My husband and I love cooking pizza during the week! It's an easy and quick "go-to" meal that I can prepare in 15 minutes! If I know that I'll be cooking pizza for the following week, I'll be sure to pick up Stone Fire's flat bread pizza crust or the original tandoor baked naan. This is my favorite "go-to" crust.
My favorite toppings are inspired by the traditional spinach and garlic flavor that is available at most pizza places. I love to put marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, minced garlic, turkey pepperoni, chopped spinach (fresh or frozen), and topped with parmesan cheese! I highly recommend you try this pizza. It's surely a hit!
2013 has surely come and gone. Every year, I'm always amazed at how fast time just flies by. I still remember certain events throughout the year and feel as if it were yesterday. Yet to me, "time" is an uncomfortable word that I'd rather pretend was not a variable in my everyday actions and decision making. I see my grandparents getting older, my nieces saying, "I can do that by myself," and life situations changing daily.
Yet, if time was not an issue, our days would be mundane. We would always feel like there will be tomorrow. We would take our precious moments for granted. But in this life, time is so fragile and valuable. My favorite part about celebrating the new year is spending time with family and creating more lasting memories and good times. I think one of my inspirations for creating cooking videos was my grandparents. They are very special people in my life and to many other people and I wanted to capture their 90 years of knowledge and unique recipes on camera. I am so thankful that I have many opportunities to spend so much time with them.
This year, I hope to be a better me than last year. I just finished reading the book, The Slight Edge for the second time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to find success in their lives. Jeff Olson reminds us that success is in your daily habits. Being and consistent and persistent is what will bring success over and over and over again, which leads me to my new years resolutions.
This year, I would like to be more focused and consistent in my daily habits. I would also like to work on having more patience. My first goal.... Read a positive or personal development books daily!
I hope you have a wonderful 2014. And remember, it's the little decisions that will make a huge difference in the long run.
Please check out my latest video when you have a chance.
Finally, my favorite time of year! The holiday season makes me think of spending time with family, eating lots of delicious food, driving by Christmas lights, and being merry with hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies!
My family had our annual gingerbread cookie making the other night at my parents house. Gingerbread cookie making is a great way to create unique and amazing sweets together as a family. Everyone of all ages can enjoy each step of the process; baking, decorating, and eating. However some family members only participate and enjoy in the eating process. :-)
The gingerbread cookies were a success! The homemade frosting added a sweet flavor to the chewy cookie taste. My favorite part were the chocolate chips and m&ms which gave the cookie nice chocolate flavor! Who doesn't love chocolate!
Please stay tuned for my next video on gingerbread cookie making coming soon. Also, if you didn't have chance yet, please check out my Deeds of Wisdom: Thanksgiving videos! This was a great project because all my family members helped to make a dish for Thanksgiving dinner, which we ended of filming. Hopefully it will give you some ideas for your next holiday party or get together!
A couple of weeks ago, I suddenly became inspired to try and make my own pizza dough. I've always loved the idea of eating fresh pizza crust straight from the oven. However, I never attempted to try it out till last week! To prepare, I researched the process by watching "how to" videos, Giada De Laurentis on Food Network, and reading different recipes.
I found a recipe online that seemed easy and suitable. I've come to learn that making pizza dough is actually very simple. The only challenging part is making sure their is enough time allotted for the dough to rise. My first attempt of making pizza dough came out fairly well. However I didn't have a rolling pin to help roll out the dough. It was difficult to spread the dough out evenly and in a circle with my fingers.
"Dough to Dine" shows my second attempt at dough making. This time, I prepared pizza for my family of ten! There was more dough to kneed, however I was fortunate to be able to use my mom's rolling pin! After rolling out six balls of dough, each family member added marinara sauce and toppings to their pizza. I would suggest putting the dough on a cookie sheet or a pizza stone before adding any toppings.
Some of my favorite toppings to add on a pizza are tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, garlic, spinach, and chicken, unlike my husband who is a complete meat eater. Pizza making with family is a great way for each family member to create that "special pizza" made just for them. Also, it makes for a lively and fun time in the kitchen!
Click here to view the full video of "Dough to Dine!" Thank you for watching!
Local produce, farmers markets, eating organic, and having a backyard garden are gaining popularity where I live. I notice many people bring their own bags to the grocery market, the growing organic food sections, and more articles popping up in the news about eating healthy.
My grandpa is a backyard garden veteran, growing vegetables and fruits out of his home since he was young. When my grandparents lived in Hilo, I remember visiting them in the summer. My cousins and I would run through his anthurium plants past the vegetables, sometimes help pick tangerines, and earn 5 cents for every slug we speared. As far as I can remember, he always grew his own lettuce, tomatoes, green onions and radishes to name a few. Being a kid, I only cared about running around the plants, climbing down their gulch, and playing slip and slide on their driveway. I didn't truly appreciate the importance and value of growing and eating from their own backyard.
Now as we fast forward 15 years and I look back on these experiences, I finally understand the importance of sustainability and the value of growing your own produce. About 6 years ago, my grandparent moved to my parents house on Oahu. It was an adjustment for them as they had to make new friends, join different activities, and most of all, live with their children all over again. However, one thing that grandpa kept consistent is raising a backyard garden. He currently grows asparagus, soy beans, bush beans, tomatoes, herbs, flowers, radish, bok choy, and lettuce. These vegetables are a great addition to family dinners, get togethers, and everyday cooking.
In January, I was able to document his plant process as he prepared, planted, and grew bush beans. It was a great learning experience for me. I am inspired to one day start small and grow a small garden where I live. Having a backyard garden is a great way to help our environment and truly eat organic.
Thank you grandpa for your inspiring deeds. We all need a green thumb like you. :-)
Please watch as grandpa shows us how he prepares, plants, and harvests bush beans.
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