Deep Dish Pizza & Nutella Bread

I wrote this whole blog post...but forgot to save it! Ahh!! So now I have to rewrite it. This is an example of my thinking the past two weeks! I have been busy with several things that I will post later, including painting a classroom at church and a super secret surprise I'm working on! 

With everything I've been doing, making fancy homemade meals was not my top priority so we ate a lot of leftovers and random stuff. I felt like a terrible wife, since I've been focused mostly on Ben while he was sick. So I took a day to stay home, relax and make one of Jon's favorite dinners: deep dish pizza! The dough recipe I found on Pinterest actually makes enough for two regular pizzas, but instead of doing that, I made Nutella bread for dessert! They were both delicious and I had a happy husband! 

Here's the dough recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction blog:(http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/11/20/homemade-pizza-crust-recipe/) She goes into more detail with each step. 

~Dough Recipe~

Ingredients:

-2 and 1/4 ts Red Star Platinum yeast (1 packet)

-1 and 1/3 Cups warm water

-3 and 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour (+more as needed)

-2 Tablespoons Olive oil (+more for brushing crust) 

-3/4 teaspoon salt

-1 Tablespoon sugar

-Cornmeal, for dusting 

1. Sprinkle yeast on warm water in a small bowl and mix a little bit. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. 

2. In a separate large bowl mix flour, salt and sugar. Add olive oil and water/yeast mixture and mix with a dough goon on low. When everything is mixed together, knead on medium low for 5-8 minutes. (A stand mixer is awesome for this but you can also do it by hand.) 

3. Roll dough into a ball and place in a bowl that has been brushed inside with Olive oil. Make sure both sides of dough have olive oil in it. 

4. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 2 hours at room temperature. 

5. When done rising, knead again and separate into two equal pieces. 

~Deep Dish Pizza~

1. Spray baking dish, a 9" round or 6x8" rectangle with 2-3" of depth is perfect, and sprinkle some cornmeal. 

2. Roll out dough and place inside. Press it in, including the edges, until it fits the way you want. (We like ours deeper so we can pack as much cheese as possible!)

3. Pack the inside with Mozarella cheese and press it down. 

4. Spoon a layer of pizza or pasta sauce over the cheese and add your toppings. (We're simple, we just like pepperoni, olives and, of course, a little more cheese.)

5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350'. 

~Nutella Bread~

1. Roll out dough into a big rectangle until it's 1/3-1/2" thick. 

2. Spread on the Nutella! 

3. Roll into a cylinder. 

4. Cut lengthwise, top to bottom. 

5. Twist the two pieces together with the Nutella on top. (Lick any Nutella off your fingers and wash your hands, lol!) 

6. Bake for 30 minutes at 350'. (Best served warm or that day.) 

Have a great dinner! 

Adriana's Bridal Shower

I am SO excited and happy for my older sister Adriana! She is getting married in May to Raul!

Adriana & Raul

As one of her bridesmaids (and favorite sister), I organized her bridal shower! We had several plot twists starting from the beginning of planning, which I started in November, til the end, when everyone was cleaning up. But it turned out great and it was a beautiful day! Most importantly, Adriana absolutely enjoyed it! 

(With the bride-to-be Adriana, sister Christine and best friend Elizabeth)

Since this was a rather significant party with an extensive guest list (we do BIG parties because we have A LOT of relatives + church family), Christine and Claudia, our cousin, worked together with me. The mothers made the meal and guests brought side dishes and desserts. My cousin Jessica made a beautiful cake! 

(Tables, centerpieces and place settings with party favors: blue & pink swirl lollipops with "I Do" tag) 

Claudia was in charge of the centerpieces for the tables. She painted mason jars gold, and some with pink, and made flowers out of coffee filters. She dyed the coffee filters in water with food coloring, let them air dry til damp, then finished drying them in the dryer. The mason jars were hot glued to small candlestick holders (also painted gold) for added height. 
Also on the tables there were hymnals tied with lace, a last minute addition by Claudia. I added tea lights and small wooden embellishments. 

(Hymnals with lace, birdcage, hanging decor, coffe filter flowers & gold mason jars with accents)

The two tables nearest the bride-to-be's table were decorated with birdcages instead of mason jars. (Adriana really likes the bird/garden theme!) 

Each table was set with a blue dinner plate, a flowered dessert plate, a game card, ring necklace (for a game), silverware, cup and a lollipop/candy stick favor. I had the most amazing crew help me set the tables: Joy, Eva, Elijah, and JJ (my younger siblings and cousins). 

(Wonderful table of desserts and Jessica's beautiful cake!)

The center table, where Adriana and the mothers sat, also had flowery tags I made for them to wear. They said "Bride", "Mather of the Bride", and "Mother of the Groom". 

(Brides Table with centerpieces and place setting) 

Claudia also provided two gold frames for the background of the guest table, one with ribbons and lace tied to it. 

(Gift & Games table with decor and card luggage box) 

One of the problems for me during the shower was my baby Ben got sick and threw up all over the front of my dress! Luckily it didn't show but I smelled like feta cheese for the rest of the day. 😕 My best friend, Elizabeth, helped clean up after Ben while I took care of him and tried to clean myself off. 

(A few random pics from the day) 

After this drama, I had to lead the games. We played Guess Who: Bride or Groom, bridal shower scattergories, and a ring-necklace game in which you can't say "bride" or "wedding". The Guess Who game was easily the most popular an the scattergories took longer than planned.

(I'll try to figure out how to attach a PDF of the games to this blog post.)

Finally the bride thanked all the guests and opened her gifts. It was a beautiful shower and I am so excited for Adriana! I can't wait to go back to California for the wedding! 

Special Thanks to Christine, Adrian & Rodica, Marioara, Claudia, Jessica, Elizabeth, Emmanuela, Simona, Yasmine, Joy, Eva, Elijah, JJ, and all the other ladies & girls who helped! Also, thanks to Raul for carrying all the heavy boxes!