Halloween-ing Begins: Pizza Dough

I do my very best to hold off on all things Halloween until after Thatkid's birthday.  But after that?  All bets are off.  By the following weekend the house was decorated and we were on our way to our first Halloween event of the month- Brick or Treat at Legoland.

It's become an annual tradition here, although this year, since we're so busy with soccer games and art classes on Saturdays, we decided to not spend the whole day there.  Especially since I'm currently dealing with a sprained ankle which makes a full day at the amusement park seem less than ideal.  So we headed over right before the evening event started and got into our costumes.

Thatbaby has been killing me this year with his costume selection.  It's almost like he's, I dunno, 3?  First he wanted to be Olaf, then Spiderman, then a zombie, then a dinosaur, and then the week of the event he settled on a "baby egg."  No, I have no idea what a baby egg is or where he came up with the idea.  Or how I was going to pull it off.  He volunteered the baby egg was a red egg, and Thatboy might have steered him a little into a baby dinosaur egg.  Which still didn't give me a great sense of how to pull it off.  A couple of sketches for possible designs later and some approval from the creative team, and I was off buying some red felt and cutting it into an oval shape.  I used the scraps to create a hat so that it looked like his little head was poking out of a hatching egg.  A little face paint magic, and voila!

I was actually kind of please with how it turned out, and he was beyond thrilled with his costume (despite no one knowing what he was).

I put my face painting skills to further use to help Thatkid with his vision of a zombie costume. 

We ended up pairing off again - with Thatboy going the zombie route while I got roped into a mama dinosaur.

Once dressed the kids immediately started their brick-or-treating.

Despite being frequent visitors to Legoland, we've never visited the aquarium, so we thought this would be a good time to give that a whirl.

And Thatkid requested a familr ride on the fairy-tale boats.

After that it was one treat station after the next, a couple rides, and a break for dinner - at the Pizza Buffet, which has also become part of our annual tradition.

As we went to hit up the last few treat stations, Thatkid convinced his brother to try Beatle Bounce with him.  Thatbaby has historically refused to go on this ride, or any incarnation if it.   But, buoyed on by his big brother he agreed to give it a shot.  AND HE LOVED IT.  It had been raining that morning and so crowds were few, which meant no lines and the boys rode it over and over and over until we had to peel them away. 

On our way out, we discovered the new submarine ride, with barely a wait at all and decided to check that out too.  It was similar to the Finding Nemo ride at Disney, but much brighter and roomier, which led to much happier kids  (Thatbaby was terrified of the dark Nemo ride).  We also ran across this station where the kids could make weird monster music by moving their hands around the metal antenna.

Our only fail of the evening was forgetting to bring their pajamas, as both kids were asleep before we left the parking lot.

Pizza is a weird Halloween tradition, but it really carries us through the month.  Thatkid always picks a pizza place for his birthday dinner.  We always eat at the pizza buffet at Brick or Treat.  And pizza is always our Halloween dinner.  It's just easy.  It's easy enough that a child can do it.  Although my child likes to make things harder.  Last month he decided he wanted to make pizza, with homemade pizza dough.  Which was a whole weekend activity.  He also wanted to color the dough green.  The upside to this labor intensive meal is that the dough actually makes 4 pizzas.  Which means we could make some that weekend, and have leftover pizza crust in the freezer.  And that made for a very easy meal for us this past weekend.  Because the dough was already green, I decided to go all out and make them Halloween pizzas, mummies made from mozzarella and red bell pepper.  But you can top yours however you like!

Pizza Dough (From Alton Brown)

1 1/4 cups water

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp sugar

8 cups flour

1 envelope instant yeast

1. Combine the ingredients in an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Mix for 2 minutes on low, or until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Rest the dough for 15 minutes. 
2. Continue mixing at medium-low for 5 minutes.  Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and knead by hand for about 30 seconds, then work into a ball.  Place the ball in large metal bowl with a little olive oil.  Toss the ball around to coat.  Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for an hour or until the dough ball nearly doubles in size. 
3. Fold down the dough, patting it into a disk and place it back in the bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut into four equal pieces.  Shape each into a disk, folding it on to itself.   Cover the disks with a clean kitchen towel and leave for an hour to bench proof. While the dough is proofing, preheat your oven to its highest possible temperature.  
5. Work the disk in your hands, creating a lip with your thumbs.  
6. Toss the disk back and forth between your palm.
7. Use the back of your hands to stretch the dough while rotating.
8.  If you are using the dough right away, top it with your preferred toppings, then bake for 4-5 minutes.  If you are freezing it for later use, bake it untopped.  Thaw the frozen crusts before topping and cooking them.

Raw Spice Bar Review and Giveaway

Last month Raw Spice Bar reached out to me to see if I would be interested in trying out their subscription service. 


You see the folks over at Raw Spice Bar have put together a service that sends you unique spice blends every month, along with recipes to use them in.  Each month they choose a different region to feature, so its also a global adventure.  The cost is $8 a months, $44 for six months, or $82 for the year, which is really a great value considering that most spices cost at least $4 a bottle.

I love the idea of trying new spices, but even moreso having just enough for the dish you're making.  I have so many random spices in my cabinet that were used once and now just sit collecting dust.  So of course I said, yes!  Send your spices my way!

Not too much later I received a package in the mail.  Inside were three spice packets highlighting "Argentina."  The first "Dark Coffee and Chiles" came with a recipe card for Coffee-Chili Rubbed Steak.  The second, "Sun Dried Tomato Pizza" came with a recipe card for Sun Dried Tomato Pizza Sauce & Pizza Recipe.  And the third, "Chipotle Smoked Salt" had a recipe card for Chipotle Salt Grilled Summer Vegetables.

Each packet has 3oz of the spice mix in it, which was enough for the recipe for my family of four, with some left over.

First up was the Sun Dried Tomato Pizza:

The sauce recipe made enough for the pizza and leftovers (which I used for pita pizzas for our lunches later in the week).   And while I can be picky about my sun dried tomatoes, they work really well in a sauce.

As for the other two spices, since both recipes call for a grill, I decided to combine them.   I was a little worried that they would be too spicy for the kids, but they weren't at all.  Which might be a con for those of you who like spice, but it's a pro for me!

The only complaint I have about the service is the recipes themselves.  I found that often the recipes had ingredients within the recipe which weren't on the ingredient list.  Which is just a pain when you're already halfway through a recipe and realize you don't have something.

But you shouldn't take my word for it, they sent me two of the Argentina Boxes, so I'm passing one along to you!  Just enter below and I'll send one of you these spice packets!


 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crave Wednesdays: The Peppery Pig

I think meat is seasonal.  Weird right?  It's available year round, but for some reason, certain meats just seem more fitting for some seasons over others.  Like a roast chicken is delightful all the time, but for me, it's a fall food - warm and homey as the weather turns cold.

Prosciutto is a summer meat.  Without question.  It's cool and pairs well with summer melons, or tomatoes and cheese.  While pizza doesn't exactly scream summer, when you top it with a "salad" it gives it a much lighter, summery feel.  Cooking the crust on it's own gives a nice crisp base.  And of course, the prosciutto on top is the perfect warm weather addition.  Far more seasonal than pepperoni.

 The Peppery Pig (From Cooking Light)

1 lb refrigerated pizza dough

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
4 oz sliced prosciutto

1/2 cup shaved parmigiana reggiano

4 cups arugula

cracked black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425. Roll dough into 14 inch circle.  Spread olive oil evenly over dough, leaving 1/2 inch crust. Bake for 15 minutes.
2. Top with prosciutto, cheese, arugula, and black pepper.  Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Crave Wednesday: The Greek Austerity Cure

Black olives.  People either love them or hate them.  I don't think there's an in between.  Personally, I love olives in every form, including black olives which are as far from natural as one can get.  But their sour, vinegary tang just falls in line with my taste preferences.

Thatkid hates them.  He doesn't mind regular olives, although he certainly doesn't prefer them, but black olives are persona non-gratis for him.

Thatboy has fallen on both sides of the coin.  He started out a black olive lover, until the fateful holiday he made himself sick by eating too many of them as a child.  And now he hates them.  Which is funny, because he has also made himself sick by eating too much ice cream, too much lamb, or even drinking too much, and he doesn't hate ice cream, lamb, or alcohol. 

So this is one of those pizzas that works best as a "personal" pizza in this house, since I'm the only one who will eat it.  The hummus as sauce was really unique for me, I'd never even thought to use it, but it really worked.  It kind of blends into the dough, and is just a smooth, unassuming flavor.  But it works with the rest of the flavors, which are very stereotypically "Greek" - tomatoes and feta.  And really I'll pretty much eat anything that has tomatoes and feta on it!

The Greek Austerity Cure (From Cooking Light)

1 lb refrigerated pizza dough

3/4 cup ready-made Greek-style hummus
6 sliced plum tomatoes

1/3 cup black olives

1/2 crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Preheat oven to 425. Roll dough into 14 inch circle.  Spread hummus evenly over dough, leaving 1/2 inch crust.
2. Top with tomatoes, olives, and feta.  Bake for 15 minutes.
3.  Sprinkle with basil. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Crave Wednesday: The Happy Hawaiian

It's no secret, my favorite kind of pizza is Hawaiian.  I love just about every incarnation, with tomato sauce, bbq sauce, or terriyaki sauce.  With Canadian bacon, or regular bacon.  Lately I've even been putting jalapenos on top. 

There's just something about the sweet pineapple, caramelized in the hot oven, making it even sweeter.  Paired with the salty ham, its a match made in heaven.  I'm such a sucker for sweet and salty.  Which is probably why the variations don't bother me. 

This is a plain and simple Hawaiian pizza.  No bells.  No whistles.  The only thing that sets it apart is the use of pepperoni instead of ham.  Turkey pepperoni, so it's not even a pig-product.  But you know what?  You can't really mess up Hawaiian pizza. 

The Happy Hawaiian (From Cooking Light)

1 lb refrigerated pizza dough

1/2 cup low sodium marinara sauce
4 oz turkey pepperoni slices

1 cup pineapple chunks

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425. Roll dough into 14 inch circle.  Spread marinara sauce evenly over dough, leaving 1/2 inch crust.
2. Top with pepperoni, pineapple, and mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

 

Crave Wednesday: The BBQ Yardbird

There's almost nothing easier than barbecue chicken pizza.  And it's even easier when you make it with prepared...everything.  It's a total cheater pizza.  Which is perfect for our Monday nights.  Monday nights are more of my scramble nights because I've got both boys to entertain while I make dinner.  Friday nights I also have both boys, but if dinner is a little bit late, well it is Friday night.

So on Monday nights, having something like this in my back pocket is a boon.  Pizza, which everyone likes, topped with ready-made chicken, cheese, and bottle of barbecue sauce.  Thatkid even eats the red onion ("purple onion mom")!

The BBQ Yardbird (From Cooking Light)
1 lb refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup sliced roasted chicken breast
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 425. Roll dough into 14 inch circle.  Spread BBQ sauce evenly over dough, leaving 1/2 inch crust.
2. Top with chicken, cheese, and red onion.  Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with cilantro, cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Crave Wednesday: The Chicken Pesto Party

Thatkid, like most children his age, is very wary of anything green.  Which is not to say he dislikes vegetables.  He's a big fan of zucchini and lately has even taken to eating "salad" (which is what he calls lettuce in anything).  However, a sprinkle of basil is enough to turn him off of a slice of cheese pizza.  Kids are weird.

The very very strange exception to Thatkid's green aversion is pesto. I'm not sure how this originally passed muster, but he recognizes it from the get-go as something he enjoys.  He calls, and recognizes it as "green stuff,"  as in "can I have green stuff on my pasta?"  Although he is just as likely to ask for "green pasta" with the understanding it will come dressed in pesto.

Pesto is one of my favorite easy recipes, since the food processor does all the heavy lifting.  And it's hard to mess up.  During the summer, when basil seems to be abundant, we can't get enough of it.  During the winter, we run a little basil-dry and resort to store-bought pesto.  Trader Joes makes a nice alternative when you can't make it yourself.

Pesto on pizza can be overpowering, a little goes a long way.  Even with the chicken and pepper, it is still the star of this show.

The Chicken Pesto Party (From Cooking Light)

1 lb refrigerated pizza dough

1/2 cup prepared pesto

3/4 cup roast chicken breast, shredded

1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper

1/3 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano 

1. Preheat oven to 425. Roll dough into 14 inch circle.  Spread pesto evenly over dough, leaving 1/2 inch crust.
2. Top with chicken, bell pepper, and cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Crave Wednesday: The Can't Beat This Combo

This is a twist on the roasted beet pizza I've already shared.  A much simpler, more mild version.    Quiet, unassuming goat cheese takes the place of sharp, aggressive feta.  Both provide a complementary tang, but I always think of goat cheese as the "little sibling" of cheeses.  And yes, I do personify cheeses, doesn't everyone?

It just seems to have a hidden allure.  Not quite as "in your face" as bold, brash cheddar.  And when used in a dish, it tends to meld and melt right in.  Even its texture is malleable, soft, eager to please.

Roasted beets have similar qualities.  Pairing the two together works really well, as anyone who has ever had a roasted beet salad, with roasted goat cheese already knows.  Just a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of walnuts, and you have a light and easy pizza, with flavors that just seem to "get it."

The Can't Beet This Combo (From Cooking Light)

1 lb refrigerated pizza dough

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

8oz roasted beets, sliced

1/3 cup walnut halves, toasted

1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425. Roll dough into 14 inch circle.  Brush with olive oil.
2. Top with beets, walnuts, and goat cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle parsley over pizza and cut into 8 wedges.

Crave Wednesday: Sunny Side Up Pizza

When I was in elementary school, we went to Disneyworld every year. With the exception of one memorable year when we stayed at "Wally World" we always stayed on property.  I have vivid memories of the themed rooms, the themed pools, and the dining halls.  We could eat at any of the hotels, and whether we stayed there or not, my favorite place to dine for breakfast was Port Orleans.   Because Port Orleans had breakfast pizzas.

I'd never heard of a breakfast pizza before, but without fail, it was my favorite thing to eat (out of the park) on these trips.  An omelet on a pizza - egg, cheese, and bacon.  I've never seen anything like it since.

Fastforward 20something years and all of a sudden egg is everywhere.  Topping salads, burgers, and you guessed it, pizza.  But it is the scrambled concoction of my childhood, these eggs are poached and runny, their yellow yolks spilling on to every inch, acting like a bright creamy sauce.

Although initially hesitant to join in the fad, Thatboy and I cautiously dipped our toes in the water, and then jumped in with both feet.  In the words of Frank's Hot Sauce we "put that shit on everything."  So we were anxiously looking forward to this pizza.  I've already confessed my love of salads on pizza, and adding egg just improves it!

My only complaint about the pizza is that it doesn't lend itself to leftovers.  Eggs aren't good like that.  So we had to eat the whole thing in one sitting.  Poor us!

Sunny Side Up Pizza (From Cooking Light)

1 lb refrigerated pizza dough

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 large eggs

1/8 tsp kosher salt

4 cups mache or baby spinach

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

3 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

1/2 cup shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

3/8 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place dough in a microwave safe bowl; microwave at Medium for 45 seconds.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Roll dough into a 14 inch circle and place on a pizza pan.  Pierce with a fork.  
2. Combine 1 1/2 Tbsp oil and garlic; brush over dough.  Bake for 14 minutes.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Ad 1 1/2 tsp oil; swirl to coat.  Crack eggs into pan.  Cook 4 minutes or until whites are set.
4. Sprinkle eggs with salt.
5. Combine mache, onion, and vinaigrette.  Arrange on crust.
6. Top with eggs, cheese, and pepper.  Cut into 6 wedges and serve.

Crave Wednesday: Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

Not too long ago Velva made a couple of white pizzas, one topped with zucchini, caramelized onions, and summer squash.  The recipe called for tossing the zucchini and squash with olive oil and then topping the pizza and cooking for 8 minutes.

In my very humble opinion, the pizza was missing a step.

Tonight as I julienned zucchini to toss with our pasta, Thatkid grabbed a piece and attempted to eat it, giving me the sly smile he does when he "helps" me measure chocolate chips.  I told him the secret to zucchini is that it always tastes better once it's cooked.

Cooking zucchini always makes it seem sweeter.  It also mellows out the flavor, which can be a little sharp when raw.  Roasting it with a bunch of other vegetables only adds to the richness of the dish, as the various flavors combine and mingle in a summer dance.  For this pizza, onions, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms pair with creamy, salty, ricotta for a rich pizza, that also feels light and "healthy."  All those vegetables!  Like eating your garden!  Unlike root vegetables, which roast for a long period, heating up your home, this recipe calls for 15 minutes of roasting only, which makes it doable during the summer when zucchini and peppers are at their finest.

Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza (From Cooking Light)

Refrigerated pizza dough

Cooking spray

2 cups cremini mushrooms

1 cup sliced zucchini

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 yellow bell pepper sliced

1 red onion slices

5 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp cornmeal

1/3 cup tomato sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/3 cup ricotta cheese

2 Tbsp basil leaves

1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500.  Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray.  Let stand covered, 30 minutes.
2. Combine mushrooms and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl and toss with 1 1/2 Tbsp oil. Arrange vegetables on a jelly roll and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Punch dough down.  Sprinkle a lightly floured baking sheet with cornmeal and roll dough into a 15-inch circle on sheet.
4. Brush dough with 1 tsp oil.
5. Spread sauce over dough, leaving a half inch border.
6. Spring 1/2 cup mozzarella over sauce.
7. Top with vegetables.
8. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and red pepper over zucchini mixture. 
9. Dollop with ricotta.  Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone.  Bake for 11 minutes.  
10. Sprinkle with basil.  Cut into 12 wedges.

Crave Wednesdays: Roasted Garlic Pizza

For me, garlic is a kitchen staple.  The one ingredient that is truly transformative.  If you have no other herbs or spices, garlic alone can bring complexity to a dish, turn the flavors from bland to vibrant.

Garlic also has the unique quality of being transformed itself by a little heat.  Raw garlic is sharp and biting.  It's use needs to be controlled so that it doesn't become overpowering.  Throw some garlic in a pan with warmed olive oil and that little bit of heat helps to create a richer, deeper flavor.  But roasting?  Roasting completely changes the quality of garlic.  It becomes mellow, sweet, and while raw garlic must be tempered, roast garlic can (and should) be consumed in excess.

A roast head of garlic really needs little else.  It becomes soft and pliable enough to be spread over bread - as creamy as butter.  On Father's Day my dinner came with fingerling potatoes and roasted garlic cloves - the cloves `requiring as much fork space as the potatoes.

This pizza makes exceptional use of roasted garlic.  There is little else to distract from the warm garlic flavor spread atop the crust. And this garlic is double roasted - once as a whole head, and again when placed atop the pizza.  Cheese, garlic, and a good crust - you won't even miss the tomato sauce.

Roasted Garlic Pizza (From Cooking Light)

1 garlic head

1/2 tsp dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water

2 1/4 oz flour

2 3/8 oz bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp cornmeal

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tsp chopped oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Remove white papery skin from garlic head and wrap in foil.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes.  Separate cloves and squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.
2. Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup warm water in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes.
3. Place flours and salt in a food processor and pulse 2 times.
4. Add oil to yeast mixture. and add to the flours in the food processor, with the processor on.  Process until dough forms a ball and then process another minute.
5. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly 4 to 5 times.  Place in a large bowl coated with cooking spray.  Cover and let rise 1 hour.
6. Increase oven temp to 400.  Punch dough down, cover and let rest 5 minutes.  Roll into a 10 inch circle and place on pizza pan sprinkled with cornmeal.
7. Spread roasted garlic evenly over pizza, leaving 1/2 inch border.
8. Top with cheeses, oregano, and pepper.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Cut into 8 wedges.

Crave Wednesday: Roasted Beet Pizza

Most normal people don't associate root veggies with summer.  Turnips and carrots usually grace fall tables.  Luckily I never claimed to be "normal people.:  For me, beets are a summer vegetable.  This is true even though preparation for them in this house always involves roasting.  Turning up the oven to an insanely high heat, which is something normal people avoid as the temperatures climb. 

But I brave through.  Because once roasted, the beets provide a sweetness that just seems fitting for summer.  Roasted beets, finely grated and tossed with vinegar serve as an excellent salad for picnics and barbecue.  Roast beets with goat cheese and arugula is the perfect salad to enjoy on a warm evening.   And roasting yellow beets, in thin circles resembling the summer sun, serve as a perfect foil to this light pizza.

No need for heavy sauces, a simple brush of olive oil helps to create a golden crust that needs no tomato to bring out the flavor.  Instead the sweet beets pair with salty feta, which, if cheeses were seasonal, would also belong in summer as it is often paired with mint, or watermelon, or bright tomatoes. A sprinkle of fresh herbs - a summer staple rounds out this pizza.

Roasted Beet Pizza (From Cooking Light)

1 golden beet

1 Tbsp cornmeal

pizza dough

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup vertically sliced shallots

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp honey

1 tsp rosemary leaves

1. Preheat oven to 450.  Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beet.  Scrub with a brush and wrap in foil.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Trim off root and rub off skin.  Cut in half crosswise and thinly slice halves.
2. Place a pizza stone in the oven and increase temperature to 500.  Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet with raised edges.  
3. Roll dough into 10 inch circle on baking sheet.  Brush oil over dough.
4. Arrange cheese, beet slices, and shallots evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border.  Slide dough onto preheated pizza stone.  Bake for 8 minutes.
5. Remove from stone and sprinkle with salt and drizzle with honey. 
6. Sprinkle with rosemary.  Cut into 8 wedges.

Crave Wednesday: Pizza Margherita

If you tell Thatkid that we're having pizza for dinner, his first words are usually something along the lines of "I just want cheese pizza."  I don't think it's very different from most kids.  Or a lot of adults.  There's something to be said for the simplicity of a cheese pizza. 

But if you're going for simple, it's also important to keep the ingredients fresh.  None of that pre-shredded cheese stuff.  I know that sounds snobby, and in truth, pre-shredded cheese certainly has it's place.  Especially when you need it to melt into something like macaroni and cheese.  But for a pizza with 3 main ingredients, each one should stand out on it's own.  Which means fresh mozzarella - that soft ball that crumbles in your hands and melts in your mouth.  This recipe calls for pizza sauce, but I usually make my margherita pizza instead with tomatoes - super ripe tomatoes that produce their own sauce when roasted first, or simply as they are warmed atop the dough in a very hot oven.  And of course, the final ingredient, bright green basil.  Which works with the flavors but also adds vibrant color to the pizza, mimicking those of the Italian flag.

Pizza Margherita (From Cooking Light)

1 cup warm water

10 oz bread flour

1 pk dry yeast

4 tsp olive oil

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cornmeal

3/4 cup pizza sauce

5 oz thinly sliced fresh mozzarella

1/3 cup basil leaves

1. Pour 3/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached.  
2. Add flour to warm water and mix until combined.  Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 1/4 cup warm water and yeast in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes.
4. Add yeast, oil, and 1/2 tsp salt to flour.  Mix 5 minutes.  Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover surface with plastic wrap coated in cooking spray and refrigerate overnight.
5. Remove dough from fridge and let come to room temperature for 1 hour.  Punch dough down.  Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet.
6. Press dough into a 12 inch circle on pan.  Crimp edges to form a 1/2 inch border.  Cover with plastic wrap.
7. Put pizza stone in oven and preheat to 550.    Remove plastic wrap from dough and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt.
8. Spread pizza sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border.
9. Arrange cheese slices over pizza.  Place pizza onto pizza stone and bake for 11 minutes.
10. Cut pizza into 10 wedges and sprinkle with basil.

Crave Wednesday: Local Farmers' Market Pizza

When you think of Austrian food, what do you think of?  For me, it's schnitzel, strudel, and sausage (wurst).  So you can imagine my surprise that when I lived in Vienna the predominant food, found on every corner, or more aptly every subway stop, was pizza.

Maybe it's not so surprising, given that here in the USA we have lots of non-native foods that can be found just about everywhere, but I was still taken aback.  What differentiated the Viennese pizza from its American counterpart was the addition of corn.  On almost every slice.  Corn on pizza?  It seemed like such a strange concept to me.  But when in Rome...(or Vienna).  So one day after class, waiting for the train to take me home, I sampled a piece of Viennese pizza.  Complete with corn. 

Corn adds a really interesting texture and flavor to pizza.  When eaten at the height of summer, their sweetness bursts in your mouth.  Without getting too into the double entendre territory, I love things bursting in my mouth.  It's my favorite part of cherry tomatoes.  This Farmers' Market pizza combines both.  And as the weather is warming up, it's getting to be just the right season for sweet tomatoes and sweet corn.  So good, no sauce is even necessary - although, to be fair, I often find fresh tomatoes to be one of the best sauces out there, leaking their juices with each bite.

Local Farmers' Market Pizza (From Cooking Light)

refrigerated pizza dough

cooking spray

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced onion

1 tsp chopped thyme

2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

5 oz thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmigano reggiano cheese

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Place a pizza pan in the oven to preheat.
2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray and let stand, covered, 30 minutes or until dough comes to room temperature.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add olive oil to pan, swirl to coat.  Add onion and thyme to pan and cook 3 minutes until onion is tender.
4. Add bell pepper and garlic to pan, cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add corn, slat, and black pepper and cook 1 minute.
6. Roll dough into a 16 inch circle on a lightly floured surface.  Remove pan from oven and coat with cooking spray.  Place dough on pan.
7. Arrange mozzarella slices evenly over dough.  
8. Spread corn mixture evenly over mozzarella.
9. Top with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  Bake for 23 minutes.
10. Arrange tomatoes evenly over pizza and bake an additional 5 minutes. 
11. Sprinkle with basil and cut into 6 wedges.

Crave Wednesday: Fresh Tomato-Feta Pizza

In the town I grew up in pizza was predominately Pizza Hut, with the occasional Papa Johns or Dominos thrown in.

And then there was Tom's.  Tom's was a little family run place, on the second story of a building off the main street.  It's had the quintessential red and white checked tablecloths to let you know it was authentic.  Not that we ever ate there.  Pizza from Tom's meant picking it up and bringing it home.  Always.  And it also always meant the same pizza - the Greek white pizza - with garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, and olives.  It was my first experience with a non-tomato sauce based pizza.  I think it was Thatmom's idea originally, but one we all latched onto.

It was salty, not sweetened by the tomato sauce, and very cheesy.  And with the fresh tomatoes always tasted like something straight from the garden.  I'm not sure if there's a special nostalgia because it was a first experience, or the pizza was just really that good, but I've never had anything similar since.

I remember as a kid trying to recreate the pizza on sleepover nights, with Boboli and it just wasn't the same.  Tom's was special.

This pizza doesn't classify itself as a Greek pizza, but it has all the same elements - maybe even more!  It brings back memories of that little kitchen and checked tablecloths.  And with summer approaching, it's almost the perfect season for tomatoes to shine.

Fresh Tomato Feta Pizza (From Cooking Light)

1 lb refrigerated fresh pizza dough

cooking spray

4 plum tomatoes, sliced

2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp cornmeal

3 oz feta cheese

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup basil leaves

1. Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray. Let dough stand, covered, 30 minutes or until dough comes to room temperature.
2.  Arrange tomato slices on a jelly roll pan lined with paper towels; top with more paper towels.  Let stand 30 minutes.
3.  Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet on bottom rack in oven.  Preheat oven to 500.
4. Combine tomatoes, 2 Tbsp oil, and garlic. 
5. Sprinkle cornmeal on a lightly floured baking sheet without raised edges.  Roll dough into a 14 inch circle on prepared baking sheet.  Pierce dough liberally with a fork.  
6. Arrange tomato mixture over dough.  
7. Crumble cheese, sprinkle over pizza.  Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone or heavy baking sheet, using a spatula as a guide. Bake for 19 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is lightly browned.
8. Remove from oven and top with olives and basil.
9. Brush edges of crust with 1 1/2 tsp oil.  Cut pizza into 6 wedges.

Crave Wednesday: Four Cheese Pizza

When it comes to pizza, I'm not too picky about my sauces.  Tomato sauce, barbeque sauce, buffalo sauce, heck, even just a drizzle of olive oil. I don't prefer one over the others.  The only thing a pizza needs to make me happy is cheese.  I can go completely sauceless, but there's no point in pizza if it's not loaded, over the top, with cheese.

Most people are fine with your standard old mozzarella.  And I'm not going to lie, that makes me pretty happy too.  Especially fresh mozzarella, soft and creamy.  But mozzarella is just a gateway cheese when it comes to pizza.  Quiet and unassuming, but you can do better.  WE can do better.

Our favorite pizza place makes their own ricotta.  It's the highlight of their pizzas in my book.  (Are you getting that I love creamy salty cheese on my pizza?)  Ricotta on pizza is a nice transition from mozzarella.  Not too big of a step.  It's safe.  Trust me.

Once you take that next step, it's not too far from some of the more...flavorful cheeses.  This four cheese pizza features two of them.  Taleggio and Gorgonzola.  Taleggio is a little milder, a soft cheese like brie, without as much of the sweetness.  Gorgonzola can be a deal breaker.  I know in my family Thatboy isn't a fan of blues.  Thatkid and I love them though.  And pairing the gorgozola with these milder cheeses tones it down a bit.

Four Cheese Pizza (From Cooking Light)

1 cup warm water

10 oz bread flour

1 pkg dry yeast

7 tsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp salt

cooing spray

1 Tbsp cornmeal

2 Tbsp chopped garlic

1/3 cup ricotta 

3 Tbsp gorgonzola cheese

1 oz taleggio cheese, thinly sliced

1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano chese

2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

1. Pour 3/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and spoons; Add to warm water.  Mix until combined.  Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
3.  Combine 1/4 cup warm water and yeast in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly.  
4. Add yeast mixture, 4 tsp oil, and salt to flour mixture; mix 5 minutes or until a soft dough forms. 
5. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray.  Cover surface of dough with plastic wrap lightly coated with cooking spray.  Refrigerate 24 hours.
6. Remove dough from refrigerator.  Let stand covered, 1 hour or until dough comes to room temperature.  Punch dough down.  Sprinkle cornmeal on a lightly floured baking sheet without raised edges.  Press dough into a 12 inch circle on prepared pan.  Crimp edges to form a 1/2 inch border.  Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap.
7. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet on bottom rack in the oven.  Preheat oven to 550, while keeping a pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats.)  
8. Remove plastic wrap from dough.  Combine 1 Tbsp oil and garlic.  Gently brush garlic mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border.
9. Spread ricotta over dough.
10. Arrange gorgonzola and taleggio over ricotta.
11. Top with Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone or heavy baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Cut into 5 wedges.
12. Sprinkle with chives and pepper.

Crave Wednesday: Double Mushroom Pizza

Have you ever stopped to analyze the food we eat?  Like who first thought certain products would be consumable?  Most fruits are fairly easy.  They grow where we can see them and are easy to pick.  But who thought of digging below ground for tubers?  And why do we eat certain parts of animals but not others?

Take the mushroom for instance.  As most of us learned in elementary science class, the mushroom is in the Fungi Kingdom - not a plant or animal.  Like mold.  And in general, we don't eat mold.  In fact, most of the time if we see mold on food we purposely don't eat it.  So what sets mushrooms apart?  Who decided these were the fungi we'd eat?

I have no answer to these questions.  All I know is that I'm glad the great food-decider decided on mushrooms. Their meaty texture and earthy flavor work in so many dishes.  They complement meats, chicken, pasta, and of course, pizza.

This pizza combines two different kinds of mushrooms, and lots of cheese.  As I've mentioned before Thatboy is a fan of meats on his pizza, but mushrooms serve as a great substitute.  I also like the fact that instead of a heavy sauce, this pizza just uses tomatoes, which don't take away from the true star of the meal.

 Double Mushroom Pizza (From Cooking Light)

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

8 oz sliced crimini mushrooms

6 oz portobello mushrooms, chopped

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp cornmeal

whole wheat pizza dough

1 plum tomato, thinly sliced

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

 

1. Preheat oven to 500.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and pepper to pan; cook 8 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in garlic, saute 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.
3. Sprinkle cornmeal on a large baking sheet.  Roll dough into a 12 inch circle on prepared pan.  Arrange tomato slices over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border.
4. Spread mushroom mixture over tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 14 minutes or until cheese melts .
6. Remove pizza from oven and sprinkle with thyme.  Cut into 4 wedges.

Crave Wednesday: Sausage Pizza

I vividly recall Thatkid's first experience with sausage.  It was the first time he ever had solid foods, at 6 months we gave him pancakes, sausage, and green beans.  It was turkey breakfast sausage and he loved it.  Love the sweet taste of the meat, the way he could hold the little link, everything about it.

He's not as big a fan of the spicier sausages, but he has liked the milder ones ever since.  And he especially likes sausage on pizza.  Even surprising us with his approval for spicier sausage than he would tolerate in something like pasta.  Pizza is kind of magical in that way.

This pizza was especially great for Thatkid since it makes use of a sweet turkey sausage, which started his love affair with food.  It also forgoes the typical white or yellow onion in favor of the red onion, which for some reason he also will tolerate.  (Sometimes.  He's a toddler, so every third Wednesday he may decide he doesn't like it.)  As I stated last week, Thatboy is always happy with meat on his pizza, so he also really enjoyed this meal.  Personally, I probably would have liked some more cheese, but I really liked the addition of the fennel.  It's such an undervalued vegetable, but really brings out a lot of different flavors when you use it.  And it's just as versatile cooked or raw!

Sausage Pizza (From Cooking Light)

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 link sweet turkey Italian sausage

1/2 cup vertically sliced fennel bulb

1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup chopped and seeded tomatoes

Pizza dough

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Place a pizza stone on bottom rack of oven and preheat oven to 500.    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pepper and cook 10 seconds.
2. Remove casing from sausage and cook sausage, fennel, and onion for 3 minutes, until browned.
3. Stir in salt and tomatoes and cook 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat.
4. Roll dough into a 10-inch circle on a lightly floured surface.  Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
5. Spread sausage mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border.  Slide dough onto the pizza stone.  Bake for 8 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and cut into 6 wedges.

Crave Wednesday: Pizza Supreme

Thatboy and I have long had a disagreement when it comes to pizza.  He likes them piled high with meat - pepperoni and sausage to be exact.  Personally, I'm a veggie girl when it comes to pizza.  The more the better.  It's not that I won't eat pepperoni and sausage, but I don't prefer them.

When you've been with someone for 15 years, you get pretty good at compromising.  We either trade back and forth between something he likes and something I like,  or we go halvsies.  More often than not we go halvsies because Thatkid has developed a similar preference in his pizzas.

This pizza supreme pleases just about everyone.  It makes Thatboy happy with the inclusion of sausage, and I love the peppers and mushrooms.  The only one who was unhappy with this pizza was Thatkid, who has a serious mushroom aversion.  But you know what they say - you can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Pizza Supreme (From Cooking Light)

1 lb pizza dough

cooking spray

2 tsp olive oil

1 link sweet turkey Italian sausage

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1 cup thinly sliced orange bell pepper

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3/4 cup marinara sauce

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 500. Let dough stand uncovered for 30 minutes to allow to come to room temperature. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle and place on a pizza pan.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove casing from sausage.  Add sausage to pan and cook 2 minutes, stirring to crumble.
3. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, crushed red pepper and garlic.  Cook 4 minutes.
4. Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1-inch border.  
5. Arrange cheese evenly over sauce. 
6. Arrange sausage mixture evenly over cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Cut into 6 wedges.