Comments (11)

By Aimee, November 30, 2011

I adore pizza, and so of course I was so excited to hear that this book came out. We have always loved the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book, and use it whenever we want to make bread from scratch, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day!

I am happy to be able to share a little insight from one of the authors, Jeff Hertzberg.

Q: Pizza, especially homemade, is a favorite of ours. We were excited when your book came out because we have loved using the 5 Minutes a Day system for breads. What makes Artisan Pizza and Flatbreads in 5 min. a day different from other pizza recipes our readers may have tried?

A: Biggest difference is that it’s based on our stored dough, and that changes everything? Why? Because you’ll actually make it often, since you mix once, but bake many times. All the initial work’s divided over 8 pizzas or flatbreads for our standard-sized batch that stores up to two weeks.

Q: If our readers were to try just one item in the book, what would it be?

A: I love the soppressata pizza– it’s a spicy Italian sausage, and if you love pepperoni, this is a more refined and wonderful way to get acquainted with traditional Italian meat products. It’s a basic tomato and cheese pizza, but we used a wonderful medium-firm Italian cheese called piave. The beauty of this is that you can use pretty much whatever cheese strikes your fancy.

Q: What do you think the most fun part of creating pizzas is?

A: One word: improvisation! See what’s fresh in the market, see what’s growing in your refrigerator (just kidding!). But really, use our recipes as a starting point, and this kind of cooking can fuel your creative impulses.

Recipes include:

Classic Pizza Margherita
Chicago-style deep-dish pizza
Mexican corn flatbread with tomatillo and chillies
Grogonzola and pear tart (Great Fall recipe!)
Breakfast pizza with prosciutto, parmigiano and egg
Pocket pizzas for parties and school lunches (great for kids)
Dessert tarts and sweet doughs (Party ideas)

Do you love pizza too? Would you like a chance to win a copy of Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day? Here’s what you need to do:

• Tell me your favorite pizza topping, what would you want to make?
• This giveaway will end on December 6th, and is open to those in the USA.
• The winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email after the giveaway ends. They will then have 3 days to respond otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

This giveaway is now closed, congrats to Heather.

Comments (1)

By Aimee, November 30, 2011

Yes, I am a little excited because tomorrow is December first, which means that we will get to open the first door on our Star Wars Advent calendar. When I was little, and even to this day, I have always loved advent calendars. It was one of my favorite holiday traditions, so I am excited to embrace our inner geeks as we open each day.

Sadly it looks like they are all sold out on ThinkGeek where we ours came from. However, they do still have these cute plush Yodas and Darth Vaders if you are into Star Wars for the holidays! In fact, they have tons of funny Star Wars stuff for Christmas.

I’ll have to post a photo of all the fun items in our advent when we have it all opened. What about in your home? Do you like advent calendars too?

Comments (2)

By Aimee, November 29, 2011

Are you ready to see some of the most awesome gingerbread cookies ever? Yes? Behold, Ninjabread Men!

Aren’t they great? And of course for our first use we had to make gingerbread cookies. We even tried to decorate them, but most of them found their way into our stomachs before they really got decked out in frosting.

But never fear, one cookie was caught hanging out before getting eaten, and as you will be able to see our decorating skills need some help.

Yeah, a girl ninja! The photo quality is almost as awesome as the decorating job! But that’s not the fault of the totally fun cookie cutters! You can get your own at ThinkGeek. Next time I am going to try making sugar cookies, or even brownies! There will be so many different kinds of ninja running around our house (until they are eaten of course).

Comments (0)

By Aimee, November 28, 2011

For me the Christmas stocking is always the most fun to open. As they say, good things come in small packages! But if you are stumped for ideas on what to put in your loved one’s stocking this year, I have my top ten picks for awesome stocking stuffers.

• Does your loved one have an iPhone? The DIY iPhone case is sure to be a hit! Not only will they have a case that is totally unique, but they also get to have a lot of fun making it.
• One of my favorite things, the Nintendo 3DS, would be a welcome addition to any stocking. It is pure awesome! You might want to put one in your own stocking too.
• For the truly daring people on your gift list, stick some ghost pepper flakes in their stocking. Just be sure you get to witness the fun as they try to eat the world’s hottest pepper. You might want to include some bottles of water in that stocking too.
• We can’t leave out the dog’s Christmas stocking! Put a little McSteven’s Dog Nog Doggy Drink Mix in with all the dog bones and other treats. Don’t worry, it’s not going to get your pooch drunk.
• For the vegetarians on the list, they can still enjoy the holidays with a hilarious Inflatable Turkey! It even comes in it’s own special tin.
• For the camera lover in your life, put a Fujifilm INSTAX MINI Film Camera and be prepared to win the gift of the year award! These cameras are seriously fun to play with, and make photos that can fit in your wallet with ease.
• Heart U Back friendship bracelets are the perfect stocking stuffer for the animal lover. I get more compliments on this bracelet than I do on any other accessory I own. I’m always excited to tell people about it too because it benefits the ASPCA! They offer other great items as well.
• One of my favorite animated films, Howl’s Moving Castle, would be a lovely stocking stuffer for the anime lover in your life. I also recommend Castle in the Sky, and The Cat Returns.
• If your loved one likes lotion, why not stock up with a few favorites from Bath and Body Works? They have such cute holiday themed items. My favorite standby scent? Warm Vanilla Sugar.
• Last, but in no way least, a little something for the gardener in your life. Soil Mates is one of the cutest, and most helpful, books you can own. Learn about companion planting with a healthy dose of humor, and some of the most fun illustrations around.