Pizza with Mason

Last night Mason clung to my leg and loudly whimpered while I worked on dinner. He does this nearly every night and I find it SO frustrating! I finally picked him up and plopped him on the counter next to me (I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier since James does is every time he makes bread). He was ALL smiles after that! He "helped" me roll out the pizza dough, gave it friendly little pats and generally supervised the situation. Shortly afterwards, he lost interest in me and became fascinated with the sink. Next thing I knew, he was IN the sink and PLAYING with the dirty dishes. You might think this gross, but I thought it was WONDERFUL! No more whiny Mason! Hot dog! I was able to finish dinner in good spirits. Plus, I am hoping that this planted the seed of interest in washing dishes later. Start them out early!

In case any of you are interested, here is the pizza dough recipe we use. We LOVE it! It is for the chewy thin types of pizzas. We make a sauce using blended up tomatoes, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1 onion and 1 clove of garlic. You can use whatever you wish.

Pizza:
1 1/3 C. warm water
1 Tbls dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
4 C. flour

Mix 2/3 C. water, yeast and sugar and let stand for 10 minutes, until frothy. In large bowl, add flour and salt. Mix in the water and yeast. Add the rest of the water. Mix and knead for 8 minutes. When done, it should be moist, but not too sticky (add more water or flour if needed). Pick up dough and slam it on the counter 5-10 times (this is how it gets chewy I guess). Cover and let rise for 30-60 minutes. Roll out and place in lightly oiled pans (either olive oil or pam. Last night I sprinkled it lightly with corn flour). Let sit for a couple minutes before adding sauce and toppings. Bake in oven at 500 for 10-12 minutes. Done when the cheese is bubbly and browning.

I hope you guys enjoy it!

Also, fear not, Mason went directly to the tub after his time in the sink. I'm not THAT gross.