When you can't ride, bake.

I am so excited. Matt bought me a full-suspension mountain bike yesterday! Perhaps he knows my stress level and wants me to take out my frustration on mother nature instead of him. Whatever the reason, I love it-- thanks schmoopydooppydoo.

So anyway, yesterday I hit the trails in comfort.

Keep an eye out for me at the next Extreme Games.

This is my stunt double. Squint and pretend it is me.


Well peeps, the end of July in Summit County brings the "monsoon season" which translates to rainy afternoons. Since I could not ride my bike today, I decided to make a sausage pizza instead. That makes perfect sense right?

I have a recipe for perfect pizza crust that is soooo easy (and no kneading and no rise time required).  I make this recipe all the time and it is no fail and delicious.



Quick and easy pizza crust.

1 cup warm water
1 package rapid rise yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2-1 tsp. garlic salt (I love garlicky and salty so I add one whole teaspoon, but you may like less)
about 2.5 cups flour

Directions: Preheat oven to 475. Dissolve yeast in water, add olive oil,  honey, garlic salt  (hint: if you add the olive oil before the honey,  the honey will glide off the oiled measuring spoon). Add the flour a bit at a time until the consistency is soft and doughy but not sticky or stiff. Then just let it sit for a few minutes while you get your toppings ready.

For this pizza:

I sauteed 1/2 pkg. leftover breakfast sausage, and then added sauteed mushrooms and onions and 1 chopped jalapeno.

After I did that, I rolled out my dough and plopped it on an ungreased pizza pan (I have a stone but I like the pan better).

I don't like too much sauce, so I just poured about 1/3 large jar marinara sauce, added my toppings and then topped with one bag of shredded Italian cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the crust is as brown as you like. I know 475 sounds high, but trust me, your crust will not brown properly unless you have a very hot oven.



Enjoy! Oh and don't forget the grated parm and crushed red pepper. You need that for the authentic takeout experience.

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!