Neo and Marg

Yummy!

A couple years back i was hooked on thin crust pizzas made in wood burning ovens. I had enjoyed them in Italy and Peru and wanted to recreate that delectable treat in my home oven. It was disappointing only to find that my home oven probably wasn't hot enough.

I even searched online for solutions to disconnect the thermometer of the electric stove so I could get the 'right' temperature for the perfect pie!

There was a NY pizza pie fanatic who posted step by step instructions on his blog. It was a bit extreme and for obvious reasons I didn't do it.




Then there was the fleeting thought of building a cob oven! A friend of mine is a chef and he seems to like it! It looked easy enough....but where would I put it? and what would the neighbors think?

Maybe when I live on my 'hobby farm' or the 'beach house' on the ocean...yes, that's when I'll build one.

Cob Oven

http://blog.sustainablog.org/2010/03/how-to-build-your-own-cheap-outdoor-pizza-oven/


Sure there are numerous places I could go and enjoy pizza made in a wood burning oven, but it's not the same as making it yourself!

I use a super hot pizza stone by letting it heat up in my oven set to 550 degrees. Working quickly with the dough, the sauce and the toppings I slip the pie in the oven for about 5 minutes watching closely sitting next to my oven tv.

It's very satisfying to enjoy a homemade hot pizza pie from the oven!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Perfect-thin-crust-pizza-in-7-minutes-cook-time/


Simple ingredients, nothing fancy! That's amore!

Ladybugs: Signs of Good Luck

For the last two weeks, I've been relocating ladybugs that have found their way into my home and gingerly transported them back to the great outdoors. I haven't really noticed them until this fall. Do they come out in volumes in the fall? Are they taking vacay in my warm house? They are certainly welcome to visit!

I know that in many cultures, ladybugs are a sign of good luck and prosperity. Ladybugs free you from your day to day problems.

The scientific name for a ladybug is Coccinellidae. Apparently the dots on the back of a ladybug signify how old the lady is....wow....didn't know that!

Ginger
Nope, not talking about Prince Harry or the moviestar from Gilligan's Island (p.s. one of the best shows e-va!) It's about the plant. The rhizome that I adore. Every year, I'm trying something new and this year it's growing Gin-Ga! Ginger ginger!

I started to grow ginger as my new fall project. It was something I read about and curious to see if it was possible.  They said it would take 10 months! Lo and behold, it's only been a few weeks and I have sprouts!                   http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-ginger.html

Everyone at work is thinking about the flu shot....this is the first year I'm thinking no flu shot and sticking to some natural remedies. Ginger has antiseptic qualities and are known to provide an immunity and natural protection.

I'm still not sure how I will 'harvest' the plant or just let it grow grow grow!

Mmmmm.....what next? Ginger ale?

Well, I'm working on a avocado pod....I'll let you know how that works out.

I just luv this song!

I'm a Mac

It's not often that we have the opportunity to see a genius in our lifetime. I'm sure there are many of them out there. People that may seem eccentric, driven,  sometimes obsessed with a search.

I think Steve Jobs was a brilliant visionary that had so much to offer. We owe much to his inventions, he leadership and fearless motivation. I've been thinking much of what he's accomplished in such a short time. I remember his first computer.

Some of these excerpts are a collection from my friends posts.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2011/10/05/the-top-ten-lessons-steve-jobs-taught-us/

The Happy Place- from my friend JG

In Honor of Steve Jobs who passed away....What an amazing and inspirational man he lived to be. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Jobs’ memorable Stanford speech: 

"When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you."

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."