Ryan and I had an eventful night (and no, it had nothing to do with baby). After watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones (INTENSE, by the way), we went to bed. As Ryan often does, he prayed for our protection. With Lucy’s birth impending, each night offers the opportunity of a life-changing event. Maybe I’ll wake up with strong contractions. Or maybe my water will break. What we didn’t expect was to hear gunshots echoing around our small valley neighborhood. At 4 am, your senses are muted and so, at first, we thought that maybe a car had backfired. But then the shots continued. And in quick succession. We both sat up and listened. Ryan went around the house and made sure our doors were locked.
After the fifth or sixth round of gunshots, Ryan called 911. We weren’t alone in our concern. The operator told us several families had called in reporting the same gunshots. She asked us to try and describe the general direction they were coming from as police cars were circling the neighborhood, trying to find the culprit. We stayed up for a couple of hours. I made toast and Ryan checked the doors and the windows one more time. I thought about terror, and what it must feel like to live in a place where the threat of violence is constant. I realized that we were bringing our child into a world that is often scary and out of our control.
Surprisingly, we fell asleep and woke several hours later to sun and birds. After a quick internet perusal, we learned that the man had been caught. Drunk, he had taken to shooting rocks (yes, rocks) at Garden of the Gods (a beautiful park here in Colorado Springs). So today is a new day. I’m working on the last touches in Lucy’s nursery. My mom brought over the rocker she’d painted. It belonged to my great-grandmother. Earlier this weekend, Ryan and I hung Lucy’s mobile (the little birds were knitted by my sweet aunt). And so despite the terror of the night, the day already brims with sweetness.
And these whole wheat pizza sticks? They remind both me and Ryan of our childhood. Of days when the biggest concern was what they were serving on the school lunch menu. These pizza sticks are made with a whole wheat dough and ooze out cheese with each bite. You’re welcome to use your favorite homemade pizza dough recipe, or you can buy a pound of dough from the store. Either way, these pizza sticks come together quickly. They’re the kind of recipe that both kids and adults love.
Whole Wheat Pizza Sticks
*Adapted from the Kitchn
1 pound whole wheat pizza dough
1 8 oz block mozzarella cheese (part skim)
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning (dried oregano, basil, and garlic are key!)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Slice the mozzarella into thin logs (1/4-inch width). Dust your work surface with flour and preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 8″ tall by 16″ wide. If the dough starts to shrink back, let it rest for 10 minutes.
Slice the dough into strips 2″ wide by 8″ tall. Lay a line of mozzarella down the middle of each. Fold the strip over on the cheese and pinch it tightly to seal the cheese inside. Gently roll it a few times against the work surface to even it out. Repeat with remaining strips. Transfer the bread sticks to the baking sheet and let them rise for twenty minutes.
When ready to bake, brush the bread sticks with olive oil and sprinkle them generously with Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Place the risen bread sticks into the oven and turn down the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and golden.
Let the bread sticks cool for five minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a serving dish. Serve warm with tomato sauce for dipping. Bread sticks are best eaten right away, but leftovers can be kept refrigerated for three days and re-warmed for 30 seconds in a microwave.
