Out of this World Valentine's Day

Happy New Year Cookies

A few years ago friends invited us to a family New Year's Eve party and asked us to bring a dessert. I wanted to bring something both entertaining and festive, and so the idea for our Happy New Year cookies was born. I brought the sugar cookies pre-baked and let the kids decorate their own set with frosting and sprinkles. They were a hit and have been requested by my kids every year since. I made a pattern for the numbers on pieces of a recycled cereal box and just traced around them in the dough with a sharp knife. I just free-handed these numbers, but you could make a pattern on Word and just enlarge the font to your liking. (The numbers here are about 6" high and 4" wide.) This little guy was especially interested in the numbers this year and how the combination of them indicated our new year. Oh, and eating his creations was pretty interesting too!

The Best Pizza Ever.

Today for "Boys School" I had each boy make a pizza in the shape of the first letter of his first name. The boys had a great time and oh my, did that crust ever turn out deee-licious! It seems like when I make a full pan of pizza the middle pieces turn out a bit soggy. Well, this is the solution--monogrammed pizza! The chef hats were also a hit (while they lasted!).

Pizza Dough Recipe:

Mix these and wait five minutes:

1 Tbs. active dry yeast

1 Tbs. sugar

1 cup warm water

Add:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

2-2 1/2 cups flour

Mix and roll into a ball. Let rise for 30 minutes. Knead for a few minutes and then shape into your favorite letter. Let rise for 15-30 more minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Add toppings. Bake at 400 for 10-15 more minutes. Enjoy! Yum.