Rustic Pizza Bianca

I was starving during the USA-Canada hockey game the other day and as I was rying to think of something quick and easy that didn't involve me missing much of the game, I saw this recipe for Pizza Bianca over at The Lime in the Coconut. Using a store-bought naan bread (one of the few things that makes shopping at Walmart bearable these days!) I was able to throw this pizza together and get back to the game without missing any of the action. And before the overtime started I was enjoying hot, cheesy pizza and I didn't even have to tip anybody! :-)

Rustic Pizza Bianca
Recipe courtesy of Lime in the Coconut

1 large garlic clove (I used 3)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I might have used 2 tbsp)
1 lb store-bought pizza dough or make your own
1/2 lb cold fresh mozzarella
1 tbsp rosemary leaves (I used 2-3 tbsp)

Put a large heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of oven then preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt and then stir together with the oil. Roll out dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Transfer to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly prick the dough all over with a fork. Stir garlic mixture and brush evenly over dough. Slide dough from parchment onto hot baking sheet. Bake until the top is puffed and pale golden in patches, 6 to 10 minutes. Prick any large bubbles with a form and flatten. Meanwhile, thinly slice mozzarella and pat dry. Remove crust from oven and arrange the mozzarella on it in 1 layer. Sprinkle the rosemary on the top. Bake until the edge of crust is deep golden and cheese is bubbling and golden in patches, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with crushed red pepper and grated Parmesan if desired.

Roasted Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Pizza

 

Heaven. On. A. Plate.

Roasted eggplant. Mmmmm. Caramelized onions. ::sigh:: How can it get any better than that? Why, I'll tell you. Add goat cheese! My idea of nirvana! I made half with goat cheese and since the nephew (who is still recovering from the last goat cheese escapade) was here, I put fresh mozzarella on the other half. That worked fine but the Mozz pizza was missing that tangy zing of the goat cheese half. (Which, by the way, I ate all by myself! It was so good I just couldn't stop!)

Roasted Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Pizza
adapted from Cooking with Paula Deen magazine
Recipe found online at Perry's Plate

1/2 med eggplant, peeled and chopped
2 T olive oil
3 T butter
2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 c pizza sauce
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella
6 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c chopped roasted red peppers
1 c crumbled goat cheese
1 recipe whole wheat pizza crust

Coat eggplant with olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 10-12 min or until lightly browned; set aside.

In a large dutch oven/saucepan melt butter over med heat. Add onion, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to med-high and cook, stirring frequently until caramelized; set aside.

Spread pizza sauce over crust; sprinkle with 1 c mozzarella cheese. Top evenly with eggplant, onions, bacon and roasted peppers. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and goat cheese.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 min.

Deep-Dish Sausage and Tomato Pizza

To. Die. For.

This Deep Dish Sausage and Tomato Pizza was to die for. Absolutely delicious. I'm not particularly a fan of any meat. In fact, I hadn't really planned to eat this one. When I saw it over at Vicarious Foodie, I figured the guys would love it so I tried it. I ate 3 pieces. The crust was delicious. The spicy sausage, divine. Not particularly diet friendly, but oh! So worth it!

Deep-Dish Sausage and Tomato Pizza
Recipe from Vicarious Foodie

1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl
1/3 recipe Atsa Spicy Pizza Sausage

1 (14 to 16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, well drained
1 cup grated whole milk mozzarella cheese (about 1/4 pound)
1 cup grated Fontina cheese (about 1/4 pound)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves, for garnish

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in water. Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 1/4 cups flour, cornmeal, salt, and 2 tablespoons oil and blend until mixture forms a dough. Knead dough on a floured surface, incorporating as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Put dough in a deep oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Let dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, prepare sausage (see recipe below). Stir in tomatoes and transfer mixture to a strainer over a bowl to drain and cool.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Punch down dough and knead 4 times. In an oiled 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet, press dough with oiled finger until it comes 2 inches up the side and is an even thickness on bottom. Let dough rise, covered loosely with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle dough with half of mozzarella and fontina and top with sausage-tomato mixture and remaining cheeses. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan and bake the pizza in the lower third of an electric oven or on floor of a gas oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake 5-10 minutes more, or until crust is golden brown.

Top with fresh basil, if desired, and serve immediately.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza

We were supposed to go to a party but I got sidelined with another headache. What do you fix when you weren't planning to fix anything and you have a house full of hungry people? Why pizza, of course! Since we love pizza, I usually keep pizza dough in the freezer and you can usually find a tube or two in the fridge. Lately I've been trying to keep a prepared pizza crust in the pantry for times when I need to get dinner on the table super fast. Tonight it definitely came in handy.

For this Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza, I looked in the fridge to see what we had and this was what I ended up with. Simple, with just a couple of ingredients but by caramelizing the onions you get a surprising depth of flavor: sweet onion-y deliciousness, smoky bacon, creamy cheese and a little added zing from the red pepper flakes.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza 

1 prepared pizza crust (We prefer Boboli)

Cream cheese, softened

1 T olive oil

1 onion, sliced

4 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

Shredded Mozzarella

Red pepper flakes, to your taste

Heat oil in a skillet. Add onion slices. Caramelize the onions, stirring occasionally. The longer the onions caramelize, the better they taste! Spread softened cream cheese in a thin layer on pizza crust. Top pizza with the caramelized onions. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and top with crumbled bacon and pepper flakes. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Sausage and Pepper Calzone

This was a crowd pleaser: spicy sausage, gooey cheese and a delicious homemade tomato sauce. And best of all ... quick and easy to make! I've made calzones before. Small individual sized calzones. Painful and time consuming so I usually end up making pizza instead. When I saw the recipe for Sausage and Pepper Calzones over at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice, I knew it was one I'd have to try. It makes one *giant* calzone for the family to share. Brilliant! So much quicker that paired with a bagged salad this was the perfect hectic weeknight meal.


Sausage and Pepper Calzone
Recipe from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Pizza dough (my recipe, your own favorite, or store bought)
15 ounces Ricotta cheese
12 ounces Mozzarella, shredded
Olive Oil
5 Italian Sausages
1 Green Pepper
1 large onion
cornmeal
Tomato Sauce (my recipe to follow)
Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook the sausage, peppers and onions in a large skillet until the Sausage is cooked thoroughly. Remove the sausages to cutting board and slice in ½ inch slices. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a large baking sheet. With a rolling pin roll out the dough to fit the baking sheet or use your hands to stretch it to fit.

3. Mix the Ricotta cheese with half of the Mozzarella. Spoon the filling evenly on half of the dough leaving a one inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with the remaining Mozzarella, then the sausage slices, onions and peppers.

4. Gently fold over the dough to cover the filling. Pinch edges together all the way around.

5. Make a knife slit in the top to let steam escape while cooking.

6. Can brush with an egg wash if desired but not necessary. Beat one egg with and brush all over dough.

7. Cook for 20-22 minutes until dough is golden brown. Let set for five minutes before slicing. Top with tomato sauce. Serve with Parmesan Cheese.

Tomato Sauce

1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper julienned
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes (like Tuttarosa)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons dried Italian Seasonings (We use a mix that has basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram and rosemary in it)
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt (to start and more to taste)
¼ teaspoon black pepper (to start and more to taste)
Pinch of sugar

1. In a large pan sauté the onion and green pepper in Olive Oil until soft; add garlic and sauté for another minute or two.

2. Add tomato paste. Stir it into the onion and garlic mixture and let it heat through. Add tomatoes, water seasonings including bay leaves, salt, pepper and pinch of sugar.

3. Simmer for 45 minutes. Taste and add salt/pepper and more dried seasonings if needed. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Peking Chicken Pizza

What do you eat for dinner on Election Day 2008, the biggest election in recent memory? Obviously something that's easy to eat in front of the television! Peking Chicken Pizza turned out to be the perfect choice. I came across this recipe last week when I discovered a great blog called Culinary in the Desert Country. Once I saw Joe's gorgeous pictures of this pizza, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I put it in my menu plan for next week but I just couldn't wait. And am I sure glad I didn't wait! This pizza was delicious. The mix of Plum Sauce and barbecue sauce is amazing; sweet, tangy, drool-worthy for sure! I used my pizza stone and the crust crisped up beautifully. (I followed the original recipe rather than Joe's version, mainly because I was in a hurry and used frozen pizza dough that I keep on hand rather than Joe's whole wheat crust. I plan to next time though!) This pizza was so good that dh, who isn't particularly a pizza fan (especially when we also had pizza over the weekend) raved about it. He was seriously disappointed when there was a break in the election coverage and he went back into the kitchen for another piece and it was all gone! What can I say? You snooze, you lose around here! LOL!

This recipe is quick and easy. with a complex flavor that seems like it must have been much more labor intensive. I think this is my new favorite pizza. And I think I'm keeping it on the menu plan for next week. Heck, I'm think if making a small one for breakfast this morning!

Peking Chicken Pizza
Recipe from Culinary in the Desert (Adapted from Rachael Ray)

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper
cornmeal, for dusting
12 or 16 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons plum sauce
3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
3 tablespoons chopped orange bell pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a pizza stone placed on the lowest rack.

Heat a grill pan over high - drizzle oil over chicken and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Grill chicken, turning once, until done - about 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove and let cool. Slice into very thin strips.

Sprinkle enough cornmeal to slightly cover a pizza peel. Stretch and roll out dough to a rough 12" circle on a lightly floured surface and transfer to the cornmeal-dusted peel. Sprinkle the edges of the dough with sesame seeds. Spread plum sauce and barbecue sauce over the pizza - arrange the sliced chicken on top and scatter with the cheese. Sprinkle the top with the scallions and peppers. Slide pizza onto the stone and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.

Makes about 4 to 6 servings.

Kids Cook: Jake's Pizza

It took me awhile to warm up to this cooking thing. A lot of years went by before I really embraced the concept. When my oldest was young, I'm afraid every night we drove through a drive-thru or ate some super processed something from the freezer section of the grocery store. I was young. I was busy. I couldn't be bothered.


Then we moved to the country. So far out that even the pizza delivery guys wouldn't go that far. :-( At that point, I didn't have a choice. I started cooking. At first it was purely functional. Then it grew to be fun and eventually and obsession.


All that hard work is starting to pay off.

Last week, dd had to write a paper about her family. My paragraph was about how I was a great cook. (And this from picky dd who doesn't eat anything!)


And ds ... ds of the dirt bikes and all things testosterone-laden and manly, has stated that he wants to be a doctor (just like House, no less!) and to be on Iron Chef. ;-) Since it's a little early to be practicing medicine, he started working toward those Iron Chef dreams by making dinner for us the other night.

Pinwheel Pizza

I wish I'd heard about The Hunger Challenge last month while it was going on last month. These days any challenge that helps me save money is exactly what I need! The goal was to live on $3 per day for a week just as the average family who lives on food stamps have to do. Browsing through recipes from some of the bloggers who participated in the first Hunger Challenge really spurred me on to get creative and save some money on my food bill.

When I saw this recipe I knew it would be perfect for us. Mainly because we all love pizza around here but also because Pillsbury recently sent me a coupon to try their new thin crust refrigerated pizza crust. Using the pre-made rectangular pizza crust made this recipe a breeze. I just unrolled the dough, topped it with pasta sauce and shredded cheese. Added some baby spinach and some leftover Kalamata olives and rolled it up. Prep time was probably less than 5 minutes. Definitely a good recipe to keep around for those hectic nights coming up since ... ds made his 7th grade basketball team! Woohoo! Go ds!





I can see that we'll be using these Pillsbury Pizza Crusts more often around here. I prefer my own crust but you can't beat the convenience of having a ready-made crust in the fridge. You can have a fresh, homemade pizza on the table in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Definitely a lifesaver on those busy weeknights. If anyone would like to try Pillsbury's new Thin Crust Pizza Crust, either email me at imrunningtoeat (at) gmail.com or leave a comment below with your email address and I'll email you a coupon so you can try it for yourself!

Pinwheel Pizza
Recipe from The Hunger Challenge
Makes 8 pieces, serves a family of 4

1 pound whole wheat pizza dough
½ to ¾ cup favorite jarred tomato sauce
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup fresh organic baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons chopped black olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch-round metal baking pan.

Roll dough out into a rectangle shape, about 10 x 12 inches. Spread sauce on top. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Top with spinach leaves (kids can help arrange) and sprinkle with olives.

Starting with shorter end, roll dough into a tube, with all sauce and toppings inside. You may have to lengthen and even out the dough roll. Carefully transfer roll to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make hard quick crosswise cuts to slice through dough, preventing dough from mashing and sauce spilling out. Cut log in half, then each half in half, then each quarter in half again, so you have 8 equal pieces.

Reshape dough wheels and arrange in baking pan, leaving about ½ to 1 inch between each wheel, so they can expand and rise and push into each other when they bake. Sprinkle wheels with remaining cheese. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and dough is cooked. Carefully remove each wheel from the pan with a spatula or pie server.

Gyroll

Sometimes plans just have to change. ;-) This weekend didn't go the way I'd planned when I made out my weekly menu. First I spent the whole day Saturday having a garage sale rather than just the morning. Then by the time I made it home, I had a migraine. For me the day after the migraine is almost worse than the actual headache. It's like a hangover on steroids. So I didn't have the patience to stick with my plan. But it turned out okay because this recipe for Gyrolls was quick and easy to make and turned out to be a hit with everyone.

To simplify the recipe even further, I used Pillsbury Pizza Dough that comes in a rectangular shape so I didn't even have to roll it out. I also used ground beef since I couldn't find lamb. I served it with a choice of cucumber-ranch dipping sauce or our favorite Greek tomato sauce, Tomato Sauce and Myzritha Cheese from Lulu at Mama's Taverna. The whole peppercorns add a flavor that I just love. It's great paired with pasta but it was also delicious topping the gyrolls. Adding a Greek Salad with romaine and plently of feta, red onion and Kalamata olives finished the meal.

Gyroll
Recipe from AllRecipes.com

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground lamb
6 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 large onion -- sliced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2/3 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 pound pizza crust dough
6 ounces feta cheese
1/2 zucchini -- diced
8 ounces chopped black olives
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meat with garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. When meat is almost done, add parsley and cook until the parsley wilts. Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool.

Roll pizza dough out into a rectangle (about 18 inches by 12 inches), with the long side laid out left-to-right in front of you. Spread out feta cheese, zucchini and black olives evenly over the dough, leaving 3 inches from the edges of the crust uncovered. Spread the cooled meat mixture over the top, still leaving edges of dough uncovered.

Starting with the edge closest to you, roll up the whole thing until it is all rolled up. You can do this by using the uncovered edge of dough at the end as a 'strip' to stick to the roll and seal it, making sure both ends are pressed down and sealed. Sprinkle with garlic powder and bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Catalan Coca with Sweet Onions, Piquillo Peppers, Olives & Aged Manchego Cheese

Now that summer is unofficially over around here, dh and I have decided to get back into an exercise routine. First, we'll be starting a yoga class together. Flexibility has always been a big issue for me. Way back in junior high, after the first year my gym teacher quit making me do stuff during the gymnastic segment and had me just walk around and spot other people. After my hamstring injury last year, stretching has become much more important as I'm not wanting to go through *that* again!

Next, we're going to combine our fitness goal with another goal of spending more time with the kids and less time staring at computer screens. We're going to spend 30 minutes per night doing something with the kids. Four nights a week we're going to make that something active: biking, hiking, kayaking, playing basketball. Anything that gets us out there and moving. The other nights might be spent watching a family movie or playing a board game. It's sad but when you have four kids, involved in four different activities, you can get to the end of the weke and feel like you haven't seen each other in days. Hopefully this will help us re-connect as well as set a good example to the kids of how to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle (not to mention developing good time management skills!).

After our inaugural family bike ride, I made homemade pizzas for the kids. Since I had a bit of leftover dough, I decided to re-create an interesting recipe I'd come across earlier in the week: Catalan Coca with Sweet Onions, Piquillo Peppers, Olives & Aged Manchego Cheese. After seeing the gorgeous photo over at Chefs Gone Wild, I had to read further. Apparently Catalon coca is a sort of flatbread pizza-like cocoction popular in the northeastern part of Spain. This incarnation combines peppers, olives and cheese with the salty bite of anchovies.

I had to change the recipe a bit to use what I had on hand. You can find the original recipe, as well as step-by-step instructions and photographs at Chefs Gone Wild.


Catalan Coca with Sweet Onions, Piquillo Peppers, Olives & Aged Manchego Cheese
Recipe adapted from Chefs Gone Wild

Olive Oil
1 large onion, sliced thinly
Leftover pizza dough
1 tablespoon dried oregano
kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
anchovy fillets, chopped
mozzarella cheese

Caramelize onions in olive oil. Divide dough into four balls. Roll each ball into an oval shape and place on a prepared baking sheet. When onions are soft and brown, divide them between each of the dough ovals. Top each with oregano and chopped olives. Bake in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are browned. Top with red peppers, anchovies and cheese. Return to oven for two minutes or until cheese has melted and topping are heated through.

Pizza Party: Grilled Pizza

My baby is heading off to college. It seems like just yesterday he was heading off to kindergarten. Where does the time go? He's going to a large state college about 2 hours from home. Several of his high school friends are going as well so the week before they left seemed like a perfect time for an Off-to-College party.

What do you serve a bunch of college-bound kids? Why pizza, of course! To make it a little more special we decided to do grilled pizzas. I made several different pizzas with a variety of toppings: BLT (with bacon, spinach and fresh tomatoes from the garden) and BBQ Chicken, as well as old favorites like Mushroom, Sausage and Pepperoni and Four Cheese.

I used the 20 Minute Weeknight Sauce from The Saucy Bird on most of the pizzas. It's quick and easy and has that great homemade taste. I used the tried-and-true recipe from Down Home with The Neelys for the BBQ Chicken Pizza, one of our family favorites. The Neely's BBQ Sauce recipe has become a staple around here.



Neely's BBQ Pizza
Recipe Courtesy of the Neely's

Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (about 105 to 115 degrees F)
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour

Pizza:
All-purpose flour, for surface
1 tablespoon olive oil, for saute
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil, for brushing
1 cup Neely's BBQ Ranch Dipping sauce, recipe follows
2 cups cooked pulled pork, beef or chicken
1 (8-ounce) package shredded mozzarella
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

For the dough:

Place the yeast, warm water and honey in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Add the olive oil and salt, stir to combine.

Add the flour to the bowl of a standing mixer with a dough hook. Add the water, olive oil, salt and honey mixture. Mix on low for roughly three minutes, then increase to a medium speed and knead until the dough is elastic and starts to come away from the sides of the bowl, roughly 3 minutes. The dough should be smooth and firm. Ball up the dough and place in a large lightly oiled glass bowl. Flip to cover both sides of the dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm draft free area for 2 hours, until roughly doubled in bulk.

Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, smooth into a ball and let rest for 20 more minutes before cooking.

For the pizza:Preheat grill to high heat. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and saute onion, green bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper until tender; about 3 minutes. Remove to a glass bowl.

Flour work surface and roll out pizza dough into 4 (6-inch) circles, and 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. Brush with olive oil and place on grill. Grill for about 3 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for 1 more minute. Remove to a sheet tray and grill off the other dough balls, if using. Spread 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce evenly on each pizza. Add 1/2 cup of chopped pork and top with a quarter of the sauteed vegetables. Sprinkle with the cheeses. Repeat. Bake the pizzas in the oven for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Neely's BBQ Sauce
Recipe Courtesy of the Neely's

2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauceIn a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Open Faced Calzone

So far, so good on the running front. I've run twice in the past three days and would have run yesterday but dd was sick. Maybe it's because the Olympics are so motivational. (Did you see the women's marathon? You go, girl! ) I'm psyched about all the "older" athletes rocking the Olympics this year. Dara Torres (41) was amazing. Constantina Tomescu-Dita (38) was flying during the marathon. There's even an equestrian competitor who is 67! With all this Olympic inspiration, it was nice to notice yesterday that I was looking for excused to get out to go run rather than looking for excuses to skip it. I'm feeling a lot more optimistic now. Finish-Up-the-Hill 10-Miler here I come! LOL!

Delicious! As soon as I saw the recipe for Sicilian Open Faced Calzones over at The Saucy Bird, I knew it was one I'd have to try. I'm glad I did. It was quick. It was easy. And we loved the homemade sauce. So much that I've already made the sauce more than once so that I can have some on hand to whip up a quick French bread pizza at a moment's notice. You can find Birdie's recipe for the wonderful 20 Minute Weeknight Sauce here.

Birdie's Open Faced Calzones are topped with ham, red onions and spinach. A great trio of toppings that pleased the whole family. There weren't even the usual complaints I usually get when the green stuff intrudes on previously familiar food items!


Sicilian Open Faced Calzone
Recipe by Birdie at The Spicy Bird

1 can Pillsbury Pizza dough
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded fresh parmesean
1 1/2 cups 20-Minute Weeknight Gravy
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
8 ounces smoked deli ham -- cut into thin strips
1/2 cup thin sliced red onions
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Spread the Pizza dough onto a baking sheet. Brush with the olive oil and season with the Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper and parmesean cheese. With a fork, poke several holes in the entire crust. Bake for 5 minutes.

Spread 1 cup of sauce over the partially baked crust then evenly distribute the crushed red pepper and the fennel seed. Spread the ham and onions evenly, top with the baby spinach and the mozzerella cheese. Return to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the spinach wilted. Drop the remaining sauce with a Tablespoon evenly over the top and return to the oven for 2 minutes or until the sauce is heated through.

Hummus Pizza

I've found my new favorite quick lunch! I dvr'ed an episode of 30 Minute Meals where Rachael Ray whipped up a couple of Greek-themed dishes in the alotted thirty minutes. All three dishes seemed to have a little potential but the Hummus Pit-zas were the quickest to throw together. As I was at a loss for what to fix for lunch, I thought I'd take a chance on this one. I mean, I like hummus. I like Pita bread. And I'm currently infatuated with Feta. What's not to like? (And how is it that I only just discovered Feta? How have I lived without it this long!)

This is definitely one of those recipes where simple ingredients combine to form something greater than the sum of it's parts. And it's definitely one of those recipes I will be fixing over and over again now that the kids have gone back to school. Yum-o!


Hummus Pit-zas
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

6 (6-inch) pitas
1/2 pint container store bought plain hummus
1/2 cup prepared olive tapenade
3 cups shredded provolone or mozzarella or a combination of the 2
6 anchovies, chopped, optional
3 whole roasted red peppers, drained, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts in water, 6 hearts, drained well and chopped
1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini, chopped, optional
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the pitas on baking sheets or sheets. In a bowl combine the hummus and the olive tapanade. Spread the hummus on pitas and top with cheese, like pizza. Combine the chopped anchovies, peppers, artichokes, and pepperoncini. Cover the pizzas with the chopped mixture. Bake 10 to 12 minutes to melt cheese and crisp the pitas. Cut pizzas into wedges and garnish with parsley.

Ben to the Rescue: Mexican Pizza

Another busy day and dinner time rolls around a little later than usual. The kids are fussy, dh is starving and I am too tired to prepare the long, involved recipe that I'd planned for tonight. What to do? Why, check out Ben's blog over at What's Cooking? of course! One look at his Mexican Pizza solved all of our problems. We had a quick and easy (and delicious!) dinner made from pantry and garden staples on the table in no time at all.

Because we were in such a hurry, I used a pre-baked pizza crust but next time (and there definitely will be a next time!) I'll go with the healthier option and make my own whole wheat crust. I worried that without "sauce" per se, that we wouldn't like it but even dh, who is a total carnivore, said that this was the best "healthy" pizza I've ever fixed (and he said this as he was eating his second or third piece!) This is definitely a delicious way to eat your veggies!

Find the recipe for Ben's Mexican Chicken Pizza here.

Ladenia: A Little Slice of Heaven!

Good news on the running front. Apparently I like to torture myself. This summer has been abnormally cool and I've been slogging through (and putting off) runs. Now that the Dog Days of Summer are here (100 today), I'm loving my runs and can't wait to get out there! I guess I'm more of a masochist than I thought!

Living where I live in the Midwest, you don't kind a lot of ethnic diversity when it comes to dining out. Until recently you were pretty much limited to Taco Bell and the Big China Buffet, complete with fried chicken and mashed potatoes and of course, Pizza Hut. So I'm a little behind the curve when it came to discovering Greek Cuisine. (Well, there was that one night back in college that involved a bottle of real Ouzo, smuggled into the country by a fellow student after a summer spent in Greece. But I really try not to remember that night if I can help it!) I noticed lately that a high percentage of the recipes I was saving happened to be Greek so I decided to start making a few. All have been great so far and I can't seem to get enough of some great Greek food blogs. Love, love love Peter's blog Kalofagas - Greek Food and Beyond. My family knows that if they can't find me, I'm probably online pouring through Peter's recipes. I can't count how many hours I've spent drooling over the recipes and pictures over at Kopiaste - to Greek Hospitality. And Lulu over at Mama's Taverna ... who knew you could grate tomatoes to make a tomato sauce? Loved it!
Peter's recipe for Ladenia is to die for! A Greek specialty that looks like pizza and tastes like heaven, ladenia is like a deep dish pizza crust, topped with onions and tomato and liberally seasoned with olive oil and oregano. A simple recipe that defies logic. How can something so simple taste so good? Even my tomato-phobic dh enjoyed it. This is one recipe I won't be waiting too long before I make it again!

Ladenia
Inspired by Peter M. from Kalofagas

1 ball of frozen pizza dough, thawed
olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
salt
freshly ground pepper
Oregano

Spread dough into an oiled round baking pan. Keep dough thick. Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour olive oil over dough and cover dough with onions and tomatoes. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for 45 minutes until crust is golden brown. Drizzle with good extra-virgin olive oil and serve hot or cold.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza with Grilled Pineapples, Prosciutto, and Cilantro

Take Two! More grilled pizza. This time Barbecue Chicken Pizza with Grilled Pineapples, Prosciutto, and Cilantro from Confections of a Foodie Bride. I was a little nervous because the one time that I tried Hawaiian Pizza (years and years ago), I wasn't a big fan. This pizza has proscuitto instead of ham, grilled pineapple and my favorite herb of all time: cilantro. It's great! Dh and I almost polished off the whole thing. The only thing I'd change next time is that I use the Neely's BBQ sauce recipe that I blogged about here instead of the Emeril's BBQ sauce I picked up at the store. I think homemade would just give it a much better flavor.

Grilling the pineapple gave it a slightly caramelized flavor that was delicious with the tang of the barbecue sauce. And while picky dd didn't come near the pizza, she did scarf down a couple of grilled pineapple rings! Woohoo! This is a great recipe for a definitely-not-run-of-the-mill pizza!














Barbecue Chicken Pizza with Grilled Pineapples, Prosciutto, and Cilantro
Recipe courtesy of Confections of a Foodie Bride

1/3 recipe pizza dough
Olive oil
1 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for garnish
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can pineapple slices, drained (juice reserved)
3 slices prosciutto, chopped
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 450. Heat your grill to med-high.

Put 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, and chicken breasts in a glass bowl to marinate for 30 minutes.

Place chicken breasts on grill and cook until juices run clear, approximately 6-7 minutes on each side. Remove from grill. Let rest for 10 minutes and then cut into chunks.

Using a rolling pin or the two-fist method, stretch out your pizza dough to the desired thickness. Brush one side of pizza dough with oil and place oiled-side down over the grill. Cook for about 3 minutes - the dough will begin to bubble on top. Oil the top side of the dough and flip, using tongs. Once the underside has cooked completely (approx 3 minutes), remove from the grill.

Brush pineapple slices with oil and grill until lightly marked on each side. Remove from the grill and cut into chunks.

Spread remaining barbecue sauce on pizza crust. Top with half of the cheese, cubed chicken, pineapple chunks, and chopped prosciutto. Top with remaining cheese and place into oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Top with cilantro, drizzle with additional barbecue sauce, and serve.

Grilled Pizza with Caramelized Onion and Salami

After a day-long search in our state capital, I emerged victorious. After visiting several grocery stores I finally found frozen pizza dough. But not after several store employees acted as if I were crazy! I see recipes that call for it all the time, but around here all you can find is the Pillsbury-in-the-tube kind. After all that hunting and gathering, of course we had to have pizza tonight. After a quick blog search for grilled pizza recipes, I settled on Grilled Pizza with Caramelized Onion and Salami from The Kitchen Sink. Things were proceeding according to plan ... until it's started pouring rain. So much for the grill. So I ended up using a grill pan on the stove. We stayed dry and the pizza turned out perfectly: crust crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Mmmmm! Definitely a recipe that will be repeated around here.


Grilled Pizza with Caramelized Onion and Salami
Recipe courtesy of The Kitchen Sink

1 recipe your favorite pizza dough, stretched into a rectangle
extra virgin olive oil
1 cups your favorite tomato sauce (see below) -- (1 to 2)
1 ball of mozzarella, sliced into thin rounds
12 thin slices salami
1 red onion -- thinly sliced (and caramelized, if desired)
fine-grain sea salt
several basil leaves

Prepare a grill. Brush the top of the dough rectangle with olive oil. When the grill is heated, transfer the dough to the grill, placing it directly on the rack, oiled side down. Quickly brush the top with olive oil and close the grill. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs or a spatula, turn the dough over and grill an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the grill to a pizza peel or the back of baking sheet.

Top the par-grilled pizza with your desired amount of sauce. Top the sauce with the mozzarella slices. Top the mozzarella with the salami. Top the salami with the onions. Return the pizza to the grill and grill for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. (If you’re worried about the grill being too hot at this point, simply turn off the grill and allow the cheese to melt in the residual heat that remains in the grill.)

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and top with basil leaves to serve.

Update: I got a couple requests for the tomato sauce recipe, so I’m updating this post with the recipe. The sauce is rich and sweet and, best of all, it highlights the simple, beautiful flavor of tomatoes. I don’t cook much with butter (I usually use olive oil), but it makes all the difference here.

Tomato Sauce

Note: This will yield more sauce than you’ll need for the pizza recipe above. Leftovers make an excellent simple pasta sauce and also freeze well.

1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
salt and pepper
splash red wine
pinch of sugar

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for several minutes, until the onions have softened. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, wine and sugar. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, food processor or blender, puree the sauce until smooth.

A Lasagna Sandwich?

I knew this one was going to be a hit as soon as I saw the recipe for Garlic Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas over at The Picky Palate. Okay. Maybe it was as soon as I saw all the mouth-wateringly yummy photos, but once I scanned the recipe I knew it was soon to become a family favorite and I was right.

I was disappointed that our Super Walmart didn't have the ciabatta rolls, but they did have individual-sized foccacia, which substituted perfectly.

Quick to make, this recipe includes ingredients everyone loves. Even the picky ds ate his without complaining. (Shhh! Don't tell him it really isn't pizza!) Served with a salad on the side, this was a delicious and filling meal.

Garlic Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas
Recipe courtesy of The Picky Palate

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground Italian Sausage
1 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
15 oz container ricotta cheese
½ Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
8 garlic roasted ciabatta rolls (I get them from Super Walmart)
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Cook sausage until browned, about 5-7 minutes; reserve ¼ Cup of sausage for ricotta. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce and basil leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Place reserved ¼ Cup sausage, ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Split each ciabatta roll and place cut side up onto a large baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over each roll, about ¼ Cup (*you probably won't use all of ricotta.). Top with a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

*If you don't use all of your ricotta, save it and use it in a pasta dish for later in the week. I made a baked pasta dish where I stuffed the ricotta in the middle of some penne with red sauce, it was great.

Pizza Night: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

If it isn't one thing, then it's another. Now I finally have my internet connection back ... (have I mentioned lately how much I hate WildBlue?) ... and now apparently I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I'm in a brace at the moment and hopefully surgery won't be required but unfortunately, at least for awhile, my computer time will be limited. I'll still be cooking though! And experimenting with my new camera. Woohoo!

Pizza night again and I was looking for something other than the same old-same old and I found it. Another Rachael Ray winner: Buffalo Chicken Pizza. Using pre-made pizza dough makes this recipe a snap to put together.

One warning: be sure that you like the flavor of your hot sauce. While a few drops may add some zing to a dish, 3 tablespoons adds a lot of heat *and* a lot of the flavor of the hot sauce. Next time I'd definitely use Cholula. This time I was out od Cholula and used Desert Creatures Scorpion Sting, which I like a lot in smaller doses. The pizza was still great but it would be even better with the flavor of Cholula though.

Add some celery sticks, a little blue cheese dressing and you have a great -- and not too messy -- meal!

Since this pizza was *way* too spicy for the kids, ds created his own pepperoni pizza for his sisters. It was great, and thoughtful brother that he is, he even left of couple of pepperoni-free slices for his youngest sister.


Wingless Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

3/4 pound chicken breast cutlets
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 teaspoons grill seasoning, (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning) eyeball it
1 pizza dough, store bought or from your favorite pizzeria
Cornmeal or flour, to handle dough
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce, medium to spicy heat
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, a few generous handfuls
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat grill pan to high.

Place chicken on a plate and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the chicken then season with grill seasoning. When grill is hot, add chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side.

Stretch dough to form pizza using cornmeal or flour to help you handle it. If you let it rest and warm up a few minutes it will handle even easier. Set pizza on pizza pan to the side and clean board.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and stir in Worcestershire, hot sauce, and tomato sauce.

Remove the chicken from grill and thinly slice it. Add chicken to sauce and coat. Cover the pizza dough with the saucy Buffalo chicken, cheeses, and scallions. Bake 18 minutes or until crisp.

Calzone

What do you fix when you have two extra kids over for dinner and discover that the hamburger you'd planned to use for tacos has gone bad at the last minute? Calzones! I used some pizza dough I had in the fridge, some jarred pizza sauce, odds and ends of cheeses from the fridge and a variety of veggies along with pepperoni and sausage. About 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven and dinner is served. Not to bad for a last minute dinner on the fly. ;-)

Here are some links to other calzone recipes I'd like to try:

Double Cheese and Prosciutto Calzone from the February 2006 issue of Bon Appetit

Calzone With Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Calzone with Eggplant, Pancetta and Mozzarella