Video: HomeMade Pizza (updated)

Making homemade pizza is fun...and so budget friendly!  Check out the recipe with instructions under the VGL Cookbook tab!

Recipe: Homemade Pizza!

There is nothing like making your own pizzas - from scratch!  It's fun, it's inexpensive and you know what ingredients are going into your pizza pie!
When my husband makes pizza, he makes enough for 6 pies - we eat a whole one (six slices) and we freeze the rest. We cut the pizzas into 6 (almost) equal slices and freeze them in packs of two.  They make for great lunches or a light dinner.  The recipe below is for 3 pies!  I also have a separate video link with step-by-step photos.
We have a ceramic pizza stone (we bought it at Williams-Sonoma), a pizza peel (Bed Bath & Beyond) and a plastic pizza cutter (also BB&B).  I picked up pie trays at various clearance/outlet centers and the $7 one is just as good as the one we paid $20!
What you need:
Pizza stone
Pizza peel
Pizza cutter
Rolling pin (French rolling pin is our preference)
Large bowl for mixing
Large bowl for resting/rising
Plastic/cling wrap to cover dough while resting/rising
Pizza pans for slicing/serving
Thermometer to register water temperature
Small bowl and brush for brushing pizza crust when it comes out of oven
1 kitchen towel: first to cover the dough while resting, afterwards dampened to cover the risen dough

Here's the recipe for 3 pies:
1 package fast acting or rising yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot or it will kill the yeast! Use a thermometer)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (we use King Arthur All Purpose Flour)
1 Tablespoon olive oil  PLUS EXTRA: to grease a large bowl and some for brushing on crust
1 pinch of salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
32oz  jar tomato sauce (we use Muir Glen "marina" - you'll only use half the jar)
16oz package of Mozzarella cheese - shredded (divide into 3 portions)
8 oz package Jack cheese - shredded (divide into 3 portions)
6+ Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese (figure 2 per pizza)
sausage or pepperoni or other topping of your choice (divide as desired)
**
Very fine ground cornmeal or semolina (for dusting the peel)
Small bowl with olive oil and a brush - for brushing crust when out of oven

• Arrange all your ingredients
• IF you are using sausage as a topping, cook it first and let it cool down (1/2 lb should be good)  (If you want to use mushrooms, cook them ahead and cool down as well.)
• IF you are using pepperoni, cut it up and have it set aside
• Heat the Water (use cold bottled if possible) in  microwave (check temp with a thermometer: 110-115 degrees), add the yeast and let activate 5 minutes
• After the 5 minutes, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to the water/yeast
• Spread some extra olive oil in a very large bowl, set aside
• In a large bowl, place the 3 1/2 cups flour 
• Add the salt, garlic and onion powders - gently blend into the flour
• Make a well in the flour
• Slowly pour small amounts of the water/yeast into the flour and blend using wooden spoon
• Add all the water/yeast and work it into a smooth dough (use a wooden spoon)
• Work the dough for 10 minutes; it helps to have another person help you with the mixing!!
• Place in the oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic/cling wrap, drape a towel over that
• Let rise 1 1/2 - 2 hours in a warm area, away from A/C or draft
• Place the pizza stone in the oven, bottom rack; remove all other racks from oven
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees
• After 1 1/2 - 2 hours, dust your counter with flour and turn the dough onto the counter
• Punch down and begin to shape into a log (don't over work the dough)
• Dust the dough with just a bit of flour to prevent sticking to the counter and your hands
• Cut the log into 3 equal pieces (we use a tape measure to help guide us!) 
• Dampen the towel used to cover the rising dough 
• Lightly cover the cut dough pieces with the dampened towel (keeps them from drying out)
• Begin with piece #1 and roll (with a rolling pin or your hands) into a flat disk slightly larger than your pizza peel.  (Be sure to dust your hands and the rolling pin with flour first!!)
• Sprinkle the finely ground corn meal (or semolina) on the peel - this will help the dough 'slide' off and onto the stone
• Gently place the dough onto the peel and tuck up the edges to form a ridge/crust
• Gently give the peel a shake to make sure it doesn't stick to the peel
• Use about 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce and gently spread it on the dough - not too much, it'll get soggy and the dough won't slide off the peel!!
• Give the peel another gentle shake to be sure it is gliding on the peel
• IF you are adding sausage or pepperoni, add it on now 
• Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, 1/3 of the Mozzarella cheese,1/3 of the Jack cheese
• Gently give the peel a shake to make sure it is doesn't stick to the peel
• Bring the peel to the oven, place towards back of stone and gently shake/shimmy the pizza onto the stone as you gently pull the peel back with every little shake/shimmy.
• Bake approximately 15-20 each
• While pizza is baking, start on the next pie
• Repeat
• When the pizza is ready to be removed from oven, use a fork and glide the pizza onto your pizza pan.
• Brush the crust with olive oil (it gives it a golden color!)
• Let cool a bit and then cut pizza into 6 (almost) equal slice

Have fun...here are our pictures of pizza making with our friends!  We had a pizza making party and we toasted a successful event with Proseco!  Ciao!

Back to Travel (Agent)

Many years ago I was a travel agent for one of the largest travel companies in the New York metropolitan area.  But my "travel career" began many years prior when I worked as a reservations agent for TWA.  A few years later I was hired at a travel agency in northern NJ that specialized in corporate travel. With a year's experience behind me, I left there and was hired by the large travel company's corporate travel division and eventually became manager of that division.  I left travel and went into real estate sales in Rockland County NY.  With the love of travel still running deep in me, I went back to the same company, but this time in the retail (storefront) sector.  I loved it!  However, that was a temporary stay and we soon moved to Florida where I once again, went into real estate sales.  Here I am 20+ years later and I am headed back into the travel industry!  I keep going full circles!

During my "hiatus" from travel, I have helped countless friends and family with travel plans - not to mention all the trips my husband and I have taken over our 40+ years together!  I've planned honeymoons, vacations, weekend getaways and more. Now, I hope to do even more vacation planning for family, friends and referrals with greater access to itineraries and pricing to suit each one!  As I get further along on my re-entry into travel, I will keep you posted.

In the meantime, if you are looking to make your travel plans, look over some of my suggestions: start with my blog's "search" by country or city to find where we've visited, tourist info links, airlines we've flown, cruises we've taken, hotels we've been and places we've dined.  Don't overlook the videos and pictures - they tell as much as the written word.  There is a good amount of information in the 120+ blog posts.

Happy Travels!

Travel: Summer is almost here - where will you be?

If you haven't made your summer vacation plans, there is still time to find a great vacation package or cruise.

If you think you'd like to travel in late July and/or August, it can be warm (think hot) in the southern part of Europe, but absolutely delightful in the northern parts.  Consider Scotland, Ireland, England, Netherlands (Holland), Estonia and Germany.

June's weather is delightful along the Mediterranean! Warm sun, blue blue skies, and less crowds.  Spain offers lots of spectacular beaches, France has fascinating historical villages along the seaside and Italy is full of romantic notions under that sun in Tuscany and Venice's canals are bustling with activity.

First time to Europe?  Consider a Mediterranean cruise to see the most places with greatest of ease.  May and June are fantastic cruising times for southern Europe.  July and August are perfect for cruising the northern European cities.  Anytime during the summer is delightful for a river cruise on the Rhine and/or Danube Rivers (www.vikingrivercruises.com).   There are lots of sites you can search, for instance check out this site for last minute/bargain cruises: http://www.lastminutecruises.com/  You can select where to cruise, the length of a cruise (7 day minimum is best), month of travel, etc.  Cruising offers you an incredible value: your floating hotel transports you from port to port, with no stress to you, and your meals are included!  Getting over there: sometimes the cruise line will offer an airfare for free or as an "add-on"...I suggest you ask specifically the routing for the flights...sometimes it is best to book your own flights (or take the credit for the airfare offered by the cruise line) and take control of your flights!  (One time we had to take 3 flights to get from NY to our cruise ship in Athens!!!  The wear and tear on us was not worth the "free" airfare!)

Looking for package deals? Want to visit 3 cities on your whirlwind tour?  Easy enough to do!  There are so many choices, so many cities, so many countries.  Again, there are so many sites that you can find on line for travel searches, and here is another: http://www.europeandestinations.com/  How about London-Paris-Rome?  Dublin-London-Edinburgh?  Germany's Romantic Road & Castles? Or Rome-Florence-Venice for an Italian culinary adventure...Paris-Amsterdam-Brussels...the options are endless.  You can choose a pre-made package, or create your own.

Want to settle down in one spot and "live like a local"?  Travelling with family and need a bit more space than a hotel room?  Vacationing with a group of friends sharing costs?  Check out this site to rent an apartment or house in your destination: www.vrbo.com

Aside from the well known hotel chains (InterContinental, Sheraton, Hilton, Marriot, Holiday Inn, etc), consider some of these brands: Eurostars Hotels, Sofitel and one of my favorites, Best Western.  Best Western in Europe are mostly family owned hotels; some are small, others a bit larger and some quite large.  I've stayed at a larger one in Florence (on the edge of the city, a converted convent) in a smaller one in the Florence city center (a converted monastery) and a most charming one in Ducey, France (converted water mill).  Of course, there are just some hotels that are privately owned and not affiliated with any brand.  I've had the good fortune to have slept and enjoyed my stay in many a hotel throughout Europe and not a complaint among them!  Sometimes we splurge and go 5 star and other times, a 3 star delivers the same warm hospitality and comfort for a lesser cost.  On my blog, "Search": "Where We Stayed"  for some of my past stays! ( I also have a grouping of restaurants where we've dined!)

Airfares:  shop, shop, shop!  All the major US carriers will get you there, and so will many European carriers: British Air, Iberia, TAP (Portugal), Alitalia, Air France, Lufthansa, SAS (Scandanavia), Swiss Air and a little known gem: Air Berlin!  Air Berlin has incredible fares and many destinations throughout Europe. Here is their link: http://www.airberlin.com/prepage.php   Don't forget to check your credit card company for offers on using "points" to buy your air tickets.  Some credit card companies may even offer vacation packages or travel services as part of their program.  Don't overlook any opportunities!

So what are you waiting for?  Check out those websites, book your trip, confirm your passport is current, pack your bags and don't forget your camera!  Bon Voyage!

Fifi

Recipe: Blackened/Seasoned Pork Chops

I've mentioned before how terrific Emeril's Essence Seasoning Mix (http://www.food.com/recipe/emerils-essence-5031) is for almost anything.  I've shared recipes using it.  Well, here is another!

Travel: Dover, England

The White Cliffs of Dover....I remember there was an old song about the White Cliffs of Dover; it was a popular song during the time of World War 2.  It was a pretty song...but never realized the sadness in the words...

We arrived to Dover, England a few days ahead before embarking on a cruise that would take us to the North Sea and beyond to St. Petersburg, Russia and back to Dover to disembark.

Video: Dover, England

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