Just One Word --- Yum!

I found this recipe through a facebook entry from my friend Catherine. We all loved it. Another friend said she was going to try making bread sticks out of it - I think that would also be yummy. So for the weekend, here's a yummy recipe compliments of The Family Homestead. We also love this honey whole wheat bread recipe.

Italian Pizza Crust

2 T yeast
3 cups warm water
1 T honey
¼ cups olive oil
1 t. salt
2 T Italian seasonings
1 t. minced garlic from the jar
1 t. minced onion, dried
½ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup gluten flour
6 cups whole wheat flour (I use hard white wheat)

For the Bosch:
Combine all ingredients in the mixer and when well blended, knead for 4 to 5 minutes.

For other mixers or by hand:
Mix water, yeast, oil, and honey and let sit for 5 minutes. Add seasonings and flours. Knead for 7 to 10 minutes.

Allow the dough to sit for a few minutes and then roll divide into 3 pieces and roll to fit 3 15in pizza pans (if you like thick crust you can make 2 pizza’s instead of 3)

Let the dough rise for 10 to 15 minutes. Pre-bake the crust at 425 for about 6 minuets and then top with your favorite toppings. Return to oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes.

If this is more pizza dough than you will use, freeze either the dough or roll the dough out, pre-bake and then freeze.

St Patrick's Day

We got into the spirit of St Patrick's Day and decided that we would try and capture a leprechaun last night. First, we constructed a leprechaun trap. The theory is that the leprechaun would be drawn to the necklace on top of the box - he will climb up the handy ladder and then will fall through the top when he tries to get the necklace. We put some tissue in the bottom of the box to soften his fall - after all we want him to be able to tell us where his gold is.
This morning we found the trap sprung and the wily leprechaun had braided an escape rope from the tissue and had escaped from our trap. He must have been in a hurry to leave our house because he left behind some gold. He also played a few tricks. Everyone (including the puppy) has a green shamrock tattoo & the milk and butter have been turned green.
LOOK ITS SHAMROCKY!!!

Take Down

Ethan started training for Little Guy Wrestling this week. He is really getting into it. I will try and get some better pictures but here are some of practice!

They're Warped

Well, it has finally happened. I have finally managed to completely warp my children. A few of you may know of an evil plot that I thought up while I was in my 20’s. I had a plan to teach my children the wrong names for all of the colors so that when they went to school they would argue with their teachers saying things like – ‘But my Mama told me that was blue!’ – as the teacher holds up a pink balloon. I never really had the nerve to follow through on that evil plot but I did discover a new one.

Whenever the kids and I are in a good sized town and have some time to waste, we find a Goodwill store to peruse. Monday, Ben had a dentist appointment in Spokane so after his appointment, we did some shopping. We started at the Salvation Army store on Division, hit the Goodwill on 3rd, stopped for lunch at Old Country Buffet and then went to the Goodwill on Sprague. On the way home I hear the following conversation in the back of the van. Ben – "I love Goodwill, they have the best clothes!" Bailey – "Ummm…my sweater smells great – just like Goodwill!"

Some New Additions to the Family

Just wanted to put up a couple of photos and introduce a couple new members of the family. No, we didn't go to China again. We now have Rocky the puppy and a new to us white Dodge Caravan. Love the Caravan - not so sure on the puppy! Maybe it will get better when he quits pooping on the floor.

Keeping Up With the Dennis'

It's hard to believe that almost a month of summer has gone by. We've been having a great time here in Lind. The 14th was the annual Combine Demolition Derby in Lind. The kids decorated up their bikes and rode in the kids parade for Junior Grange. They were so excited. Then they got to catch candy and watch the "big" parade. It was a very good parade. My favorite part was the Viking group from Poulsbo that threw candy at the kids and then rushed the kids with their wooden boardswords drawn. Ben spilled half his candy and the girls latched onto our legs very quickly. It took us a few minutes to convince the kids that it was all just for "fun" and they weren't really "bad" men. Oh, how I wish I had a video of that!!! Here's a couple of pictures of the kids getting ready for the parade and a picture of my boss' wife with the Vikings.



We also had a trip to Seattle for another post surgery visit with Ben's surgical team. They took x-rays and examined his mouth. The graft looks good and he got the go ahead to eat corn on the cob! He was a happy boy! We made a fun day of it and went to the zoo after Ben's appointment. A good time was had by all at the zoo. Some of our favorite things were the birds and the butterflies. We got to get up close and personal with them. We also got to see the lions mating. Talk about an educational fieldtrip!!!
The last pictures on the slideshow are from one of our visits to the Ritzville pool. We went ahead and got season passes for the Lind and the Ritzville pools. I think the kids are part fish. They are so happy when they are splashing around in the pool. Emma is doing really well in the water. She still likes to have her tube float most of the time but has actually been jumping in and diving for things in the pool. She even got up the nerve to go down the slide at Ritzville by herself. Of course, Ben talked her into going down backwards and she tipped over and got a bit anxious but she dogpaddled out by herself. She needs to learn not to listen to big brothers. That is a lesson I learned pretty early in life. Probably the reason Dot & I are still alive - we had each other for back up against the boys!!!

Long Time No Blog

Whew! Forgive me readers for I have sinned. It has been almost two months since my last blog. To catch everyone up: Ben was released from activity restriction after 5 weeks and has been constantly on the go ever since. He was able to play T-ball the last two weeks of the season and really enjoyed it. The kids finished school this last week. They will all be going to summer school this summer. Hopefully it will help them retain all the knowledge they have gathered and it will give them something to do so they aren't always bored. They will also have swimming lessons during summer school - something cool that the school does for them. They will probably spend every afternoon at the pool as the babysitter now lives in town - just two blocks from the pool. Rod is going to get a bike rack fixed up for my van so we can take their bikes to the babysitter's every morning. They are really bike riding fools.
Emma had a very momentous day today. Her top two front teeth were very loose and she asked me to pull them out - so I did. She only cried for a minute when she saw the blood. She just went outside with the boys and got out Ben's old bike. It is smaller than her bike and is a little easier for her to control. She got on it and rode it to the end of the street and back - very straight and controlled without training wheels!!! So two teeth out and riding a bike without training wheels - can't get much better than that.

Since I have been promising Aunt Melanie that I will post new pictures, I have put together the following slide show. It shows the kids helping Dad drive the Terragator, T-ball photos, our camping trip where the kids had a ball rolling down the hill and playing in the river, the spring concert at school & riding bikes. Just another normal month at the Dennis house! Hope you all are having a good spring and are as ready for summer as we are.