Making Cents Of It All

We got to meet Ruby finally. YD had accepted student day at the college she is going to in Maryland. We stayed with OD and got to meet Ruby.   She is such a sweetie. After all she has  been through , she is such a good girl. She is a snugly pup and we couldn't get enough.  She even helped OD get our room ready for us.  You have to watch your food around her though. She managed to sneak one of YD's cookies.  And she is happy to sleep anywhere. Especially on her momma's clothes.  Hubby and I made her a welcome to the family present. She loved it! It was a short but fun visit. Other then going to the college one day, we hung out at OD's apartment and spent time with her, Ruby and her BF.  We miss Ruby so much already. OD and her BF too of course. 

Hubby went out to lunch with his department to celebrate the end of the year. They went to a very nice steakhouse. His company paid for it. Hubby brought home his leftovers. His office has been having lots of end of year meetings. Pizza has been served numerous times. Hubby grabbed some of the leftovers one day. This was YD heating it up for dinner the next night. There was also some salad piazza leftover. I ate it but I don't understand it. We finished the hot chocolate at work but there was whipped creams leftover. The kids enjoyed trying them but they are not something I would buy. I also brought home more butter. They never keep it for the next meeting. I don't understand why, but I am happy to take it home. This went into my freezer. My office got a box of DVDs and Blu-rays. I was not there when it came in but one of the managers was nice enough to put these in my desk for me. They will both become gifts. Hubby replaced 2 of my ...

We love pizza! But we live on a budget. So getting takeout all of the time just doesn't work for us. Also, my family has food allergies. Add all of that together and you get homemade pizza. I have tried many different recipes for pizza dough. We have even gotten it from pizzerias and the supermarket. This is our favorite. It makes a 18 inch pie. 1 cup room temperature water 1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil 3 cups of flour 1 3/4 teaspoons active yeast I run it on the dough cycle in my Cuisinart bread machine. I pull it out to rise and let it sit for at least an hour. I put a  little oil in the bottom of a glass bowl that I cover with a towel. I have occasionally left it in the bread pan to rise but since I usually make 2 I just pull them out. If you want individual pizzas, cut the dough in half before you let it rise. We have a stone for our oven but in the Summer we use it on the BBQ. We make pizza sauce with my homegrown ...

One of the easiest things to make homemade, in my opinion, is salad dressings. And they taste so much better then store bought. My husband likes to tweek recipes so this is his final recipe. It is SOOOO GOOD! -2 fresh garlic cloves minced -1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (we use Grey Poupon) -1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (we use BJ's brand) -2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (not bottled) -1/2 teaspoon of sugar -3 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar (My FIL makes it and it is STRONG) -2 Tablespoons of white vinegar -1/2 teaspoon of crushed dried basil (I grow a ton in the summer and dry it) -1/4 teaspoon of oregano Whisk all the ingredients together and let it sit at least 15 minutes. Shake well before pouring. Enjoy! *I am on a low sodium diet so we do not add salt. If you would like to, then I recommend 1/4 teaspoon.