Pizza! Pizza!

Neill and I have always wanted to test our own pizza making skills. So, once we got the hang of making sandwich bread in our bread maker we decided to venture into the world of pizza. For our first try, we attempted a roasted garlic and eggplant pizza.

The first thing we worked on was the dough. There are a million different recipes online for pizza dough, but we used a recipe that Neill developed.

In this order, add to your bread machine:

1 cup of flat beer
1/4 cup soy flour
1/3 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup bread flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 table spoon butter
1 teaspoon of active dry yeast

Using our bread maker, it took two hours for the dough to be ready. While  obsessively checking the clock to see how much time is left patiently waiting, we busied ourselves geting the roasted garlic ready.

Cut the top of a whole head of garlic, rub the exposed raw garlic with a little olive oil, wrap the whole thing in tinfoil, and then bake it in the over at 380 degrees for about forty minutes.

Next, prepare the eggplant. Cut the eggplant however you like it best, but I tried to get slices that were about half an inch thick. Cubes might have been easier to eat, but I thought this shape would look prettier on the pizza. 

Line them up on a piece of tin-foil that is sprayed with some sort of non-stick business, brush each side with a little olive oil, and then sprinkle with salt. These go right in the oven with the garlic, but probably won't take much longer than twenty or twenty five minutes.

You'll know the eggplant are done when they are soft and have a roasted brown color. The more olive oil you put on them, the mushier they they will (and I mean that in the yummiest of ways).

Once the dough is ready, the whole pizza comes together in like 25 minutes. Roll out the dough on a floured surface, brush it with olive oil, sprinkle on the cheese, squeeze on the roasted garlic, and layer the eggplant. We used a mixture of mozzarella and fontina cheese, but I bet goat cheese would also be delicious on this.

Then, bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until the cheese is melts and the crust looks golden brown. 

Not to pat ourselves on the back too much, but our pizza turned out DELICIOUS. I think we were both surprised at how yummy it was, especially since it was so easy to make. I think waiting for the dough to be ready was seriously the hardest part of the recipe!

For fun, here are some other pizzas we've tried making.

  salami and cheddar cheese pizza with red sauce

 half green and black olives, half shrimp and prosciutto  pizza

pepperoni pizza

Do you have a favorite pizza place? What is your favorite kind of pizza? What is your favorite comfort food? 

xoxox

I Need Your Fashion Advice

In early May, Neill and I are heading to Jamaica for a cousin's wedding. Yay for tropical vacations! We went to Negril for our honeymoon last summer and we had an amazing time. So, we are really looking forward to his cousin's wedding in Ocho Rios. Not only will it be a great time with family, but it will give us a chance to have a mini-second honeymoon. Let's be honest, a few days of romance never hurt anybody. I just can't wait to be sipping pina coladas by the beach with my toes in the sand.

While I'm planning to be in my bathing suit for most of the trip, I do need to bring something to wear to the wedding. This is where you come in. According to the couple's wedding website, the dress code is "evening attire" and they recommend that men wear suits and ladies wear cocktail dresses. The problem? I normally drink my cocktails in jeans and a t-shirt.

I've just never been one for dresses. Plus, its going to be in the mid-80s and humid. The reception is going to be outside. In the heat. On the grass. I kind of get sweaty just thinking about it.

But we're going. So I need to have something to wear that will keep me from sticking out like a sore thumb, but also won't make me melt. But, I'm having the hardest time. I feel like such a shopping reject because I'm literally sitting here scratching my head wondering where to buy a dress.

After spending more time than I care to admit scouring the internet, here are some of the dresses I'm thinking of. But, I'm not sure if any of them are right.

via sundance.com

I fell in love with this dress from Sundance. I love the color and style. I don't know if it is exactly "evening attire" though. But, its silk so maybe it can be dressed up?

via garnetthill.com

via garnetthill.com

I also really like the shape of this cotton dress. This picture makes it look really casual, but I would get it in the black and wear it with a pair of black espadrilles. I probably wouldn't be the most dressed up person there, but I'd be comfortable!

via thelimited.com

I found this dress on The Limited's website. It has more of a cocktail dress vibe to it and I love the color, but I don't love the dress. Its made out of synthetic fabric too, so I'm worried that it won't be "breathable."

via jcrew.com

I was really excited when I saw this dress from J. Crew. Not only is it my style, but its on sale! But I'm not so sure how I feel about the bright orange color. It definitely says Sunday Brunch more than Saturday Evening Cocktails, right?

via bananarepublic.com

This is definitely not a sun dress and I love the pattern. But long sleeves? Yikes. Also, while wrap dresses can be flatting on me, I'm always paranoid about them becoming unwrapped! I'm not so sure this is a safe dress to wear for a night of dancing. 

via target.com

Here is the cheapest and simplest of the options. And of course, I fell in love with it right away. It says cocktail, but looks airy. And the 30 dollar price tag is the icing on the cake. But, when I went to order it I realized the dress is out of stock in everything but a 4 and a 6. Darn! They still have the dress in a platinum color (looks silver on the screen), but I'm worried that it is too close to white. What do you think about wearing a light silvery gray to a wedding?

After I decided I liked the one shoulder look, I found a similar Maggy London dress. So this is also a possibility. But, do I really want to shell out a hundred bucks for something I don't love?

via nordstrom.com

My last resort is to wear this dress I got recently from J. Jill and focus on dressing it up with accessories. Maybe a belt and some long sparkly necklace? 

Anyways, as you can tell - I'm no fashionista.  If I could, I'd wear shorts and a tank top. So I need some help with this one! Which dress do you like best? If you were going, what kind of dress would you wear? Do you have any store or dress recommendations? What do you think is hot weather evening attire?

Summer Bucket List

Chicago tends to only have two seasons--winter and summer. And we've been in winter now for what feels like eternity.

But, summer is right around the corner! After this long cold snowy winter, I really want to savor summer this year.  So, to help me make the most out of Summer 2011, I decided to develop a short bucket list of fun things I want to do before the end of summer.

1. Spend a day at the beach
2. Talk a long walk along the lake front
3. Go to Navy Pier to watch the fireworks and ride the Ferris wheel 
4. Spend a whole afternoon drinking in a beer garden with friends
5. Cook dinner at home on the grill
6. Attend the Taste of Chicago
7. Go to one outdoor music event
8. Attend at least one neighborhood festival
9. Go to the Pride Parade
10. Go out for a romantic dinner and sit outside
11. Have a picnic by the lake
12. Go to a baseball game
13. Spend a day at 6-Flags

So there you have it. These are the thirteen things I'm most looking forward to doing. Last summer was all about getting married, but this summer is about taking advantage of everything Chicago has to offer. I feel giddy just looking at this list! I wish the weather would hurry up and cooperate.

But, I have a feeling that once summer does come I might find myself bogged down with classes and work. Because let's be honest, it can be difficult for a type-a personality like myself to relax and have fun when there is work to be done. (but apparently, I'm awesome at rhyming!)  So, to keep myself motivated I'm thinking of making this list a permanent feature of my blog, just like "Our Wedding" or "About Me." Then when I finish up an item, I will blog and link! 

Summer 2009, pineapple drink @ Do Division Street Fest

What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Have you made a Summer Bucket List? What was the best summer of your life?

Dishing For Dana

This post is titled Dishing for Dana, but it could easily also be titled Why Insurance Sucks or Health Care is a Right Not a Privilege or I Support Universal Health Care For All (Even If That Means Higher Taxes).

Folks, our health care system is broken. People shouldn't have to become thousands of dollars in debt just to receive adequate health care. That's just crazy talk. But, it is the reality.

Why do I care so much about this issue?

1. My father has a chronic neurological disease and the cost of his mounting medical expenses was and still is a tremendous strain on my family.

2. When I was 14 I had to have spinal fusion surgery for an 80 degree curve in my spine. The surgery was successful and I've never once had any complications from it. Eight years later, when I was 22, I was denied insurance coverage due to this surgery, which they considered a pre-existing condition. When a healthy 22 year old can't get insurance coverage, you know there is a problem.

3. As a psychologist-in-training, I get to see first hand how people are unable to access the mental health services they need because of ridiculously high deductibles and out of pocket expenses. Everyone deserves treatment - not just those with extra cash.

But, this isn't even about me or my family or my clients. And this post isn't even about politics. Its about Dana aka The Broke Ass Bride.

image via http://dishingfordana.com/about/

When I was planning my wedding, I fervently studied followed Dana's posts on weddingbee. I remember how relieving it was to read about the experience of another bride who didn't have a billion dollars to spend!  So when I read her story today, I knew I had to participate somehow in Dishing For Dana. 

Here is her story, in her own words (taken from here).

Hi, I’m Dana… but I’m better known online as blogger behind The Broke-Ass Bride. I started my blog in 2008, as a real bride chronicling my wedding planning journey on a broke-ass budget… and it has since evolved into a surprising yet utterly perfect career. The Broke-Ass Bride inspires thousands of brides in 140 countries to think outside the box, turn obstacles into opportunity, and use their creativity as currency to craft bad-ass weddings and lives. My passion for this is inspired by years of experience with my own personal obstacles.


Here’s the bulletpoint rundown, to keep things brief. If you want the whole story, you can find it below the line.

The problem
♥  When I was 19 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Uveitis.
♥  My immune system doggedly attacks my eyes causing inflammation, visual disturbances and blurriness. It is incurable and will cause blindness if left untreated.
♥  I also have a very rare deep-tissue form of a disease called Granuloma Annulare, causing a different type of inflammation in my foot, for which I had surgery last year. It is so rare, I am unable to find a doctor who knows how to treat it moving forward.
♥  I’ve had 11 surgeries (at least one, each year, for the past 5 years), to control my diseases and their side effects.
♥  Last month my left eye came out of remission and I’ll be having a 12th surgery.

My surgeries and ongoing care (even with health insurance) have left piles of bills in their wake, and I am now at a point where, without help, I cannot pay for my medical care.

I can't even imagine the strength and fortitude it takes to make it through twelve surgeries!

But, unfortunately it also takes cash. And lots of it.

So Dishing for Dana was born to help Dana get the treatment she needs. In the end, we're hoping to raise $22,000. That's a big number, but every single dollar, retweet, and blog post helps. So, I hope you'll think about visiting the how you can help page and join in on the cause.

Thanks for reading,
Alisha

March: A Month in Review

I can't believe March has flown by so quickly and we're already a few days into April! That means its once again time for me to report back on how I've been doing upholding my New Years Resolutions.

Source: flickr.com via Alisha on Pinterest

1. My first resolution for 2011 was to prioritize my thesis and just get.it.done. My specific goal for March was to have my results section set, have my sample fully written up, and at least the start of an outline done for my discussion. Looking at these goals I can only laugh. Let's just say those goals were VERY optomistic. Unfortunately, I haven't made much progress from last month. I did meet with my advisor to get feedback on my results section, but I haven't finished with the edits she suggested let alone work on the other things I listed. Ooops! Looks like I'll be carrying over my March goals into April.

2. My second goal was to make time for my VIPs. I wanted to increase the effort I put into my relationships with family and friends in order to combat the nasty habit I have of putting school first. I've got to say, I think I knocked this goal out of the park. I traveled to NYC to visit my Aunt and Grandfather, I spent a weekend with my in-laws in Ohio and got to see my beautiful niece, and I had a big birthday dinner with friends another weekend. Even though I think all of this fun-time might have been why I didn't do so well with Goal #1, it was totally worth it! But, I'm expecting to spend more time on school and less time with my VIPs in April so that I can concentrate on my finals.

my beautiful niece

3. My third goal was to work towards financial security. I didn't think February was such a good month for this, but Neill and I made good headway with this goal in March! We did our taxes (ugh) and as I've already detailed we've had some big discussions on saving. We even each developed a savings goal and are competing to see who can reach their goal first. We both hate to lose so this is the perfect way for us to get motivated!

Source: inspiredbythisfeeling.tumblr.com via Alisha on Pinterest

[for the record, this is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek] 

4. I don't even want to talk about goal number four, getting healthy, because I have nothing good to say about this area. Nothing. I tried signing up for and using My Fitness Pal in order to better keep track of the calories I consume versus burn, but even though the program is relatively easy to use I haven't been able to stick with it. The week or two I did use it was pretty interesting though. For example, I learned that I *really* underestimate the number of calories I consume. And all those things I snack on and then forget about it? Yeah, they add up. A lot. I wanted to try and get back into exercising this month and that also didn't happen at all. Like not once. This is the first month I haven't exercised at all since 2007. Yikes. Rationally, I know that if I can just go back to the gym once--even if I only stay for twenty minutes--that it will be easier to go back the next time. But, I'm just feeling very avoidant right now. Do you have any good tips for how to get back into exercising? I need some help!

Even though I'm not doing so well in some areas, I'm proud of how much time I dedicated to seeing friends and family this month and the steps Neill and I have taken to reorganize our finances. How are you doing with your new years resolutions? Are you keeping tabs? If you've written any posts lately about this feel free to link up! 

To My Fabulous Readers (that means YOU!)

Dear fabulous readers,

I think I've been remiss lately because I haven't told you how much I appreciate the fact that you choose to read my blog and to take time out of your day to leave me thoughtful, genuine comments!  I know how frustrating it can be to never get any sort of response or to feel unappreciated and the last thing I want is for YOU to feel that way. Because I appreciate you guys SO much. And to show my appreciation I do my best to always respond to every single comment and to visit your blogs and leave you comments too! But, I haven't been so good at just coming right out and saying how much your words mean to me.

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com via Alisha on Pinterest

Remember when I was down on myself and feeling really nervous that I wouldn't get an internship for next year? Well it was your comments that cheered me up! And remember when I shared that my grandfather's health was declining? Your supportive comments were so reassuring. And most recently, when I wrote about how my husband and I handle money in what was probably way too much detail, your comments made me feel like I wasn't completely insane for oversharing. SO THANK YOU!!!!

Source: None via Alisha on Pinterest

Thank you so much! Each and every one of you (even those of you who read and don't comment!) make me smile on a daily basis!

-Alisha

Money and Marriage: Part III

Alright ladies and gents, this is my last post about how Neill and I handle finances. I've dished on the money situation when we dated and then when we moved in together. In this post, I want to share how we are handling things now that we are married.

For Neill and I, being open and honest with each other about our finances and our financial goals is VERY important. So, we've been having lots and lots of frank conversations about spending, saving, and goal setting. We try to be 100% transparent with one another and we've decided to take a big step that will help us with this. 

In my last post, I mentioned that we opened up a joint saving account a while ago that we've used in addition to each of our personal saving accounts. Now, however, having our individual accounts just doesn't seem to feel right anymore. Even though both of us have said that whatever we save individually is really for us, we want to make that thought a reality.  So, just last week we totally revamped our organization. With this new set-up neither one of us will keep a personal savings account. We'll only put money into our joint savings. This certainly wasn't something I would have wanted to do when I first moved in or even when we first got married, but right now it makes the most sense for us.

We decided to keep a total of two joint savings accounts so that we can save money for different purposes. One is a Save for a Rainy Day Account. This is our six month emergency fund that is not to be touched unless we have . . . an emergency. The second is a Save to Spend Account. This is where we can save for vacations or a new piece of furniture. The only catch? Our numbers aren't quite where we would like them to be. So, we've started a competition to get into savings gear. We each have a savings goal (different, to accommodate our salary difference) and the first person to reach their goal wins 500 dollars out of the Save to Spend account.

A bonus of merging our savings is that it motivated us to finally set up an emergency fund. We've always known where we might pull money from if we found ourselves in a dire situation, but this is the first time actually setting that money aside and working to see the number go up. I'm really excited about our new plan because I feel like we are a bajiliion steps closer to following through on our new years resolution to be financially secure.

I don't have any secrets to successfully negotiating finances in a relationship, but communicating and being flexible seem to really help. Since we both keep an eye on our finances and discuss them pretty regularly we are able to realize when something just isn't working. And, we aren't afraid to switch things up a bit. Who knows? Maybe in another year we'll decide to merge our checking accounts, although I must admit that idea doesn't appeal to either Neill or I right now. 

Finances can be a touchy subject to talk about and I think the uneasiness surrounding money-talk makes it extra difficult for couples. So, I thought I'd quiet that little voice in my head that says discussing money isn't appropriate and lay it all out there for everyone. I hope you've enjoyed reading about how Neill and I handle finances and I'd love to hear more from you  about how you handle money in your relationships! What are your thoughts on merging finances completely? Do you keep a private saving account? What motivates you to save money?