Sorry I've Been Away

Sorry I haven't been around lately. I just had a baby 4 weeks ago for those of you who didn't know that.
Desmond Xen Danger Lee.

I am absolutely loving it, but have not had any time to blog lately. I have however been making some very good recipes. I finally learned how to make my own pizza dough, something that I was afraid of for a long time for some reason. We topped one with tomato, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, and prosciutto. Another we topped with mushrooms and breakfast sausage. I've made four total. The other two were topped, one with artichoke, mushroom and prosciutto, and one with sausage and spinach. YUMMYYYYY!!!!! Breakfast sausage on pizza is great. Here is the dough recipe I'm using. Its pretty good. Sorry I don't have step-by-steps for this.

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 or 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the salt, spices, and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 3 1/2 cups of the flour
3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.
   
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly oil the pan, and bake in oven for about 7 to 10 minutes before you add your toppings.
   
5. Take pizza crust out of the oven and top however you like.
   
6. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

I have also been making a bunch of pasta recipes I got from this great cookbook that I had lying around, and every single one that I have made has turned out pretty damn good and they were all pretty easy too. These are the ones I have made so far.

Penne, Broccoli & Balsamic Butter
(this one was very simple and btw, roasting broccoli in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper is the most delicious thing in the world. So simple but so good. Also good without being cooked.)

Shells, Portobello Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Boursin
(This one you make a sauce using a whole thing of Boursin and chicken stock. Again, very simple but oh my god is it good. If you love Boursin you gotta do this one.)

Fusilli, Choke Hearts, and Parmesan Cream
(This one was good too, nothing too exciting about it just artichoke pasta with a cream sauce but good)

Wheels with Shrimp and Yogurt Dill Dressing
(This one actually ended up with way too much salt in it which kinda ruined it but the idea was great. Good for a summer BBQ or something)

Shells with Prosciutto and Melon
(This one was interesting. Basically just crushed tomatos, cantelope, prosciutto, cream, and pasta, but very interesting. Definatly worth a try)

I'm telling you, this cook book is the shit. There are a ton more recipes in here that I want to try. I don't know what the copy write rules are so I'm not going to write the recipes for these pastas down on this blog right now. If you want any of these recipes email me and I'll send them to you or something. I'll try to figure out a way to post them eventually. If anyone has any ideas let me know. Sorry I don't have any pictures of these. Forgot.