Recipe of the Week: Pickles!

I am so excited! I've been wanting to try homemade pickles for a while now and have been scouting recipes online. I wanted to make "refrigerator pickles" that don't need to be canned. These last about a month in the fridge. Maybe someday I'll try to make ones for long term storage.

Dan and I had fun using this recipe. Now all we need to do is wait 48 hours and try them out!

Dishtowel Bibs

I don't know about you other moms, but I have had a tough time finding bibs that will adequately cover Little E's clothes. Especially now that he is getting older, all the bibs in the stores seem too small. Enter my mom's fabulous creation: Dishtowel Bibs! Once you get the hang of it, these are super easy to make and only take 10 minutes to whip up. These bibs are great if you can find a good deal on the dish towels. I thought you might want to make some, so here's how.

This is my first ever tutorial, so please be patient with me!

Supplies

1 dishtowel

coordinating ribbing (enough for a 3" x 13" strip)*

thread

scissors

sewing machine

*You can adjust the size depending on your baby's head. Little E is 12 months old and through some trial and error we found this size to fit over his head and still be snug. The pictures are of our first try, which was 15" and I thought it was too big.

Instructions

1 - Cut your ribbing into a 3" x 13" strip.

2 - Sew ends of ribbing together. (Right sides facing)

3 - Fold ribbing in half, wrong sides together. (seam inside)

4 - Cut a neck hole in the dish towel. The diameter should be 1 - 1 1/2 inch smaller than your ribbing.

5 - Using 4 straight pins, pin your ribbing to the dish towel, right sides together. The ribbing should be smaller than the hole, so you will need to stretch the ribbing as you sew. It works better if you pin the ribbing down in 4 places so you stretch it evenly as you sew.

6 - Sew using a finishing stitch.

7 - Turn the ribbing under and viola!

Little E seems happy with his new bib!

Homemade Veggie Pizza

This dough recipie is fast and simple. You can use it with any toppings, but these are our favorites!

Makes two pizzas

Pizza Dough
2 TBS Yeast
2 TBS Sugar
2 cups Warm Water
4 cups Flour
2 tsp Salt
1 TBS Olive Oil

Toppings
1/3 Cup Ranch Dressing
3-4 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
1 – 1 ½ Lbs. Cheese, grated
½ zucchini, thinly sliced
1 can artichoke hearts
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
½ red onion, chopped
½ cup spinach, chopped
1 each red and green bell peppers chopped

Directions:
Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add flour, salt, and oil. Mix well. Let dough rise until doubled, about an hour. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray pans with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cornmeal if desired. Divide dough in half. Roll out on a well oiled surface and place on pizza pans. (Cookie sheets work just as well)
Add garlic to ranch dressing and spread over pizza crusts. Sprinkle with ½ of the cheese. Add veggie toppings evenly, going all the way to the edge of the crust. Add the other ½ of cheese.
Bake for approximately 35 minutes, but check after 20 minutes as bake times may vary. Cheese should be completely melted and crust just starting to turn golden. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!