Homemade Pineapple Pizza
| May 16, 2012 | Posted by Ashley under Recipes |
I could easy pizza every. single. day. But between the grease filled ones you order to go, or the frozen ones you stick in the oven, it’s hard to find a middle ground. Making it at home with fresh ingredients somehow makes it seem healthier and justifies eating it twice a week (or more if the Mister would let me!). Don’t look at me like that, I never said I was logical.
This is so easy it hardly qualifies as a recipe. I used to be intimidated by homemade pizza until I learned I could grab fresh dough anytime I wanted in the bakery at Publix.
Even making it partially homemade, like I do, tastes SO much better than the frozen ones and only takes about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
Sauce (Ragu makes a special ‘pizza sauce’ and is great if your making this during the week!)
Mozzarella Cheese
Toppings (I used pineapple)
Garlic & Butter (optional, but recommended)
Directions
*Preheat as per directions on dough. (Mines says 425 degrees)
1. Prepare your mozzarella cheese and toppings of your choice
2. Roll out dough (I cook mine on a pizza stone, but a covered baking sheet will also work)
3. Cover with sauce…
4. and cheese…
5. and toppings…
6. Melt together some butter and garlic. Brush on crust.
7. Bake for 20 minutes
Throw together a quick green salad while the pizza is baking and you have a better than takeout dinner in the same amount of time!
DIY: Scratch Off Tickets
| May 15, 2012 | Posted by Ashley under Crafts, Tutorial |
Every time I go to the grocery store I make sure to have a few extra dollars on hand so I can buy a scratch off ticket. Even though I hardly ever win, there’s something exiting about the possibility of what lies beneath the thin layer of silver paint. I always load the groceries and dig the ticket out of my purse and scratch it before leaving the parking lot and I can’t help but think about Charlie Bucket finding the last golden ticket as I start scratching.
When I saw the idea on Pinterest (of course) I knew I need to whip up a few for the bookstore’s (Second Edition Book Shop) next sidewalk sale. Once I figured out what I was really doing they were pretty easy.
I figured I could save you a lot of hassle and mess-ups with my tips, so I threw together this quick little tutorial:
Materials
Perforated Business Cards (Or you can cut them yourself from regular paper)
Packing Tape
Painters Tape
Acrylic Paint
Dish Soap
Paint Brush
Directions
I used Word to type up what I wanted my scratch off tickets to say (using the template number on the package) and printed out a few pages.
Tear off the top side and bottom perforations, but leave the cards attached in strips.
Cover the strips with long pieces of packing tape. I used two pieces per strip (one for the top half and one for the bottom half). Leave a little extra tape on each end and fold it back on itself, making a little flap. This is so paint doesn’t get on the back of the card. I wish I would have thought of this before my first batch.
Tape off the areas you don’t want to get paint on with blue painters tape. Make sure you really press the tape down so no paint bleeds through and you get a nice crisp line.
Grab the acrylic paint (you can use any color, I used silver to mimic real scratch offs) and mix two parts paint to one part dish soap (any brand).
Paint THIN even coats. You will probably need 2-3 coats before it completely opaque.
Wait for it to dry and slowly peel off the painters tape and cut between the cards.
Viola!
Remember Me?
| May 14, 2012 | Posted by Ashley under Adventures |
Let’s face it – Sometimes life just gets in the way and things get pushed aside. Laundry piles up, dates get postponed, and I’ve never appreciated my dishwasher so much. Lately, I feel so frazzled. My weeks are planned out in advance, which I never used to do, and I actually have to put things on my calendar. So weird!
Between working full-time six days a week, writing album reviews for The Pier, occasionally trying to make it out to some of the Mister’s shows, planning a wedding (!!!!!!!), maintaining the house, and making sure we eat something other than fast food every night, the blog just…fell behind.
BUT, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been itching to get back on board! And I’ve been pinning ideas like a mad woman (follow me here).
In the meantime, here’s some of what you missed:
(Follow me on instagram: @msbetsycrocker)
(Left to right): 1. We met one of my fav. people, Anthony Bourdain and 2. got his autograph! 3. We also got engaged! (told you i’ve been busy!!) 4. Celebrated Easter with this little bunny 5. Learn how to do a sock bun! Thank you Pinterest! 6. National Grilled Cheese Day! 7. Went to one of my closest friend’s Bridal Shower 8. I’ve been a jammin’ fool!
I’ll be back this week with some delicious recipes and a few DIY projects I’ve been working on, so stay tuned!
See ya!
Raspberry Pocket Pies!
| February 14, 2012 | Posted by Ashley under Recipes |
I’m not usually one to buy into the whole Hallmark holiday, but I will admit I did let out a squeal when I came to see gorgeous long-stemmed sunflowers waiting on the table for me.
Maybe it’s something embedded in a girls DNA because there is something about heart shapes and an overwhelming amount of pink and red that just have a completely different effect on us. Boys just don’t get it.
So when I spotted this heart shaped pocket pie press at Target for only $2.99 there were no questions asked. Off we went!
This recipe came off the back of the packaging, but can easily be adapted for any fruit. Now that I’m looking at it, you can really just use any big cookie cutter to make these pies.
But everything is just so much cuter in a heart shape. And I’m a sucker for cute!
Ingredients
Frozen pie crust dough (I found this next to all the break apart pre-mixed cookies)
Fresh raspberries
1/3 cug sugar & more for sprinkling
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp corn starch
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Roll out dough (or bake your own if your super fancy, unlike me)
2. Cut out heart shapes
3. In a small bowl mix together raspberries, sugar and cornstarch
4. Fill dough with 2 tbs raspberries
5. Sprinkle 1 tbs sugar mixture over berries
6. Press mold together tightly making sure there are no gaps around the edges
7. Cut two small vent holes in the top of each pie
8. Set on lined baking sheet and brush the top with a little beaten egg and sprinkle with plain sugar
9. Repeat. I was able to get 3 pies
10. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown
DIY Vintage Cabinet Revamp
| February 9, 2012 | Posted by Ashley under Crafts, Tutorial |
I snagged this vintage metal cabinet from the Mister’s mom on it’s way out to the trash. There was just one slight problem, it was hideous!
But, I could see through all the ugly yellow paint and rust. I knew that with a few cans of freash spray paint this baby would look right at home in my kitchen.
So, I taped this baby up and started spraying. I probably should have laid down newspaper on the little grass we do have, but I am much too impatient for that.
I used Rustoleum White Appliance Epoxy and a few hours later I had a brand new cabinet. It even makes a good home for my bar supplies. Score!
