Pizza

Strawberry Balsamic Pizza

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Earlier this month a Publix opened up across from our neighborhood. I absolutely love Publix. Growing up in Southwest Florida it was pretty much the only grocery destination – sure we had Walmart, an Albertson’s, which I don’t even think exists anymore, and Sweet Bay. Every Sunday after church we’d go to the grocery store. (I am not looking forward to moving away from the land of the Publix.)

Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing. Despite my efforts to remain organized I always manage to miss something and have to back track throughout the store. But, now that I have a Publix within walking distance I use the Publix App on my phone. Not only can I browse the circular to find what’s on sale this week, but I can create my grocery list. Yes, Winn-Dixie and other grocery apps have the same ability, but Publix – the place “where shopping is a pleasure” – has surpassed customer service in the app alone. When you input your specific store, it’ll tell you what aisle that item is in. Not just “baking” but “aisle 9”. It might just be the best thing since sliced bread.

I apologize greatly for my Publix add, but there is a point! I used pre-made pizza dough from the Publix bakery instead of making my own. And it is delicious. Almost every grocery store does offer dough in their bakery, so don’t fret if you don’t live in the land of Publix. (Other alternatives include making your own, refrigerated pizza dough, or even the dry pizza dough usually hanging on an end cap in the store with pepperoni.)

Another benefit of living in Florida is that I can still find beautiful, ripe, Grown in Florida Strawberries at the store. I hadn’t thought strawberries to be in season, but Winter Strawberries are harvested between November and March. I swear, these are more beautiful than the ones I get in July. So, again, I apologize if you cannot find fresh strawberries in your local area – pin this recipe and save it for the summer. I promise you it’s worth it!

This pizza rivals any that you find at a gourmet pizza shop, and although you can roll your dough to your desired thickness, a thicker crust works beautiful with this masterpiece. Stuart questioned this dish – he thought strawberries on a pizza would be weird. But they complement the chicken and bacon and the cilantro provides a note of lightness. He pointed out, and I agree, that mint would also work well here (if you happened to have that instead).

Strawberry Balsamic Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 C strawberry jam
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • cornmeal, for pizza peal
  • 1 ball pizza dough, rolled out to approximately 14″
  • 1 C diced, cooked chicken
  • 3 strips, cooked thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 1/4 red onion, finely diced
  • 2 C shredded Italian blend cheese
  • 4 large fresh strawberries, diced
  • fresh cilantro (or mint), for garnish

Steps:

  1. Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 475 degrees F.
  2. In a small saucepan bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 4 minutes. Add in jam and sriracha. Toss chicken with 2 tbsp of sauce and set the remainder aside.
  3. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a pizza peal, if you don’t have a a pizza peal an edge-less cookie sheet works well too.  Place dough on peal.
  4. Top dough with balsamic sauce, leaving a 1″ crust. Top with chicken, 3/4 of the cheese, then the bacon and onion. Top this layer with the remaining cheese.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes.
  6. Garnish with fresh strawberries and cilantro (or mint). Allow pizza to cool a few minutes before slicing.

*This recipe is adapted from Chris at http://www.thecafesucrefarine.com/2011/07/strawberry-balsamic-pizza-with-chicken.html*

Strawberry Balsamic Pizza 1 Strawberry Balsamic Pizza 2

Candy Corn Pizza

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Here is another Pinterest recreation for my final candy corn presentation. When you slice a round pizza into triangles, you will find yourself staring at a delicious slice of candy corn pizza. Assemble the pizza by first rolling out your dough into a circle. Put shredded mozzarella cheese in the center and surround that with shredded cheddar. The yellow bottom of the candy corn is represented by the crust, so brush it with olive oil. If you wanted to you could dye the pizza dough with yellow food coloring.

Below are recipes for homemade pizza dough and homemade pizza sauce, but for a busy Halloween night feel free to take advantage of the grocery store with a jarred sauce and refrigerated dough – I will not judge.

Candy Corn Pizza

Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg dry active yeast
  • 1 C warm water
  • 3 1/2 C flour
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • cornmeal

Steps:

  1. Dissolve yeast in the water, 10 minutes.
  2. In a stand mixer combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add half of the yeast. Mix in with your fingers. Add in the olive oil and remaining yeast.
  3. Knead dough with the dough hook of your stand mixer for 7 minutes. (Or by hand on a floured surface for 10 minutes.)
  4. Shape dough into a ball and put in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.
  5. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F. Divide dough into 4 separate pieces and roll out on a floured surface.
  6. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a pizza paddle (or edgeless cookie sheet). Place pizza dough on the paddle and assemble.
  7. Bake pizzas on pizza stone 20 minutes until pizza crust is crispy and cooked through.

*This pizza crust recipe is adapted from a recipe that came with a friend’s pizza stone*

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (28 oz) tomato puree
  • 1 1/2 C water
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt

Steps:

  1. Combine all ingredients.

*This pizza sauce recipe is adapted from Lynn at http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2009/01/homemade-pizza-sauce.html*

Crescent Calzones

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

What do you do when your attempt a fancy dinner fails and there’s no time for take-out? Crescent Calzones! (Even better when your husband keeps you calm in the kitchen, makes you laugh, and helps you cook!)

Crescent Calzones 1 Crescent Calzones 2 Crescent Calzones 3 Crescent Calzones 4 Crescent Calzones 5 Crescent Calzones 6

An Original Recipe

Crescent Calzones

Ingredients:

  • 1 can crescent rolls (will yield 4 calzones)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 C jarred marinara sauce
  • 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 C packed spinach leaves
  • 12 slices pepperoni
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp Herbs de Provence
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp cornmeal

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Pinch together two crescent triangles to create a rectangle. Do this four times.
  3. Fill each rectangle with sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and spinach. Only do this on one half so you can fold over the remaining dough. With a fork, crimp the dough together. Cut a slit in the top of the dough with a sharp paring knife. Place calzones on a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal – you could simply spray the sheet with non-stick cooking spray if you want. Note: you can substitute whatever protein/veggies you’d like. It’s a pizza – the limits are only in your pantry/fridge!
  4. Brush each calzone with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoning and salt.
  5. Bake 12-15 minutes (or according to crescent directions).

Crescent Calzones 7 Crescent Calzones 8

Mexican Pizzas

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

It’s another Mexican Monday and today my suggestion is to try these “Taco Bell Mexican Pizzas”. I do not frequent the local Taco Bell, so I can only trust the source I got the recipe from that they are indeed “Taco Bell Mexican Pizzas”. Either way, they’re delicious and a simple week night dinner – I opted to add ground beef to the pizzas, but you could omit the meat and keep them vegetarian. Don’t be deceived, these tortilla sized pizzas are surprisingly satisfying.

Mexican Pizzas

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/8 C taco seasoning or 1/2 pkt
  • 1/4 C water
  • 4 wheat tortillas
  • 1 C refried beans
  • 1/3 C enchilada sauce
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced finely
  • 2/3 C shredded Mexican cheese

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a medium, non-stick skillet brown ground beef over medium-high heat. Stir in taco seasoning and water according to taco seasoning directions. *If making your own taco seasoning, use 1/4 C water and 1/8 C seasoning for the 1/2 lb of meat.
  3. Crisp up tortillas in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, flipping often.
  4. Heat the refried beans (the microwave will work just fine) until they’re warm and easier to spread. Spread over two of the crispy tortillas.
  5. Top each tortilla with the remaining two tortillas. And spread the enchilada sauce over top. Pile on meat and veggies. Cover with cheese.
  6. Bake 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

*This recipe is modified from Allyson at http://domesticsuperhero.com/2013/05/20/taco-bell-mexican-pizzas/*

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