so loved.

 If you are in emotional distress or thinking about suicide, please know that help is available. For confidential crisis counseling, you can always contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) andsuicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Step up, speak out. 

❤️Lindsay 

Welcome:)

Hello! I have decided that I need something of a creative outlet! I love to cook and try to craft. I love traveling and trying new things! I'm not exactly an eloquent writer, but I have a voice, and I want to share that voice!

This blog will be about creating. Creating joy, food, crafts, memories, thought provoking (hopefully) posts, my family, everything and anything! I would love to have you along for the journey:) Anyways, to introduce myself a little bit, here is 10 things about me!

1. I love to dabble in the photography world.
2. I'm mildly addicted to the Shaytards. I don't know if it's because we're from the same town or what, but I would rather watch them than TV any day. Check the cute family on youtube here!
3. That being said, I love cuddling up and watching movies with my cute hubby:)
4. Fruit snacks are my absolute favorite. I might be a 5 year old.
5. DISNEYLAND! <3 I love anything and everything Disney. Disneyland and Disney World are my favorite places on earth. They're just magical! Again, 5 year old over here!
6. I like making things from scratch. Bread, butter, cake, laundry detergent, cleaner, etc. It makes me feel accomplished or something. 
7. I actually started this blog in hopes that it will push me into being more creative. 
8. Ticket to Ride is one of my favorite board games.
9. I love all board games.
10. I love reading, but always forget until I find a good book. Then I read 20 books in 2 weeks. 
11. Bonus! Here's a photo of me and hubby. 

So, that's me! What do you like to create?

 Thanks for following along. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments!!:)

❤️Lindsay