Homemade Pizza

Homemade pizza tastes nice, and I like making it from scratch.

Pizza's true origin is unknown. But, what is known about it is from the time of King Darius I (a predecessor of the King Darius who lost many battles to Alexander the Great). When his army did not have an oven handy and couldn't make a fire, if it was sunny, they supposedly baked bread on top of their shields. They then melted cheese on top and put on olives. Later, in one of Homer's poems, he said, "See we devoured the plates on which we fed on." The plates were made of flour and bread. Pizza finally came to America in the 1800s.

You can make the dough in a bread machine or mix it up in a bowl. After is rises and rests, shape it into pizza rounds. Shaping it just right can be difficult. But remember, even if it's oblong, according to geometry, there are at least two equal pieces opposite each other on the pizza, so oblong is all right.

I like pepperoni and a fine sprinkling of spinach on my pizza. We often make two pizzas, so the second can be a combo pizza, with olives, pepperoni, mushroom, and spinach.

Pizza is fun to make as a family. And it doesn't take very long.

Pizza Dough for the Bread Machine(adapted from Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook)
Makes 2 pizzas, 8 wedges each

1 cup water
2 Tbls olive oil
2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp Italian seasoning (dry parsley, oregano, basil)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar or honey
2 1/2 tsp bread machine or quick active dry yeast

1) Place all ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order given above.

2) Select the Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use delay cycles.

3) Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands. Knead 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface (if necessary, knead in enough flour to make the dough easy to handle). Cover and let reast 10 minutes.

4) Heat oven tp 450 degrees. Greased two large cookie sheets or two 12-inch pizza pans. Pat dough into 13-inch circle; pinch edge, forming 1/2-inch rim. Top with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings.

Our Favorite Toppings
Tomato paste
Basil and/or oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
Mozzarella
Pepperoni
Spinach
Finely grated parmesan cheese

Manga!

Baked Eggs or Shirred Eggs

I decided to try to cook eggs and attempted to make an omelet. It turned into cheese on top of scrambled eggs, but it was all right!

Next I tried baked eggs. No one had ever heard of them. So, I tried them and they liked them.

According to Wikipedia, the name "shirred eggs" comes from the dishes the eggs were cooked in, "shirs." Shirred eggs' whites are firm, but soft, while the yolks are runny.

I found the recipe in Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

Baked Eggs (Recipe adapted from BHG New Cook Book.)
Margarine or butter (I use butter)
2 eggs
Snipped fresh chives or other herb (I use chives)
2 tablespoons shredded cheese, optional

1. Generously grease two ramekins with margarine or butter. Carefully break one egg into each, sprinkle with chives or desired herb, salt and pepper to taste. Set ramekins in a 9x9x2-inch baking pan; place on oven rack. Pour hot water around ramekins in pan in inch deep.

2. Bake in a 325F degree oven, for about 25 minutes, until the eggs are firm and whites are opaque. If desired, after 20 minutes of baking, sprinkle cheese atop eggs. Bake for 5 minutes more, until the eggs are baked and the cheese is melted.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 80 calories, 5 grams total fat (1.5 saturated fat), 213 mg cholesterol, 93 mg sodium, 0.5 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 6.5 grams protein.
Daily Values: 10% vitamin A, 0.5% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 4.5% iron.