Today I did a lot of much-needed cleaning in the kitchen. I took the stove burners apart and cleaned under the range, and completely cleared and wiped down the counters. One would think that it would be easy to keep a kitchen as tiny as mine spotlessly clean, but there are just a lot of little nooks and crannies for the dirt to hide in -- and they are sometimes very hard to reach!!! (For example, there is no physical way that I can reach the back of the corner cupboard, and sometimes have to use a long spoon or other utensil to fish out a blender cover or such thing that has fallen out of reach...)

I had prepared a tomato sauce yesterday, and I used a good portion of it this evening for pizza. I make my own crust, from my mother's excellent recipe, and top it with fresh, wholesome things. Tonight it was summer squash, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese.

We invited one of my husband's friends to share it with us, and had a very nice evening.

I really enjoy being able to open our home to our friends, and especially when I have made a dinner that I am proud of. Cooking is both a creative outlet for me and a way of showing love.

Mom's Pizza Crust:

1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast
a splash of olive oil
a dash of salt
2 1/2-3 cups all-purpose flour

 

image by César Astudillo

Mix the water and yeast in the bowl of a mixer and let sit for five minutes.

Add 1 cup flour and begin mixing. While mixture is still soupy, add oil and salt.

Gradually add the rest of the flour until the dough is formed (when it firms up, switch to a dough hook attachment).

Finish kneading by hand and put the ball of dough in an oiled bowl (covered with a clean towel) to rise.

When doubled in size, fold in the four corners of the dough into the middle and let rise again.

Roll out on a large cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal, and assemble your pizza!