Bessie cooks a pizza (gasp!) from scratch

Feeling rather domestic lately, I decided to make pizza from scratch for Mr. Bessie and Junior. I found a lovely recipe for pizza crust. Now I admit, bread making is not my forte. All that kneading and waiting and kneading and waiting is just too much for me. Happily I found just the right recipe for bread maker pizza dough.

Once the dough was ready, I coated it with olive oil, minced garlic and tomato sauce, then combined red pepper, tomato, cilantro and freshly rubbed oregano over it to make a hearty veggie pizza.

This pizza was more than filling for three of us. We were stuffed to the gills with homemade goodness. My! Bea's going to be proud of me, cooking real food like this and all. Who knows, next thing you know I'll be making Yorkshire Pudding or Jambalaya. No, no ~ Jambalaya's Bea's specialty! We'll leave that delicacy entirely up to Bea dearest.


Bessie's Hearty Veggie Pizza

Put ingredients in bread maker in this order:

1-1/2 c. water
2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. each salt and sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. rubbed Oregano
4 tsp. fast rising yeast
2 T. cornmeal

Select dough setting on bread maker. When timer beeps, remove the dough to lightly floured surface. Cover with clean dish towel and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal on large pizza stone and press dough into pizza shape. Let rise another 30 minutes, unless you're like Bessie and can't wait that long.

Spread dough with tomato sauce, toppings and seasonings ~ you pick!

Bake 425 for 20-30 minutes. Once out of the oven, let cool for 5 minutes because it will be very, very hot. Enjoy alone or with a leafy green salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Love,
Bessie

Where were you when the lights went out?

Bessie here ... It hasn't happened in the longest time, but last night the power went out at the cottage.

Isn't it funny how when this happens everyone looks at each other and doesn't quite know what to do. It was just after 7 p.m. and it was still light out, although an incoming storm was making it not-so-bright out there. I sprung into action, finding a candle and matches. Mr. Bessie pulled out his old transistor radio ~ just in case.

There we sat lookin' at each other thinking of all the things we couldn't do because the power was out. Junior went out for a walk, tryin' to see how far down the lane the power was out.

Within an hour, the power was back on again and our electrical powered life returned to "normal", but not before we thought ~ hey, it's quiet and peaceful, a person could get used of this! Maybe it would be fun to flick the switch for a weekend sometime. Do you think we'd all be shakin' to get back on the Internet?

Until the next post ...
Love,
Bessie

What do you collect?

Bessie and Bea love to collect things.
Bea, for instance collects old books and ...


glass marbles as well as many other delightful items!


Bessie got all domesticated yesterday and cooked up
some homemade cookies for Mr. Bessie.

Here you see Tropical Rhubarb Cookies (recipe at the bottom of this posting) placed on one of Bessie more unique collections.

Bessie, you see, likes to collect (and use!) anniversary and souvenir plates.
These plates were once the solution to the question ~ what do I give a special someone for a special anniversary or birthday?

We wonder ... do they even sell these things anymore?


Bessie's favourite plate was a gift from Bea. It's a North Dakota plate!
Who wouldn't want a lovely North Dakota plate saluting
cows, peasants, dams and badlands???


Speaking of collections, if you happen to collect recipes, here is one from Bessie's kitchen ...

Tropical Rhubarb Cookies

1-1/3 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
3 Tbsp. milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1 cup chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
1 cup walnuts

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg; mix well. Sift flour, spices, baking soda. Add this to mix ~ alternate with milk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes. Particularly yummy with a hot tea served in a china cup.

Place warm cookies on your favourite souvenir plate
and share with a friend on a cool spring morning!

Bessie & Bea
x0x

Rejoice!

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Bessie & Bea send their best wishes to you and yours for a very joyful Easter!

Go outside ~ breathe deeply.
Listen to the bird's spring chorus.
Take a stroll.
Hug someone you love.
Rejoice!

Love, Bessie & Bea

Good enough to eat!

Bea is the cook in the Bessie and Bea combo, but I wanted to share this with you today ...

You know how you we see a recipe in a magazine that really catches our eye and think to ourselves: I'm going to make that ... someday, but we never do?

As you know, I've been going through my stacks and stacks of magazines, harvesting what I want and recycling the rest. I came across a deliciously healthy looking Avocado Salad that I wanted to make from Mr. Bessie.

This salad is so simple, but it is also simply delicious and full of nutrients as well. Avocados are one of those rare things that actually have healthy fats and it is a cholesterol lowering fruit.

All you need to make this is romaine lettuce, avocados, juice of a lemon or lime, coarse salt, white onion, tomatoes, ground pepper. I think next time I make this for the mister and my young'uns, I'll add some chuncks of cucumber and fresh olives! I look forward to making this salad during tomato season, it'll be even more delicious.

Oh! if you don't know how to properly pit an avocado, watch this video. Bon appétit!

Love,
Bessie

A Smile

A smile can be as lovely as a prayer,
If there is understanding in the eyes;
A smile that says: "I'm glad to see you there,"
A look that whispers something sweet and wise.
Old people often smile like this when they
Have special love and kindness to convey.

A baby's smile, a wee three-cornered thing,
A bit uncertain of its right to be,
Can lift your heart clear up where angels sing
And show you realms unguessed, eternity
Come down and held in crumpled rosy hands,
Frail in themselves yet strong as iron bands.

The smile of friendship where two eyes unite
In friendly gossip o'er a cup of tea,
Where little happenings of the neighborhood
Are told with relish and a kindly glee;
A lover's smile bent to his lady's face
Can make a palace of the meanest place.

The smiles between a husband and a wife
Across a room can tell the world so much
Of living shared and love's redeeming grace
As intimate and tender as a touch.
A smile can be as lovely as a prayer
If there is love and understanding there.

~ Edna Jaques
Back-Door Neighbors