Birthday Weekend

Yesterday, was Jason's birthday! He turned 29. He is now one full year away from the big three ohhh. We celebrated with some friends at Benihana's. Jason really likes Japanese food and we all really enjoyed the hibachi grill and show. Afterward, we all wanted Starbucks. Jason enjoyed his regular caramel soy machiado and I tried the apple spice latte. I like the apple spice latte. We then went to Khon's to celebrate with some more good friends :)

Today, I finally got to make my Fiesta Salad
that I edited from hacres.com. It was super tasty! We spent the afternoon at the park enjoying the sunlight and the warm weather. Tonight, we made homemade pizza! This is my first time to make dough. I'm pretty proud of myself. Here's what I've learned about homemade pizza:
-use eggs, not a substitute.
-do NOT put pizza on the bottom rack.
-mozzarella cheese is greasy. very, very greasy.
-follow instructions to the letter.
-do not kneed dough after it rises.
-do not be discouraged. next time will be better.

Fiesta Salad
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 cup scallions (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
2 ribs celery (chopped)
1/2 cup carrots (shredded)
1/4 cup roma tomatoes (chopped)
Place all ingredients in on a bed of romaine lettuce, spinach leaves, and red cabbage leaves.

Italian Dressing
equal parts extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar
agave or other sweetener
rosemary
basil
fresh garlic (minced)
fresh sweet onion (minced)
sea salt
Mix together in Mason jar and shake well. Chill and serve.

Margherita Pizza
1/2 lb. plum Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
6 fresh basil leaves cut into julienne strips
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
1 package gluten free pizza crust
2 tbsp flax seed meal
6 tbsp water
yeast packet

Preheat oven to 425.
Combine 2 Tbls. olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, and salt in bowl.
Allow to marinate while making dough.
Combine water and yeast.
Combine flax and 6 tbsp of water together. Let sit for one minute.
Combine yeast/water, flax/water, and oil together and blend.
Add pizza crust and whisk until thick
Cover and let rise for 20 minutes
Bake 7-9 minutes
Brush dough crust lightly with olive oil.
Top with cheese, then tomatoes.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 8−10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
Remove from oven and top with feta cheese, then basil.
Cool on a wire rack for 2−3 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.