Pizza Notes - 2025

This post is primarily as a note to Wife and myself. We have been amazingly consistent over the long years at making observations about various things (cooking and otherwise), never writing them down, and then promptly forgetting. When it comes time to do that thing again, we, of course, are working from our faulty memory. 

NOT TODAY.

We make pizza from scratch once a year, on Christmas. One would think we would have the process totally refined by now. We don't. Because we never document what we did. That changes today. 

Dough

• We are using the 'Bobby Flay Quick Rising' recipe.
• In order to get a truly thin crust one must let the dough balls rest at least 30 minutes or more so the gluten relaxes. This allows working the dough to a much thinner thickness.

The Cheese

•  We used a fresh mozzarella that was pre-sliced.
• Putting the slices on the pizza resulted in uneven cheese distribution.
• Tearing them into smaller pieces created more even coverage.

Toppings

•  Resist the temptation to put too many toppings on...or rather, have the toppings be too thick. With a thin crust pizza, it results in imbalance.
• Mushrooms - I used one small container for one batch of dough. Not enough.
• Onions - I tried using green onions because I thought they would cook faster. Not as flavorful. Go back to white or yellow onions.
• Meatballs - I tried using moistened breadcrumbs to lighten them. Big mistake. The bread crumbs clumped up and I had to fish them out of the ground meat. Either try moistened stale bread or just the dry bread crumbs. 

 The Sauce

•  After a number of years playing around with a more meat forward tomato sauce, I went back to a version of my original sauce developed in the 1970's.
• Equal amounts of onion, green bell pepper, celery and carrots, with around 6 large garlic cloves to 5-6 cans of Italian tomatoes.
• Salt, pepper, 1-Serrano Chile, oregano, and MSG.  
• I use a pressure cooker technique so do not cut the veg fine. I leave them in large chunks, still saute them, and cook for 20 minutes at the #1 setting. 
• Then use an immersion blender to make the uniform sauce when it is all cooked.
• We used this with both the lasagna earlier, as well as the pizza and it was excellent. 

Temperature and Time

• Convection Roast 550 degrees
• Six minutes 

 Pizza Progression 

 

Version 1 with all the toppings and not having let the dough rest enough.

Tasty but not the thinness or balance desired.

 

 

 

 Version 2 - Crust now the desired thickness. But the cheese was still in slices and not equal on the pizza

 

 

 

 Version 3 - This is what we want all next year to be like. It was so good we almost forgot to take a picture.

 

 

 

Aftermath - What Life Is LIke Once Vikings Escape

Having the Viking Expeditionary Force from Sweden fulfilled one of my great dreams as the founder and manager of de-I Sandia Outfitters Albuquerque Resort and Penal Colony. Namely having an Entire Family at my beck and call! How Cool Is That! The Elders knew they had to get up early every morning and have my coffee prepared for me. The Youngers were sent into the kitchen to do all kinds of labor intensive food preparation. The Elders were commanded by Wife to replant an ENTIRE GROWN TREE. Finally the Norse Warriors had had enough and tried to escape, only to find that de-I had conspired with the Magical Unicorn Pony God of Travel to have their plane delayed. They had to remain another whole day and thoroughly clean the facility before we allowed them to finally go. Of course, I asked if they had had a good time despite having been put into virtual slavery and reminded them to put a good review up on Google. As 3.2 said, "No problem de-I, we Vikings are used to being slaves." These are the kind of guests that make running Sandia Outfitters worthwhile. 

Okay...Now the Serious Part

It was totally lovely having family with us. I was really quite amazed at how well we all got along. Anytime you have family groups together for long periods it can be difficult. Different habits. Different patterns, But all-in-all, it worked out just fine. I think it helps that the house is large enough that everyone can have a place to be alone.

And we got to have family for the holiday. We even did our whole holiday festivities early to take advantage of everyone being here. The #3's were a huge help, doing all kinds of work helping set-up and take down Christmas decorations, helping us with things that needed to be done around the house. 

Seriously 3.1 and 3.2 did major work in the kitchen. 3.1 did a ton of the work for the Christmas goodie making as 3.2 got sick and the adults all had other things that needed to be done that day. 

Then there was the 'RAVIOLI EPISODE'. The one thing 3.1 and 3.2 said they wanted to try was making Ravioli from scratch. So that we did.

 Viking Warriors Realizing the Reality of the Their Captivity

 Making the sheets for filled requires more precision that regular homemade pasta

It took a couple of tries before we got the knack of the technique

Not so good

 Better

 

 Seeking perfection despite harassment

 Finished product

 Aftermath

They cooked up fine. We discovered that despite all the effort, there were not enough to feed everyone so we made additional pasta and sauced it with the filling material of which we had a lot leftover. The general consensus...they were okay, not great. Even though we rolled out the pasta sheets to the thinnest setting, the pasta still seemed to overpower the filling. And, as a number of us commented (me included), we don't actually like ravioli that much. An interesting experiment that will not be repeated. 

Being gluttons for punishment, only days later we were at it again making Lasagna for our 'early Christmas' dinner. I totally stuck to my traditional recipe devised decades ago in the 70's.

It came out extremely good.

 

 

 It was finally time to release the VEFS. We need them to be strong next year to continue the Re-reconquista.

3.2 giving me a goodbye squeeze, asking me to explain the Stockholm Syndrome as she is looking forward to returning.

 

 And I look mournfully at the place where my coffee has been made for over 10 days and realize I am going to have to make my own.

A Viking Expeditionary Force From Sweden Christmas

The word came from far off Malmö Sweden in the early Fall.

"Greetings New Mexicans. I, #3, Chieftainess of the VEFS have determined that our band of hearty warriors and screen watchers wish a warmer place to visit during the Winter break from pillaging. As our blood kin, surely you will let us sneak through your country's inane new international visit system and allow us to soak up your Southwestern Sun. Send us word of your blessings."

How could one not respond to such a well worded invitation. We responded.

"#3, may your warrior skull cup overflow with Kombucha. May we remember their contributions to the Re-Reconquista in Spain this past Fall the the previous Fall as well. We have booked you in the renowned de-I Sandia Outfitters palatial ABQ Foothills Resort and Penal Colony. (When confirming your reservation BE SURE to check the 'resort' box and not the 'penal colony' box.). Simply fill in the request for all your financial accounts with user names and passwords and you will have set yourself up for the most wonderful time her in the Land of Entrapment."

 Last Friday they arrived.

They had had to pay bribes in Dallas to get through the crazy back up of security line to make their flight. But they were truly wowed by the luxury of their accommodations. 

"Look Love, We actually have a BED to sleep on this time," 3A exclaimed.

3.2 after experiencing the Japanese style bidet toilet her accommodations featured exclaimed, "This is the greatest toilet experience EVER!"

Our guests were so happy, they broke out into the traditional dance celebration of their people.

 And of course, if one has Vikings, one must prepare massive quantities of MEAT!

 

We have many more activities coming up in the days ahead.

"How Cool Is That?" - The Mantra Of Gratitude

About the same time as I was making my decisions related to what I want to be doing with my tangible time going forward, another crisis of consciousness (or the heart) was coming to a head. It was the fact that I was not particularly happy. I have found over the last year that I have become more and more frustrated over things, even little things in life. And my level of worry has increased too, even though things are going just fine in every aspect. 

So I did some deep contemplation. Despite my having done spiritual practices for close to a half a century, I felt in a lot of ways I was going through the motions. I felt dry. What did I need to do to change that? There were two things I felt would really help change my attitude. One was focusing on Gratitude. The other was becoming more Trusting. I decided the former was the one I wanted to tackle first. 

I've tried this before, focusing on Gratitude, without much success. Looking back, I decided that I had made the attempts to be Gratitude focused to analytical, too much of making a list of things. But Gratitude isn't a number. It is a feeling. So how do I make myself FEEL grateful?

I started with my house. I have a beautiful house. Truly beautiful. There is so much beauty actually in my house and my surroundings. But, it is human nature I think to stop focusing on all those little things. They just become part of the background. I started to look at each little thing with appreciation. What came out out of my mind and heart was this phrase,

HOW COOL IS THIS!

For the first day or so, it was a very interesting exercise. No. It was more than that. Those simple, if somewhat trite, words captured emotion. When I looked at some lovely thing that I had ignored for a while and said "How Cool Is That" I awakened feelings of appreciation within me. 

I decided to keep going with the experiment. Sometimes it seems a bit weird to use this as my focus words. And it has been less than a week. But I can feel a big change in my attitude. Today I had a number of little things go wrong that I was able to see in a different light. It seemed a bit forced to say "How cool was this" for them, but I was still in that appreciative state of mind. 

Maybe it is just using the words to put the focus positive and not negative. It is too early to tell. The true test will be if I can maintain this state of mind over a longer period. 

Wish me luck. 

The Quantum Physics Of Transition Continue With No End In Sight - Part II

Since I wrote the last transition post on Nov. 21, I have continued to do a lot of thinking and contemplating. A lot of it revolved around continuing to promote my consulting business. My overall attitude and enthusiasm continued be sour. The clients I have now are taking huge amounts of effort just to get them to do the things they should. I even tried to fire one of them this week (they said they would get better. Why would you pay someone and not listen to them?). 

And last Friday I turned 78. So many people who interact with me in the work environment were shocked. They all say I look and act like I'm in 60's. Let me tell you, I don't feel like I'm in my 60's. I told one, "You can make up a lot of mental illusions about how you are really not that old, but let me tell you when you are only 2 years away from 80 there is only one adjective that describes you - OLD."

I'm thinking, "If we are really getting ready for the last lap of the race what the heck do you want to be doing? I don't want to be beating people over the head to do what is best for them. I've done that for almost a half a century." 

But what DO I want to do?

Well travel. It is still the thing that truly floats my boat. There is an expiration date on being able to do that, However, Wife and I continue to adjust how we do our travel in ways that seems to extend how long we might be able to continue.

What else.

The social impact stuff. The job development work in Africa. That is the thing that is starting to finally come into its own. (I know I owe you post on that.) Go with the flow. What is working with the least effort (now). The social impact stuff. What is like pushing water up hill. The consulting work. Listen to the universe.

Then yesterday evening was sort of the kind of proof that you just need to be open to, the universe talking to you. 

A long-term business colleague who is associated with the network building organization I started 20 years ago has been begging me to reengage with the group. She asked if I would come to the Christmas social. I said I would. It was, to say the least, an interesting experience. Other than a few old time people who I know well, no one...literally no one even acknowledged me, introduced themselves, made any effort to make contact. And honestly, I felt the same. I had not the slightest interest in finding out who they were. I left early because I had a social impact virtual call to some people in Malaysia. In the past, I might have felt annoyed that I wasted my time going to the meeting or that people were so rude. Not yesterday. I felt blessed and grateful. It was a clear message. 

It is time to turn the page and move on.  

A Very 2.3 Thanksgiving

It started with a call from Indonesia.

"Dad. 2.3 is in the U.S. with nowhere to go for Thanksgiving. Can he visit you and Mom?"

"Um...Sure."

Hence for the first time in longer than I can remember (which in my late 70's is about 30 minutes), we were committed to having family for Thanksgiving. 

There were intense conversations prior to the holiday on what our Grandson might want.

de-I - "So 2.3, what might you like to do while you are here?"

2.3 - "I'm fine with anything."

de-I - "Um thanks for the guidance."

We did determine that 2.3 was quite set upon having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (so much for the idea of having lasagna). With one exception, he didn't want Turkey. Which was fine with us as we are somewhat ambivalent about Turkey ourselves (the bird, not the country. We love Turkey, the country.)

2.3 didn't arrive from Cincinnati until around midnight on Wednesday. That meant I did the majority of the food prep. He is actually a big help normally and I adjusted the schedule so there were some things for him to do. Well, in reality, I was still really getting tired very quickly so was glad to adjust things so I didn't kill myself. 

The Thanksgiving dinner itself was not one my tour de force. A lot of things didn't turn out. We had Chicken as the primary meat. I used a recipe I've done for decades but not any time recently. Instead of just following the recipe, I put in a food thermometer. It showed it being done a hour earlier than I would have thought. So I panicked and took it out of the oven. Mistake. It wasn't close to being cooked. This caused all kinds of schedule adjustments. Then there were many other missteps as well. 

But despite the Thanksgiving dinner, it was lovely having 2.3 here. He is a very intelligent, articulate, and self-aware person, We had many long conversations on a wide range of subjects. 

Graphic demonstration of just how far one has deteriorated from age. 

Wife wanted to put up the Christmas tree. It and the boxes of ornaments was buried deep in our storage closet. I was looking at what it was going to take to get it out and thinking, "This is going to take at least an hour with me having to move many heavy things before I even got to the tree and accessories. 

2.3 (a strapping young man)  takes one look and declares, "No problem Grandma." He proceeds to step over and around all that is in the way, lift the box over his head and carries it to the living room in minutes. He does the same for the accessory boxes. In no time at all he has the tree out of the box, set up, has helped Wife put on all the extra lights, and has completed the task. I think it might have taken 30 minutes. 

The Thanksgiving Dinner Self-Critcism Committee Meeting

 2.3 announced that as he was going to be in Cincinnati for three more years and we were, most likely, the only relatives he had in the United States, we could expect him for at least a couple more. Hence it was important that we evaluate every aspect of the Thanksgiving dinner to ensure that we move it in the direction of perfection. Among the decisions were:

• Trust the Chicken Recipe. Do not Deviate
• More moisture in the Dressing
• NO MUSHROOMS in the Dressing (formal objection made by de-I on this decision)
• Less fat in the Gravy
• Sweet Potatoes must not resemble potatoes but must be some concoction with tons of sugar and marshmallows (Fine 2.3, they are all yours to make and eat next year)
• Actually cook and serve the frozen peas instead of bemoaning that you forgot them
•  Put Vanilla again in the Chocolate Pudding Pie again and risk being deported

In fact, I was so upset about the Vanilla in the Chocolate Pudding (damn it I was just following a recipe), that I made a second batch a couple of days later to make amends.  

In all seriousness, it was great having 2.3 here. Any chance we get to see our far flung grandchildren and have serious quality time with  them is a blessing.  

Better And Better

I am happy to report that last week sometime, I finally seemed to kick the vast majority of the serious asthma reactions. It was a tough three week battle that had left me physically and mentally drained. I have finally started to do some exercise again and now that I can breath, I find I have not lost as much conditioning as I might have thought. 

Of course, I immediately offset the return to relative health by a week of crazy scheduling (not all my own doing by the way) along with extra care required for Wife since her hand surgery, that left me exhausted most of the week. 

But just being able to breath has been a real blessing. And I find that my mental attitude toward the whole 'what do I want to do with work vs travel' is better as well.