Eating on Empty: Pizza Party!

This post has been written for inclusion in the Empty Cupboard Meals recipe roundup hosted by Bearing Blog.

Our family has a few go-to meals for when we've run out of food, ideas, or gumption.  One of my favorites is homemade pizza!  Even when our cupboards are otherwise quite bare, we always have flour, yeast, and salt on hand.  Well, and water.  But water's free.  I like free.  Sometimes I'm exceptionally well-organized and actually make up some pizza dough a few hours or even a day or so in advance.  It freezes well too, but we've never had any last long enough to freeze more than a few days - we really like bread in this house!

Anyway, homemade pizza night usually runs something like this:

1. Realize I'm hungry and it's 6pm.  Hubby's due for dinner soon.
2. Open the fridge.
3. Close the fridge.
4. Open the cupboards.
5. Close the cupboards.
6. Bemoan the fact that I'm hungry and didn't think far enough ahead to have dinner brewing already.
7. Repeat steps 2-6 at least twice.
8. 6:30.  Crunch time.  Hungry means decision-making apparatus is fried.  Whining, hungry, tired munchkin isn't helping.
9. Recheck the fridge.  HA!  I thought I saw some leftovers lurking back there!
10. Empty fridge of all non-growing leftovers, piling said leftovers all over the counter.
11. PREHEAT THE OVEN.  Important step.  Forgetting this one means intensification of hunger pangs and whining while perfectly good dinner waits to be cooked.  Not fun.  Whining might me mine or munchkin's.
12. Use the one clean bowl in the house to make some Quick and Easy Pizza Dough.  Waiting is not my specialty. (NOTE:  It says to mix the yeast and water and let it hang out 10 minutes to get creamy.  Yeah, you totally don't have to do this.  Just make sure your yeast isn't expired.)
13. Roll, stretch, or squish the dough into a relatively flat slab.  Shape doesn't really matter.  You're just going to eat it, right?  Shape adds character.  Call it rustic and people will think you're a chef.
14. Commence leftover sprinkling*.
15. Toss in the oven and bake till your mouth starts to water and the crust is light golden brown.
16. Voila! Homemade gourmet dinner from apparently empty cupboards in 30 minutes or less!  Add a bottle of wine and some of last year's Christmas chocolates and you've a feast :).

*leftover sprinkling -    

[left-oh-ver spring-kling]-noun 1.   to shred, cut, dice, crumble, or otherwise make your gourmet toppings (yes, the two tablespoons of leftover meatloaf you just couldn't bring yourself to throw away count as gourmet when you're talkin' homemade rustic pizza) bite-size and dump all over your pizza dough.  Sauce is optional.  So is cheese.  Can't live without them?  Try olive oil and garlic, leftover spaghetti or alfredo sauce, BBQ, ranch, sweet chili sauce, whatever looks decent and will help your toppings stick to the dough.  Cheese?  Try ricotta, cheddar, the last slice of sandwich cheese, anything but American.  Unless you REALLY like American cheese - at which point, well, you're just crazy.  But that's okay cuz' we still love you.



Some Pizza combinations we've tried:

• Naked: Just the dough (maybe some herbs), with some dipping sauce on the side.
• Blanca pizza: Ricotta, mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheese
• BBQ: BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, shredded meat, bell peppers, pineapple chunks, onion
• Margherita: Olive oil, garlic, tomatoes (any kind), sprinkle of mozzarella and basil
• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon bits, diced veggies, Tobasco
• Meat lovers: Tomato sauce, bacon bits, ham, hamburger, any other meat, mozzarella cheese
• Kitchen Sink: BBQ sauce, tomato sauce, corn, shredded meat, onions, goat cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, broccoli, spinach

This meal is guaranteed to a) go over well and b) clean out your fridge of even the tiniest bowls of leftovers.  One cherry tomato? Three bites of leftover wilted broccoli? Only one cup of spaghetti sauce and 4 people?  No sweat.  Sprinkle it all on and it tastes great :).  Let me know if you come up with any out-of-this-world combos!

Tonight's Bible Study

Oh. My.

Not even sure where to start on this one.

4:30 decision was made to move our weekly Bible study to our house for the evening.  Quick glance around the house, not too shabby yet since we haven't even unpacked from our halfway-around-the-world trip, so sure, no prob.

5:00 Baby Bird is still sleeping and the last-minute cleaning is going pretty well.  As in the toilet no longer has 3 months worth of boy grime on it.  Wait, that's not fair.  In all honesty my husband probably did clean the toilet at least once while we were gone.  Thank you my husband, for sparing me the worst of the boy grime.

5:30 Baby Bird's up, Papa's on the phone, the dog's begging to go outside and oops I think we forgot to feed her? and my friend is ringing the doorbell which makes the dog go ballistic and the house still looks like a furball exploded in it and we have people coming over in 30 minutes and Baby Bird's whining for food and I haven't started dinner yet but it's okay because we still have time.  We can make it.

6:00 House is vacuumed, dog is crated, child's happily smearing I mean eating peanut butter and pizza dough's in the works.  No sweat.

6:20 Child is now covered in peanut butter so off to the tub you go.  Baby Bird promptly stands up in the tub, slips, smacks the back of her head harder that she ever has before, screeches bloody murder, and gives me a minor heart attack.  The front door's opens, she's stark naked and covered head to toe in peanut butter, I scoop her up so I'M covered head to toe in peanut butter and people are supposed to be here any second and she's not bleeding but she hasn't stopped crying and we're both still covered in peanut butter and at least she hasn't peed on me... yet.  Where's the towel?

6:30 We're both clean.  And dry.  And peanut-butter free.  But Baby Bird has a nasty welt.  And the leader for the Bible study just drove up.  But that welt has me worried, so I call Daddy.  Who's at work.  With the car.  And the carseat.  No worries, he's on his way (thank God!) and my friend is here with her baby and we watch Baby Bird to see how she's doing and Daddy arrives just moments later.

6:40  Baby Bird seems to be okay.  Mama?  Maybe.  Still trying to put my stomach back in its proper place.  Did I mention I still haven't eaten yet?  Everyone seems to be okay.  Daddy and my friend are doing a great job helping me be steady.  Head injuries scare me.  We have experience with those.  They're not good.  But Baby Bird's okay :).

7:30  Baby Bird lets a Big One.  Shoulda' paid more attention...

7:45 Emergency call home has turned into lunch hour for Daddy, and I've enjoyed a catch-up talk with my friend.  The Bible study never really happened since noone else showed up.  We make plans to restart this week's lesson and get ready to send little ones to bed.  Hmmm... Baby Bird's a bit fragrant.

7:50  Really???  I mean REALLY?!?!  Glad we did this diaper in the tub, because there's no just wiping this one down!  Apricots!  In her hair!  And corn!  And oh Daddy, you gotta' come see what you're getting out of tonight!

One baby girl. Two baths.  Three sets of clothes.  And I'm done for the night.

Was that water dripping on my shoulder just now?  No.  I do not have time for a flood tonight.  Where's the Bailey's?

And So It Begins

Our daughter is 15 months old.  She does not attend daycare.  She's had a whopping one small virus in her whole life, which consisted of a fever and runny nose.  She eats like a horse and meets or exceeds all the "milestones" for her age.  She's small but very healthy.


When Baby Bird was about 3 months old we became more aware of the vaccination controversy so I did what I always do, I started researching heavily so we could make our own informed decisions.  What we came up with is really a work in progress since vaccinations and available research change too.

In general, I'm not opposed to vaccines.  However, I AM opposed to some vaccines for our child.  Take chickenpox for instance.  Really?  A childhood disease that is relatively harmless if no other health conditions exist (which they currently do not) plus a vaccine that is mediocre at best means uuumm.... no.  We'd rather she just get the chickenpox thanks.

Enter the government.

The governmental powers that be have taken it upon themselves to require the chickenpox vaccine for all children who congregate.  Not just at school, mind you.  No, there is apparently a regulation that "requires" us to have our child "fully vaccinated" in order for her to enter a playroom run by the base's family readiness center.  It's not a daycare.  It's a room.  With a chance of other people being in it at the same time our daughter is.

I'm not even going to start on the other valid health risks of getting children together in one room, but I am not at all concerned about whether or not those kids are vaccinated.  The stuff I'm worried about our kid getting, she's protected against through vaccines or oh I don't know, washing our hands.  I would surmise the other parents have done the same for their children.  So where's the problem?

Well, for now the problem is ours.  I see no good reason our child cannot participate in this wonderful opportunity.  Now we have to convince the "powers" of the same thing.

Have any of you any experience with vaccination exemptions, especially overseas?

The First Breath of Summer

I walked outside this afternoon, took in a deep breath, and the force of the heat and humidity made me stop in my tracks.  It's nowhere near hot yet, or at least not for this area, and I'm sure it wasn't really all that humid compared to the near-100% humidity slated for later this season, but it was a definite first whiff of what is to come.  The weather recently has been whacky as usual but the last several days have been just absolutely gorgeous.  Sunny, warm, slight breezes, perfect spring days.  I've loved every minute of it.  Spring, I will miss you.  Summer, I won't see you here, but I'm looking forward to teaching Baby Bird about the joys of sprinklers back in Japan!

Lemme Tell Ya' about Our Day

We experienced many firsts today.  First sidewalk chalk, first point-to-something-and-Mama-carries-you-there excursion, first tornado sirens of our trip.  Oh wait, back up, forgot the exciting part.  Yes, first I-can-open-my-diaper-and-poop-in-the-crib adventure too.

It's been a gorgeous day all day today, a bit windy but a great day for outdoor play.  So play we did.  We explored so many nooks and crannies in the yard that it required a bath before afternoon nap.  Well, it's been so comfortably warm in the house and baby Bird's napped in just a diaper before, so I opted to give her little body some air time while she slept.  She snuggled down into her crib; I tucked her all 'round with her blanket and softly closed the door, blowing a kiss on the way out.

I didn't hear a peep for probably an hour and a half.  Now baby Bird typically naps about 2 hours in the afternoon, so the early wake-up should have been a clue.  She wasn't fussing though, just talking, so I gave her about another 30 minutes while I finished up some work on the computer.  Hmm.  How much you wanna' bet I should have gone in right when I heard those first little peeps?

Baby Bird did start fussing a little so I went in to rescue her from her nap.  I cracked the door open just a hair so we could play peek-a-boo on my way in.  It took a minute to click that something didn't look right.  Baby Bird was sitting a bit lower in the crib than normal (actually a mesh-sided pack-n-play) and the colors were off.  Even if I can't see her clearly through the mesh, I can usually see the bold swatch of color that's her cloth diaper.  Huh.  No swatch of color.  That's odd.

I peeked over the side and that's when it dawned on me, "You look like you're missing something!"

She peered up at me with her still-sleepy eyes, looking a bit confused.  It took me another few seconds to realize that she wasn't alone in her crib.  Flashbacks to friends' posts about their kids' diaperless naps blazed before my eyes.  How bad was this going to be?!

Well, thank God for solid foods.  It wasn't that bad.  Not that I'd care for a repeat.  Or to try that while pregnant.  Or in a hurry.  Or like ever again.  But ya' know, all things considered, it wasn't that bad.  The poop stayed on the blanket, the diaper was bone dry (phew, because she'd launched it out of the crib!), and since she was already stark naked she just went straight to bath #2 for the day.

Did I mention this was going on at the exact same time we had storms rolling in and the dog was begging to eat and dinner was supposed to be getting worked on?

No sooner did I get baby Bird hosed off and back into a diaper (with clothes over it this time), I heard the tornado sirens going off.  Back into the bathroom we go!

Hmm.  Never a dull moment.

What's New

This is the 2nd of a series of catch-up blog posts so if you're just dying to know what we've been up to during my relative blogging silence the last several weeks then check out the rest of the series.


Topic #2:  Our Decision

I'm sure by now, since you clearly do have the internet and all, that you have heard all about the earthquakes and tsunami and resulting aftermath in Japan.  Well, we live in Japan.  I posted previously some of my immediate reactions, thoughts, and the difficult choices we were facing as a family.  Since those posts we've reached and acted upon some major decisions.

First, however, a note about the crises in Japan:

I keep reminding friends and family that the American news is really blowing a lot of the risks and realities out of proportion and to take the news with a bucket of salt.  At least.  Nobody we know is getting microwaved, nor are they likely to anytime in the near future.  People have however lost their homes, their lives, their children, their friends, everything they own.  They need a lot of help and prayers and are going to for a long time to come.  If you or anyone you know would like to help out, please DON'T SEND STUFF.  Neither the Japanese nor anyone else in the area has the time, space, or manpower to dedicate to coordinating the reception and delivery of goods to those in need.  They are, however, very capable of putting MONEY to excellent use.  I encourage you to donate to the Red Cross or other aide organization of your choice since that is by far the most beneficial physical thing any of us can do, aside from conserving energy if you happen to live in Japan.  PRAYERS for the continued good will of the countries and people providing relief, for level heads as people solve problems and make choices, and for the health and safety of all those affected by these disasters are much needed.  Prayer is Powerful and God is Good :D.

Now, on to our decision to leave Japan:

We really wrestled with this one.  We didn't (and still don't) feel endangered in any way, we were concerned about the possibility of a mandatory evacuation at which point we would lose any say in the when, where, and how of our departure, and if we left Japan we would have no idea when we would be coming back.

On the flip side, the government offered to pay for all transportation costs, including per diem for the duration of our time away from Japan, and make all arrangements for us to get all the way home if we so desired.  We're not sure when next we could afford a trip to visit family, so this was particularly hard to pass up.

In the end we decided to go.  Better safe than stuck and we knew family would be ecstatic about a visit with baby Bird.

We gathered our paperwork, we packed our bags, and we inventoried our household belongings on the off chance we had to suddenly evacuate.  As I stood looking at our bags, packed and ready to go with military paperwork carefully filed, I couldn't help but feel like this was another deployment - only backwards.  I've never been the one preparing to go; I've always been the one putting on the brave face and promising to hold down the fort.  It was a bit disconcerting.

We did decide to wait a few days though and I'm really glad we did.  That gave the military a chance to work out some of the kinks that are guaranteed to pop up when you suddenly relocate large numbers of people.  By the time we left, things were moving pretty smoothly and we arrived "home" quickly and all in one piece.  The trip itself was pretty amazing though, so I'll dedicate the next post just to that :).

Cloth Diapering on a Tight Budget

Cloth diapering can be expensive.  It doesn't have to be, but it can be.  With the current trendiness of cute cloth dipes, I think people new to or exploring cloth diapers can easily be turned off by the outrageous list prices of some modern cloth diapers - many go for $30 and up... each.  So what do you do if you don't have or aren't willing to spend major bucks to diaper your cute baby's bum?  This article has some of the best and most affordable options I've seen gathered into one resource.  I sincerely hope people hesitant to try cloth take note and take the plunge.  Budgets AND babies can be healthier with cloth diapering :).

Jenn's Thoughts: Almost Free Diapers - How to diaper your baby when you can't afford disposable diapers or cloth diapers