Confession time…. I said last week I did not want an oven that had convection… Well still didn’t but ended up with it anyway or I would have had to wait 3 weeks!!!!  In my life that’s an eternity. When you go to the store, talk to sales people and have them check the serial number and it is not in stock…. like the internet said, frustrating.  I guess this just reiterates the saying, you can’t believe everything you see online.  Shock, I know.  That’s why I do what I do, just to dispel all the fact from fiction for all us gullible folk.
So… 122 miles later I am again at the mercy of a salesperson.  When salesperson #1 called salesperson #2 they had my oven in stock.  Yay!! I could not get there fast enough.  It is already midafternoon when I get this news so that means a trip the next day.  We finally arrived, I can hardly contain myself, a new oven awaits.  Some get this way while shoe shopping, not me.  Salesperson #2 is pulling the oven from the back and salesperson #3 is entering info for our purchase.  When he gets to the price it is not as advertised.   Wait, that is $300 more, what the heck (not what I said in my head mind you).  Upon further inspection, this is the model plus convection. CRAP.  That is what I said. Now a choice must be made, wait 3 weeks or take the one with convection.  I caved of course.  Will I use it, probably not? Time will tell.
As we load and start to head home, my hubs assured me it is safe in the truck without being tied down.  This statement did not just come out of the blue.  We have history with this scenario.  About 5 years ago, we did a total gut and renovation on our common bath.  We had picked out a new bright and shiny special ordered comfort height commode (I now despise regular size ones even though they serve the purpose).  We had a few more things to pick up while at the store and I remember when we were leaving asking the hubs (he remembers too, thanks to my reminding him) shouldn’t we tie the commode down.  NO, it’ll be fine, I’ll go slow.  Famous last words.  Granted he was not going the speed limit, I don’t remember it being windy but something shifted and then it happened.  My new custom order commode was in tiny porcelain pieces all over the base highway.  Lesson learned.  Never again will we transport without a tiedown.  Fast forward to last week …. we made it home, in one piece, everything intact with no tie down.
When we got my new toy to the house then came the chore of the removal of the old and hooking up the new.  I believe I have mentioned my hubs can pretty much build anything, from framing to roofing and all in between.  What he does not do is electrical and plumbing.  You can talk to the youngest daughter and son in love about his electrical work on their home here several years ago, it’s quite comical now, probably not so much at the time, but it still makes me smile.   With much trepidation and reinforcement from family and friends they all saying the hubs can do it.
Thankfully the hubs remembered his dad has a portable little lift lift…YAY!  I tell him I helped the appliance guy remove ours one time it had to be worked on (mind you this was several years ago, pre-knee replacements) so between us, we can do this.   Now comes fun part, unloading and connecting.   Removal, check. Disconnecting the old and making notes what goes where, check.  Now the task of moving the new one (I think unpacking it took longer than the hook up of it).  Old out, new in.
I have power!
I am having a paint party at my house on Saturday so I need snacks.  No I did not enlist my friends to paint my house, although that’s a great idea.  A little over a year ago, a friend invited me to one of these and I had so much fun.  Can I paint?   Absolutely not, but it is fun and interesting to see each person’s interpretation.  The subject varies and with instruction you can make out what the intended painting is supposed to be.  I admit after the first party I went to Walmart and bought supplies and canvas to redo what I had done the night before and to try my hand at some other paintings instructorless.  I became obsessed with finding things to paint.  My Pinterest board is full of potential.  My poor grands are inheriting my artwork.  If you are interested in trying your hand at painting here is Charlottes information.  http://merchantkitty.com/classes.html.
Now on to what am I going to make. I found this recipe and happened to have Bunco the same week..  What do I do? make my Bunco ladies, they get to be my guinea pigs.   I can never just make one or two things, so far, I think I am up to eight different dishes.  I try to be mindful of dietary needs when preparing food for occasions.  Now the hubs has to suffer through all my experimentation. The veggie pizza is great for vegetarians, not so much for gluten free folk.  Some of the recipes I have already posted are adaptable, I need to remember to add that option when I am writing, afterthought.
This recipe is one of those make ahead dishes, I did it the day before and it gave all the flavors a chance to meld together.  This recipe is a keeper, and was a hit at Bunco.  I have made a few alterations to the recipe for future reference.  One down, it made the cut for the paint party.  If you’ve made it this far in my ramblings and you try any of my recipes, please post your thoughts & any variations you might have.  Feedback helps me know where to improve or change.  Admittedly I say that but harder to do.
BTW…My new oven is officially broken in and I think I’ll keep it.
Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza
2 pkg crescent rolls
2 pkg cream cheese (I used light, and think 2 was too much will use 1 ½ next time)
1 pkg ranch dressing mix (If you have the multi-use container it’s about 3 ½ TBL)
1C mayonnaise (I used ¾ and will adjust with less cream cheese)
½ C grated carrots
½ C grated broccoli
½ C grated cauliflower
½ C finely chopped tomatoes, let them drain prior to putting on the pizza
½ C chopped scallions
You can pretty much add any veggies, cucumbers and bell peppers would be good and add more color.  Just remember those with a high-water content need to drain before putting on the cream cheese.
The recipe called for those specific amounts of veggies, of course I added more, probably close to a cup each, I saw no need to waste the rest of the broccoli. I used the box grater…the largest hole.  A food processor would work as well. I also added a TBL of dried onion flake to my cream cheese mixture.  I prepared this a day ahead so all I had to do was cut it when ready to serve.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Unroll the crescent rolls onto a nonstick baking sheet, I lined my pan with parchment, easier clean up and cutting being able to remove it from the pan.   Separate the dough and arranging it in a single layer covering the entire baking sheet. Press together the perforations, and then using a fork, prick the dough all over. Bake the dough for 10 minutes until golden brown (next time it will be a deeper brown, just so it does not get too soft) then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Ranch dressing mix. Using a handheld mixer, blend together the ingredients until smooth and creamy. (Alternately, beat the ingredients together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.) If you allow the cream cheese to be room temp you can avoid the mixer, just beat well.
Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the completely cooled baking sheet of crescent rolls, covering the entire surface in an even layer. Sprinkle the grated broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes and scallions on top of the cream cheese then place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top and lightly press down the veggies. Cover the baking sheet securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate the bars for a minimum of one hour and up to overnight. When ready to serve, slice the sheet into bars and serve.