#77 | Make Pizza from Scratch

When I added this to my list, I thought I’d be making more of it from scratch ie the dough and sauce and not pre packaged meat.  But I realized that that was not going to happen so we went with a little easier approach.  It is still a pizza we made at home and not something that we bought or ordered from a store, so I’m calling it good.

Recipe Source:  Made Up
Made : June 10, 2013

Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury pizza crust
½ cup pizza sauce
1 package Mozzarella cheese
1 package Hormel Italian Sausage Bits
1 package Hormel mini pepperonis
Green pepper, chopped
Onion, chopped
Black olives, chopped
Mushrooms

Directions:
1.  Follow the directions from the Pillsbury pizza crust package.
 Spread dough
 Spread pizza sauce over dough
 Add cheese, meat toppings, vegetable toppings, top with more cheese

Note : You can add any toppings you want.  We eyeballed how much of each topping we wanted.  We also only put the mushrooms on half of the pizza because dad likes them and I don’t.

Thoughts:  Surprisingly good and easy to make. Dad liked it better than the walmart and frozen pizzas we usually get so this one was a win!

Make again? Absolutely. We are going to play around with various types of toppings to see what we like best.

33 of 101

Completed: June 10, 2013

#13 | Start an Herb Garden

#32 of 101
Completed : June 8, 2013

40 Recipes : Hazelnut Butter Cookies

Recipe Source:  St. Joseph Junior League Cookbook
Made : May 31, 2013

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup butter
1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar


Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add butter and cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add chopped nuts, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix until smooth dough forms.
3.  Shape into 1 inch balls.  Place on a cookie sheet and press with back of fort in a crisscross pattern to form 1/4 inch thick cookies.  
4.  Bake cookies until a pale golden brown, about 15 minutes.  
5.  Cool and roll cookies in powdered sugar.

Thoughts:  Really good.  Very similar to a holiday cookie we make.

Make again? Absolutely.  We've already made them again.

40 Recipes | German Chocolate Cake

Recipe Source:  My Grandmother
Made : April 18, 2013

Ingredients:
1 package Baker’s GERMAN’s Sweet Chocolate
½ cup boiling water
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ cups sifted Swans Down Cake Flour
1 cup buttermilk


Directions:
1.  Melt chocolate in boiling water.  Cool.
2.  Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each.  Add melted chocolate and vanilla.  Mix well.
3.  Sift together salt, soda, and flour.  Add alternately with buttermilk to chocolate mixture, beating well.  Beat until smooth.
4.  Pour into three 8 or 9 inch cake layer pans, lined on bottoms with paper.  Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) 30-40 minutes.  Cool.  Frost top and side.

COCONUT-PECAN FROSTING
1.  Combine 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, ¼ pound margarine, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
2.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 12 minutes.
3.  Add 1 1/3 cups Baker’s Angel Flake Coconut and 1 cup chopped pecans.  Beat until thick enough to spread.


Thoughts:  Even though I’ve had this cake many times before (because it was my grandpa’s favorite), I’d never actually made it myself.

Make again? Absolutely, it’s a family favorite.

#80 | (Donate hair to Locks for Love) Try a new hair style – Cut

 

Getting my hair deep conditioned

So, really I just need to stop changing up my 101 list.  I originally had ‘Try a new hair style’ and I replaced it with something different.  I’m doing it again, but this time I’m adding a new hair style back into my list.   Whatever…no biggie. 

I decided I want to grow my hair out again and cutting it for Locks of Love is not going in that direction.  So it's going off the list. 

The last few months years I’ve been having problems with my hair and stylist.  I do a lot of heat damage to my hair and I get it cut every 6 weeks and I still walk out of the salon covered in split ends.  This last time I got my hair cut, she butchered it and I just about had it. 

So a few weeks ago I was in my friend’s wedding and we got our hair done at a salon I’ve never been to before.  Without saying anything (I just asked how much a cut cost), the stylist told me my hair needed some major help.  Yikes! 

So, I finally went for it and tried out a new hair place for the first time in 7 years.  And guess what!?  She did an awesome job!  She suggested I do a deep conditioning to help restore my hair, and then she cut, fixed my layers (so I didn’t have a length layer and 1 distinctive shorter layer), and advised me on what kind of hair protectors I should use.  I’ve never done a deep conditioning and my hair is silky smooth and so soft.  My cut is shorter than my normal and the layers up around my face are pretty short.  And I walked out without any split ends!  (Well, I think I’ve found 2, but that is completely expected.)  Needless to say, I’ve never been this happy with my hair in a really really long time!

#31 of 101

Completed: June 6, 2013

#50 | Ride a Roller Coaster

I am not a fan of roller coasters.  It has been years since the last time I rode one and it was a pretty bad experience, but I decided to give it another go, thus why it is on the list.  This past weekend my girlfriends and I went to Worlds of Fun for Kristin’s bachelorette party.  What a perfect time to cross off this prompt on the list.  Prior to leaving I told mom that I would NOT ride one that had my feet dangle and I would NOT ride one that went upside down.  Guess what roller coaster I decided to try out?  One where my feet dangled AND one that goes upside down.  (I think I deserve extra points!)

Thankfully, this one didn’t end up like the last roller coaster I rode.  And I did ride it again before we left.  I’m glad to know that should I go back to Worlds of Fun, I have some rides that won’t bother me, but man, I am not one who finds roller coasters as the coolest thing on earth.  I prefer my feet to stay on the ground.

30 of 101

Completed : May 11, 2013



Answer 50 Questions to Free Your Mind

So, this wasn’t originally on my list.  Before, it was ‘try a new hair style’.  Yes, I get a lot of compliments on my hair and I can curl it and do the basic styles, but hair is not my thing.  Over the years I’ve tried different styles that I think look alright and end up walking around town looking like a person who should never touch hair in the first place.  This was put on the list because I needed a filler and that was the best I could come up with at the time.

(While I don’t want to change everything on my list, I am ok with changing a few things here and there to keep me feeling inspired to continue on this journey.)

A few weeks ago I came across this prompt (Answer 50 Questions to Free Your Mind) and thought why not.  I was in need of some mental stimulation and actually answered all of these questions in a matter of days.  Some were really easy to answer and others made me stop and think a little bit.  It will be interesting to go back and read my answers in a few years to see if I still agree with myself.  Maybe I’ll tell myself to answer them again on my next 101 list!

No, I will not be sharing my answers, but I would encourage you to try answering these questions yourself!

29 of 101

Completed : April 19, 2013