Sandrock Apothecary

Category: Uncategorized

  • Homemade Cast Iron Pizza Night

    There’s something about homemade pizza in a cast-iron skillet that just feels like home.

    This one was made for my husband and son with homemade dough, pizza sauce, fresh spinach, shredded chicken, pepperoni, and plenty of cheese. It isn’t one I can personally eat with my current dietary restrictions, but I still love making the foods my family enjoys.

    Cooking from scratch doesn’t always mean everyone at the table eats the exact same thing. Sometimes I adjust a meal for myself, sometimes I make something completely separate, and sometimes I simply make the boys a skillet full of pizza and call it a win.

    This one was definitely a win.

    Why Cast Iron?

    Cast iron is one of my favorite ways to make homemade pizza.

    It gives the bottom of the crust a beautiful golden finish while keeping the inside soft and chewy. It also holds heat incredibly well, which helps the crust cook evenly underneath all of those toppings.

    And honestly, I love the simplicity of it.

    No pizza stone. No specialty oven. Just homemade dough, a well-loved skillet, and whatever toppings your family likes.

    Homemade Pizza Dough

    This dough is simple, reliable, and works beautifully for cast-iron pizza.

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup warm water
    • 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Directions

    Add the warm water, honey, and yeast to a large mixing bowl.

    Let it sit for about 5–10 minutes, until the yeast looks foamy.

    Add the olive oil and salt.

    Begin mixing in the flour, starting with about 2½ cups. Add the remaining flour gradually until the dough comes together.

    You want the dough to feel soft and slightly tacky, but not wet.

    Knead for about 5–7 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

    Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about 1 hour, or until roughly doubled in size.

    This recipe will make one large pizza or two smaller pizzas, depending on how thick you like your crust.

    Building the Pizza

    Lightly coat your cast-iron skillet with olive oil.

    Gently stretch the risen dough into the skillet, working it toward the edges with your fingertips.

    It does not have to be perfectly round. In fact, I think homemade pizza looks better when it isn’t.

    For this pizza, I used:

    • Pizza sauce
    • Fresh spinach
    • Cooked shredded chicken
    • Pepperoni
    • Fresh mozzarella
    • Additional cheese as desired
    • Italian herbs or your favorite seasonings

    Spread a layer of sauce over the dough, leaving a little space around the edge for the crust.

    Add your cheese and toppings.

    Homemade pizza is one of those meals where exact measurements really aren’t necessary. Add as much or as little as your family likes.

    Baking

    Bake the pizza at 450°F for about 12–16 minutes.

    If your pizza is especially thick or heavily topped, it may need closer to 16–18 minutes.

    You’re looking for a golden crust, melted and bubbling cheese, and slightly crisp edges on the toppings.

    Because cast iron holds heat so well, let the pizza rest for a few minutes before slicing.

    That also gives the cheese a chance to settle instead of sliding off the crust the second someone gets impatient and cuts into it.

    Not that anyone in my house would ever do that. 😂

    Make It Your Own

    One of my favorite things about pizza night is that everyone can make theirs differently.

    Try combinations like chicken and spinach, fresh mozzarella and basil, roasted vegetables, sausage and peppers, or simply cheese and herbs.

    If someone in your family has dietary restrictions, you can also divide the dough into smaller portions and make individual pizzas with different toppings.

    That’s one of the reasons I love cooking from scratch. You have complete control over what goes into the food.

    From My Kitchen

    Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to mean elaborate meals every night.

    Sometimes it’s bread rising on the counter.

    Sometimes it’s something simmering in a cast-iron skillet.

    And sometimes it’s making a homemade pizza you can’t personally eat because the people you love can.

    There is still something wonderful about feeding your family well.

    From my kitchen to yours,
    Sandrock Apothecary

  • Finding a Multipurpose Cleaner I Can Actually Use: doTERRA abōde

    Finding a Multipurpose Cleaner I Can Actually Use: doTERRA abōde

    Finding a household cleaner used to be pretty simple. Does it clean well? Does it smell good? Great.

    Living with MCAS, POTS, and Interstitial Cystitis (IC) changed that for me.

    Now I pay much closer attention to the products I bring into my home. Something being marketed as “natural,” “green,” or “clean” doesn’t necessarily mean that my body is going to tolerate it. And I’ve learned that the products that work for someone else with sensitivities aren’t automatically going to work for me.

    One cleaner that I personally use and tolerate well is doTERRA’s abōde Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner Concentrate.

    What is doTERRA abōde Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner?

    The first thing that always makes me laugh is the size. Those little bottles in the photo really are the cleaner. 😂

    Each bottle contains 1 fl oz (30 mL) of concentrated surface cleaner. Rather than purchasing another full-size bottle every time I run out, I dilute the concentrate with water in my reusable abōde spray bottle.

    I like concentrates for a practical reason: I’m not storing bottle after bottle of mostly water. The concentrates take up very little room, and I reuse the same spray bottle.

    The cleaner itself is formulated for everyday household cleaning—things like grease, grime, spills, fingerprints and everyday messes.

    And with a busy kitchen, there are plenty of those around here. 😂

    Why I Use It in My Home

    For me, a cleaning product has to check two boxes:

    It actually needs to clean, and I need to be able to tolerate using it.

    That second part has become increasingly important.

    I don’t exclusively use doTERRA products in my home. I recently shared some of the Rustic Strength products I use, I still use alcohol for certain cleaning jobs, and I make several of my own cleaning products.

    I’m not interested in making everything in my cleaning cabinet match.

    I’m interested in finding individual products that work well for my home and work well for me.

    abōde happens to be one of them.

    A Note About MCAS & Product Sensitivities

    This part is important.

    When I say that I tolerate a product, I’m talking about my personal experience.

    MCAS triggers can be incredibly individual. A fragrance, essential oil, botanical ingredient or cleaning ingredient that doesn’t bother one person may be a problem for someone else.

    That’s why I don’t like labeling household products as universally “MCAS-safe.”

    Instead, I’ll tell you what I use, what has worked for me, and why I’ve chosen it—and you can use that information as one piece of your own research.

    I’ve Actually Used doTERRA for a Long Time

    doTERRA isn’t something I discovered after developing sensitivities.

    I’ve been using doTERRA since 2012, through a lot of different seasons of life. There were years when I bought more and seasons when I could afford maybe one thing that month.

    Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful that I already knew these products by the time I became much more limited in what I could comfortably use.

    That doesn’t mean every doTERRA product is right for me, or that everyone else will tolerate the things I do.

    It simply means that abōde is one of the products that has earned a place in my home.

    Where to Find It

    If you’d like to read more about the abōde Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner Concentrate, including the current ingredients and product information, you can find it through my doTERRA shop.

    Whole sale link below and free 1 year membership.

    https://link.doterra.com/UtcA_t

    Don’t want a membership? I totally get it, here is the link just to purchase below.

    https://link.doterra.com/kuZmw2

    Disclosure: I am a doTERRA Wellness Advocate and have been with doTERRA since around 2011/2012. If you purchase doTERRA products through my shop, I earn commission from your purchase. The experiences shared above are my own and aren’t a guarantee that another person with MCAS, POTS, IC, or other sensitivities will tolerate the same products.