About Jodee

After thinking about various ways to share my memories, I began to write my blog, Learn from yesterday, live for today..... I started writing this blog, for the most part, to share my life experiences with family and friends, a journal of my experiences, but gradually the idea grew into sharing it with everyone. It's just about day to day living and sharing with loved ones the ordinary things that make every day memories. My blog covers everything from cooking family recipes to travel memories and more. Throughout this journey called life, each of us experience many things and what we take away from those experiences makes us who we are today. My journey has had its up and downs like so many of us and as a result, what I have learned from my experiences has shaped my perspective of life. I invite you to take a look and see what I have shared so far. Hopefully, you will enjoy the experience and share this new adventure with me! Jodee

NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina

By Jodee Weiland

When visiting our son in Charlotte, North Carolina, we visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The NASCAR Hall of Fame was on both my husband’s and son’s to do list, so it was time. Many people worldwide enjoy the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, better known as NASCAR. The NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a must see for anyone who is a fan, especially for those that have attended any of the NASCAR races. But even if you have never been able to attend an actual race, if you love the sport of auto racing, you’ll want to visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

With four viewing levels and interactive displays, you will learn everything about the earliest auto racing cars and their drivers to the high tech world of auto racing today. On level one and two, you will view the “Great Hall” known as the “Times Square” of the building and the “Glory Road’ with a banked ramp leading to the second floor. You will see eighteen historic cars along the way and other highlights.

https://learnfromyesterday.comhttps://learnfromyesterday.comOn level Three you will find the “Hall of Honor” where inductees are celebrated and honored. Also, on this floor are displays showing the behind the scenes preparation leading up to a race in the hall called “Race Week.” From a race simulator to the race shop, inspection, qualifying displays, and more, you will see what happens and how.https://learnfromyesterday.com

The “Heritage Speedway” displays are on level four. Here you will find individualized galleries that tell the amazing story of NASCAR’s history of more than sixty years. The areas are divided into Pre-NASCAR, 1948 to 1971, 1972 to 2000, and 2001 to the present. There’s an area highlighting the greatest finishes as well.

https://learnfromyesterday.comWhether you’re an avid fan or not, you will totally enjoy learning about this exciting sport at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina. The way this sport has grown and evolved with technology is absolutely amazing and the results are exciting beyond what one would expect.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, better known as NASCAR, has added another dimension to the world of sports that is both appealing to many and technologically amazing for others. So if you are ever in Charlotte, North Carolina, be sure to visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and enjoy!

Apple Strawberry Crumb Cobbler

By Jodee Weiland

Looking for an easy apple recipe? Apple cobbler is one of the easiest recipes I can think of for when I want an apple recipe that’s easy and delicious. A cobbler, by definition, is filling a baking dish with fruit or some sort of filling and then covering that filling with a batter of some sort, one biscuit or more biscuits, or a kind of pie crust topping before being baked. I decided to make an apple recipe that could be called an apple cobbler, but my recipe has a topping that is crumbly and tasty along with the addition of some fresh strawberries, so I decided to call it Apple Strawberry Crumb Cobbler.

https://learnfromyesterday.comWhen making my topping for my apple recipe, I used light brown sugar instead of regular sugar with the flour and other ingredients. I sprinkled this dry crumbly topping over the entire surface of my fresh apple and strawberry fruit filling. After covering the top of the fruit, I spooned melted butter across most of the top. I reserved part of the butter to spoon over any small spots on the topping that were still dry and the rest of the top area during the last five minutes of cooking. Doing the butter in this way gave me a golden brown topping that was both crumbly and had a rich buttery flavor as well. This lightly sweet buttery topping with contrast of the fruit tossed lightly in lemon juice gives this Apple Strawberry Crumb Cobbler an incredibly delicious flavor that will amaze you!

https://learnfromyesterday.com

Apple Strawberry Crumb Cobbler

  • 5 Gala apples (or any apple type) peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 1 and 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup melted unsalted whipped butter (1/4 cup of this is for last five minutes)

https://learnfromyesterday.com https://learnfromyesterday.com

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss gently the apples and strawberries with the lemon juice in a bowl. Spoon them evenly into a 10 inch round baking dish. In another bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and egg. Mix together until the mixture is crumbly and blended together. Sprinkle this mixture over the entire surface of the fruit in the baking dish. When done, melt 1/2 cup butter (not the whole 3/4 cup of butter) and then spoon the butter carefully over as much of the topping as possible.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

There will be some spots not quite covered at this point, but you will be covering those in the last five minutes of baking, so don’t worry. Put the baking dish on a foil lined baking sheet in case any juices drip over. Bake your cobbler at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Mine took 60 minutes to bake completely. When you think you have about five minutes left, have your remaining 1/4 cup melted butter ready to spoon on any dry spots in the topping and then over the rest of the top surface. After the last five minutes, remove from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before spooning servings on to plates.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

My Apple Strawberry Crumb Cobbler is an apple recipe filled with fruit that has a slight touch of lemon flavor to contrast the lightly sweet buttery crumb topping. The incredible flavor combination here is beyond delicious. We loved it! Serve this cobbler as is or top it off with ice cream or gelato. Either way, this dessert will soon become one of your family’s favorite apple recipes. It definitely is one of our favorites, and the best part is that it’s so easy to make. Give it a try, and enjoy!

 

Fresh Homemade Margherita Pizza

By Jodee Weiland

Homemade pizza is the best! One reason for this is because you choose your own toppings and exactly how much of each you want. In our home, homemade pizza is a crusty pizza. It is not really thin slice, but it isn’t over thick either. You get to decide that as well when you make your own homemade pizza…thick or thin! So why order out? Well, sometimes it’s quicker, especially if you have a pizza seller you like, but why order out when time isn’t a factor? You probably think it’s really hard to do, but it isn’t really. Take a look at how I make my Fresh Homemade Margherita Pizza!

https://learnfromyesterday.comThe ingredients for homemade pizza aren’t all that complicated and even the ingredients can be flexed some according to individual taste. The time is a matter of mixing the dough for the crust and kneading until smooth, about 15 to 20 minutes total, and then letting it sit covered to rise for about sixty minutes or longer. Once it rises, just knead again and roll it out to the size you want. My recipe can either make two smaller pizzas or one larger one. If you make two, freeze half for some time in the next two weeks.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

Again, shape is your choice, but I like to make one larger round pizza with a pressed to the side crusty edge on it. There are so many choices for you to make, but still so little effort to make homemade pizza. As for ingredients, you can make the sauce or buy it prepared. Mine is my tomato basil sauce, only a small portion of the actual recipe. The rest can be frozen in small batches for other pizzas. Then you add cheese and whatever other ingredients you want for toppings. How easy is that? We love my Fresh Homemade Margherita Pizza!

https://learnfromyesterday.com

Fresh Homemade Margherita Pizza 

For pizza dough:

  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (with a pinch of salt)
  • 1 cup very warm water (about 110 degrees but not too hot)
  • 3 cups bread flour (plus a little extra for rolling out dough or if needed)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus some for bowl, dough surface, pan)

https://learnfromyesterday.com

Put the dry yeast with a pinch of salt in the hot water. Let it sit for at least ten minutes. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Then add the yeast and water mixture and the olive oil. Stir and blend in well. This may be done in a mixer, but I like to keep it simple, so I do it by hand. As it comes together begin to work and knead it with your hands for about ten minutes or until you can form a smooth round ball out of the dough. Once done, put olive oil lightly over the surface of the ball and on the surface of your bowl. Place the ball of dough in the bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit for sixty minutes or longer. The ball of dough should double in size when it is ready. I let mine sit for about ninety minutes.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

https://learnfromyesterday.com

Once ready, knead the ball of dough down and then start to roll it out on a clean flour dusted surface. If you are making two smaller pizzas, cut in half and put half in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze. If making one larger pizza, this is not necessary. I make one, so I rolled the dough out so it was about an inch wider than my pan. Put olive oil all over your baking pan. Then fold your dough in half and move to the pizza baking pan. I use a fourteen inch deep dish pizza pan, so I can push a raised edge around the entire pizza. After the pizza is set in the pan and ready, brush the whole pizza dough surface lightly with olive oil. Now you can add your sauce, cheese, and any other ingredients you like. If adding sausage, I would brown it first so it will be cooked completely when the pizza is done.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

https://learnfromyesterday.com

For Margherita Pizza:

  • About 1 cup tomato basil sauce or prepared pizza sauce (less or more to taste)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups or more to taste shredded mozzarella cheese (I use reduced fat)
  • 4 fresh basil leaves or more washed, sliced and cut up
  • 1 to 2 tomatoes sliced thinly

https://learnfromyesterday.com

https://learnfromyesterday.com

https://learnfromyesterday.com

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For my sauce, I use my tomato basil sauce. Make it ahead and you will use about 1 cup for the pizza surface, more or less, depending on your preference. The rest can be frozen in small portions for later pizzas. Then sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese across the sauce. Sprinkle the cut up basil leaves across the top and then lay out sliced tomatoes across the top. When done, put it in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese and crust are lightly browned. My pizza took about 23 minutes to cook. When the pizza is ready, let it sit for a few minutes before cutting into pieces.

https://learnfromyesterday.com

My Fresh Homemade Margherita Pizza is delicious, and we love it! Serve it with grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese and crushed red pepper for those who want it. This pizza is so worth the amount of time and effort it will take to make it for your family. What’s great is choosing what you want and how much of each ingredient you want on your pizza. The children will love helping you choose. Or just make a Magherita Pizza like I made. Whatever you choose, once done, sit down with a glass of red wine or your drink of choice, your pizza, and enjoy!