Friday, February 20, 2015

Cauliflower Pizza Dough

I've been meaning to try a recipe for cauliflower pizza dough and I just hadn't gotten around to it, with the move and all. Just a few days ago I made the one from The Lucky Penny's blog {recipe found here} It was good! I still have to work on the consistency .. and I didn't use parchment paper like she said (because I didn't have any) .. so maybe that will help with the baking too ? We will see. I'll definitely give it another go! Check it out:

She said to preheat the oven to 450 with the pizza stone in there ...


I used a giant head of cauliflower which she said not to do. This might be another one of my problems, but it all measured properly ... so maybe not? I'm unsure. Just use the florets.


Put the florets in the food processor (I used the smaller grater)


 Place in the oven for 4 minutes to cook.


While it was in the microwave, I added the other ingredients together.
1/4 c. mozzarella
1/4 c. parmesan
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt

Looked like this ...


When the cauliflower was done in the microwave, I had the tea towel laid out on the cutting board and spread it evenly over the towel to cool. Once it was cool I strained (weird pic = left hand)
I got a ton of water out, and strained until my hands couldn't strain anymore.


Mixed with the dry ingredients ...


Added an egg and mixed ...


This is where I was bad and didn't use the parchment paper .. If I had, I would have been able to form the dough exactly how I wanted and then slide the paper onto the stone. Instead ... I had to work with what I had .. and ended up with this:


I baked it for about 12 minutes ... added the toppings and baked for another 5-7 minutes. I forgot to take a picture of the pizza dough cooked, but before toppings. Sorryyyyyyy....


It really did taste delicious ... but we had to eat it with forks rather than hold the pieces with our hands like a normal pizza. I'll absolutely be trying to perfect this!
(Toppings: turkey bacon, cheese, chicken, tomato, peppers, onions)

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

My Guide to PCSing



A PCS is different for everyone, every time... But, here's MY guide to packing, prepping and PCSing a wife, husband and puppy. Note: PCS stands for "permanent change of station"

First ... I started cleaning my house about a week beforehand. I didn't want one giant deep clean to be happening the day we had to move out. Ain't nobody got time fo dat ;) I pretty much cleaned our bathrooms and kitchen really well. I scrubbed our toilets, tub, microwave, counters, oven and did a once over wiping of our freezer and fridge.

Second, I wrote sticky notes for under the kitchen sink, our front hall closet and a corner of our guest bedroom that said "PLEASE DO NOT PACK". The movers pack everything and if you're not watching, everything goes and you can't be a million places at once while they're doing the actual packing. I've heard of movers packing the garbage can with a garbage bag full inside it! Now, remember that your packers and movers come to get everything ready... so the things you are taking with you have to be set aside for them not to pack ahead of time. THESE sticky note places, are the places I put all the "do not pack" things.

Under the sink had all our cleaning supplies I would need for cleaning the Twentynine house before moving out, but after all our stuff was gone. (stuff we had to take with us anyways - movers won't take liquids or cleaners or anything OPEN in the pantry ... And I'm too cheap to re-buy it all)

Front hall closet had some of Jeff's uniforms that he had needed to wear in the last few days (think graduation and the last few days of school), shoes we were taking with us .. and the sweatshirts/jackets we were taking with us.. And any random crap we found that wasn't being packed on packing day.

Guest room had everything else. See lists below.

A complete side note, but worthy of mentioning is that a month before you know you are moving: stop replacing much food. We ran out of ketchup about a week before we left, normally I would have one ready on hand when it was getting low ... I didn't buy a new one. Ran out of lemon juice, didn't replace it. Things like that, if that makes sense?

The day and night before the movers came, I washed as much stuff as I possibly could to make sure I would have mostly clean stuff. Remember: they were taking my washer and dryer the next day .. and I wouldn't see them again for two weeks at LEAST.

For us, we drove from Twentynine Palms to Camp Lejeune. We were also driving my husbands truck and towing my car = more room to pack stuff. I packed in three stages and this was key for me. Breaking everything down like this made more sense to me.

1. Things that we needed packed WITH US but not for the roadtrip:
This means things we would need right away in our new house. If you use Pinterest, search "First day box" for a list of things to take with you. You won't be sorry! 
To make my list for this I went through our existing house room by room and made a list for each.
Bedroom:
  • Clothes
  • ALL Jeff's uniforms and gear
  • Air mattress (invest in a nice one off the floor, ours even has a headboard so your pillows don't fly off the bed in the middle of the night!)
  • Bedding & pillows


Bathroom:

  • Bath towels + 2 hand towels
  • Bathing necessities
  • Razor
  • Blow dryer (can't live without mine)
  • Curling iron (incase I got a job interview the second we got here .. HA,what a joke)
  • Tooth brushes + toothpaste
  • Shower curtain + liner
  • Meds
Kitchen: (don't think I'm crazy, but we eat in A LOT. Its healthier and MUCH more affordable .. buckle up for this list)
  • Knife block
  • Cutting board
  • Frying pan
  • Pot*
  • Cookie sheet
  • Casserole dish
  • Large mixing bowl
  • One SET of measuring cups + spoons
  • Two place settings (2 bowls, 2 plates, 2 salad plates, 2 mugs)
  • Silverware (2 knives, 2 forks, 4 spoons)
  • Four water glasses
  • One mixing spoon
  • One spatula 
  • One flipper
  • Wine opener
  • A few Rubbermaid with lids
  • To go coffee cups
  • Keurig
  • Sponges
  • Cleaning Supplies mentioned above
  • Broom + mop*
  • Dish soap + dish detergent
  • Garbage can + bags
  • Paper towel
  • Ice bin + trays
  • Dish towels

Go ahead and ask me if I needed all that. The answer is ..well I'll star all the things that we HADN'T used ... only two after being without our things for two weeks.

Things I wish I had brought: veggie peeler and seasonings. My truck driver actually said at the last minute he would take my Rubbermaid full of our pantry items because of the way I packed it :) So I didnt actually have my seasonings and I'm too cheap to buy more when mine would be here in a few days.

Other:

  • Laundry detergent + dryer sheets
  • Laptop and charger
  • Camera
  • TV + remove
  • Hand held vacuum and charger
  • ALL IMPORTANT PAPERWORK
  • Playing cards
  • Gift cards
  • Cash monayyyyy
  • Dog towel ... he's always into something.

It sounds like a lot, and it is .. I know that. Some people won't need all this and some people will go to the loan locker to borrow most of these things. I want my own things and I could do it, so I made it happen.

(**The Loan Locker is an amazing resource and I highly recommend that you check it out at your new duty station. They have whole kits of things to borrow with dishes and all sorts of kitchen things you'll need while you wait for your shipment as well as things you'll need for a baby)


The second "STAGE" of packing was ....
2. Things we needed for the road trip itself:

  • Medication
  • Changes of clothes
  • Slippers for the car
  • Chargers for our phones and iPad
  • Dog bowls, food, treats, leash crate and blanket
  • Human snacks :) haha...  from the commissary before we left (Let me tell you that a $3 case of water, $2 box of Ritz Bits, some apples and $3 beef jerky was all MUCH cheaper at the commissary than on the road. Beef jerky was over $7 some gas stations. Same package!!)
Pro Tip: We had one bag for Jeff, one bag for me and one bag for the pup (plus a dog crate) for when we stopped at the hotels at night. It was much easier this way. These things also need to be packed into the vehicle you are taking with you LAST so they are accessible. 

3. Things that could be packed by the movers:
This was easiest because it was alllllllll the left overs. Easy, peasy. 



After the movers and boxes left I finished packing and (Jeff) loaded the car and truck.
Pro TIP: ALWAYS leave a couple bags / boxes out for last minute items that somehow didn't get packed with the movers or didn't get packed with your necessity things. 

Then I finished cleaning the house. Things like sweeping and mopping the floor, vacuuming the carpets, packing the cooler with the little bit of food we had left, cleaning the fridge and freezer, double checking the microwave, picking up the last of the dog poop in our outdoor area .. things like that. They packed my kitchen first and I cleaned that as they were packing in the other rooms and I felt weird not doing anything. So that was done too! 

Then sit on the floor with your dog, because it's the last time you'll be in this house ... he needs some love ... and you just plain ole need to SIT... and then your roadtrip begins ;) 


Another trick to save on the road trip ... save all your gift cards! We made it from California to North Carolina and I think we used cash for one meal and some snacks. Our Christmas Subway and Denny's gift cards got us all the way through! Gotta love those gift cards!

Our New Home in Jacksonville!

Let me first start off by saying, we loved our place in Twentynine Palms.
It will always be "our first place" together, and there was something very sad about leaving it.
It was just the right amount of room ... 
two bedrooms, one and a half bath, living and dining rooms, small kitchen and a small patio. Bigger would have been nice, but it was just enough.

Since moving to Jacksonville we have upgraded! We now have a three bedroom, two and a half bath with a fenced in grass yard! 

Front of the new digs ...

Family and dining room

Our MUCH bigger kitchen...
AMCC welcomed us .. too cute.

The trusty ole air mattress ... 

New master bathroom


And the back of our house, complete with two car garage and screened in back porch!
We even have a laundry room, which we didn't have before! It's so exciting to be in a new place. Jacksonville actually has one busy road that has everything else we might need. (AKA: Target, Home Depot, Walmart, Pier 1, Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, Michaels ... and tons of places to eat! AKA: Outback, Applebees, Chilis, Panera, Noodles & Co, Chipoltle, Red Robin, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesdays .. TONS of choices!)

We're having fun picking out paint colors and just praying our stuff gets here Friday, as promised! It sure would be nice to sit on a couch ;)

Monday, February 9, 2015

Coast to Coast PCS

ROAD TRIP

The last thing we did after emptying our house, but before getting in the truck to hit the road ... was running around the dog park. We wanted to get some exercise in for Duke. He had been so so good through everything (AKA a ton of people through my house) and we knew he would be in the truck for the next 4+ days.

Exhausted and muddy ...

We drove through all different types of our country. Mountains, desert, fields .. you name it.


Duke got a new bone, which made HIM very happy.

We ate a ton of Subway (Yay for Christmas giftcards .. thanks Ma!)


We saw many a state line ...

Took a few selfies ...

Had a nap or two ;)

 Drove through Texas for what felt like weeks ...


Got comfy...

 Took a few pics ...

Saw a pick up truck - semi in Texas ...



Stayed in 4 hotels ...


Saw the beautiful Mississippi River ..


 Visited Sweet Home Alabama (sorry bad pic)


Hit about a million "Love's Travel Stops"




And finally arrived at our new home .... Welcome To Camp Lejeune



Getting Ready

Getting ready for the move there was lots to do.

First there was purging,

Packing ... getting things we would need with us in the new house right away ... things we could send with the movers ... I'll write a separate blog post about the way I PCS ... I've only done it twice, but I'd like to say I have a system :)



Saying goodbye to friends both dog and human ...



Prepping the truck for the road trip...

 Graduation..

Celebrating graduation ...






The movers packing our things ...

Loading our things onto the truck ...

Sitting on the floor in our now empty house, in Twentynine Palms


Next post : The road trip!