When you can't ride, bake.

I am so excited. Matt bought me a full-suspension mountain bike yesterday! Perhaps he knows my stress level and wants me to take out my frustration on mother nature instead of him. Whatever the reason, I love it-- thanks schmoopydooppydoo.

So anyway, yesterday I hit the trails in comfort.

Keep an eye out for me at the next Extreme Games.

This is my stunt double. Squint and pretend it is me.

Well peeps, the end of July in Summit County brings the "monsoon season" which translates to rainy afternoons. Since I could not ride my bike today, I decided to make a sausage pizza instead. That makes perfect sense right?

I have a recipe for perfect pizza crust that is soooo easy (and no kneading and no rise time required).  I make this recipe all the time and it is no fail and delicious.

Quick and easy pizza crust.

1 cup warm water
1 package rapid rise yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2-1 tsp. garlic salt (I love garlicky and salty so I add one whole teaspoon, but you may like less)
about 2.5 cups flour

Directions: Preheat oven to 475. Dissolve yeast in water, add olive oil,  honey, garlic salt  (hint: if you add the olive oil before the honey,  the honey will glide off the oiled measuring spoon). Add the flour a bit at a time until the consistency is soft and doughy but not sticky or stiff. Then just let it sit for a few minutes while you get your toppings ready.

For this pizza:

I sauteed 1/2 pkg. leftover breakfast sausage, and then added sauteed mushrooms and onions and 1 chopped jalapeno.

After I did that, I rolled out my dough and plopped it on an ungreased pizza pan (I have a stone but I like the pan better).

I don't like too much sauce, so I just poured about 1/3 large jar marinara sauce, added my toppings and then topped with one bag of shredded Italian cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the crust is as brown as you like. I know 475 sounds high, but trust me, your crust will not brown properly unless you have a very hot oven.

Enjoy! Oh and don't forget the grated parm and crushed red pepper. You need that for the authentic takeout experience.

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

When you can't ride, bake.

I am so excited. Matt bought me a full-suspension mountain bike yesterday! Perhaps he knows my stress level and wants me to take out my frustration on mother nature instead of him. Whatever the reason, I love it-- thanks schmoopydooppydoo.

So anyway, yesterday I hit the trails in comfort.

Keep an eye out for me at the next Extreme Games.

This is my stunt double. Squint and pretend it is me.

Well peeps, the end of July in Summit County brings the "monsoon season" which translates to rainy afternoons. Since I could not ride my bike today, I decided to make a sausage pizza instead. That makes perfect sense right?

I have a recipe for perfect pizza crust that is soooo easy (and no kneading and no rise time required).  I make this recipe all the time and it is no fail and delicious.

Quick and easy pizza crust.

1 cup warm water
1 package rapid rise yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2-1 tsp. garlic salt (I love garlicky and salty so I add one whole teaspoon, but you may like less)
about 2.5 cups flour

Directions: Preheat oven to 475. Dissolve yeast in water, add olive oil,  honey, garlic salt  (hint: if you add the olive oil before the honey,  the honey will glide off the oiled measuring spoon). Add the flour a bit at a time until the consistency is soft and doughy but not sticky or stiff. Then just let it sit for a few minutes while you get your toppings ready.

For this pizza:

I sauteed 1/2 pkg. leftover breakfast sausage, and then added sauteed mushrooms and onions and 1 chopped jalapeno.

After I did that, I rolled out my dough and plopped it on an ungreased pizza pan (I have a stone but I like the pan better).

I don't like too much sauce, so I just poured about 1/3 large jar marinara sauce, added my toppings and then topped with one bag of shredded Italian cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the crust is as brown as you like. I know 475 sounds high, but trust me, your crust will not brown properly unless you have a very hot oven.

Enjoy! Oh and don't forget the grated parm and crushed red pepper. You need that for the authentic takeout experience.

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Strictly Fun Summer To-Do List

Ya'll  know I love a good party right? Well, I have finally taken the plunge and joined  this week's writing party over at Mama Kat's.


The writing prompt I chose is:

30 things you vow to do this summer.

I don't want to commit myself to anything chore-oriented, so I am vowing only to have fun in the following 30 ways.

1. Make old-fashioned hand-churned (and by "hand" I mean "electric")  ice cream. I am thinking blueberry cheesecake and butter pecan.

2. Get my backyard gardens going. I have strictly been a front yard girl thus far.

3. Run (when my ankle is back 100%).

4. Go on at least four new hikes from the Summit Hiker. Someday I will do them all. I always make a little notation of the date and who I went with (including which dogs we took) but I still have a long way.

5. Start writing a memoir and work on that a little each day.

6. Rent a convertible and take a Colorado road trip. Maybe Mesa Verde or Steamboat?  Matt can drive and I vow just to look cute. Note to self: Buy a sassy scarf to wear around my head.

7. Eat more fresh foods (does homemade ice cream count? what if I milk the cow?).

8. Steal Gather more moss for my pond.

9. Ride our tandem bike down Vail Pass with our dogs in the baby wagon.

10. Have at least one bbq/fire pit bash.

11. Host Girl's Keeno in July.

12. Paint my toenails a fun color. Maybe blue or green or silver.

13. Call my 90 year old grandmother more often and send her a few letters while I am at it. She is my only living grandparent : (

14. Book a late fall trip to Cozumel to visit my dad (and his Irish bar, Kelley's).

 40th B-day in Cozumel

15. Go to a Rockies game and have a hotdog.

16. Visit my in-laws in Fort Collins and play a lot of cards and drink a lot of Coors Light in their sunroom.

17. Take the water taxi from Frisco to Dillon and have a RumRunner or a Dark & Stormy at the Tiki Bar.

18. Go to the Keystone Jazzfest.

19. Go to all (or most) of the free summer concerts at the Dillon Amphitheater, including Jimmy BLuffet.

20. Make a new friend.

21. Sit on my porch and just look at the mountains.

22. Play a game of golf with Matt (not on the Wii).

23. Go fishing.

24. Make fried chicken and a pie and go on a picnic at the lake.

Photo: FoodNetwork.com

25. Redecorate my office if the mood strikes.

26. Go to both the Frisco (June) and Dillon (August) BBQ challenge.

27. Less Perez Hilton, more Murphy. That is, get my bo-hiney off the internets and take my dogs on more walks (btw I haven't used the word  "bo-hiney" since elementary school. You can reverse it and say "hiney-bo"-- it means the same thing. At least it does in Oklahoma)

28. Buy new pillows and silk pillow cases (will that prevent face wrinkles?).

29. Walk the entire shoreline of Lake Dillon (not all at once, of course). Matt and I came up with this one at the end of last summer. 

AND FINALLY,

30. Have a few Friday night dance-offs in my living room. So what if I am the only participant? I have three spectators (if you count the dogs) that think I am fabulous! Plus, I win every time.

31. Oh wait, I have one more (that's right. I am a rule-breaker). Celebrate my wedding anniversary with Matt on August 20. 


Hope your summer is off to a booty shakin start,

Strictly Fun Summer To-Do List

Ya'll  know I love a good party right? Well, I have finally taken the plunge and joined  this week's writing party over at Mama Kat's.


The writing prompt I chose is:

30 things you vow to do this summer.

I don't want to commit myself to anything chore-oriented, so I am vowing only to have fun in the following 30 ways.

1. Make old-fashioned hand-churned (and by "hand" I mean "electric")  ice cream. I am thinking blueberry cheesecake and butter pecan.

2. Get my backyard gardens going. I have strictly been a front yard girl thus far.

3. Run (when my ankle is back 100%).

4. Go on at least four new hikes from the Summit Hiker. Someday I will do them all. I always make a little notation of the date and who I went with (including which dogs we took) but I still have a long way.

5. Start writing a memoir and work on that a little each day.

6. Rent a convertible and take a Colorado road trip. Maybe Mesa Verde or Steamboat?  Matt can drive and I vow just to look cute. Note to self: Buy a sassy scarf to wear around my head.

7. Eat more fresh foods (does homemade ice cream count? what if I milk the cow?).

8. Steal Gather more moss for my pond.

9. Ride our tandem bike down Vail Pass with our dogs in the baby wagon.

10. Have at least one bbq/fire pit bash.

11. Host Girl's Keeno in July.

12. Paint my toenails a fun color. Maybe blue or green or silver.

13. Call my 90 year old grandmother more often and send her a few letters while I am at it. She is my only living grandparent : (

14. Book a late fall trip to Cozumel to visit my dad (and his Irish bar, Kelley's).

 40th B-day in Cozumel

15. Go to a Rockies game and have a hotdog.

16. Visit my in-laws in Fort Collins and play a lot of cards and drink a lot of Coors Light in their sunroom.

17. Take the water taxi from Frisco to Dillon and have a RumRunner or a Dark & Stormy at the Tiki Bar.

18. Go to the Keystone Jazzfest.

19. Go to all (or most) of the free summer concerts at the Dillon Amphitheater, including Jimmy BLuffet.

20. Make a new friend.

21. Sit on my porch and just look at the mountains.

22. Play a game of golf with Matt (not on the Wii).

23. Go fishing.

24. Make fried chicken and a pie and go on a picnic at the lake.

Photo: FoodNetwork.com

25. Redecorate my office if the mood strikes.

26. Go to both the Frisco (June) and Dillon (August) BBQ challenge.

27. Less Perez Hilton, more Murphy. That is, get my bo-hiney off the internets and take my dogs on more walks (btw I haven't used the word  "bo-hiney" since elementary school. You can reverse it and say "hiney-bo"-- it means the same thing. At least it does in Oklahoma)

28. Buy new pillows and silk pillow cases (will that prevent face wrinkles?).

29. Walk the entire shoreline of Lake Dillon (not all at once, of course). Matt and I came up with this one at the end of last summer. 

AND FINALLY,

30. Have a few Friday night dance-offs in my living room. So what if I am the only participant? I have three spectators (if you count the dogs) that think I am fabulous! Plus, I win every time.

31. Oh wait, I have one more (that's right. I am a rule-breaker). Celebrate my wedding anniversary with Matt on August 20. 


Hope your summer is off to a booty shakin start,

Thrifty Doodle Dandy

Since I am unable to train for the Ironman 2010 like I had planned (thanks to an ankle injury sustained while walking), I thought I would have time to get in a quick post today. 

I was at the Goodwill a few months ago (don't act so surprised) and I found this really neat unopened "Mail a Flag to a Friend" kit. It looks like it may have been something that sold in the  1960's. I have been waiting for the appropriate time to open it up and see how it looks. Matt put it together for the Memorial weekend. It was a nice sized cloth flag with pole, etc. I paid $3.99 for it. How is that for a good American value?

I know. I know. Our Aspens still are without leaves.  We are working on it.  At least it did not snow.

Anyway, it all came in this little box that had a mailing section (not pictured) where you could sent it to a friend.   I thought it was pretty neat.

Pre-ankle injury I was working on loosely copying this look from the cover of the June issue of Country Living.  I have some old bi-fold doors that I plan on using to make the shutters.

I have already been thrifting and digging out paint cans.  I can't wait to get it finished.  It's gonna be cute ya'll.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Linking to Rhoda's  Thrifty Treasures.

Thrifty Doodle Dandy

Since I am unable to train for the Ironman 2010 like I had planned (thanks to an ankle injury sustained while walking), I thought I would have time to get in a quick post today. 

I was at the Goodwill a few months ago (don't act so surprised) and I found this really neat unopened "Mail a Flag to a Friend" kit. It looks like it may have been something that sold in the  1960's. I have been waiting for the appropriate time to open it up and see how it looks. Matt put it together for the Memorial weekend. It was a nice sized cloth flag with pole, etc. I paid $3.99 for it. How is that for a good American value?

I know. I know. Our Aspens still are without leaves.  We are working on it.  At least it did not snow.

Anyway, it all came in this little box that had a mailing section (not pictured) where you could sent it to a friend.   I thought it was pretty neat.

Pre-ankle injury I was working on loosely copying this look from the cover of the June issue of Country Living.  I have some old bi-fold doors that I plan on using to make the shutters.

I have already been thrifting and digging out paint cans.  I can't wait to get it finished.  It's gonna be cute ya'll.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Linking to Rhoda's  Thrifty Treasures.

I Guess I won't be Unicycling Today.

What a frustrating weekend on many, many levels.

On Sunday, I had plans to do something in the afternoon, so Matt and I  decided to take the dogs on a quick and easy hike in the morning. It was so nice outside, we had to let them be a part of it.


After going down to the marina, we pulled off the road for an easy hike up to the Old Dillon Reservoir. The  views are breathtaking and there is a calm little pond that the dogs can swim in.  


In my sprint up the mountain, I tripped over a rock and completely rolled my ankle.  


So here I sit.  

How is it that my foot actually looks mentally challenged? Weird, huh?

I did not get any pictures on our hike because I only went about half way up. arrrrggghhh!  Am I going to be able to do anything all summer? I have never sprained my ankle in all my years of being upright. That includes my wild trips to Mazatlan during spring break back in the day.  How did I make it back in one piece then yet I somehow manage to trip over a 2 inch rock completely sober? I want to cry. Feelin sorry for myself. Boo-hoo.


Here is a description of the trail from the Town of Dillon website.

The .75 mile trail begins at an elevation of 9,066 feet and ends at an elevation of 9,193 feet, with a highest elevation of 9,203 feet. The elevation gain is +127 feet. The trail difficulty is rated EASY. This trail is used for multiple activities, including hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing and nordic skiing so please respect other users. 

Here is view of the lake (not taken by me):

Why do I have to be such a spaz? I really, really need my ankle to function the way it is supposed to. It is an important part of my life. I pretty much use it every day. I want to work on my yard or do something with my dogs. Matt and I  bought flowers and trees to plant, but I am stuck on my bootie.

Matt said: "Well you can still do women's work. A lot of it is on your hands and knees."

He is just saying that because he knows that I can't run after him. I am really trying to figure out a way to kick him with only one fully functioning leg.  Wasn't there a scene like that in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail?" That gives me a good idea about what I should watch on Netflix. It is not wasting time, it is "blog research" or a study on "marital conflict resolution." One of those.


To make matters worse, I saw these little girls riding down my street on unicycles while wearing flip-flops. I am not even lying. Now that takes coordination.

I would not be so mad if I had hurt my ankle doing something cool like unicycling or bungee jumping. Regular old sober walking/falling is not a very good story. FYI: everyone in my neighborhood is super athletic (including the kids apparently).  So I will really need to make up a good story. Either that or move somewhere where all the peeps are mega couch potatoes. I am thinking Houston.

But don't you worry my pretties.  I have a laptop and can still blog.  So there! And I can bark orders at Matt. I haven't sprained my tongue after all. 

I Guess I won't be Unicycling Today.

What a frustrating weekend on many, many levels.

On Sunday, I had plans to do something in the afternoon, so Matt and I  decided to take the dogs on a quick and easy hike in the morning. It was so nice outside, we had to let them be a part of it.


After going down to the marina, we pulled off the road for an easy hike up to the Old Dillon Reservoir. The  views are breathtaking and there is a calm little pond that the dogs can swim in.  


In my sprint up the mountain, I tripped over a rock and completely rolled my ankle.  


So here I sit.  

How is it that my foot actually looks mentally challenged? Weird, huh?

I did not get any pictures on our hike because I only went about half way up. arrrrggghhh!  Am I going to be able to do anything all summer? I have never sprained my ankle in all my years of being upright. That includes my wild trips to Mazatlan during spring break back in the day.  How did I make it back in one piece then yet I somehow manage to trip over a 2 inch rock completely sober? I want to cry. Feelin sorry for myself. Boo-hoo.


Here is a description of the trail from the Town of Dillon website.

The .75 mile trail begins at an elevation of 9,066 feet and ends at an elevation of 9,193 feet, with a highest elevation of 9,203 feet. The elevation gain is +127 feet. The trail difficulty is rated EASY. This trail is used for multiple activities, including hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing and nordic skiing so please respect other users. 

Here is view of the lake (not taken by me):

Why do I have to be such a spaz? I really, really need my ankle to function the way it is supposed to. It is an important part of my life. I pretty much use it every day. I want to work on my yard or do something with my dogs. Matt and I  bought flowers and trees to plant, but I am stuck on my bootie.

Matt said: "Well you can still do women's work. A lot of it is on your hands and knees."

He is just saying that because he knows that I can't run after him. I am really trying to figure out a way to kick him with only one fully functioning leg.  Wasn't there a scene like that in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail?" That gives me a good idea about what I should watch on Netflix. It is not wasting time, it is "blog research" or a study on "marital conflict resolution." One of those.


To make matters worse, I saw these little girls riding down my street on unicycles while wearing flip-flops. I am not even lying. Now that takes coordination.

I would not be so mad if I had hurt my ankle doing something cool like unicycling or bungee jumping. Regular old sober walking/falling is not a very good story. FYI: everyone in my neighborhood is super athletic (including the kids apparently).  So I will really need to make up a good story. Either that or move somewhere where all the peeps are mega couch potatoes. I am thinking Houston.

But don't you worry my pretties.  I have a laptop and can still blog.  So there! And I can bark orders at Matt. I haven't sprained my tongue after all.