Showing posts with label homemade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homemade. Show all posts

Monday, October 25, 2010

homemade pizza

 Since mid last year we have owned a bread maker, its' used most day's to make our preservative free bread with no nasty traces of nuts or egg.
Every couple of weeks it gets the special task of making the perfect pizza dough....my children now love homemade pizza and mummy likes it too because it's so much healthier making pizza yourself .It enables you pick the things that are safe, healthy, yummy and have a load of fun in the process.
Although making pizza has become harder now the muchkins can't have pineapple, capsicum, tomato, most sauces and all the yummy things that are usually found in pizza!!!!

If you don't have a bread maker to make pizza dough, don't fret I'll give you a recipe to use.

People with dairy allergies and intolerance's may think that this blog clearly doesn't apply to them.....in most cases people think pizza must have cheese
well I'm happy to say your wrong!!! :)
This blog will give you a delish recipe for a dairy free pizza and you can easily change the 2nd recipe to become dairy free too (I actually liked the dairy free pizza more!!!)


YEASTED PIZZA DOUGH
1 tsp active dried yeast
1 cup water
1/2tsp sugar
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups plain flour (see following for gluten free)

Throw all your ingredients in your bread maker and press DOUGH,
or dissolve the yeast in the water with the sugar.
Mix with oil, salt and flours in a large bowl.
Blend and knead until smooth and elastic on a floured board.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 1 1/2 hrs).
Punch down and knead again a few minutes to make dough easy to handle.
To make two 30cm pizzas, divide the dough in half, stretch out to about a 15cm circle by hand, then roll out to 30cm.
Place on a greased pan and cook at 220 degrees c for 15min.

QUICK PIZZA DOUGH (YEAST LESS)
2 cups self-raising flour or gluten free flour
pinch of salt
2 tbsp of Nuttlex (or butter if allowed)
enough milk or soy milk to make a workable dough (about 3/4 cup)
canola oil

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Rub in the butter.
Add the milk gradually, mixing to a soft dough.
Roll out to form a circle and place on a well-oiled oven tray.
Brush with oil and bake at 220 degrees c for 15minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Cover with topping.
Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

POTATO AND LEEK PIZZA TOPPING
Low chemical.Free of egg, dairy, gluten, nut and soy
enough for 2 pizzas
(taken from 'friendly food' recipe book)
 2 tbsp canola oil
2 leeks, halved length ways, washed and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 (600g) white skinned potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
(we used 300g of white skinned potatoes and 300g of sweet potato)
ground sea salt
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
grated cheese (optional)

  • Preheat oven to 240 degrees C
  • Put 1tsp of oil in a large non stick frying pan over a medium heat
  • Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 8-10min or until the leeks are very soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, steam or microwave potato slices until almost tender. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
  • Spread half of the leek mixture over each pizza.
  • Arrange the potato slices in a thin layer over the leeks.
  • Sprinkle with salt and brush with the remaining oil.
  • sprinkle with grated cheese if allowed (optional)
  • Bake for 20-25minutes, swapping the trays around once, or until the potatoes and dough are golden.
  • Sprinkle the chives over the pizza and serve.
GARLIC MEAT PIZZA TOPPING
Low chemical, free of egg, gluten, nut and soy.
-has the potential to become dairy free too!
enough for 2 pizzas
(recipe taken from 'The Failsafe Cookbook' with a few changes)
2 cloves garlic,crushed
chopped shallots
500g low-fat mince
2tbsp cornflour dissolved in 1 1/2 cups water
canola oil
salt to taste
cream cheese (optional)
vatirty of diced veggies (optional)
grated cheese (optional)
  • Preheat oven to 240 degrees C
  • If you don't have to avoid dairy, cut fingers from a cheese block and place along the edge of your pizzas, folding dough over the cheese to create a cheese crust.(optional)
  • You can also spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the base of your pizza if allowed (optional)
  • For meat topping, Stir-fry garlic and shallots in a little oil, remove from pan.
  • Fry mince in a little oil, stirring until cooked.
  • Add garlic and shallots to mince with cornflour mixture, reduce heat and stir until thickened.Spoon over pizza base and sprinkle with salt.
  • Place your pick of diced veggies on top of the pizza for extra taste and colour, veggies may need to be microwaved or steamed before placing on pizza. We used diced zucinni and butternut pumpkin. (optional)
  • Sprinkle pizza with grated cheese to finish (optional)
  • Bake in oven for 15-20 min

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Creating Dinosaur land

Dinosaurs as I have mentioned before are one of the very extra special creatures that encompass all that Declan loves.
Our house at times looks like a scene from a prehistoric world...Declan's owns many different sizes of plastic dino friends that participate in going potty, sitting up at the dinner table to watch, having a tea party, dancing along to the wiggles, reading books and many other day to day activities...okay you get the point he is obsessed to the max!!!

When the dinosaurs are not being man handled by my munchkins ( Thalia too now is quite fond of our Dino friends) they are stored in a see though plastic box with the exception of Brachiosaurous who often sits proud on Declan's Big boy shelf in his room or tucked in bed alongside Declan.
Other than outdoor play in the garden and the use of imagination our dino friends didn't have a "home" of their own. Hence the Dinosaur land project commenced.

I sat with Declan about 2 weeks ago and showed him a big shoe box (that my new big black boots came in :D) and we discussed about making it into a dinosaur land. After lots of idea's and identifying just what the dinosaurs needed according to Declan we set out on our task at hand.

On the list of requirements was listed :
  • A Volcano
  • Water
  • trees including a "Nickle Nackle tree" :P
  • rocks
  • hills and mountains
  • grass
We came up with a collection of old "junk" from around the house such as boxes of different sizes, a drink holder from McDonald's, a cardboard baking paper roll, newspaper and placed them in the box in different positions until we were happy.
Declan helped glue them in place and I made some paper mache glue and while Declan was alseep started the process of paper macheing over the boxes to convert them into the listed items. The paper mache glue only consists of flour, water and a touch of salt (the salt helps to preserve the glue and when used in hunid climates it prevents the project from moulding).
When Declan's older cousins arrived from nsw on school holidays I asked them to join us in the making process....Jess helped me finish the paper mache process and added a cave to the project which myself and Declan are now very grateful of. Both Josh and Jess helped Declan and myself paint when the paper mache had dried and the finishing touches were made.
With the help of a cheap packet of small river rocks ($2 from choice), some different colours of felt from a craft/art store ($1.80 a piece), a small dinosaur bag packet from The Warehouse ($2.95 i think) containing small plastic dinosaurs and trees we glued in the finishing touches (with pva glue). Just before finishing Jess yet again came up with a great idea...quickly ran outside in the freezing cold I might add, and gathered some sticks to glue in for a nest. why did I not think of that.
We all enjoyed playing with it for the first time when the finished product was revealed and I'm sure it will be very much loved and used.
This project just goes to show how cheap something so special can be, the process is just as special as the product and it was lots of fun to do!!!! It took imagination, concentration,collaboration, skill, use of fine and gross motor skills, thought, the art of mixing colours and much more to create.
The finished product gives the player/user an amazing sensory experience with its vibrant colours, unique shapes, soft felt, sculptured trees, bumpy rocks, textured paint and pure invitation to play. .....and the look on Declan's face every time he sees it is worth every minute.
the photo's that follow will explain the journey...
 
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