DIY HOMEMADE PIZZA

February 9, 2021

Quick and Easy Homemade Pizza DIY

National Pizza Day is on February 9th celebrates one of America’s all-time favorite foods. Whether it is thin crust, Chicago-style, deep dish, or anything in between, pizza is an American favorite.We love our pizzas, and they come in so many varieties, too. As we nosh on our favorite, explore a few pizza facts:

Pepperoni is the most popular pizza at 36% of all pies ordered.
Over 3 billion pizzas are sold in the USA each year. Add another 1 billion on frozen pizzas
In the United States, 17% of all restaurants are pizzerias.
Antica Pizzeria, the first Pizzeria, opened in Naples, Italy, in 1738.
Gennaro Lombardi, the first Pizzeria in the United States, opened in 1895 in New York City.
Americans consume on average 23 pounds of pizza per person each year.

Now, Let’s make our own. I found a quick and easy recipe.

READY IN: 45mins

SERVES: 4

Let’s get cheesy

INGREDIENTS

Nutrition

2 ¹⁄₂
cups flour
1
teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon sugar
1
tablespoon fast rise yeast
1 cup water (120*)

1 tablespoon oil

TOPPINGS

¹⁄₄
cup tomato sauce
1
teaspoon Italian seasoning
¹⁄₂
teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₂
teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈
teaspoon pepper
1 ¹⁄₂
Veggies/or pepperoni slices
1
cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1
cup shredded monterey jack cheese
3
tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

In large bowl, mix first 4 ingredients.
Mix water and oil; add to flour mixture.
Turn onto floured surface; knead for 2 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl; turning to grease top.
Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
Punch down; place on 12in, greased pizza pan.
Pat into a circle.
Topping: Mix first 5 ingredients and spread over crust.
Put a few VEGGIES (pepperoni slices) on top of sauce.
Sprinkle with 1/2 the mozzarella; 1/2 the Monterey Jack, and 1/2 the parmesan.
Put the rest of the pepperoni on.
Repeat the cheese layer.
Bake at 400* for 20 minutes or until light brown.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalPizzaDay

You know what to do. Make your own favorite pizza duh! Whether you visit your local pizza place or make your own, you’ll be celebrating National Pizza Day your way! Try something new. Mix up your toppings. Try a new sauce or get some crazy crust. Be sure to give a shout out to the local staple that’s always filled the pizza need. You know who I’m talking about. The ones with the secret ingredients we make classic movies about. Yeah, that’s the one.

Leave a comment with any other great ideas or deals you come across that celebrate National Pizza Day, 2021.

DIY Cotton Candy Popcorn

January 19, 2021

Cotton Candy Popcorn

Melody Renee By Candyce Estes

Popcorn has got to be one of the top snacks, right? I mean, it’s everywhere. From having a variety of flavored popcorns and popcorn kernels in the grocery store aisles to vendors selling bags of freshly popped corn at sporting events, state fairs, and movie theaters popcorn has got to be a favorite. OK, so I don’t actually have any stats to back this up, but my claims are pretty vague.

Fact: Popcorn is one of MY all-time favorite snacks. It’s crunchy, salty, and downright addicting. I don’t think there has ever been a time I’ve turned down popcorn. I like it as a snack, I eat it as a meal, and when I was pregnant, I would have my partner drive to our local theater (during the pandemic), to buy a giant bag of popcorn (buttered, obviously), I couldn’t get enough of it!

Today is national popcorn day and I came across a recipe that I had to share and also try. You know, I really couldn’t tell you where my love of “popcorn” came from. I’m not a huge fan of cotton candy alone, but mix it with something like lemonade, or POPCORN and I’m your friend for life. Go figure – it’s fun, easy, and quick food. And that’s what this blog and I are all about!

Let’s Get Popping

I had some fun colored candy coating leftover from the holiday cookies I made with my twin nieces. If you’ve been following me over the past couple of years, you’ve probably learned that I love popcorn. If you do too, make sure to finish reading. Cotton Candy Popcorn (yummy) is what I’m going to teach you to make and it’s so easy. I was pretty proud of myself when I decided to tear up real cotton candy pieces to add them to this treat! You can really taste the cotton candy in it!

I added the marshmallow coating to 8 cups of the popcorn. Then you know what I did? I dumped in all of the cotton candy pieces, stirred them around gently and figured a few (only 1/4 cup!) sprinkles wouldn’t hurt. Am I right? So, just for the record, you could technically stop here and just enjoy the recipe.

If you have a few more minutes and want additional color, here’s where you add the pink and blue popcorn in. I always keep the majority of the popcorn white and just add little pops of color when needed.

Ingredients

16-ounce package marshmallow or vanilla candy melts
12 cups popped popcorn, divided
1/4 cup sprinkles
2 cups cotton candy, torn into small pieces
3 ounces blue candy melts
3 ounces pink candy melts

Instructions

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the marshmallow or vanilla melts according to instructions on package.
Add 8 cups of popcorn to a large bowl and pour in the marshmallow coating. Stir until well coated.
Add the cotton candy and gently mix to distribute throughout the popcorn.
Spread popcorn out on a lined baking sheet and add the sprinkles on top. Allow cooling.
In two separate bowls, melt the blue and pink candy coating.
Divide the remaining popcorn equally between two bowls – 2 cups in one bowl, 2 cups in the other.
Pour the blue coating over the popcorn in one bowl and the pink over popcorn in the other bowl.
Stir until well-coated and spread the popcorn out on another lined baking sheet.
Combine the white, pink, and blue popcorn and enjoy!

Check Out the video below…. It’s what inspired me.

Get popping and share your popcorn or favorite snacks with me. Leave a comment below and let me know how your cotton candy popcorn turns out.

Deuces & Smooches