The big 2-9!

Yesterday was Robs 29th birthday. We took him out to Red Robin for dinner on Sunday, and gave him presents that night too so Shar could be there. We also had Rob's mom, Sue, on the webcam so that she could be a part of the fun. Amid all the excitment I actually managed to get a few decent pictures and thought that it would be fun to share them.

24 Weeks

Well, we have hit 24 weeks, the baby and I. It seems to me (and others may have noticed) That I am quite a bit bigger with baby # 3 than I was with #1 and #2. In either case here is a "belly" picture (please don't look at the rest of me - I'm still recooping from the zoo trip).

To Zoo or not to Zoo

Today, I took the girls to the zoo. It was 75 degrees, spring break (no school), and just beautiful. I really have no idea what I was thinking, more than probably, I was not. The Oklahoma City Zoo is a really good zoo. We go there a lot, but I usually try to go during the week when kids are in school and early in the day so that it isn't very busy. Today the parking lot was overflowing into the Omniplex (science museum next door) parking lot - yes, this was about 9:30 am. By the time we left there at around 11:30 there was just no place left to park. So the traffic was bad, foot traffic even worse, especially when you consider all the strollers and wagons and the 3-5 trolleys they have running on busy days. Wow. We were surfing a raging tide of people, me, my 24 week pregnant belly, a 2.5 year old and a 4.5 year old. I try to get them to hold my hand (they usually don't have to at the zoo because we go when no one is there). They were actually pretty good about it. The problem with that is Zoe walks really fast and wants to move on quickly and Sydney lags behind and want to stay a while at each thing and take it all in. So I was torn in two most of the morning. Every time one of them let go of my hand they tried to get run over by some bigger person (or flood of them) or stopped paying attention and just walked right off with a different family! Yikes - Mommy has a heart attack. Oh well. Despite the craziness and utter exhaustion it wasn't a bad trip. Sadly our elephants are in Tulsa on a mating program for two years (it still bums the kids out when they aren't there). However, there is now a cool Dinosaur exhibit set up in a back corner area. We were lucky to see a whole lot of cats (which for some reason we rarely do) but there were very few "monkeys" only one orangutan playing in a refrigerator box. The Dino exhibit was really cool. I wish we had gotten to it before I was so worn out (kids too) they had life size animatronic dinos whose heads and arms and tails moved. T-rex made Syd a little nervous. Zoe is really into dinosaurs and could hardly decide which thing to look at first. There were some other cool things set up for kids, but because we were tired and felt like sardines in the little tent, we hurried on. On the last leg of out trip (walking as quick as possible by every hooved creature on the way to the car and bypassing completely a few of our favorite animals- bears, alligators, wolves, and the aquatic area...) Sydney fell and scraped up her elbow. It was bloody, though not too bad, but it has been the story of the day since. She has discovered bandaids (which never fit well on elbows) and there is always some big to do about any small injury. In any case I think it might be possible that they are now napping (or just being very quiet for a couple of minutes - you never can say for sure and I don't plan on disturbing them by checking). So here are a couple of pictures. Enjoy.

I guess it has been a while since I posted anything. I have had a sudden second trimester burst of energy and my nesting instincts are out in full. Attic cleaning, baby bed building, project starting, backyard cleaning, and yardsale coordinating have been among the things that have been on the agenda the past couple of weeks (along with everything else that I find along the way that just has to be attended to "right now").
Everybody is doing good. Robs diet is paying off, he has lost something like 14 pounds to date. I, however, am gaining all the weight he is losing. Baby boy has started kicking up a storm. Zoe is leader at school today and has been so excited all weekend that she could hardly contain herself. Sydney has had a set back in the potty training (she would rather be like a baby and wear diapers than a big girl in panties - it's gonna be a long road...). Both kids were very excited about a warm spell we had over the last few days (88,81,77,76), getting to go out and play in the yard without freezing is always nice.
Well thats about all I have time for right this minute but I will try to get some pictured uploaded and posted soon.

Pizza

A few days ago a friend of Rob's asked for a recipe for the Chicken Caesar Pizza that we make (he must have been bragging about how good it is). He called and asked me to email it to him. Well that was a lot of typing for my less than coordinated fingers. I thought that I had better not let it go to waste. So here it is for any who are interested.


Here is the recipe and all the accompanying recipes that you might needfor this pizza. In ( ) I have commented on some shortcuts andsubstitutes that we use to make it faster. I hope you enjoy it. -Lacey

Chicken Caesar Pizza

Marinade:
1/2 Cup extra-virgin olive oil (we have also used vegetable oil and itworks fine)
3 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice ( bottled works for us)
2 large jalepeno peppers, trimmed and minced ( you can also use bottled or canned)
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced (garlic powder can be substituted)
Pinch of chopped fresh cilantro leaves (we never add this, but itsprobably good)
Kosher salt (or table salt)
1 1/4 lbs skinned boned uncooked chicken cut into cubes (about 4 cups)

Make marinade and marinate the chicken for 1 hour, refrigerated.
Cook Chicken:
In a skillet heat a tablespoon of oil (I just spray it with cookingspray). Remove chicken from marinade with a slotted spoon. Saute untilbrowned on all sides. Do not overcook. Remove and set aside.

For Pizza:
1 Recipe Pizza Dough (or premade crust)
2 Tablespoons Chili and Garlic Oil ( recipe follows)
1/4 cup Oven dried tomatoes ( recipe follows - Rob likes to just putfresh cubed tomatoes on at the end instead)
2 cups shredded or grated Mozzerella Cheese (8 ounces)
2 cups grated fontina cheese (8 ounces)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano ( or 1 teaspoon dried)
Sauteed spicy Chicken (from above)
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesean Cheese (we use pre-grated)
10 ounces romaine lettuce cut into chiffonade (little ribbons)
1/2 cup Ceasar Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Salt and pepper
1/2 ounce parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Roll out dough (if needed) and place on pizza pan (if you put cornmeal under it it won't stick). Brush dough with chili garlic oil and layer as follows: tomatoes (if youchose to use oven dried, if not put them on with the lettuce),mozzerella, fontina, herbs, chicken and parmesan (we generally puteverything on under the cheese to keep it on the crust, but this is howthe book says to do it). Bake pizza 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven.Toss the lettuce with the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.Arrange lettuce (and tomatoes if you prefer) on pizza and top withremaining parmesan. Cut into slices and serve immediately.

Chili and Garlic Oil:
Makes 2 Cups (more than you need for the pizza)

1 whole head of garlic cloves seperated and peeled
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

In a small sauce pan combine garlic cloves and olive oil and bring to aboil. Reduce heat and simmer until garlic turns golden brown 10-15minutes. Do not let the garlic get too dark because it will have a bitter taste. Let cool and then add the red pepper flakes. Infuse for at least 2 hoursto allow the flavors to blend. Refrigerate in a covered container.

**** I use store bought "chili oil" and add garlic powder stir it up and use it - much faster and easier. In a pinch I have even just usedolive oil garlic powder and red pepper flakes.


Oven Dried Tomatoes:
Makes 1 1/4 cups (more than you need for the pizza)
2 lbs roma tomatoes (about 12)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
6 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Preheat to 250 degrees. In a pot of boiling water blanch tomatoes. Drain and refresh in icewater. Drain. Peel. Core. Cut into quarters. Remove seeds. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the tomato quarters on the tray cut side down. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and garlic. In a small bowl combine salt pepper and sugar and sprinkle over tomatoes. Bake until the tomatoes begin to shrivel, about 1 hour. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle transfer to a container. Pour olive oil over and cover. Refrigerate and use as needed.

****See why we use fresh on the top - way too much work unless you planto spend all day cooking or using them a lot.

Caesar Vinaigrette:
Makes about 2 cups (more than you need for the pizza)

1 egg
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (bottled is fine)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 anchovy fillets mashed (we never do this)
Scant cup peanut oil (vegetable or olive oil is fine)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, lemon juice, garlic,worchestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, mustard, and anchovies. Slowly whisk in the oils to emulsify. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in a covered container. When ready to use, whisk again.Will keep up to one week in a refrigerated covered container.

**** This is really good. If you don't want to spend the time storebought tastes good too.

Pizza Dough:
Makes 4 personal pizzas, 2 medium/small pizzas, or 1 large pizza

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or chili and garlic oil

In a small bowl dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup water (it will"proof" aka get bubbly in a couple of minutes, but if the water is toohot your pizza won't rise).In a mixer fitted with a dough hook , combine flour and salt. Add the oil, your mixture, and remaining 3/4 cup water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes. (can also be made in a food precessor. Disolve yeast as above. combine flour and salt inprocessor with steel blade. pulse once or twice, add remaining ingredients and process until the dought forms a ball.)Turn dough out onto clean work surface and knead by hand for 2-3 minutes longer. The dough should be firn and smooth. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.(when ready the dough will stretch when it is lightly pulled.) If you are making more than one pizza divide the dough now. Work the ball(s) by pulling down the sides and tucking it under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 3-4 times. Then on a smooth surface roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest 15-20 minutes more. (At thispoint the dough can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days)Stretch or roll the dough into a cirlce or square (to fit your pizza pan). Spread pan with Cornmeal to prevent sticking. Place dough on pan. Top as desired. Bake at 500 Degrees 10-12 minutes.

****We use this recipe all the time. If you do the dough first you can make all the other toppings (if you use the shortcuts) while it rises. Start to finish it usually takes us an hour.