Learning to Knit

So one of the items on my "to do" list for the new year was learn to knit. Utilizing youtube.com I have now learned to knit and purl! I am well on my way to my first organic cotton homemade scarf. Phew! It is a lot of work at first. I think I have pulled the scarf apart 15 times. I kept forgetting if I was on a "purl" stitch or a "knit" stitch. After figuring out a way to keep track I have my first ten rows of scarf! 

 I learned both the stitches with these two videos from youtube.com. Here are the links. Knit here. Purl here.
I found organic cotton yarn and organic wool yarn on amazon.com for a decent price. Turns out they also sell it at Fred Meyers. Although it is cheaper on amazon by a few dollars. In my picture I am using the organic cotton yarn. I can't wait to finish my scarf and then try a hat! That will involve learning to knit in the round. I have a lot to learn yet. I love learning to do things by hand that I have previously taken for granted and purchased in the store. Another knitting goal is to make a big floor pillow like one I saw on CB2.com. Why pay for it when I can make it? If anyone has any knitting tips I will take them.

Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

The accountant wanted pizza, and I did not want to spend out the money on store bought or delivered...so one day after multiple dough attempts we came up with this recipe. This recipe is not gluten or dairy free. You can easily make it dairy free by using goats cheese instead of dairy cow cheese. I did make myself a gluten free pizza to eat...but I used a package, whereas this one is from scratch. Per reports from the accountant he LOVES the homemade pizza. He prefers when I use 100% organic unbleached flour versus mixing half whole wheat and half unbleached flour. I am giving you the recipe for the mixed dough.  

 Ingredients:
 1 1/3 cups of warm water
2 Tablespoons of organic extra virgin Olive Oil
4 1/2 teaspoons of dry active yeast (or two packages)
1 teaspoon of organic sugar
2 cups of organic whole wheat flour
2 cups of organic unbleached flour
1 teaspoon of sea salt

cheese, tomato sauce and toppings of choice

Directions: This will make two 12-14 inch pizzas. Prep time is about an hour and a half with dough rising time included.

• In a small bowl mix together warm water, oil, yeast and sugar. Let sit until foams (about 5-10 minutes)
• In another larger bowl mix together 2 cups of flour (one cup of whole wheat and one cup of unbleached white flour) and the salt.

Picture below of foaming yeast mixture.

Then stir yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Add in as much of the remaining two cups of flour as you can. Knead in enough of the remaining flour as to make a soft dough that is slightly sticky. This can be done in the bowl or on a lightly floured surface.

 Food mommy...

Feed me PLEASE!!

 Wesley hangs out below the high chair to get in on the action.

 Shape the dough into a ball. Grease the outside of the ball with oil. Place back in bowl. Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes or until double in size.

 Then turn out onto lightly floured surface. Punch down, then divide into two balls. Let rest 10 minutes. These are your two pizza doughs. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

 Roll the dough out into the desired shape and size.

 Place on pan. Top with tomato sauce, cheese and other toppings.

 Place in pre heated oven for 10-15 minutes then serve. As you can see Olivia is cooking in her oven too!

Shepard's Pie Recipe

When I looked in the refrigerator and pantry on Sunday to do my weekly menu plan I realized I had a TON of carrots and potatoes. What to do with them?  Make a Shepard's pie of course! Growing up this was my favorite meal that my mom made. Here is my dairy free version of it. 

Ingredients:
20 medium sized potatoes, peeled, cut into quarters and boiled soft enough to mash
20 carrots, peeled and cut very small, then boiled until soft when poked with a fork
1 can of Native Forest Coconut Milk
2 Tablespoons of organic extra virgin coconut oil
1 large organic yellow onion
1 pound of organic grass fed beef
1 Tablespoon of black pepper
10 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon of paprika
1 Tablespoon of Basil
1 Tablespoon of Oregano
1/2 a cup of organic beef broth
5 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
2 cups of frozen organic corn
1/2 cup of dry white wine

Directions:
Preheat oven to Broil. Need a 9x 13 glass baking pan. Serves 8 people. Time to prep and cook is 60 minutes.
First prepare the potatoes and carrots. ( This will be the most time consuming part, from there it is a breeze!)

While you are boiling your potatoes and carrots. In a separate saucepan place 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Allow to melt then place diced onion and ground beef in the pan. Brown the meat.

When the meat has browned add the garlic, beef broth, white wine, basil, oregano, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and corn.

After the carrots have boiled add them to the corn and ground beef mixture. Simmer with lid on the stove top for 10 minutes.

Spoon meat mixture into a 9x13 baking pan.

After potatoes are soft. Mash adding in your one can of coconut milk. Feel free to add a dash of pepper and paprika to the potatoes. When potatoes are mashed place the potatoes on top of the meat mixture. Place in oven on top shelf broil until potatoes are slightly browned. Serve with a side salad. (Note this can be made a day before you serve it. Omit the broiling until the day you serve it. If made the day prior or even earlier in the day. Heat the dish in the oven at 275 for one hour then broil.)