Apple Squash Bacon Pizza

Since Jessie introduced me to spaghetti squash pizza, I have ventured off into the world of pizza toppings.  What goes well paired with bread and cheese?  A lot of things!  Of the combinations we've tried recently, this is our current favorite.  It's pretty much taking this soup, and turning it into a pizza (or two!).  The combination of apples, butternut squash, bacon, and cheddar cheese is delicious either way if you ask me!  What are your favorite pizza toppings?

5-7 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (Have you ever used kitchen shears to cut your bacon into 

                                                               pieces before you cook it?!)

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped roughly into 1-inch chunks

1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced (I didn't use my corer-peeler-slicer because I wanted super thin 

                                                   slices, but in retrospect, I think the thicker slices would have worked 

                                                    just fine and the prep would have been much easier!)

10-16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated (depending on how cheesy you like your pizza!)

2 balls of pizza dough

olive oil

black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450.  If using a stone, make sure you preheat the stone a good thirty minutes.

Cook bacon in a large frying pan.  Remove to a paper towel and set aside, leaving the grease in the pan.

Saute squash cubes in bacon grease over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  You don't want to cook the squash completely.  It will finish cooking on the pizza.  But give it just enough time in the pan to start softening and take in the yummy bacon flavor.  

Roll out one pizza dough.  Brush lightly with olive oil.  Spread half the apple slices on dough.  Sprinkle just a little cheese over apples.  Then top with half the squash, more cheese, and finish with bacon crumbles.  Sprinkle with black pepper (if you want to) and bake for 12-15 minutes.  

I had enough toppings to make two large pizzas.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

My friend, Jessie, was here visiting last week.  She is the one who started me on this whole recipe blog idea in the first place, so it was a sure thing that we would enjoy some good food together.  This pizza is something she'd made before and suggested I try.  It was unique and so delicious!  The flavors are simple, but not boring at all.  I was skeptical about the leftovers getting soggy, but a warm-up in the oven with the broiler on low did the trick just fine.   This recipe makes two pizzas. 

1 spaghetti squash (about 4 pounds)—halved lengthwise, seeded and tough fibers removed

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling and brushing 

Salt and freshly ground pepper 

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg 

4 tablespoons coarse cornmeal 

2 pizza dough rounds (about 1 pound each)

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped, plus leaves to taste

One 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese 

1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425°. Drizzle the flesh of the squash with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Place the squash, cut side down, in a large baking pan and pierce the skin in several places with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the squash over and bake until the spaghetti-like strands can be easily removed with a fork, about 10 minutes more. Let cool before scraping the flesh into a bowl.

Arrange 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 475°. Sprinkle 2 large, heavy baking sheets with the cornmeal. Place the pizza dough rounds on top of the cornmeal and shape into 12-by-14-inch rectangles. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and the chopped thyme. Bake until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.

Spread the ricotta evenly over the pizza crusts and top with the squash. Season with thyme leaves, salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Bake until just warmed through, about 5 minutes. Cut the pizza into squares and serve with the lemon wedges

Black Bean Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

Jessie told me a while ago I should make this pizza.  I've had the recipe saved on pinterest for a long time.  But my oldest gingersnap absolutely hates black beans, so I try to spread out when I use them.  If I had simply read the recipe, I would have known that you mash up the black beans with tasty spices to create a delicious "sauce" for this pizza and we would have enjoyed it much sooner - all of us!  This was also the first time I'd tried a completely whole wheat flour pizza dough.  It was hearty, but tasty, and worked well with the black bean mixture and toppings.  

I made three pizza crusts from the dough recipe.  I baked two pizzas for my family and put the third ball of dough in the freezer for later.  The black bean mixture ended up being enough for four pizzas, so I froze the extra "sauce" mixture as well.  The toppings really do make the pizza, so be sure to plan ahead for those.

• 
  
• Pizza Dough:
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3-4 cups whole wheat flour
Black Bean Mixture:
• 2 (15-ounces each) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons cumin
Toppings:
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 4-5 green onions, finely chopped
• 1-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Chopped tomatoes
• Shredded lettuce
• Sour cream or ranch for drizzling
• Salsa

DIRECTIONS

1. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (preheating a pizza stone if you have it; if not, flip a rimmed baking sheet upside down and preheat that instead). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or you can definitely do this the old-fashioned way by hand in a large bowl), combine the water, yeast, sugar, oil and salt. There's no need to proof the yeast if using instant yeast. If you are using active dry yeast, let the mixture stand for 4-5 minutes until the yeast is foaming. Add the flour gradually until a soft dough forms that isn't too sticky to the touch (see the note above). Knead for 3-4 minutes. Cover and set aside while preparing the other ingredients. 
2. For the bean mixture, in a blender or food processor, combine the beans, oil, salt to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more to taste), cilantro, hot sauce and cumin. Blend until it reaches the desired consistency. I processed mine until fairly smooth. 
3. Divide the dough into 2-3 pieces, depending on how big you want your pizzas. Press the dough into a large circle or oval or square (it really doesn't matter) on a piece of greased parchment paper to about 1/4-inch thick. Of course, you can always press into a thicker crust if you'd like. It's really all about your personal preference.
4. Divide the bean mixture evenly among the pressed out pizza dough. It won't spread as easily as, say, butter, but using the back of a large spoon or an offset spatula, spread it as best you can. It doesn't have to be perfect. 
5. Top the bean mixture with a sprinkle of red bell pepper, green onions and cheese. 
6. Slide the parchment with the pizza on it onto the preheated baking stone or upside down baking sheet.
7. Bake for 8-12 minutes until the crust is golden and toppings are bubbling. Carefully remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes or so before serving. Repeat with the remaining pizza(s).
8. If desired, top with tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream (or ranch) - otherwise, you can eat it without the extra toppings. Delicious either way.

Summer Pesto Pizza {with homemade pesto}

We've had a wonderful summer, which has included lots of fresh and light meals.  This pizza, although not as light, tastes deliciously fresh and has been our summer meal of choice.  I used the last of my fresh basil and some ripe tomatoes from our ginormous plant to make it one last time in celebration of my middle gingersnap's first day of preschool.   Yum!  

Recipe from Simply in Season

For the Pesto: 

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

1-3 cloves garlic

1/3 cup pine nutes, walnuts, or hazelnuts

3-6 Tbsp Parm cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil

Finely chop together everything but olive oil in food processor or Viatmix.  Add oil gradually while food processor runs to make a thick paste.

For the Dough (I make two crusts out of this):

1 heaping Tbsp active dry yeast

1 1 /4 cups warm water

Stir together in a large bowl until yeast is dissolved.

2 cups flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

Add enough flour to make a soft dough.  Knead 8-10 minutes (or use the dough hook in your stand mixer) until smooth and elastic.  Place in greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45-55 minutes.  Generously grease pizza stone or baking sheet with olive oil.  Roll or press dough onto pan.  Bake in preheated oven at 450 for 5 minutes.

1/2 cup Pesto

3 medium tomatoes, sliced

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Spread pesto onto crust.  Top with tomatoes and cheese.  Garnish with fresh basil leaves if you want.  Bake in preheated oven at 450 until cheese is melted, 5-8 minutes. 

Meatless Monday - Big Daddy's Cheese Pizza

There was a period while growing up when my awesome dad (known to my children as Big Daddy) was responsible for dinner one night of the week. We (my siblings and I) looked forward to that night because we knew we would have one of three things: Little Cesar's $5 pizza, homemade cheese enchiladas, or Dad's cheese pizza. I am my father's daughter in many ways, some that aren't as detrimental to my health as our shared love for anything doughy, only to be made better by adding cheese. And that's where we land with today's Meatless Monday meal: my dad's amazing cheese pizza. I never said Meatless Mondays had to be healthy! I guess you could add some chopped veggies, but I would always choose plain cheese pizza over anything else. Call me crazy. I'd never personally made Dad's pizza, so I emailed him asking for the recipe. My dad is one of my heroes, and not just because he makes incredible cheese pizza! To let you in on the full cheese pizza experience, I'm posting his instructions as he wrote them to me.

Dough:

In a large mixing bowl add 1 ½ cups luke warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 packets (2 tablespoons) dry active yeast.

Let stand for 5 minutes.

Mix in 3 tablespoons oil, 4 cups flour (whatever kind Mom usually buys?). I mix everything with a fork until it is all a good doughy consistency but not sticky (add more flour if it is), then kneed it with my hands for a minute or two.

Cover the bowl with oil, put the dough in a ball, cover with a dish towel, put in a warm place to rise for one hour.

Cut the dough in half or thirds (depending on how thick you want your crust) to make two or three good size pizza doughs.

Fold the dough over on itself 10-12 times, then sprinkle with flour and roll out on one of those tupperware things that you roll stuff out on.

Sprinkle corn meal on the pizza board (if you have one). If you don’t you really need one or it’s hard to get the dough onto the pizza stone in the oven. I don't have a pizza board, but I used the back side of my largest cookie sheet and it worked well. After you put the rolled out dough on the sprinkled corn meal, give it a little shake before adding sauce and cheese. It helps keep the dough from sticking to the "board".

Oh, by the way, you need to preheat the pizza stone at 400 degrees for at least 30 minutes.

Sauce:

Mix together – one 8 oz. can tomato sauce, one 6 oz. can tomato paste, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon onion salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oregano until you like the consistency.

Add whatever other toppings you want and bake the pizza at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is cooked to your liking.

For a variation try doing everything with only your left hand.

Stick leftovers in the fridge and eat cold for breakfast the next morning. (and he would)

I love you.

Dad

I love you too, Dad.

Pizza Bites

I was excited to include this in our menu of Super Bowl snacks. They were good, but not great. I used refrigerated dough (probably not the best choice) and half of the pepperoni package had lost its seal so I was short on the meat (boo!). Next time I will make my own dough and make sure to get enough pepperonis to put two in each bite.

½ batch (enough for 1 pizza)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni
For topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

Pizza Pockets (or balls)

Apparently, I can't make pockets. I tried. I failed. So I made balls. Pizza balls. I imagine they were just as tasty had I been able to actually make a pocket. Jaime gave me this recipe and didn't mention anything about difficulty with pocket-making, so I've decided it's just me. I've never really liked pockets anyway.


1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces Italian turkey sausage
1 cup tightly-packed arugula (about 1 ounce)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (13.5-ounce) package of store-bought pizza crust (recommended: Pillsbury)
All-purpose flour, for rolling out pizza dough
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized, heavy skillet. Add the sausage and cook until crumbled and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the arugula and cook until wilted. Turn off the heat and let cool about 10 minutes. Add the cream cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to a thin 20 by 12-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise. The cut each half into 8 equal rectangles.
Spoon topping onto 1 side of each of the rectangles. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the rectangle with egg wash. Close the rectangle of pizza dough over the topping. Use a fork to seal and crimp the edges. Place the pizza pockets onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each pizza pocket with egg wash. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce over low heat in a medium saucepan. Serve the hot pizza pockets with the marinara sauce alongside for dipping.