Homeade Pizza

I love pizza. Any kind. Frozen, fresh, cold, hot. LOVE it. The only kind of pizza I detest is the kind they make it Italy. That is only because I know Haleigh and Amy are eating pizza there and it's so scrumptious, but alas, I cannot have any.
If you were mad at my use of a Jiffy mix in my last post- just close the page. Because I used the Jiffy pizza crust mix. It was DELICIOUS! Not too crunchy, not too soft. Just right.


Here's the cast. You can use whatever toppings you want, but I love mushrooms and olives. I chopped up two cloves of fresh garlic and put that on top too.


First chop/slice your toppings if you need to. One thing I learned about mushrooms while making this. Slice them as shown in my picture. I'm sure to most this is a no-brainer, but they are much prettier this way.


Here's my dough. Sorry the picture is bad. To make the dough all you do is add hot water to the mix. I added oregano and garlic powder. It made the dough very flavorful.


The next step on the box was to "cover the dough and let sit for 5 minutes." They recommended the temperature be 85 degrees. That's why it's in my window sill. I didn't know where else to put it. haha


After it sits, knead it a couple times (it's so soft and fluffy!) and spread it into a greased cookie sheet. I spread my pesto, my sauce, my toppings and finally my cheese.


Toppings. A note about my olives. I accidentally bought the chopped kind but I would use sliced if i did it again.


Cheese.


Bake it for about 20 minutes (depending on your oven) at 450. I let mine go a little too long, but I like it to be pretty crunchy. I also added a tiny bit of fresh parmesan to the top for a little extra crunch.


Enjoy. :)

Jiffy Golden Yellow Cake Mix review/ Cupcakes

Even though I'm usually skeptical about trying new brands, Jiffy is definately a brand I trust. Since I was a wee little girl, my mom has been using their Apple Cinnamon muffin mix to make pancakes. They are SOOO heavenly and so easy. I've also made their blueberry muffins and of course (surprise, surprise) their cornbread mix. I promised my next door neighbors some delicious goodies, so I decided to make yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

Jiffy makes delicious mixes but the BEST thing about is how cheap it is! This yellow cake mix costs 54 cents. You can't even buy a pack of gum for 54 cents!



I didn't take any step-by-step pictures, because the instructions on the box are pretty self-explanatory. It makes 12 cupcakes.



For the chocolate frosting I used a recipe I found in a Pillsbury cookbook we have in our apartment.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
from the "Pillsbury Complete cookbook"

-1/3 c unsweetened cocoa (or 2 oz unsweetened choc.) added to 2/3 c butter (softened)
-4 c powdered sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
- 2-4 tbsp half&half or milk (I used milk)

Mix the cocoa and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. (This takes awhile- be patient.)
Beat in the vanilla and enough half&half or milk until it's your desired consistency. Use a butter knife (my preference at least) and spread over cooled cupcakes.






And another thing- when you go next door to deliver your cupcakes, do not leave leftover frosting unattended. Your roommate and her boyfriend will not be able to resist covering their faces in it. :)

Branching Out

My roommates have bought snacks that are the World Table brand made by Wal-mart before. It takes a lot for me to branch out and try something new because I'm afraid I won't like it. But you see, I've been going through this cornbread phase. I made homeade cornbread to go with the chili I made on one of our snow days, and am still obsessed with it. It's like a pregnant woman type obsession. Except I'm not pregnant. I LOVE CORNBREAD.

Anyways, I decided to try the World Table "Cornbread Squares" and much to my DE-LIGHT they were DE-LICIOUS!  I can't stop eating them...and with 130 calories in 16 pieces, they aren't a bad snack to munch on.

So- if you are stocking up on yummy winter comfort foods in the next few days I highly recommend Cornbread Squares. They were on the aisle with all the crackers and cookies. :)