Its a New Year - Bagels, Marinara Sauce and Pizza

WEATHER UPDATE:
Baby, Its Cold Outside!

 January 1, 2015, this is what I woke up to. A beautiful morning. The snow melted late afternoon. I thought it would have stayed longer because it was very chilly outside. I don't see snow too often in my area of town so this is very awesome for me. I like to look at snow but not drive in it because Albuquerque has many bad drivers. Sorry ABQ but it's true. Its best to stay home on snow days in Albuquerque, NM.

550 over the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande Bridge.

PET UPDATE:

Trouble in Paradise

Missy has been acting freaked out the last couple days. At first, I thought it was because of the snow. I discovered that the neighbors dogs have been coming into the yard looking for cats. Today, they chased Skinny Ding Dongs (AKA Pedro the Traitor) up into the big tree in the front yard. I braved it and went outside onto the front porch and yelled as sternly as I could for those dogs to get home. Most people laugh at me when I try to yell because I don't have a loud voice. But, I thought I did pretty good because they left. I went into the house and they came right back. Normally, I turn on the sprinkler and they take off, but the garden hose was frozen from the snow and cold weather. After yelling at them a second time in my best "I'm angry voice" they left. Skinny is safe for now. Im sure all the cats have been terrorized. Currently, Missy is curled up high on top of my wardrobe. I woke her up taking this picture. I hope it gets better for her soon. Poor Missy.

Housekeeping Made Easy:

    

Oil & Vinegar Wood Furniture Polish/Cleaner

• 1 part white vinegar
• 3 parts olive oil

Pour oil and vinegar into a jar, seal tight and shake to mix before each use. Apply to furniture using a rag or microfiber cloth.

What Dogs Do When Your Away

I laugh every time I see this silly dog.

PC Technical Advice

I repair computers/monitors and I dabble in writing code C+, and website designing, Java Script, HTML, etc. I'm NOT an expert at all. However, when it comes to computers I will try to figure out most operating systems and their works. My best computer advice is to keep things simple on your PC. Don't overload your PC with programs that you seldom or never use. Never, ever download something without researching the program because of virus and non compatible reasons. Keep your PC protected and clean from malware daily.

Confession: I like Linux. LOL. I also really enjoy Sci-fi. :)

How to Speed Up Your PC Startup Time

Startup programs are a major factor in slow Windows boot times. If you are one of those people who have anything over 5 icons showing up in the notification area of the taskbar, then your boot time can probably be reduced. Using the MSCONFIG utility, which comes with pretty much every version of Windows, you can disable startup programs quickly and easily. You can manage your startup programs by opening the System Configuration Utility. Click on Start and then Run, type in msconfig and click OK. Clicking on the Startup tab will bring up the list of startup items. Here you can now enable or disable programs from your Windows Startup. Items you may want to disable at Startup would be programs such as Dropbox, QuickTime, Adobe Reader, Chrome, Java, Apple, Adobe, graphics drivers, printer drivers, etc! All of which you can manually run when you need them.

 

New Post -01/08/15 - Canning Marinara Sauce

This week, I completed a fun cooking project. Sarah gave me a big bag of cherry tomatoes and I decided to use those and jar up a batch of marinara sauce. I canned the marinara into small jars because that's the perfect amount for one or two plates of pasta. I love spaghetti but nobody wants a gallon of sauce sitting in the fridge, so these little jars of sauce are terrific to have on hand for a quick meal. Remember, pasta is okay if you serve it along with plenty of vegetables.
Canning Marinara Sauce.

New Post -01/08/15 - Cooking up Bagels at Home.

Finally, I decided to have the courage to make bagels. These were the first bagels Ive ever made. I'm sure the more I make them the better they will look. But , not bad for my first attempt. These taste great and toast beautifully.

 

How to Make Bagels

P.S. Bagels are very fattening. I eat them with cream cheese, which makes it even more fattening.

Burn off a large bagel with cream cheese of 320 calories = medium paced jogging for 45 minutes.

01-03-15 -Thin Crust Pizza

To make good pizza at home it takes practice and getting it down to a true science. LOL. Just kidding. Its simple, easy and fun to make pizza.

I make thin crust pizza all the time and it goes fast. Its delicious.

1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour 

1/4 cup corn meal

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine yeast, warm water & sugar. Let this set for about 30 minutes. Then add the dry ingredients and combine it all together. Place in an oiled bowl and flip the dough ball to coat the other side.  Let sit for 2 hours or not. ( I confess that I do not wait 2 hours for the dough to rise. Once the oven is pre-heated to 400, I start pressing out the dough). Prepare your pizza pan with vegetable oil, coating it well with your hands. Next, while your hands are still coated in oil. Separate the dough in half. Take a half of the dough and press it out onto your oiled pizza pan. I start pressing it out from the middle to the sides. You may need to add more oil onto your hands to get the dough pressed out all the way around the pan. Build your pizza, in this order -  sauce, cheese and then add toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Plain tomato sauce is great on this dough, sprinkle a little Italian or oregano seasoning then top with lots of cheese and whatever else makes you happy. 

Tip: Re-heat pizza in a non stick skillet on top of the stove to keep crust crispy.
Burn off a slice of pizza of 290 calories = 90 minutes of walking.

Bonus - A Weird Pizza Video - Click Here.


Sharing Bookmarks
Food 52
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Weird videos I watch on the Internet:

 Batman is a Terrible Liar

 Also watch, Spiderman Goes Suburban.

Endless Coffee Shop Check

Going Back in Time