Okay so I love love love the pizza pretzels you can get from Safeway or a lot of different grocery stores, you know the ones that have poppy seeds in them and have the red sauce and a bit of onions and cheese on top! Ya those ones! Well every once in awhile I just crave them, especially when I am about to go on a road trip because they are very much a road trip food to me. I like to make things because well I am too cheap and lazy to drive 30 minutes just to go to the store and buy them. Here is a recipe that I have put together for my pizza pretzels.
Ingredients:
Bread:
1 1/3 Cup of Water
2 Teaspoons Sugar
1 1/4 Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Poppy Seeds
3 Cups of White Flour
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Bread Machine Yeast
Toppings:
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
1 Shredded Small White Onion
1/2 Cup of Tomato Sauce
Directions:
1) Add the ingredients for the bread to your bread machine in order that is listed.
2) Set to dough setting and walk away while the machine does the work.
3) Once done pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F
4) Cut the dough into 6 pieces and then roll the dough out to make a long think band (about 15 inches or less) then form into a pretzel shape by taking one end to the middle and making a circle. Repeat with the other side. Place on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
5) Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
6) Add toppings to each pretzel and put in the oven for between 15-20 minutes. Check the bottom of the pretzels and if they are not a light brown then let cook for a few more minutes.
7) Let cool and then enjoy!
So I have been a naughty girl again...
Life gets busy and well when you have two kids it gets even busier. But I am back. I am hoping to post at least once a week but we will see how that goes, again life gets busy. But I do like to write and I do like doing this blog and sharing recipes and just things that I have discovered about being a wife and stay at home mom.
Life has gotten busier since we welcomed our newest into the family on April 3rd. He is a husky little guy and weighed a whopping 9lbs 3oz! The first month I will admit was a bit of a struggle, it is hard to balance two kids at first. You feel bad spending too much time with one over the other and then you just go to bed sometimes feeling guilty that you are not doing a good job. Maybe everyone doesn't feel that way but I know I sure did. There was some days where I felt like I was especially failing my two year old girl. I think that it is an adjustment that every parent goes through from transitioning from one to two, I have heard that, that transition is the hardest.
I have been pretty lucky to have two really good babies. Olivia was an amazing baby and is a really good kid and so I felt bad when she was acting out because it was a change for her to go from being the only one to well not being the only one anymore. Colton is a good baby but he sure loves to just be held and doesn't like missing out. Now that things have settled down and we are all in a groove now, life is back to normal and we have a system that seems to work.
Here are a few things that I have found that has helped things to get better and transition easier from one to two kids.
1) Include you toddler as much as possible!
I make sure Olivia helps me with cleaning, baking, changing the babies diaper, giving him a bath, you name it I try and get her to help. Getting them to help helps them to feel like they are being included and not abandoned. All they want to do is feel loved and like their world has not completely changed so getting them to help seems to help them feel confident in their world.
2) When baby is napping and they are awake spend time with them:
I know holding a new born baby is by far one of the most amazing feelings and moments ever! There is nothing like the smell and cuddling of a little sleeping baby on your chest... but you know what its okay to put them down once in awhile. Especially when you have another one who needs your love and cuddles just as much. Now when Colton is napping and Olivia is awake we go and play or draw or even just veg on the couch together and cuddle.That alone time is just as important to them as it should be to you, I love our one on one times now because I can see how she plays and get to know her little personality as it is growing and changing everyday.
3) Try and let them play together:
I know a new baby doesn't do much, but bring the baby to where your toddler and you are playing. I lay Colton on a blanket on the floor beside us while we build blocks or play in her bedroom and I encourage Olivia to talk to him and "play" with him as well. She thinks its hilarious when he is batting away with his hands and gets excited when he sees her. My husband and I want them to grow up and be best friends and in order to do that we have to encourage them to play from the very beginning and I have to say it is working because she adores him and vice versa.
4) Patience...
So this is something I so suck at in life, always have. I try and try again but I have some very strong Scottish blood in me and can flair up pretty fast. When my toddler is driving me up the wall because she has digressed in something or she is being crazy, I just take a deep breathe and have to remind myself that her whole world just changed drastically a few months ago. My husband has been so good to help me with this, because I was feeling like a terrible mom a few weeks back because I knew I was losing my patience often at Olivia. So I took a step back and re grouped and then learned to just have lots of love and patience.
Again these are just a few things I felt helped with the whole transition for our little family going from three to four.
