Yay for Jobs!

It has been a few weeks now since my last post, but that time has been well spent getting us all settled into our new home and becoming familiar with the city (which I absolutely love!).  I am also happy to say that I have had a few job interviews this past week and just accepted a position this afternoon at my new University's library.  While I am much more of a task oriented individual and enjoy getting lost in the stacks, I was happy to accept a position at circulation, assisting patrons.  Many of my former Borders cohorts may remember the *joys* which we experienced in customer service at the bookstore which has in turn made me quite cynical regarding customer service jobs.  However, this circulation position will allow me the opportunity to transfer to different departments within the library to get a feel for its inner workings and seeing as how academic libraries are my preference in the library world career-wise, I am pretty enthusiastic about the opportunity to work there.  In other news, still working cafe at the bookstore....

Since being here, Pete has been putting his epic cooking skills to use, keeping my belly full and my taste buds happy!  One of our first nights here we enjoyed steak fajitas on the patio and a few mornings later had some delicious breakfast burritos on our patio table.  Yum!

Breakfast Burrito

A few nights ago Pete whipped up some from scratch pizza dough which gave us enough dough for three pizza crusts!  The first of which he made a delicious BBQ chicken pizza; the second was cheese, pepperoni, and black olives; and the third crust we can keep in the refrigerator for up to a week for a dinner this weekend.  The pizza dough recipe was super simple and tastes wonderful.

Basic Pizza Dough

4 1/4 cups flour (plus extra for the counter)

1 envelope instant or rapid-rise yeast

1.5 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups warm water 

1.  Mix 4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and the salt in a stand-up mixer to combine using the dough hook.  While mixing add oil, then water until a ball forms (30-40 seconds). 

2.  Allow the dough to sit for about 2 minutes, then mix for about 30 more seconds.

3.  Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until you have a smooth and round ball (5 minutes).  Add remaining 1/4 cup of flour to prevent dough from sticking to the kneading surface.  

4.  Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1 to 1/2 hours).

Pete's BBQ Chicken Pizza

As per our "division of labor" at the house, since Pete does all of the cooking, a task which I abhor, I am in charge of cleaning, laundry and baking.  I enjoy keeping things clean so that's easy enough and I LOVE to bake.  Last night I decided to make a loaf of pumpkin bread with sliced almonds.  It turned out very well and is particularly moist however next time I might try and find a recipe for a sort of icing....we'll see.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) melted and cooled unsalted butter
2  large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.  Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.

2.  Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together in a large bowl.

3.  Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth in a medium bowl.

4.  Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not over-mix).

5.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

6.  Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving.

Delicious with a cup of coffee for breakfast

And finally, we are babysitting a kitten named Casey for the next month or so.  The house we live in was converted into an upper apartment and a ground level apartment.  Well the guy who lives above us just adopted a kitten a few weeks ago but his work sent him out of the state for a month and he asked us to watch Casey while he's gone.  She is about two months old and like most kittens, she loves to play and cuddle.  Pete and I are not really cat people as we both love big dogs, but we're actually quite enjoying the cuteness and company she provides.