rootbeer1: (PeppaSteve)
[personal profile] rootbeer1
OK, OK, we're getting my brother and his wife a real housewarming present, maybe a set of Fiestaware and a bottle of hooch that we can drink while we're visiting. And I won't mention his broken disco light present to us unless he complains about our present, or if we get really drunk on the hooch.

* * *

From about age 10 on, I had a tradition in my family of making pizza on Friday nights. This would give my mom a break from cooking, plus giving me a meal of a food I loved. (Plus, it started out as the perfect accompaniment to my Friday night slate of TV shows -- Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Love American Style, etc.) I made the dough myself -- basically a yeast bread, which I refined over the years, sometimes adding a bit of rye flour, sometimes adding some Italian herbs, etc. I kept up this tradition until I went away to college, and then started it again when I was living on my own, since home-made pizza seemed a pleasant capper to the workweek, even if I was just making it for myself.

I haven't made it much in recent years, but [livejournal.com profile] qbear and I are starting to diet again on Tuesday, so last night was one of my last chances to keep to the Friday night tradition for a while. I made the dough in the afternoon, and let it rise while I went off to physical therapy.

mmm mmm good

On the left, a sausage-and-bacon pizza with black olives, onion and mushrooms, and on the right, a meatball pizza with green olives, onion and mushrooms.

I'm pretty proud of my pizza-making abilities, but then I have been making them for more than 30 years.

* * *

Just got back from [livejournal.com profile] dacubsf's memorial service where we saw, among others, [livejournal.com profile] sf_luke, [livejournal.com profile] castrowoof, [livejournal.com profile] dhbearguy, [livejournal.com profile] boyshapedbox, [livejournal.com profile] downshifft, [livejournal.com profile] backawayslowly, [livejournal.com profile] fuzzygruf, [livejournal.com profile] double_ohsteven, [livejournal.com profile] cruisebear, [livejournal.com profile] beg1n, [livejournal.com profile] tonymorg, [livejournal.com profile] bvig01, [livejournal.com profile] gregorbehr, [livejournal.com profile] kevin_v5, [livejournal.com profile] kitchenbeard, [livejournal.com profile] bearzbub, [livejournal.com profile] arkanjil, [livejournal.com profile] pyrogeoff, [livejournal.com profile] poohbearjim, [livejournal.com profile] enhydrasf, etc. It was a pleasantly simple service, with a reading of Psalm 23, lighting of candles, and people sharing their memories of Jeff. I was tempted to get up and share my own memory of Jeff -- we'd only met twice in real life, but last fall when we were both confined and recuperating, we sometimes talked on bear411, mostly to gripe about a lack of visitors. Since I couldn't really draw an uplifting conclusion from this story, I decided it didn't really merit retelling at a celebration of his life.

After the service, I got in the car with Jack, and what comes on the CD player but Frank Sinatra's version of "September Song," which seemed like a poignant way to end the day.

Well, it’s a long, long time
From May to December
But the days grow short,
When you reach September.
And the autumn weather
Turns the leaves to gray
And I haven’t got time
For the waiting game.

And the days dwindle down
To a precious few . . .
September, November . . .
And these few precious days
I spend with you.
These precious days
I spend with you.

Date: 2006-01-22 12:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ubermunkey.livejournal.com
what a lovely post, and I love that song, but I heard it as a remake and I can't remember who did it. Maybe Lindsay Buckingham...

Your pizza looks great. Hmm pizza good company and maybe some wine. Sounds like a lovely night if you ask me.

Be well
connor

Date: 2006-01-22 01:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rootbeer1.livejournal.com
If you visit us in SF some time, I'll make pizza again. It's not like our diets have ever been that strict.

Date: 2006-01-22 12:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] grandiva1968.livejournal.com
Is it low-carb?  I hate to think you'd have to give up pizza baking altogether.

Date: 2006-01-22 01:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] furfairy.livejournal.com
Let the dough experiments with soy protein isolate begin!

Date: 2006-01-22 01:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rootbeer1.livejournal.com
Eeuuuuuwww!

(By the way, thanks for the book!)

Date: 2006-01-22 03:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] furfairy.livejournal.com
You're welcome. If you get anything out of it, try following it with "Nonzero" by Robert Wright.

CLICKY (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679758941/qid=1137900282/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-0715293-1727159?n=507846&s=books&v=glance)

Date: 2006-01-25 08:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] grandiva1968.livejournal.com
That actually sounds a little scary…

Walking Tall

Date: 2006-01-22 02:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cruisebear.livejournal.com
It was good to see you this afternoon but we have to stop meeting for these. I was telling Jack it was just like the late 80s and early 90s. Too many memorials for too many good men.

PS
I love your belly.
jon

Date: 2006-01-22 02:42 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rootbeer1.livejournal.com
I don't think that belly is ever going to go away!

Date: 2006-01-22 03:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] excessor.livejournal.com
The service sounds like it was simple and nice, as they should be.

******

When I was growing up with my two brothers, we were not allowed to cook anything. Ever. It's funny that all three of us love to make pizza—and we all make the same kind: square in shape, tomato & cheese only.

My grandmother and mother both made pizza all the time, and I didn't eat a pizza that was made outside the house until I was a sophomore or junior in high school. I once brought one home. My grandmother asked me what it was. “Granny, it's a pepperoni pizza.” She replied, “Well, pizza doesn't have meat on it. I don't know what that is, but it's not pizza!” I love purists.

Date: 2006-01-22 04:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] boyshapedbox.livejournal.com
It was great finally meeting you :o)

And to see that you can walk better and (much to qbear's fear) twirl your cane!

Date: 2006-01-22 04:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rootbeer1.livejournal.com
You didn't get to see my whole Astaire routine! I think [livejournal.com profile] qbear is just jealous, because he has to dance backwards and in high heels.

Great to finally meet you too!

Date: 2006-01-22 04:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] boyshapedbox.livejournal.com
but he DOES get that long flowing dress that swishes when you twirl him!

Date: 2006-01-22 04:22 am (UTC)
jawnbc: (7th grade)
From: [personal profile] jawnbc
I used to cook pizza for my family from time to time as a kid. And watch the same sequence of Friday night telly. [livejournal.com profile] querrell is a low-carb person, so pizza doesn't factor much into our meal scheme these days.

Glad to see you becoming ever-more active and mobile.

I love cooking homemade pizza.....

Date: 2006-01-22 08:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pauliebearsf.livejournal.com
Delish....xoxoxoxoxo

Date: 2006-01-22 12:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] champdaddy.livejournal.com
looks delicious...
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