White Pizza With Corn

 
I saw this recipe in a recent Food Network magazine and thought I would give it a try.  I actually marked SEVERAL recipes in this particular edition, so you may see more.

 
Anyway, this one looked super simple to make, and it was so I tried it first.

Verdict:  DELICIOUS!!  This tasted even better than I expected.  I am so disappointed when I try a new recipe and it isn't all that great (or worse, it is bad), but luckily, this one was a keeper.

I revised it a bit to make it a bit easier for me.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any fresh basil, I wish I had because it would have been even better! 

WHITE PIZZA WITH CORN

SERVES: 4

1 Package of refrigerated Pillsbury Classic Pizza Dough

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 clove garlic, minced ounces fresh 

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

1cup raw corn kernels (I used 1/2 package Bird's Eye Fire Roasted Corn Kernals)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt

Fresh basil, for topping

 

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  Place parchment paper on baking sheet.

2. Open pizza dough and unroll onto parchment paper.

3. Drizzle the dough with olive oil and rub into the dough.

4.Top with the garlic, mozzarella, corn kernels and Parmesan.

5. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with salt.

6. Bake the pizza for 10 minutes at 400F, until edges of crust are lightly brown

7. Top with fresh basil

 

Man, oh, man, it was good.  I saw another recipe on Food Network's website that included grape tomatoes - that would be a great topping and I found yet another one that included chopped smoked bacon.  I am sure that would be good too, but I rather like the fact that it is a vegetarian pizza so I probably wouldn't add bacon, but I can see how that would be good.

 

Prayer Shawl # 8

I finished another prayer shawl.  When I bought Lion Brand Scarfie yarn on clearance at Michael's, there were 2 different colors that were on clearance, and I got them both.  I enjoyed the pattern I used with this yarn on the last shawl, so decided to stick with what worked.

The pattern, called Shell Shawl, calls for 3 skeins, but I only use 2.  I can't imagine how huge it would be with 3 skeins!!  

The color of this yarn was Rose / Dusty Rose.  Like with the last one, it may not normally have been a color that would have "spoken" to me, but I'm glad it was on clearance, and I got it because it turned out to be so lovely.

I really like the detail you can see on the back of this shawl.

My kitty cat, Tarzan wanted to have his photo taken too, so I obliged. Isn't he a cutie? 💖

Project Life ~ March 2024

I can’t believe a fourth of the year is already over.  Time does fly, especially when you get to my age.

This month, I went to another premier of the Indigo Girls’ documentary “It’s Only Life After All” - it has finally been released in theaters!  We talked to the filmmaker and she interviewed us on video for possible DVD extras when it is released.  Amy and Emily were also there to answer some questions and perform a couple of songs.

My friend, Don, asked me to see Post Modern Jukebox with him at Symphony Hall.  It was fun, people dressed for the show (I had no idea), they sing modern day songs but in a different genre. For instance, they might sing a Spice Girls Song, but in the style of the Lennon Sisters.  We both really enjoyed it.

My friend Susan came for a week long visit and we went to see Beetlejuice, which was so good and so funny! Also, my little kitty turned 4 this month - which is so, so hard to believe!

A church member, who is well known in Georgia for building homes, John Weiland, has an incredible art collection and has set up an art gallery.  All the art is related to homes.  He has decided to  open his art gallery to the public and luckily, as someone he knows, I got was able to go with some other church members for a sneak preview.

A couple of less than happy things.  My poor little kitty niece, Bonnie Faye, was one sick little baby.  She had to spend time in the ER with overnight hospital stays.  She still isn’t 100% back to her pre-sickness self but she is doing much better, praise GOD!

Also, my friends Brian and Woody have officially moved to Beaufort, NC.  I am so happy for them, but boy am I going to miss my fellas!  I just can’t imagine what is is going to be like without them around.

(Click on photos to enlarge)  

Feeling Saucy!

Americans love their sauces…I mean LOVE them! You only have to stop by a local Walmart to see that. There are so many fast food and restaurant chains that are getting in on the retail market.  I guess people steal their sauces from the store so they figure, hey, we should sell them so the people can get what they want and it will help our profits instead of hurting them.

Even some famous chefs/cooks, such as Guy Fieri and Ree Drummond have gotten into the game.

I love sauces too, but oddly enough don’t really buy fast food/restaurant sauces as it would take me too long to eat them.  The only exception is that I do love Whataburger Spicy Ketchup and I have bought that a couple of times.

Are you a saucy person?  Have you bought any of these?

Project Life ~ February 2024

I am a bit late posting February pages, but here they are.  There were some not great things (death of a cousin, bad leg infection that was resistant to antibiotics), but there were also good things (healthy kitties, friends get together, trip to see Marie Osmond with my bestie)

You can click on the photos to enlarge

52 Ancestors - Week 11 - Achievement

 My 3rd Great-Grandmother was Georgia America Segars was born in July 1848 in Georgia, USA. Her father, Southward, was 38 and her mother, Clarkey was 33.  During the Civil War, her future husband, Jerimiah Trusdell was fighting for the North, and he was in Georgia and somehow met Georgia, how I wish I knew.  But he fell in love with her and after the war, moved down to Georgia, married her and they settled in Alabama, where he was the town doctor.

Georgia's achievement was that she was blind.  This was, no doubt, a big challenge in the 1800s.  It is not known how she lost her sight...some research indicates she was born blind and other research says her blindness developed when she was a little older, but at any rate, it does appear she was most likely blind at least by the time she married.

She managed to have a good marriage, to a Yankee, which I am sure was an achievement in itself during that time, but she had 5 children and raised them, while working on a farm.  

I wish I could sit down and talk to her and find out all the achievements she made during her life, those that she probably just accepted as normal life.  She truly seemed to be an outstanding individual.

52 Ancestors - Week 10 - Language

This is a challenging topic for me.  My first thought was to write about an ancestor that spoke a different language - other than my language of English. However, considering that my ancestors are 82% English, Irish or Scottish - well, that's a lot of English-speaking ancestors.

I do have some Norwegian and Danish ancestors and northern African ancestors, but I haven't really identified them, so I am sure they spoke different languages other than English.

So...the post this week, I'm afraid, is a bit boring.

52 Ancestors - Week 9 - Changing Names

I always try to write about the first person or first thing that comes to mind when I received the #52Ancestors prompt.

This week, the first pers6n that came to mind was my mother.

My mother was born October 8, 1940, of course at home because you seldom had a baby in the hospital back then.  She was promptly named Inell.  

Well..a few days later, her aunt visited to see the new baby and was told "Here is little Inell" Her aunt took one look and said, "That's an awful name, from now on, her name is Mary Nell" and from then on, that was her name...although not legally.  

She used "Mary Nell" on every official document...school paper, marriage license, social security card.  I mean on official documents, they asked your name, and you told them, you didn't have to present a birth certificate because quite frankly, a lot of people didn't have them.  She did though and it said "Inell"

When my mom was in her early 60s, she thought, you know...it might be a problem when I get ready to collect social security, so she went to the courthouse and legally had her name changed to "Mary Nell" instead of "Inell".

I have always been glad for that great Aunt changing my mom's name because I too believe that Mary Nell is a much better name and suits her better.  

52 Ancestors - Week 8 - Heirlooms

Hmm....I cannot think of any family heirlooms at the moment.  Maybe something will come to me later, but right now, I just can't think of anything so I am going to skip this week...perhaps I will re-address later if something comes to mind.

52 Ancestors - Week 7 - Immigration

Boy, there is a lot I could talk about concerning immigration, but I decided to post about John Slaughter, since he was the first of my Slaughter ancestors to immigrate to America.

John Slaughter, my 10th great grandfather, was born in 1585 in England.  I'm not exactly sure where he was born but he was baptized in 1596 in Kent, England, as noted in the Tyler Index of Parish Registry (1538-1874)

According to the Passenger & Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s, he arrived in Virgina in 1617.  He is actually the farthest Slaughter I have been able to go back to, which is pretty far, I must say.  I haven't been able to properly identify his parents, although I did identify his wife, Catherine Finnis.

I am not 100% sure of his death date.  Some of my research indicates 1620, but I have found a lot of evidence recently that he most like died during the Jamestown Massacre in 1622. However, other information indicates that his brother William actually died during the Massacre, perhaps both did? 

At any rate, I'm so proud of my 10th great grandfather for leaving England and selling to Virginia, approximately 160 years before America became its own country and gained its independence from England.

It's incredible to believe that my ancestors and family have been on this land for that long!! It kind of blows my mind when I think about it.

52 Ancestors - Week 6 - Earning a Living

The timing of this particular week is rather perfect.  I just so happened upon an article about my great-uncle James Monroe Slaughter, who was known by Monroe.  This article discussed how he earned his living, along with my cousin's grandfather, Fletcher Ward, Sr.

It seems my great uncle and my cousin's grandfather had a nice, little moonshine business going on.  This really wasn't a surprise to me, as my dad had told me about how his Uncle Monroe, as well as his daddy, my grandfather had both spent time in prison for moonshining.  It seems to have been quite a family business...I am SO glad my dad chose a different path and never went down that road.

However, I know that not only my grandfather and some great uncles were in the business of moonshining, so was my dad's mom - my grandma.  This was way before I came along.  But my daddy would say she'd stand on the back porch and sell the moonshine.  Often pocketing and hiding some of the money from her husband. 

I guess back then, it was easier for them to take a chance of earning a living by making moonshine than spending all day out in the hot Florida sun farming.

52 Ancestors - Week 5 - Influencer

I have gotten a little behind in my 52 Week Ancestor project.  Surprise, surprise, right?

So I am going to try to catch up this week by posting one a day.

So this week's prompt is "Influencer"

This one is a little tough for me, but I guess the first person that comes to my mind is my maternal grandmother, Jewel Cassada Mims.

My grandmother influenced, not only her 6 girls, but also her 18 grandchildren.  Saturday, I attended the memorial service of my first cousin and while there, I was looking around the room at all of my grandmother's dependents...I mean so, so many grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and even great-great-great grandchildren...It reminded me of Kind David and how God told him that he would have as so many decedents that they'd be as countless as the stars!

I bet my grandmother would have never known how many stars she would leave behind and it made me happy thinking of this, to think how a little part of her will live on and on and how so many of my cousins and 2nd cousins and all the little children running around were all there because of this wonderful lady.  I mean none of them would exist if it were not for her! How incredible is that?

My grandma was a praying lady! She fasted and prayed, and she was continually praying for her family. I have always been a worrier and one day, I remember my grandma pulling me aside to talk to me and 

she said "Look at this old face of mine, you see all these wrinkles?"

I said "Yes ma'am"

Grandma: "You know how I got these wrinkles?"

Me "No ma'am"

Grandma: "I got them from worrying. Every one of them is because I worried about something and I don't want you to grow up with wrinkles like me, so you need to stop worrying. Besides that, I know that whatever you are worrying about, the Lord will take care of it and I can promise you that"

She set such a wonderful, Godly example for all of us.  She was truly an Influncer.

Prayer Shawl

While I shared this shawl, while I was working on it, I didn't share it here once it was finished, even though I kind of did in my Project Life pages.  

I really, really enjoyed making this shawl.  If you don't know, when you are knitting or crocheting a shawl for someone who needs prayer, you are praying over the shawl as you make it.  I always pray when I pick it up to work on it, when I set it down to pause from working on it and about every 10 rows. So I am praying for the recipient of the shawl the whole time I am making it.

Often, when you are making a prayer shawl, you know who you are going to give it to and can be more specific during your prayers.  However, we have a general prayer shawl ministry at our church, so I don't know who will end up with my shawl, so I just pray for healing, be it emotional, physical or both.

I had never worked with this yarn before, Lion Brand Scarfie, but I really liked it, it was so soft and the color was just lovely.  It wasn't a color (Charcoal/Aqua) I probably would have normally picked, but it was on clearance and with my Michael's rewards coupon, I got it for free! I wish you could feel how soft and squishy it is.

I used a pattern simply called "Shell Shawl" and it basically was a 2 row repeat of shells and v-stitches. It was a fun pattern, simple but not boring and I liked how quickly it worked up (that is when there wasn't a kitty cat wanting attention instead).

Project Life - January 2024

After I had already downloaded these from the Project Life App, I went back and changed the border of the page, I guess you can see that next month.

I decided to keep it super simple this year and I made a template that has the week number and the days of the week - simple and easy.  I am happy with the look.

So...this month I did some thing very unusual...I went to a Star Wars Burlesque show! It was weird but so fun! We had a blast! 

Also, the Indigo Girls did a benefit show and we went to that too.  The show was so good, even though the venue was Standing Room Only - ugh!

Also...I saw Hamilton again - it was technically in February, but part of Week 5 so it's included here - what a fantastic show!  

You can click on the photo to enlarge.