I enjoy making (and eating) unusual pizzas. My now famous Thanksgiving Dinner Leftover Pizza (turkey, gravy, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mozzarella) was at first greeted with apprehension, but now it’s loved by everyone who’s tried it. This too was how my idea for a hot dog pizza was received as I’ve been planning and talking about it with friends and family for the last while.

It finally made it’s long-awaited debut on Saturday night, and it turns out replacing the usual pizza sauce with ketchup and mustard and topping a pizza with cheese and wieners makes for a rather delicious pie. So tasty in fact that my wife demanded a second one just two days after the original made it’s debut. There’s really nothing too gross about it, it’s just hot dog toppings and cheese on fresh bread, and it tastes exactly like that: one of the better hot dogs you’ll have in your life. Actually, what it really reminds me of is those Pillsbury hot dog wraps that overachieving Moms serve at birthday parties. So good!

Here’s my dough recipe for your pizza enjoyment, be adventurous!

My Favorite Pizza Dough (adapted from a Kitchenaid mixer recipe)
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons oil
2 1/2-3 1/2 cups flour (I recommend 1/3 white and 2/3 whole wheat)

1. Dissolve a package of yeast in warm water in warmed mixing bowl.

2. Add salt, oil, and 2 1/2 cup flour. (You could also add herbs and spices here to jazz it up a bit. Garlic, parsley, basil… whatever you like).

3. If you have one of those big kitchen blenders, attach bowl and dough hook, turn on low and mix 1 minute. If you don’t have one you can just hand mix it.

4. Continuing to mix, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough picks up and consumes all the flour.

5. Place in greased bowl, turning to cover top of dough too.

6. Cover, let rise until it doubles in size (about 45 minutes).

7. Punch dough down.

8. Make a pizza. Roll it out nice and thin and be sure to use some cornmeal (preferred) or flour to keep it from sticking. Maybe put some hot dogs on it. (For baking, I recommend using a pre-heated pizza stone in a 450 degree oven).

9. Enjoy!

Thanks again to Lisa Schindel for the wonderful photography!

And since people keep asking: yes, of course I helped her out with the branding and packaging.

I was at a place in my career where I was feeling pretty good about my work but I felt the need to shake things up in order to hit new creative highs for myself in my career. It was a calculated risk, but seemed to be a great opportunity, and with the support of my wife I decided it was the right thing to do.

At Fulcrum I would have a chance to expand by work scope somewhat and work on more interactive material versus the print based range of work I was responsible for at Flipp. This proved to be invaluable experience as I really gained some practical experience in web design, while continuing my regular work in print, advertising and branding. I’m truly grateful to Fulcrum for giving me that opportunity, along with the chance to spend nine months working with my pal, the talented Jennifer Sutherland, again. Beyond that, things didn’t really work out the way I had hoped. I still faced many of the same challenges with processes, creative control and design styles that I had encountered in years previous. I also realized how much I valued working with a strong team of people who not only possess strong skillsets, but people whom I can also enjoy working with and call my friends. I missed the wall to wall camaraderie (and the jukebox) at Flipp.

Flash forward to three weeks ago, I attended Flipp’s one year anniversary party. It was really great to see everyone again and be back at the old office (remote location aside). It felt like home. I really was regretting leaving once again, and since I had begun to seek a new job at that time, some wheels began to turn. Two days after that party I was released from my position at Fulcrum ahead of schedule over some work posted on Flickr (now removed), that breached a clause in my contract. The next day I had my first of several interviews that week, the last of which was with Flipp. This led to an offer to return in a new role spanning both print and interactive. I ultimately accepted that offer one week after my dismissal.

In the weeks since then I’ve had the pleasure of doing a lot of freelance work under my Worksonpaper banner. I’m thankful to those who’ve worked with me and especially those who have referred work to me during this time. It’s been a busy but enjoyable period (with babies creeping under my office chair pulling on cables and pushing buttons), so I’m really quite thankful for this recent turn of events which has led me back where I belong.

I had hoped the grass might be greener on the other side, but turns out it’s all just grass. Working in a creative industry you’re going to face similar challenges wherever you go. It’s just a lot easier, and even a little fun sometimes when you can tackle them together with a group that shares mutual respect for one another both personally and professionally. So I don’t regret this whole chapter, I gained some experience and some perspective. Now I’ve come full circle (great Pennywise album) and I’m looking forward to tackling some creative challenges at Flipp and continuing to grow as a designer and a person. Huge thanks to Craig and Emily at Flipp for having me back, I can’t wait to get back in the trenches cranking out some great work with the team.

Some closing advice for other designers: follow your heart. The path might not always be the easiest, but it’s important to be happy in your work and to keep growing. So do what you need to do, as the economy continues to rebound and provide us opportunities to pursue. Onward and upward, keep fighting the good fight.

I think another hurdle people have is that they compare it to Facebook, and think they need to follow people who are actually their friends. It’s a totally different beast, and that is really the beauty of Twitter – it’s completely open, you don’t need to know someone to follow them…I’ve started following people and become friends with them, I’ve even gotten a job interview via Twitter. As one tweep (@D_H_) recently put it so eloquently: #facebook is for suckers.

Here’s a tip, don’t bother with the celebrities who have 1,000,000 followers. Those are a one way street – instead follow people who offer some insight into what you do and might follow you back and engage in a dialogue. As a graphic designer, I’ve enjoyed following some of the industry heavyweights and other design community notables. Here’s a partial list of some of my favorite tweeps to get you started:

@nopattern Chuck Andersen is a Minneapolis based designer who’s effectively taking back the rainbow. His multi-colored photo manipulations have appeared on apparel for Burton, browser themes for Google and interface and packaging designs for Microsoft Windows 7. Despite his sunny appearance he has a taste for the dark side as well and often posts about metal bands you haven’t heard of (I’m half kidding).

@icreature Invisible Creature is a Seattle based design studio with a punk rock edge and an amazing portfolio of illustrative work. Some of their notable clients include U.S. retail giant Target and the Sasquatch music festival. Follow their tweets for a sneak peek at their new work and glimpses inside a really cool design studio. That and their invisible man icon is really creepy cool.

@fchimero Frank Chimero is a fantastic illustrator/designer who’s done his amazing work for some amazing clients including Nike, Wired Magazine, and the New York Times to name a few. Probably the most personal of the tweeps listed here, he runs the gamut. Today he tweeted about some guy who makes illegal pizza made in a hacked Weber grill (really a fantastic read on it’s own). How can you not get behind that?

@kitsunenoir Bobby Solomon operates under the online banner of Kitsune Noir, including his fantastic blog and the awesome Desktop Wallpaper Project. Follow him for his industry insights, some choice picks from all over the design world, and a few indie rock choice cuts.

@grainedit Grain Edit is a cool little blog out of Oakland with an eye for retro chic design (good design in Oakland? Ya, I know). They post links to designs that are generally in the retro vein that they feature on the blog, and by following them you’ll be first to know when they post something new or have a sweet new giveaway.

And a few locals:

@ctoverdrive Connor Turner is the man behind Armadillo Studios, a local web collective. He recently did a little case study on how local watering hole, The District, effectively used Twitter to promote their now famous buckets of bacon and other offerings. He’s definitely worth a follow as he is a pretty bright guy (despite being a smoker) and he’s got some pretty good stuff to contribute in the local marketing and design vein.

@jaydorn Jason Dorn is one of the more active Twitter users on the local scene, and one of the few people I follow who I actually knew beforehand. He’s a Calgary-based freelance interactive designer who’s engaged to a rollergirl and an all-around solid guy. Follow him to hear him whine about the Flames.

So there you have it, a Coles Notes list of the people you should follow on Twitter. Now get on it! But if you’re going to get started, don’t forget to keep me in the loop: @camhoff

My favorites include older Pez like the Merry Melody Makers, baseball related dispensers (Cubs Charlie Brown!), old Looney Tunes, and of course the various iterations of Dr. Skull (pictured right).

Itching to grab yourself some cool Pez? Give Ann a shout at The Canada Candy Connection. Based out of a ranch near Okotoks, her selection has something for everyone and she’ll ship everywhere. Tell her Cam sent ya.