Potato pizza and lots of blue.

It has happened. Its been 5 months since Kiki spilled my husbands coffee all over our old laptop and since then each time we would use it something else was no longer working. We got to the point were we could no longer type what so ever and had to buy an external keyboard. Eventually while we were online different websites would constantly reload or sometimes the pages would scroll indefinitely. Needless to say it is more than pleasant to be typing this with out any of the previous issues on a very pink new laptop.

It feels like we have settled into our new home. I am starting to get antsy about adding color. I no longer like the white walls in the living room, or the light gray and blue in our own room, but these are big projects that involve buying paint and moving furniture which with the two little ones as energetic as they are lately does no seem possible.  Instead though there were two cabinets in the kitchen that were painted all white, that have turned into a new project.

I like to look back at pictures from just a few months ago to see how much we have already changed. All the little projects we have already started and completed and the bigger ones that will happen over the years are all seem so exciting. But color is the one thing that I like to change first. I love bright rooms with lots of different colors and textures. And so I got started in the kitchen, I have a few pictures but it was a quick project. I starting with a light blue and brushing on a thin first coat of paint. Then before it was able to dry adding a darker watered down blue paint brushed over the top.  Some mixed and some did not, but the brush lines look great! I started with just one cabinet yesterday but Neil liked it enough that I did a second this morning.

But beyond computers, babies and painting the other big thing I cant seem to get away from is Potato pizza, I have no idea where I came across the recipe for it, but since the first time I made it the entire family loves it.  Most weeks I make it more than once. Its a great side for soup at dinner, or most of a lunch for the kiddos, and sometimes just the perfect afternoon snack.

I don't use a specific pizza dough for the base, but instead a no knead bread recipe that I always have on hand.

Basic bread dough recipe:

3 1/2 - 4 cups of warm water

6 or so cups of flour

2 Tbls of salt

2 Tbls of yeast

first add water to a large re-useable container. Sift the 6 cups of flour over that, then add the yeast and salt.

Mix everything just until well combined, it should be a shapeless but not too wet dough.

Cover and let sit out 2 hours.

After that the dough is ready to use or to refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

I use this dough almost everyday for pizzas, cinnamon rolls, or just different kinds of bread. Its great to have on hand, and when it comes time to actually do the baking you set the oven to 450/F and shape the dough correctly for what you are making. Then let it rest while the oven heats up, pop in your bread and bake till done. A large loaf of bread takes about 45 minutes where as a pizza only about 15-20.

Getting back to the actual Potato pizza recipe though you will need

a quarter of the dough from the recipe above

splash of olive oil

2 potatos

half an onion

salt and pepper

Roll out and shape the dough, and either put in the pan you are using or on a peel with cornmeal to transfer to a pizza stone. Pour a few Tbls of olive oil onto the dough and spread out evenly.

Next slice the potatoes and onion as thinly as possible. Arrange the potatoes over the top of the dough and sprinkle the onions on top of the potato. finally add salt and pepper to your liking over everything else and let rest till the oven is ready.

Bake till the crust is a golden brown and the potatoes are looking crispy at their edges.

Sometimes we add salami or capers, but tend to use a lot less salt if adding these.

I think this is good for now though.  I have two babies with a few too many boogers who are more than ready to get our selves together to head to the library for story hour.

And one last thing! We fell so in love with the blue cabinets, that we ended up painting the ceramic tile in the kitchen as well, so one last picture mainly so Nonna can see how blue our yellow kitchen has become.