Welcome to the new blog

This cooking blog is about family, about six children, about feeding them not only nutritious meals, cost effective meals, but really good food. And how nutrition, cost effective meals, really great taste, and family factors into company. Lots and lots of good company, coming over to our house, our doors always opening to other families and friends, students, and strangers. They need to feel the warmth of a family, a home with good smells rising to it's rafters. These recipes will try to feed many: most of them will have 8-10 servings because that is how things run here at our little house on the Palouse. So put on your apron, get the shaggy pieces of flour and butter into your fingernails, clap the flour dust, turn up the kitchen radio and lets get to work!

Julia's pizza dough (this is made once a week and usually on Fridays, it has millions of options and possibilities and a hit with college students.)

5 cups of flour
2 T. yeast
2 T. agave nectar (this is the secret ingredient!)
1 T. salt
1 t. ground garlic powder
1/2 t. red pepper flakes (optional)
6 T. olive oil
2-3 cups of very warm water


In a bowl, place yeast, agave nectar and 2 cups of the warm water, stir and let sit for five minutes. Meanwhile in a mixer bowl, add the flour, salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and combine. Add the yeast/agave/water mixture to the flour mixture along with olive oil and slowly knead, adding extra warm water when needed and knead until the mixture becomes smooth and elastic. Let sit for 10 minutes before rolling out into crusts. Makes 3 normal or 4 thin crust pizzas.

Add desired toppings and bake at 425 degrees for about 24 minutes.