NYC Part II

And this is Part II of our little NYC adventure. We were there for seven days, so we were able to do quite a bit. After doing all the major touristy activities in the city, I wanted to make sure to do some things that were unique and local. That, of course, means thrifting.

Wonderful flea market in the city.

This is my new favorite Cheesecake. Eileen's Special Cheesecake was amazing. We bought an entire cheesecake that we (90% me) ate in less than 48 hours. 

Love the random art in NYC.

 And the random businesses that look cool, but that I would be scared to actually visit.

 Central Park 

 

Oh ya, and we met Zachary Levi. He was doing a show in NYC and came out after to take pictures with everyone. He's such a cool guy. We're both Dodger Fans. NBD.

 Top of the Empire State Building.

 Another shot of my Flat Iron Building. Couldn't resist.

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NYC | Travel

Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust

My husband loves pizza. Any kind. Any price. Any level of quality... I, however, am somewhat of a pizza snob. I'll usually only eat pizza from Pizza Hut (stuffed crust canadian bacon and pineapple if we're getting specific). I'm not a brat about it or anything, I just would rather eat cereal or top ramen than any other kind of pizza. Needless to say, my husband doesn't get pizza often. So, when I found this recipe on Pinterest for copycat Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust, I thought I'd give it a try. And it turned out wonderfully! 

Ingredients

1 C. lukewarm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

2 1/2-3 C. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. olive oil

Directions 
Stir together the water, yeast and sugar; set aside for 5 minutes, until it’s foamy.

Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour, salt and oil and stir until the dough comes together

On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic. Add more flour if the dough is sticky.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat all over. Cover and set aside in a warm place for half an hour to an hour, until it doubles in size.

Roll the dough out so it's about two inches larger than the pizza pan.

Spread cheese around edge of pan, spoon pizza sauce over cheese. 

Fold over the edges to form ring and press to seal. Prepare remainder of pizza as you like it. 

Bake on a pizza stone (this is the one I have my eye on!) or cookie sheet at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and golden.

We absolutely loved how it turned out! (There are no "after" pictures because we devoured it before I had a chance to grab my camera.) The recipe was super easy and surprisingly close to Pizza Hut's version. We've made this pizza a few times already and are still lovin it! Yay for easy compromises in marriage! I'm always super happy when Pinterest recipes actually work out. Let me know if anyone gives this one a try. I definitely recommend it! 

Linking up with Jessica and Ashley today!

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Cooking | Pintering

The Happy Movie

Based on the title of this post, I'm sure a lot of you thought this would be an emotional post full of mushy feelings, complaining, and stuff. Don't worry. It's not. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for my life and everyone in it. But the main reason I wanted to write this was to get you to watch a movie.

I recently watched a documentary called "Happy." Anyone heard of it? If you haven't seen it, you should. It's currently on Amazon Prime and maybe Netflix. I decided to watch it one cold, Sunday evening when I was alone in my freezing, dark, and dreary apartment. (My pre-dental husband is pretty MIA during most of his waking hours). I thought this would fit the bill of a Sunday-appropriate loner activity.

Anyway, the documentary travels around the world and talks to people from different countries, age groups, walks of life, etc., etc. They scientifically tracked and analyzed levels of happiness. I bet you can't guess what they found. Anyone? They found that once your basic needs are met, your level of happiness is not influenced by your social status, age, bank account balance, or the amount of 'stuff' you have.What did they say actually increased happiness? Serving others, feeling a sense of community, being industrious, meditating, and counting your blessings. Crazy, right? But good reminder, huh? It definitely helped me stop my little pity party for one.

So, next time you're looking for a pick-me-up, stay away from the Ben & Jerry's and watch this instead. I promise it will be the best 43 minutes of your evening.

Linking up with Sami today for Weekend Shenanigans.

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Happy