Project Procrastination:

I'm joining in my first ever blog party.

Melissa over at The Inspired Room is hosting a Project Procrastinators Party today and I've decided to join in. I have a thousand and one projects I want done and/or currently in progress. I'm having a difficult time choosing which one to go with.

There's the master bedroom that got painted a couple of months ago but never got finished:



Then there's the bathroom remodel we're working on (though our Handy Man was sick last week and we still haven't rescheduled for him to come put in the tile):


Then there's the crib for New Bean (which is the only piece of furniture we even have for him/her!):

(I don't have a picture and can't get to it right now, so I guess I'll leave you hanging on this one!)

There's also the stairway remodel that is still a work in progress:



I could go on and on, but I won't bore you.

I've decided to start with the stairway. I've been wanting this done for quite some time (it was one of my Cold Weather Goals, after all - and the cold weather is long gone!). I know I'll still have some accessorizing to do at the end of the two weeks, but if I can get those stairs painted, I'll be happy. Besides, my accessorizing hinges on a junking trip I'm taking with my Mom the day after this party has ended!

This might be very difficult with Monkey. I can't exactly have her hanging out in the stairway with me - and I don't think she'll be happy sitting at the top of the stairs (behind a locked gate, no less), watching me work. And that's my excuse for not having done it by now. HA!

Here is the very first BEFORE pictures:



And here is what the top of the stairway currently looks like:


The bottom half has yet to be touched and still looks like the BEFORE seen above.

And tell me not to sit here thinking "No Problem! I'll finish the stairs and be over ambitious and even get another project done, too!" I am 30 weeks pregnant, after all. Shouldn't I be relaxing with my feet up a little? (NEVER!)

Wish me luck!

Pizza on the grill

Last fall, I shared our love of pizza. I told of how I grill it and how we've made it on a fire a few times. Today, I want to tell you about grilling pizza again - for those of you that love your grills as much as we love ours.

In the past, I've always used a Boboli crust when making pizza on the grill. I've finally gotten over my fear of dough stuck to my grill grates and took the plunge. On Friday, I tried using a fresh dough crust.

Some months ago, I shared with you a pizza dough recipe we received from T's cousin. Here it is again so you don't need to go searching (I cut it in half for one pizza):

Pizza Dough (NC)

3 cups flour
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs salt (I use less)
1 tbs yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp olive oil (I use a little more)

Knead until smooth.

Place in oiled bowl and flip so oiled side of dough is up.

Let rise 30-60 minutes.

Split in half. Either use both or freeze one.

While the dough was rising, I chopped my green peppers and mushrooms (I kept it simple - and sliced them thin). Fire up the grill at some point, too - you'll want it on high. Note - You do need a grill with multiple heat zones for this. Otherwise, you're going to burn your crust.

Once the dough was ready, I tossed it to make my "round" (I know - it's not very round. I usually do get it round, I swear!). I then gathered all my supplies and headed outside. I sprayed my grates with Pam for Grilling and then tossed my crust on. Stay close. Once it starts to bubble and you have nice grill marks on the bottom, flip it over (Our large grill spatula was helpful in the flipping).

Layer on your toppings. Don't put it too thick. You'll either end up with undercooked toppings or a burnt crust to get your toppings cooked just right.

At this point, I followed the same steps as when using the Boboli:

"Be sure the flame directly underneath your pizza is turned off. The other burner[s] should be on low/med-low. I usually rotate the pizza quarter turns every 15 minutes (yes, that means it's on the grill for an hour)."

Just remember to stay close and check it often. I checked it every 5-10 minutes and rotated about that often. I didn't keep track of how long it was on - when it looks right, just take it off!

Boboli has lost my business because of just how easy this was.

I'd love to hear how it turns out for anyone else!

Enjoy!

New recipes for the week:

I've only got a few minutes to post this morning, so here's a quick run down for the week.


We start with another Every Day with Rachael Ray. I'll be on the road most of the day, Monkey permitting. I'll be in need of something quick tonight and I've been enjoying all of our stir fries very much, so we're trying out Napa Noodles.

Wednesday is a recipe I got from GFT. It's for Zesty Chicken-Noodle Casserole. I do have a note on it to double the recipe. If memory serves (it's been a while it's been sitting in my stash), she told me it was perfect for the two of them but I may want to double for us - and to have leftovers.



Thursday I'm trying a non-recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray. What exactly is a non-recipe? It's where they tell you everything you need but don't give you measurements. In this case, it's a Spicy Meatball. And while looking for the link, I discovered they DO give you measurements online (they don't in the magazine)!!


The last recipe I have is for Ginger-Sesame Stir-Fry. It is from Country Home magazine - the March/April 2009 and final issue. Unfortunately, their website was not updated for this issue so the recipe never made it online and I'm having quite a time finding something similar to share. If I can't find anything by the time I review, I'll share the full recipe in the reviews.


Enjoy your kitchens!

All images are from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

A review of this week's new recipes:

Since my original posting last week, the recipes have become available online at Every Day with Rachael Ray! Now I can share them properly.

First up was the Asian Noodles with Vegetables and Pork. After rummaging through my freezer, I realized we are all out of pork chops! I had already been to the grocery store so made a small change in my plans so I could work with what I still did have. The steak I was craving? Well, it got sliced up for stir fry. It was very much worth it. Even Monkey, who was getting over a terrible stomach bug, enjoyed it (when I gave it to her leftover after she was allowed solids a day later).

The Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan recipe from my mother in law was also much enjoyed. We were wondering why we hadn't ever made it before because it was also ridiculously easy.

My menu got changed around again later in the week for two reasons. One, I had pork chops on the menu twice (once for the noodles and once for grilling) yet had no pork chops for cooking! Two, T came home late one night, so I got lazy and made sandwiches for just Monkey and me. Don't judge. I deserve a lazy night.

We ended up having ham steak (turns out we still have quite a few of those in the freezer!) with the Garlic and Oil Spaghetti with Greens on the side for Wednesday. The spaghetti was nothing special. I found it bland. T said it tasted like oily spaghetti. And Monkey spit hers out (we have a hard time with the green leafy vegetables for her - but she's not a picky eater, so I won't complain if that's the only type of veggie we can't get her to eat, right?).

Thursday was sandwich night. Tuna salad. Nothing fancy. Just quick and easy.

I experimented with pizza on Friday. I'll post about it later this week and share pictures and details. I'll just tell you it was fresh dough and it was done on the grill.

We finally got around to our last new recipe tonight. Bay-Rosemary Potato Gratin takes some time to prepare. It smells unbelievable, courtesy of the rosemary. We all enjoyed it, but I question if an hour and a half, start to finish, is worth it on a regular weeknight side dish. I'll be keeping the recipe, but it's not something I'll make often because of how long it took.

I hope you enjoyed your kitchens as much as I enjoyed mine!

All images are from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

A second sweet treat for you:

I made breakfast this morning, as opposed to just pouring a bowl of cereal or making a toast. I wanted to make this yesterday, but we went to the 10 AM showing of the Shrine Circus and had to leave too early for cooking from scratch.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Rolls were on the menu for the morning. No, I don't normally feed my family pure sugar for breakfast. But treats like this every now and again are good! These were fantastic. Do realize you need to prepare the dough the night before to let it rise overnight (I caught that tidbit when I was looking to see how early I'd have to start working on them to have breakfast on time!).

Another keeper. Rachael Ray has far too many good recipes in her magazine. My recipe box is starting to overflow!