Pioneer Woman Wednesday #2 & a ROAD TRIP!

I can't believe that it is already Wednesday again, but here we are! Today's Pioneer Woman Wednesday is all about her Puffed Pastry Pizza.  I have actually made these twice.  The first time was when my parents and Grandma visited for my birthday, and then I made them again at my parent's house over Easter.  The best part of them is that they are super easy.  Also, as you will see, I pretty much don't follow the Pioneer Woman recipe at all, other than the way she cuts the pastry and her cook times.  She puts lots of yummy stuff on the pizzas, but they are things that my husband wouldn't even look at (i.e, caramelized onions & goat cheese), so I just put on whatever whoever is eating them wants.  Actually, as I was writing that last sentence it occurred to me that Ben has never actually even tried these...he wasn't there at my parents the night I made them, and he was taking a nap when we ate them when my parents were visiting me.  Weird.


Okay, so these pizzas are seriously super easy.  All I did was cut the pastry into strips, (it is super important when using pastry that it is THAWED. I pull them out of the freezer hours ahead of time and put them in the fridge. This works beautifully.  The first time I used them I didn't thaw them ahead, so I put them in the microwave.  Did not work as beautifully, although it did still work. But they can't be cut or anything when they are frozen. Trust me.)

After I cut the pastry into strips (like the recipe says), I simply put on whatever toppings our hearts desire. I like just cheese.  Or cheese and garlic.  For others, I've put on pepperoni, ham, bacon, etc.  Whatever you like on pizza works.  In the recipe, Ree says to not put on much cheese, but I've never had a problem with it. I don't measure specific amounts of the toppings, it's just whatever each person likes!  Once the toppings are on, I bake it for the time the recipe says, and then it's done! Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

We had the pizzas with salad, and it was a fantastic lunch!! Not too heavy, but kept us full until dinner!

Overall impression of this recipe: E-Z! And very customizable to everyone's likes.  Would probably be awesome for kiddos.  

Challenges: The first time I made these, the pizzas on the Pampered Chef stoneware (above), stuck to the pan.  Also, I am impatient so I think they could have cooked a little longer.  

Things I will change next time: The 2nd time I made these, my oven wasn't hot enough so they took forever, so next time I will be sure to cook them for the right time at the right temperature.  Also, the recipe calls for olive oil on the dough but I think that makes it too wet, so I won't do that again.  (Good chance I used too much but...).  

Do I recommend this recipe? : Chya! 

And now for something completely different....

A ROAD TRIP!

   My biffle Kate got a new job! In San Fransisco! So this weekend her and I are leaving on a cross country road trip to get her moved out there! Ah! Road trips are one of my favorite things in life, and I am SO excited.  The best part is that we are only stopping overnight in places where we know people, so we won't have to stay in a hotel at all.  We will be going to a ton of places I've never been and I am so excited for that.  Oh, and I will be blogging about our adventures! I haven't decided if it will be a real-time blog (like each night when we arrive in our destination for the day), or if I will do it all when I get home.  It mostly depends on internet access.  And how well this website does on my iPad.  But, the point is, I CAN'T WAIT for our trip, and I can't wait to tell all of you all about it! Yippee!

Kate and I at Keeneland this fall.  There will be a ton of selfies just like this to come, I'm sure! :)