Saturday, March 17, 2007

Family Fun Night

Long ago, when all of our children were very young, we had family fun night every Friday without fail. We always had pizza, and then we partook in various activities. We would play games, go bowling, watch a movie, or even "camp" in the living room. Schedules got busier as the children grew older, and somewhere along the way we stopped this wonderful weekly fellowship.

I'm grateful to be able to say that our entire family still gathers around the supper table at least five nights a week. I know that is rare for most families. We have looked at our family, and decided that we need to make the time for this special family gathering once again. We announced last Friday night that starting this week, we would resume Family Fun Night. Once again, the crowd went wild. (That seems to happen quite frequently around here.) We chose to make Saturday our family night because of our older son's work schedule.

We picked up right where we left off: homemade pizza. Mmmmmm. So good. And inexpensive.

After a wonderful meal, and ice cream for dessert, we watched a movie that some friends let us borrow: Facing the Giants. This is a great family movie, even if you aren't a huge football fan. The story is wonderful. Follow God with all of your heart, live for His glory, and watch what happens. This movie was rated PG only because the ratings specialists thought that the strong Christian theme might be offensive to some people. Go figure.
We shared a very enjoyable evening. Family fun, indeed!

Homemade Pizza Crust

2 1/2 - 3 c. all purpose flour, divided
1 Tbls. sugar
1 (1/4 oz) pkg. Fleishman rapidrise yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. very warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 Tbls. vegetable oil

In a large bowl (I use my kitchenaid mixer), combine 1 c. flour, sugar, salt, and yeast; blend well. Gradually add warm water and oil to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. By hand, stir in additional 1 to 1 1/2 c. flour, until dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.

On a floured surface, knead in 1/4 to 1/2 c flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 - 10 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest in warm place for about 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 450. Grease an 11x15 cookie sheet, or a 12 pizza pan. Place dough on sheet and work from the center outward, until the crust covers the surface. Pinch edge of dough to create a rim. Prick dough randomly with a fork. Pre-bake crust at 450 for 5 minutes. Remove crust from the oven, placing on a wire cooling rack.

Cover dough lightly with sauce of your choice, followed by cheese and other toppings. Place back in oven, and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown, and the toppings are thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Behold, children are an heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3

4 comments:

Christie Belle said...

Oh, how fun. I can't wait to see Facing the Giants. I've heard nothing but good about it. That pizza looks delicious! We used to do family nights when we were younger, but now that my middle sister and I are both "moved out" (well, until recently)..we don't get to as much, but we still try to have big dinners together and game nights (which is always fun, especially when both of mine and Ashley's husbands are here, they love our family nights too!) I'm glad you shared this, it made me smile.
Hugs, Christie

Karen said...

Tracy, we tried the panacakes this morning ;-D. They are wonderful. I had all the ingredients except two kinds of nuts. I just used all pecans.
Thanks for the recipe.
These pizzas look really good, too. As Christie said, we used to do Family nights, too. It was a great way to get the whole family together.
Have a great Sunday!
Blessings,
Karen

AmeliaB said...

Thanks for the pizza recipe it looks delish. FFN also is a great idea. We keep weekends free for "family time." It has been great to be able to "say no." :-)

~Amelia

Karen said...

I also meant to comment on the movie. My mom-in-love bought it, and we plan to see it soon. Thanks for the great review!