Orange Bowl Predictions 2013

Tomorrow we will be rooting for our Seminoles in the Orange Bowl where they will be facing the Northern Illinois Huskies.  Florida State has endured a lot of criticism this year, in spite of a season with only 2 losses and securing the ACC Championship. I guess it should come as no surprise that according to this SB Nation article, predictions are mixed as to who the victor will be. I personally prefer the Sports Illustrated prediction and analysis, which has Florida State 31, NIU 11. Who will you be rooting for in the Orange Bowl tomorrow and what is your prediction?

Voting in Florida - Share Your Experience

This article in yesterday's Huffington Post suggests that as many as 49,000 Floridians did not vote on election day due to long lines. Fortunately, neither my husband not I experienced this problem while casting our votes in Volusia County. I arrived to vote at around 10:30am, and the whole process took under 25 minutes. My husband cast his vote after he got off work at around 4pm, and he was in and out of there in 15 minutes. My daughter attends Florida State University in Leon County, and there were volunteers on campus providing free transportation for the students to cast an early vote on Friday. That whole process took approximately 2 hours. My daughter was very excited as this was the first time she had ever voted!!! What county do you live in Florida and what were your experiences when you went to vote this year? Please share your thoughts with us.

Homemade Southern Style Pizza with Publix Pizza Dough

New York pizza is great, but that's not to say you can't make a great pizza down south!

If you visit this blog with any frequency you will probably notice that I'll be writing about shopping at Publix Supermarket....a lot!!! Most of us who live in Florida love shopping there, and when I travel up north I'm hard pressed to find a supermarket that I like as much. Here's a great idea for a fun meal, delicious and easy, we actually made these on Christmas Day.

Homemade Southern Style Pizza (my daughter's recipe)

Publix fresh pizza dough (one ball of dough makes one pizza)
Flour
Small can of tomato paste
Mozzarella cheese (whole unshredded)
Olive oil and salt to taste
Topping such as olives, onions, peppers, pepperoni etc. as desired
(We made 4 different pizzas with 4 different toppings)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle flour on the area you plan to work on, and flour your dough. Roll out the dough until it is large enough to fit in the pizza pan you plan to use. Flour the bottom of the pan, and spread the dough out evenly on it. For the sauce, open your can of tomato paste and put about half of it in a bowl. Add a small amount (about 1-2 tbsp) of olive oil to the paste, and add some salt if desired. Mix with a large spoon until blended. Use the bottom of the spoon to spread the sauce on the pizza, a thin and even layer. Shred a block of fresh mozzarella cheese: it comes out much tastier if you don't use the pre-shredded kind. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce. Add toppings if desired. Put the pizza in the oven (middle rack), and keep it in for about 10 minutes, or until the dough and cheese have a golden color.

You will be rethinking your next trip to the local commercial pizza establishment when you taste how good this homemade pizza is!!! Enjoy!!!

Celebrating the New Year in Florida

Even though so many people flock to Florida to vacation over the holidays, getting into the holiday spirit can present a challenge to those of us who live here year round. On the plus side, our optimal weather gives us choices that many people in other parts of the country don't have, such as going to the beach or golfing on New Years Day. This year we are planning a New Years Even dinner with our immediate family and my daughter's boyfriend, at a special local restaurant. New Years Day will most likely be the start of taking down decorations, and watching the Orange Bowl (our daughter proudly attends FSU!!!) How do you plan on spending New Years Eve and New Years Day this year?