I’ve been a clean freak most of my life. I have my mother to thank for that. Cleaning might be a piece of therapy for me or perhaps give me a peace of mind. When life can often appear chaotic, a clean house or clean car can make that chaos appear to be a bit more manageable. I can honestly say I bring my vacuum out at least once a day. I hope other moms are on board with me when I say this, and I only say it with love, but my kids are pigs. Like absolutely the messiest of messy. I find food particles EVERYWHERE in my home and in my car. I find sticky somethings in my carpet, cheerios, peas, french Fries, stepped on pretzels with peanut butter, string cheese, crackers, mashed bananas with the peel on, and sometimes even spilt spoiled milk. I suppose it was easier when we lived in a house with just hardwood floors. Mopping and sweeping was a mindless job and more manageable. However, we now live in a house with carpet. I hate carpet. Like HATE it. And the worst thing about it, its white carpet. Or I suppose off-white carpet. But who does that??!! Who installs white carpet in a house??? I mean come on people. We had to put a pet deposit down for my dog, but now I’m considering asking our landlord to make us put a child deposit down. My dog is the easiest and most of the time, cleanest dog there is. My children, however, are not.
So here we go… this week’s blog is for my messy dirty children. I have partnered with them together, and we made a dinner. Scroll down to the bottom to catch out the latest reel of our happenings in the kitchen! We conquered a homemade pizza together. Crust and all. A wonderful weekend kitchen activity for all of you parents out there. You’re welcome.
HOMEMADE PIZZA
· 1 ¾ - 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
· 1 packet of Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast
· 1 ½ teaspoons of granulated sugar
· ¾ teaspoon of salt
· ⅔ cup of very warm water (120° to 130°F)*
· 3 Tablespoons of Olive oil
· ½-1 cup of pizza sauce
· ½ cup of sliced red onion
· ½ cup of sliced mushrooms
· ½ cup of thinly sliced bell peppers
· ½ cup of sliced pepperoni
· 1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
*Preheat oven to 425°F.
*Combine 1 cup of flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. The dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Let dough rest at this point for 10 minutes.
*Pat dough with floured hands to fill greased pizza pan or baking sheet. OR roll dough on a floured counter to 12-inch circle; place in greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Form a rim by pinching the edge of the dough.
*Spread with pizza sauce. Top with desired toppings and sprinkle with vegan cheese.
*Bake on the lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and the crust is lightly browned. (See notes below)
NOTES
Customize your pizza toppings however you want.
I’ve always wanted to be Janet Jackson’s backup dancer. Some days, Lady Gaga. And well, today, I’ve daydreamed about Christina Aguilera’s back up dancer. This queen with a voice. A song from the early 2000’s, Dirty, is one of Christina’s best. She was ahead of her time back in 2002. And from all the pop stars, she has one of the best voices. Join me in singing along to this song… it makes a brilliant song to vacuum to. I promise.
This blog has been a neat lesson for me as a mother. The lesson of allowing the “dirty” to just be dirty sometimes. The flow of the day has always been easier for me when things are clean and picked up, but sometimes they can’t be. And that has to be okay. Chaos can be a really beautiful thing. And I think that’s why I really loved the pairing this week… Christina’s song, Dirty, is brilliantly chaotic in her video. Dancing largely and messy. Just like the two toddlers in my kitchen…and I love them for it. So I challenge you to surround yourself with a little mess this week. A little dirty. The shine can come after the fun.