Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Mini Pizzas ...Take Two

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have another snacky type food for those afternoons when lunch came too late and bedtime is creeping up on us. We need something fast, easy, and then we can move on to homework, baths, and bed. I put up the pizza crescent rolls and they were alright, but they tasted very sweet to me. So, when I saw this other recipe, I thought it might be more to our taste.

 You'll need flour tortillas, pizza sauce, cheddar or whichever cheese you prefer, and pepperoni. (Did I forget anything, Carol? Kav, did I miss a word? I need a proofreader, I swear. I should send these posts to you all before I hit "publish"!)
 The original post I saw was only a few pictures, without any directions. One had tortillas being trimmed into a circle with a glass, a la biscuits. But when I did that, it was too small! So, I used scissors. Yup, I'm classy like that.
 OK, now they're a little too big. Just adjust as needed. I could have measured, but who knows where the tape measure is. So, maybe four inches across? Don't quote me on that.
Preheat the oven to 350F. I just guessed on a temperature, since the picture I saw didn't have instructions, and figured I could turn it down I burned the first batch, or leave it longer if it needed more time.
 Since it looks like I only have one child, I decided to include the whole gang this time. As you can see, they were less than thrilled to be snapped at close range. And I see haircuts on the horizon...
 Swipe on some pizza sauce (about 1 tsp) and make sure it reaches the edges. Put in the cheese (about 1 TBS).
 Put a slice of pepperoni on the top. Leave off if you have pepperoni haters.
 I set the timer for five minutes, and they didn't seem quite done, so I added another five minutes. Ten minutes total.
 Ooooh, they smell delicious!
 The girls were having their online class on the history of Imperial Russia, so Isabel is giving me a combined "why are you handing me food" look and a "why are taking my picture" look.
 Here's Ana on my laptop, also "in class". It's great they can eat in class and not get in trouble!  Taught by a professor at Yale, it's open to anyone of any age, so it didn't matter my kids are 12 and 14. The application process is pretty simple. They get college credit, too! I've been teaching them Russian for two years, but most of the foreign pages they've had to read so far have been in Old Church Slavonic and some articles in Ukrainian. Anyway, you can see the professor in the top right hand window, and the main screen is the lecture notes she's writing as she's speaking, and the bottom window is the class, asking or answering questions. NIFTY. I would have loved this when I was little. Alas, all I had were old encyclopedias!
The homework has been really fun to see. Lots of livejournal links of what's happening in the Crimea have been added at the last minute, since it's history repeating itself. But we loved the section tracing the history of music in the Orthodox church.
Need a little chant in your day?  This is a  video of znamenny chant, and this one is a little longer but very beautiful video of Vaalam's Breathren monastery choir.
And then, with this video part of their homework was to translate the Old Church Slavonic to Russian, then to English. Since it took a while for them to do that, I got to hear this clip about... oh, twenty times. It was nice background music for the zoo...
 OK, back to pizza. Here is the child who does not like his picture taken. He doesn't know I'm doing this. Don't tell him I took it, and don't tell him I put it up on the blog.
 Aver, mi guapo jefe de jefes came back from work famished. He's not a pizza guy, so he made himself a sandwich. It looks like a normal sandwich on the outside, but see that little jar of pickled jalpenos? Secret ingredient. I think he does that so I don't ask for a bite.
 Ay ay! Esta es una mirada que dice, "PORQUE?" (Uh oh, this look says, "WHY?")
 And so I explain that all my cooking pictures have one child and no one else. This is his patient look. I see this a lot.
 While the next batch of little pizzas are cooking, I wanted to figure out what to do with all the tortilla scraps. One of my kids suggested baking them like chips, but with a little butter and sugar. Dessert! I don't have a pic of them after, but you can use your imagination. We sprinkled a little cinnamon on them and dipped them in honey.
 Before I forget, I'm giving away Jane Austen paper dolls over on my blog, so if you've ever dreamed of dressing Mr. Darcy then pop on over and enter! I have THREE to give away and although I'm a true Janeite, I need to reduce my stack of Austen goodies to a manageable size before it turns into an Elizabeth Bennet avalanche!
Ok, dear friends, have a wonderful week! I'm starting a new writing project and it's spring and everyone is healthy and the grass is growing and all is well with the world!
Until next time!


21 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, Virginia, what a fun read this post is. And out of all the family pics, I do believe I can tell who your camera hog is...it's all in the 'look at me, aren't I cute' eyes. Perhaps he's just practising for the paparazzi for when he's famous?

    And the girls are taking Russian? And college course? Wow, who says home schooling shouldn't be an option? I need to zen out on some chants.

    Great idea for pizzas! I started making mine with naan bread and it's soooo easy and soooo yummy! And great when you just want a personal sized pizza.

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  2. People say they should be taking Spanish, but they get that at home, so I think it's okay to branch out a little. I lived in France so I also teach them French, which is probably more useful. (Truthfully, in rural Oregon, neither of those area really useful, but they're both fun!) My nuclear engineer dad has offered to shepherd them through their advanced science courses, but I think that will be years away yet. I think the highest math in the house right now is Algebra II. We have a co-op but the classes are mostly PE and debate and cooking... high school stuff..
    There are lots of college courses available now, for everyone (as long as you're accepted). I keep thinking I should take something when I finish my writing class with Franny Billingsley, but then I think, "Do I REALLY want to go back to school??" Probably not, even for one class. I have enough homework!
    I don't think we have naan bread here. Do you make it yourself?

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    1. I keep debating going back to school but dont' know what I'd want to do. definitely don't want to continue in chemistry - would've changed my major before I graduated with my BS if my dadn't hadn't pitched a threatening to fit to hurry up and finish. :-( plus had no idea what I wantd to do then ended up on night shift then working shift then this worst shift so would have to be online pretty much then I wonder why I'd want to have to be disciplined to study..blech! now for fun I'd take something - I used to enroll in something every spring semester for the fun of it and before I had a rotating shift.will have to look into this yale stuff and do some searching but every time I search I keep getting harrassed with university of phoenix xtuff...
      Susanna

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    2. Let me find some links...

      Coursera has free college courses
      https://www.coursera.org/

      MIT has free/ open courses
      ocw.mit.edu/

      Harvard has open learning courses.
      www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative

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    3. Lots of videos and really interesting lectures! I remember a great series on the Civil War that helped me write my first Austen book.

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  3. These look fun and easy and yummy!! But now I feel like my kids are total slackers!

    :)

    Actually! I just remembered my son was taking an extra class at Coursera. You should check those out as well. (free)

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    1. Isn't it amazing, Missy? It's like the world has opened up to us. Abraham Lincoln would have been absolutely thrilled at how easy it is to learn nowadays.

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  4. wow! don't think I'll try the pizzas - too lazy to hunt up clean scissors LOL and I like a crust. funny with the peppers - a guy at work brings food and shares sometimes when we end up working together and his wife is FAMOUS for tucking jalapenos in the lunchmeat - I mean folded meat and the pepper is stuck inside (guess she loves him!) so he gave me a sandwich after the first 'accident' and I took the meat out and shook it! he laughed because he knew what i was doing and how I didn't believe him when he said that one didn't have peppers (he was right - both counts- that I didn't believe him and that it didn't have peppers!)

    and wow that hunk's your hubby?!

    Susanna

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    1. Oh, that is funny!! I'm not a fan of peppers in general and jalopenos in particular.
      And yes, that is my handsome hubby. He usually shaves and wears something a little nicer than dirty work clothes if he's having his picture take but he's a good sport and let me snap away. Or he was too preoccupied with his sandwich to chase me for the camera.

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    2. I'll take the rugged look LOL! I like peppers when they're sorta dragged over what I'm eating - like the sausage/cheese/jalapeno kolaches- I take the jalapeno out but it still has a little heat just not as much - there's a dish I like at the chinese place and friend warned me my first time eating it to take out the jalapenos- sure enough among all the chunks of bell pepper were 2 slices of jalapeno (I suspect there was a third whch is why my eyes and nose were running...)
      Susanna

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    3. I like a little heat with my dishes, but jalapeno flavor isn't something I like and I'm not sure why. If I had to choose, I'd say chili de arbol, those tiny red peppers. I think those are good when they're roasted and then chopped very fine.
      And I think he's adorable just as he is and I never think he smells bad, but he insists that he's horrible and stinky. Whatevs!

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  5. Hahaha...it's so cute how your family is so tolerant of you and your camera. I just love your husband's expression. It is translatable in most languages without an interpreter!!! hahahahaha!

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    1. Yup, it's a "I'm trying to eat the sandwich I made for myself because my wife didn't make a real dinner, and now she's taking my picture!"

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  6. Naan is available in almost every store in the bakery. WAL MART HAS IT!!!
    Zap in the microwave. DELISH!!!

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    1. I'll have to go check! I try to stay away from walmart bakery section... too many goodies!

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  7. Your posts always have so much to comment on!

    1) Love the pizzas! And your dessert sounds scrumptious, too.

    2) Don't you just love the versatility of homeschooling? I was talking with my college sophomore son the other day, and he was thanking me (THANKING ME!!!) for giving them the education we did. He and his next older brother had the same education at home, but now he's a Mechanical Engineering major and his brother is a Political Science major - and both have minors they're working on. And their sister has a degree in Music and is actually USING her degree.

    They can focus on a wide variety of disciplines because while they were at home, they were able to explore whatever subjects they wanted beyond our basic classical education. Your kids have a great future ahead :)

    3) I agree. Your family is very patient when you get out the camera. Mine disappears, or else they make me show them the picture - even before it's edited - to make sure I didn't try to sneak them in there!

    4) I have to go look up what Naan is.....

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    1. You said-
      They can focus on a wide variety of disciplines because while they were at home, they were able to explore whatever subjects they wanted beyond our basic classical education.

      EXACTLY. It works for us (and everyone should do what works for them, hence our support of traditional school, too). But I remember being SO BORED, not because I was brilliant, but because I wanted to learn so many topics that weren't covered in school. Of course we cover traditional topics (we have state testing, we can't just avoid math entirely, for example) and that takes only a few hours a day. The rest? Whatever they want!
      They have so many interests, and the time to indulge them. I have a few who just want to read five hours a day, and I let them, after their work is done an chores are done, etc. And others who are in constant motion, building, rock hounding, gardening, bird watching. It sounds a bit boring (and certainly non of those things are my passions) but it's the fact they have the time, and the support, to give so much energy and effort to their hobbies.

      Of course, I always regale them with stories of "when I was a kid, I could only read for an hour a day, and I never heard another language being spoken until I was ten, and I never got to have class in the lawn in the sunshine..." Poor me! LOL

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  8. Great looking goodies... and versatile as a snack or a meal. (I'm sure you haven't forgotten a single thing this time. :D I shouldn't have mentioned the sugar last week, but I *really* wanted to try making that cake and I'm not a very adventuresome cook when it comes to making substitutes.) I like a little spice occasionally, but DH doesn't. Our son coats everything in Franks Hot Sauce. I wonder where he got that habit!

    Our kids all went to traditional schools, and then two of the three also ended up going to work for a while before returning to independent colleges for specialized courses. I loved watching them develop a passion for specific careers that they still love. Only our youngest went all the way through university. She now teaches in a college and completed her Masters in Educational Technology via online/correspondence courses. One of the bests gifts we can give our children is the opportunity to explore options and follow their interests.

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  9. Lol! The patient look is my favorite :) Looking forward to seeing the girls today!

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  10. They're already dressed and waiting to leave, Haha!!

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