15 min. Perfectly Thin & Crispy Pizza Crust

I love pizza and I have been on the hunt for an easy & yummy crust recipe.  This is it!  It comes together so fast and the dough does not need to rise, so you can literally make homemade pizza in approximately 30 min.  The crust is crispy, chewy and flavorful.  I loved sharing it with my friends and being able to say that I made my crust from scratch.  Plus, as often as we eat pizza, this is a quick, delicious and cheap alternative.  

What You Need:

3/4 cup warm-hot water

1 pkg (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or reg. salt)

1 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 500° F with pizza stone or pizza pan inside 

2. Heat water in microwave on high for 15 seconds (water should be like very warm bath water 105°-115°)

3. Dissolve sugar and yeast into water & let set for 7-10 min. until creamy & bubbly.  

4. Combine flour, salt & italian seasoning into a mixing bowl.

5. Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture and combine until you have a dough ball.
6. Put dough onto lightly floured surface (I love my pastry cloth) and knead for 2 minutes.

7. If needed, sprinkle a little more flour on surface, flour your rolling pin and roll dough into a circle, the thinner you roll it, the crispier your crust will be.  Tips: While rolling, continue to flip dough over, always add a little more flour if dough is sticking and roll firm, but not too hard or dough will stick.

8. Trim your dough to fit your pizza stone or pan.  Slide your arms under the dough and transfer to the hot stone or pan.  Be very careful not to burn yourself!  Pizza does not have to be round, make it square if you want or use the dough trimmings to make random shapes.
9. Bake empty crust in 500° F oven for 4-6 min.  If you want, you can brush very lightly with olive oil to give a little flavor and extra browning to the crust.  Wipe off any excess oil to keep from getting soggy.  If using right away, go to step 10.  If baking later, cover and set aside until ready to top.

10.  Add your favorite toppings, but not too much!  A little goes a long way, especially with sauce.

11. Bake an additional 8-10 min. until crust is a nice light brown color.

I used a chunky tomato basil sauce, shredded mozzarella, half was pepperoni and half was portobello mushrooms, sweet peppers and arugula.  It was delicious! What are your favorite pizza toppings?  

Ology Laundry Liquid- Pledge to Win!

A few years ago, I gave birth to my first child, a beautiful baby girl named Josephine and our lives changed forever.  She was perfect of course, but she was fair skinned, red haired and had extremely sensitive skin.  Her skin would break out into itchy red dry patches that looked so miserable.  My pediatrician confirmed that she had eczema and recommended that we immediately stop using products that contained fragrances or dyes, so we did and her eczema cleared up significantly.  We have been fragrance free since, so I was very excited to get an opportunity through Mom's Meet to sample and review Ology Laundry Liquid.    

Here is what I love about the 2x Laundry Liquid (besides the cute packaging):

* It's gentle on clothes & skin, while still fighting tough stains 

* It works in both HE & regular machines & is formulated to clean all types of loads (regular, delicates, & wools) 

* It has no dyes, no artificial fragrances, no phosphates & none of these harmful chemicals: ammonia, chlorine bleach, DEA (diethanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine), parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, and SLS/SLES 

* The bottles are made from post consumer materials & the product is plant & mineral based 

* The products are never tested on animals & do not contain any animal byproducts 

* It is available at Walgreens & retails for only $6.79 (33 loads) 

Overall, I was very pleased and impressed with this brand and its products, from their sustainability to their efficiency.  I would definitely recommend their Laundry Liquid.  It was just as good, if not better than the ALL Free & Clear that I had been using, but much better for the environment and my family.  I also highly recommend their All Purpose Cleaner.  It has a great citrus and lavender scent and is safe to use around my family for practically every cleaning purpose.  Each of the Ology products is designed to make it easy to have a happier, healthier home and world—for both current and future generations. 

Take the Ology Pledge for a Chance to Win 1 of 10 $100 Giftcards!

• Simply write up a pledge to how you will create a healthier home. You can also take a photo or create a short video to share along with your pledge, but is not required.
• Post your pledge on one (or more!) of your favorite social networks: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, or Vine.
• Important: All social media posts must include the hashtag #OlogyPledge in order to enter the sweepstakes.

That's it! Good Luck!  Share your pledge with us in the comments below!

*I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetsSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product. 

Easy DIY Scrabble Tile Holder Picture Stands

Repurposing wooden Scrabble tiles has been the rage for quite awhile now.  I've seen them used at weddings, on Christmas ornaments, as coasters, framed in wall crosswords, monogram necklaces, etc.  Every time I see a cheap Scrabble game at a garage sale or thrift store, I have to pick it up because there are so many fun uses for them!  I've even sold my extra tiles & holders on Ebay for a small profit.  Here is a simple name display in my daughters room.  

The stands have long been forgotten and discarded.  Here's a super simple, yet modern way to use them!  For the picture stand project, get some basic wooden Scrabble tile holders.

I love the natural wood look, but my room decor didn't have any other light wood so I painted them.  Use them as is or paint them whatever color your little heart desires, my white took a couple coats.

Once the paint is dry, cut some 3M wall stickies in half (lengthwise) and apply to the flat back of holder.  I know, brain science, right?

Now find some small postcards, pictures or cards to display and figure out where you want to hang them.  I tried a few different options around the house (that's my sons room below), but I  finally settled for the personal photos of family for a spot in my bare hallway.  I had to add a little piece of tape to the back of the photos to keep them from falling off when someone walked by, but I don't think the heavier cards would require that.

Pretty easy, right?  What projects or gifts have you used Scrabble tiles or tile holders for?   

My Goodies, My Goodies, My T.L.C. VoxBox Goodies!

I got some super fun items to sample from Influenster.
Let me take you through my box of goodies.

*First, I received a bar of Ivory Soap.  I love that it is almost 100% pure and has such cute vintage style packaging.  I have already opened it up and started using it, but I want another bar to display in a bathroom basket for guests.

  *Neo To Go (Neosporin Spray)  Perfect to keep on your keychain, in your purse or diaper bag for those scraped knees at the park.  No Touch & No Sting!  I immediately put this in my glovebox with some spare band aides.  Now I am all set for those scraped knees at the park this summer.

*Puffs To Go!  Who doesn't need these?!....especially coming out of a terrible allergy season!  They also have lotion in them, so no more sore nostrils!  Love having these in my purse!

*Avon ANEW Reversalist Complete Renewal Express Wrinkle Smoother- This is a product I was so excited to get a chance to try.  As a stay at home mom of (almost) 3, I feel younger on the inside than I look on the outside, so any help I can get with the wrinkles would be great!  But so far I have not been super impressed with the results.  I'm hoping other people see less wrinkles than I do or that the results will increase over use.  I definitely appreciate the moisture it adds to my dry skin. 

*Shell Fuel Rewards Card- I love saving money, especially on things that I use almost daily.  I don't usually use Shell, just because there is a Seven Eleven right next to our house.  But there is a Shell station 1 exit away so I stopped by on my way to the grocery store to use my card for the first time and totally saved .03 per gallon.  I'm excited to have this card for trips and to start saving more money on gas!  Check it out:  SAVE MONEY HERE! 

*Now time for my favorite item from the VoxBox!  Breyers Gelato Indulgences- YUM!  I received a coupon to try this new product for free.  I picked the Vanilla Caramel and I went and got it as soon as my kids went to sleep (mainly so I didn't have to share).  It is really soft and creamy and yes, I ate it right out of the tub.  It's more fun that way!  I would definitely recommend this for a fun splurge or a date night in with your significant other.  

Thanks Influenster for letting me try out all these goodies!  

Have you tried any of these?  What did you think?  

DIY Father's Day Edible Gift Arrangement

A few weeks ago I saw this picture circulating Facebook, a hilarious version of an Edible Arrangement for dudes.  I don't know how they got all that to stand up without tipping over, 

but I'm impressed and I honestly wouldn't mind getting one of these myself.  Did I mention that I'm pregnant?  

I took note and decided to make my own version, but a little more practical.  My daughter and I set off to the store to pick up some of my husbands favorite things.  We got Skittles, Snickers, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, almonds, wine, fruit roll-ups, chips, hot sauce, bbq sauce, pickled veggies and almonds (you know, lots of healthy stuff).  My daughter kept telling me that beef is not a treat.    

I also picked up 100 wooden BBQ skewers for $1 in the grilling section and I had a few sturdier metal skewers at home for some of the heavier items.

I  found a cheap metal bucket as my base and hot glued a $1 store foam tree base into it.  I packed some thicker paper in the bottom to help prop items up higher.  

I taped the lighter items to the wooden skewers, heavier items to the metal skewers and arranged them at varying heights in the foam tree.  Then I arranged the really heavy items in the bottom of the bucket to cover foam and create a sturdy base.  I taped a few of the skewered items together to make them fill the empty space and hold better.  Then I hot glued a simple handmade twine bow to the front of the bucket.  This is how it turned out.  I would love to have it delivered to my husbands work, but since Father's Day is on a Sunday, we'll just have to give it to him ourselves.

Do you have a Father's Day gift planned yet?  What are some of your dads/husbands favorite "treats"?  And my 3 yr. old daughter wants to know, should beef be considered a treat?