BOOK COOK

Ingredients for Dough

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Cornmeal, for dusting (OPTIONAL) cornmeal will make the bottom of the bread a little crunchy, I like mine soft.

Instructions

Mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes, the dough should be doubled and domed in size.

Next coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil, corn meal (OPT) turn out the dough on the oiled pan, and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/2-inch thick,cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in the oven again for another 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Sprinkle the surface with more olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon Basil, 1/4 teaspoon Oregano, and your tomato mixture.....Bake for 25 minutes or until medium golden brown...(Note) if using fresh mozzarella cheese add small slices on top 10 minutes before done. Unless you like your cheese to brown....My husband preferrers his cheese to get nice and brown, I rather have mine nice and melted only.



Roasted Tomato & Garlic

Toppings: Tomato & Garlic
33 cherry tomato's, slice in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon Basil
1/4 teaspoon ground Rosemary
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Pinch ground black pepper
Fresh Mozzarella cheese, small slices
In a medium bowl bring your 33 sliced cherry tomato's, 3 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1/4 teaspoon Rosemary, 3 to 4 minced Garlic cloves, pinch Salt, pinch Pepper and mix well, place and spread the tomato's on a roasting or cookie sheet pan and bake on the middle rack for 15 to 20 minutes.
Posted 83 seconds ago. ( permalink | delete | edit )

So, the past few days have been a total mess. The past week has been hectic also; I had 7 days to do a whole art project (i managed it but i'm looking totally sleep deprived and malnurished) I thought i would just relax this weekend but only had a nice day on saturday as from sunday morning shit hit the fan..
Basically been a MAD few days, everything went wrong and fell to pieces; I've been lied to, used, lost one of my oldest friends, all at once.
I'm generally a nice person who always tries to see the best in people but it seems all it gets me is getting made a fool of, used, exploited, all for wanting to see the better in people. I guess I'm just too gullable at times. I really should of seen all this coming, looking back on the situation - i just like to think things that happen in my life are like something torn from a fairytale, but its rarely ever like that.
I've delt with some nasty, downright shadey people in the last few days and I dont want to have to deal with anything like this for a very long time if I'm quite honest.

I was surprisingly cool with this, I was very calm despite getting played like a chess piece. Until I realised the aforementioned friend had deleted me from facebook (and blocked me) which hurt the most..
I had some messed up dreams last night, were i was hysterically crying at everything in them, and when I woke up i knew what i had to do - i just let go and cried for half an hour straight. I'm a tough cookie but sometimes you have to let your guard down.
People make mistakes, people believe lies, and people are foolish, and I am living evidence of that - but it's what makes me human.