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.
YUM!!!! These look amazing!!!
The nursery is sooo CUTE!!! We would love to see the finished product!!!!! =)
Waking up to the sound of gunshots would be awful. I’m glad they found the guy and it turned out alright.
These pizza sticks are a great idea. I’m a sucker for anything that’s stuffed with cheese. 🙂
So glad you are safe! The world can be a crazy place, but we must focus on the positive and the beauty and the wonderful….. like the gorgeous nursery you prepared, and the tasty whole wheat pizza sticks!
😉
How scary! So glad you (and anyone else) avoided harm. These pizza sticks look perfect for snacking, Monet! The nursery is gorgeous, too. What a lovely rocking chair! Thanks for sharing.
Oh man, that sounds like an incredibly stressful night. I’m glad you & everyone in your neighborhood are ok! Pizza breadsticks sound like a perfect comforting antidote to a scary night. 🙂
Oh my gosh… I read about this this morning! I’m glad you are ok… but how scary! Wow.
You are in my thoughts each day as you await the arrival of Lucy. Mwah!
Wow Monet – very scary! Glad to see this recipe too – these look really good, and I love the whole wheat.
omg how scary!!! I’m glad it just turned out to be a drunken idiot, but still.
The nursery is looking SO adorable-I love the color of the rocker and the super cute mobile.
and ahhh whole wheat pizza sticks-that is comforting 🙂
Monet,
You definitely needed comfort food after a night of gunshots. Your Pizza sticks fit the bill.
Your nursery is adorable, and it won’t be long, before you will have Baby Lucy to complete it.
Gunshots in the middle of the night would be frightening! So glad it was nothing worse. Your nursery is adorable, and your pizza sticks irresistible. 🙂
That’s not a good thing to hear! Oh, Garden of the Gods, gorgeous, beautiful!!! Great recipe to try. The chair is pretty and I can imagine you rocking your sweet little girl…
Looks delicious your whole wheat pizza sticks, and yes I love the melting cheese in it!
The nursery is so cute 🙂
Have a great week Monet!
I love whole wheat dough, so I bet this tasted wonderful!
I am so sorry to hear of your scary night! I get sad when I think about how scary our world can be. I always come back to the same conclusion and realize that I should do my best to focus on what I am thankful for, but that doesn’t stop the tears from coming sometimes. The nursery looks beautiful! I love the handmade touches. Definitely made with love 🙂
That sounds like such a terrifying night; I know my heart would have been pounding too much to go back to sleep but it sounds like you did your best to remain calm, which I’m sure the baby appreciated! These breadsticks look so good, I especially love the shot with the cheese oozing out!
Gosh that sounds scary! I am glad all is well. And I love these wholemeal pizza sticks.
Wow that is CRAZY and not what you needed this far along in your pregnancy! At least it was just some guy shooting at rocks and not an actual shooting. I can’t even imagine.
Hopefully these cheese-stuffed breadsticks comforted you some!
That was some night! I’m glad that there wasn’t anything worse than the shooting of some rocks. Very scary to read about guns and shooting, no matter how minor they are!
Lucy’s nursery is looking very charming and beautiful! I love the handmade birds, makes it all the more special made specially for Lucy by your wonderful aunt!
The pizza sticks sure looks yummy, the oozing cheese is calling out to me! Yums!
Take care, Monet!
I used a batch of pizza dough from the freezer (freezing tips below). I’ve shared this recipe before but I’m re-posting it here for convenience sake. I also adjusted the measurements so that the below recipe makes just enough for the bread sticks.
Rock shooting…just wow and scary. I’m glad you 3 are safe! The nursery looks absolutely adorable. I think I’m going to love these pizza sticks too! Cheesy bread goodness.
So scary.. I’m glad to hear that you guys are okay and it was nothing serious.. but yes, to live in an area where violence is constant is scary. On a lighter note, this pizza stick looks delicious.
That is one crazy story! I hope there is no more such “excitement” for you guys. I would love these whole wheat pizza sticks.
I am so excited to see precious Lucy in her sweet nursery!!
Best,
Bonnie
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Monet, what a sweet looking picture of Lucy´s nursery – I love those knitted birds on the mobile, they look so cute! And your wholewheat pizza sticks look like the absolute perfect picnic fare to me! Hope you are doing well and getting your rest!
Take good care of yourself – so nice to read that everything is well!
The nursery looks so sweet…Lucy will love growing up in it. The pizza sticks sound great. They would be perfect with a nice summer salad.
The glimpse of Lucy’s room is adorable!
So glad you guys are safe. People are sick out there!
What a terrifying experience! Gunfire has slowly but surely crept into our suburban neighbourhoods. It’s not only in far off countries where the threat is imminent – we can no longer watch the news and think to ourselves, thank goodness that’s not where I live! I’m glad they caught the guy and that no one was injured. Lucy’s nursery is so beautiful! I love all the handmade and vintage touches. Seriously, Monet – I want these pizza sticks in my belly RIGHT NOW!
Scary, glad no one was hurt. What a contrast in emotion from gun shots to a peaceful nursery, great comparison for parenthood. The room looks great, as do the pizza sticks.
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melanie–did you let the dough rise twice? once in the bowl and then again after they were braided into breadsticks? if you did, then def try more flour, and make sure that your yeast gets puffy before you get started.
{Recipe Update: If you’re leery of turning your mixer on high for kneading, simply turn it down to level 3 or 4 and knead for the 6 minutes. Should still do the trick without walking off your counter.} The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean!
The recipe makes about 16 bread sticks which is too many for my reduced size family so last night I cut the recipe in half and it still worked great. Eight bread sticks was enough for dinner and a few for leftovers too.
I used a batch of pizza dough from the freezer (freezing tips below). I’ve shared this recipe before but I’m re-posting it here for convenience sake. I also adjusted the measurements so that the below recipe makes just enough for the bread sticks.
I used a batch of pizza dough from the freezer (freezing tips below). I’ve shared this recipe before but I’m re-posting it here for convenience sake. I also adjusted the measurements so that the below recipe makes just enough for the bread sticks.
“Pizza sticks” sounds really weird. However, your pictures look so delicious. I would try your recipe soon.
Hi Monet! Do you think you could put sauce inside the breadsticks as well or would it seep out the seam?