Pizzadillas

Becca here with a super quick and easy meal that is on our regular rotation.  It's easy enough that even my youngest kids can help.  Making Homemade Tortillas is my very favorite, but not something I can prioritize right now; these from Sam's Club are what we typically use in this stage of life.  Feel free to be creative and add in your favorite toppings, like mushrooms, peppers, black olives, etc.  Offering an array of different choices, and letting kids make their own, can be a great way to get them to try some new-to-them foods.  I typically cook 2-3 pounds of sausage at a time.  Our favorite is to mix JC Potter breakfast sausage with half homemade sausage made with deer meat.  Then I have it already cooked and ready to throw together some super quick meals, like Sausage & Egg Breakfast Fried Rice, Baked Breakfast Cups, 'Anytime' Breakfast Burritos, Unstuffed Zucchini Squash Skillet, Tuscan Soup, Breakfast Casserole, Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Stew, Breakfast Pizza, etc.

Pizzadillas

Your favorite tortillas - I typically allow two per person
Pizza Sauce - we use the Walmart store brand, because it is in glass, has no added sugar, and is just over $1
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Cooked sausage, beef, or pepperoni
Other toppings as desired (black olives, mushrooms, etc.)

Preheat large skillet or electric griddle.

Place tortilla onto hot pan, and immediately cover with a thin layer of cheese, pizza sauce, meat, and other toppings, ending with a few sprinkles of cheese, before placing another tortilla on top.  Make sure not to make the toppings too thick, or the pizzadilla will be soggy.

When the bottom of the pizzadilla has started to lightly brown (you can peek under it using a spatula!), carefully flip it over.  Continue to cook until both sides are golden brown and beginning to crisp.

I let them rest on a dinner plate for a minute or two while I load the next batch of tortillas, and then use kitchen shears to slice them into quarters and serving.  Enjoy!

'Pioneer Woman' Pizza Crust

Jana here with a delicious pizza crust recipe!  When I make homemade pizza, I have tried several different recipes for the crust. Some have been okay, and some haven't been so great. I decided to try The Pioneer Woman's recipe, and it didn't disappoint! It was so easy to make, and was the perfect texture. Light, a little crispy, and so good!  This recipe makes 2 pizza crusts, so either cut it in half if you only want one, or save one in the fridge for another night!  It's also best to make the dough 24 hours in advance!

Pioneer Woman Pizza Crust

1 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Sprinkle the yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.

2. In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with the flour.  Next, pour in yeast mixture and mix until just combined.

3. Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil and form the dough into a ball.  Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until you need it.

To Bake:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet, and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove half the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin. Top with sauce, and toppings of choice. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until crust is golden.

Enjoy!

The Best Homemade Pizza Sauce {freezer friendly, makes 1 gallon}

Becca here with a really yummy pizza sauce recipe.  I have tried lots (LOTS) of different pizza sauce recipes and combinations over the years, and many were fine, but I couldn't ever get it just perfect.  My husband requested a really thick pizza sauce, and we like one with lots of flavor.  I wasn't happy with the way some came out too thin and ended up making the crust soggy.  If you think you have trouble getting a good homemade pizza crust, in my experience, the sauce and baking time, temperature, and method have more to do with it than the actual crust recipe.  But we finally have a winner, one that the whole family loves, and my husband (finally) said is a keeper.  I got the original recipe off of the back of the can of tomato paste, although I did tweak it a bit.  I've also added a splash of balsamic vinegar and a can of diced tomatoes to a couple of cups of the pizza sauce to make a tasty marinara sauce for pasta.  Enjoy!

The Best Homemade Pizza Sauce
*makes 1 gallon

1 huge can tomato paste (111 oz.)
2 quarts water
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons black pepper
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons oregano

Combine all ingredients in large stockpot.  Stir well to combine.  Cover, and simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, 20 - 30 minutes.  Use immediately, or let come to room temperature and then freeze in serving size containers.  (I usually freeze in 2 cup portions).

*To make a red sauce for pasta, I just add a can of diced tomatoes & a couple of splashes of balsamic vinegar to 3 cups of pizza sauce.

Eggplant Pizza Rounds

Jana here with a delicious and healthier way to get the flavor of pizza for your dinner!  We love pizza, and I think I could eat it at least once or twice a week, but that would be a little overboard, I'm sure!  When I saw this recipe that showed how to use eggplant for the 'crust' of the pizza, I was curious!  I have cooked eggplant before, and have eaten Eggplant Parmesan at restaurants, but still haven't cooked it enough to feel like I knew a whole lot about it.  I have peeled the eggplants before when cooking them, but read that the peel is definitely edible, and highest in nutrition.  I was using two eggplants for this recipe, so I peeled one and left the other as is.  My husband and I preferred the pizza rounds with the peel. We thought it added a lot to the flavor and texture of the dish. My kids really enjoyed this also!  To me, eggplant doesn't have a super strong flavor. It was so yummy with the pizza toppings right on top!

Eggplant Pizza Rounds

1 large eggplant
Olive Oil
Pizza Sauce
Pizza Toppings

1. Slice eggplant into circles, 1/4"- 1/2" thick.  Lay the rounds on a piece of wax paper lined with paper towels.  Pierce both sides with a fork, and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit for 30 minutes to draw out any bitterness and water.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lined baking sheet, lay out the eggplant rounds, and brush with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip. Brush the other side with olive oil, and cook an additional 10 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven, add toppings, and bake for a final 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pizzadillas

Jana here with a really quick, easy, yummy meal! I saw the idea on food.com, and loved how versatile it was. You just need the base ingredients, and then you can easily customize these to fit your family's taste, or even individualize them for each person!  These take minutes to prepare, and taste just like delicious pizza! 

Pizzadillas

Whole Wheat Tortillas
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Parmesan or Romano Cheese, grated
Italian seasoning
Canadian bacon (or meat of choice!)
Olive oil

1. Heat a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of a large skillet, or on a griddle.  (I used low-medium heat)

2. Place tortilla flat in the bottom, spread a small amount of sauce over the entire tortilla.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, italian seasoning.  Add meat.  Top with shredded cheese.  Carefully use a spatula to fold tortilla in half. (as shown in picture)  Cook until browned, then flip and cook the other side. Watch closely so they don't burn.

Enjoy!!

Mini Pizza Bites

Jana here with a recipe that we had for dinner, but would also be great for snacks or a party!  These pizza bites are also very versatile. You can easily change the meat for different varieties, change the type of cheese, or dipping sauce!  My inspiration was from a blog who said they were inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe.

Mini Pizza Bites

3/4 cup flour (I used 1/4 cup whole wheat & 1/2 cup all purpose)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup meat (I used Italian sausage....pepperoni cubes or canadian bacon would also be good!)
1/2 cup pizza sauce (for dipping)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and Italian seasoning.  Add in the milk and egg until combined.  Stir in the cheeses, and meat. 

3. Put batter in muffin tins, and bake for 20-25 minutes. (until golden)

4. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

Grilled Pizza Bites (on a mushroom)

Becca here with a recipe that was a huge hit with my family!  When I first saw this recipe for Mushroom Cap Pizza Bites (for Mushroom Haters!) I knew it would be something that I'd be trying.  Because we're all mushroom lovers, so if it's a dish even the haters like, we should love it, right?!  The day I was going to fix them for dinner, adding a few twists of my own of course, it hit me that they would be perfect for the grill.  We have a gas grill at this house that's hooked up to our home's natural gas line, like a kitchen stove would be, so it's super easy & convenient to grill.  Last year I decided I was going to teach myself (I had grilled maybe 2 times, hot dogs both times, in my life before this) and with the help of the lovely internet & a Taste of Home Cookbook I'd highly recommend I quickly grew to love it!  (quick note, we're not affiliates or paid by anyone, all opinions are ours & unbiased & all of that.....and the cookbook right now is showing a 'bargain price' of 6.38 on Amazon right now for me!)  I seriously started grilling dinner at least 3-4 nights a week; we were often outside anyway, and it doesn't heat up the kitchen (and whole house!) like even the stovetop does.  So, without further ado, here's my adaption of the recipe.  You could prepare it in your oven at 400 F if you prefer, using the same steps :)

Grilled Pizza Bites (on a mushroom)

24 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms (aka baby portabellas. Mine were $4.49 at Sam's Club & had 36 mushrooms)

1 cup your favorite pizza or marinara sauce

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (I use part skim)

1) Turn your grill on.  You want it to be about 400-450 degrees.  That's high on my grill, but natural gas doesn't cook quite as hot as propane, so use your judgment about your grill.

2) Wash your mushrooms (I clean them by wiping them with a wet paper towel, you don't want the gills to fill with water, and that removes all of the dirt).  Snap the stem end part of the mushroom off.  I saved mine in a ziploc bag in the freezer to toss in next time I make easy slow cooker chicken stock because it will add great flavor & depth to the stock, and I don't like to waste anything :) 

3) Place the mushroom caps, cap side down (so it looks like an open cup waiting to be filled with pizza sauce!) on the foil covered hot grill grate, oiled if you think they'll stick to your grill (mine didn't). 

4) Cook 5-10 minutes, or until caps are full of liquid.  Using tongs, quickly dump the liquid out of each mushroom cap, and return it to the grill, empty.

5) Spoon each mushroom cap full of pizza sauce, and then top with a small chunk (or grated) mozzarella cheese.

6) Be sure to close the grill lid, and cook an additional 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms are beginning to brown, and cheese is really melted.  Serve immediately, enjoy!!

Thai Chicken Pizza

This pizza is a different combination than your typical red sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. Instead it's made with chicken, sweet Asian sauce, zucchini, shallots, cilantro, and peanuts, just to name a few ingredients! It's even made with a homemade crust :), that makes enough for two very large pizzas!
I made the Thai Chicken Pizza with half of the crust, and saved the rest of the dough for another time! How convenient. :)
This recipe looks quite long, but that's just because I included the full directions for making the dough as well. The dough is something that is time consuming, but not because of the amount of work put into it. You're just waiting for it to rise most of the time. But-choose a day you're going to be around the house a little extra and give this a try! You won't be disappointed.
Thai Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

1 ball pizza dough
Olive oil, for brushing
¼ cup sweet Asian chili sauce, plus extra for drizzling
1 shallot, thinly sliced
½ large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3-4 tbsp. chopped peanuts
2 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. minced fresh basil (optional)


Basic Pizza Dough
Printer-Friendly Version
Yield: enough dough for 2 medium pizzas or 4 calzones
Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.  Sprinkle the yeast over the top.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend.  Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture.  With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil.  Mix until a cohesive dough is formed.  Switch to the dough hook.  Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.
Press down the dough to deflate it.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces.  Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball.  (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.)  Cover with a damp cloth.  Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes.  Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.  Shape the dough with lightly floured hands.  Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil.  Top as desired.  Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

 Directions for Thai Chicken Pizza

• To make the pizza, increase the oven temperature to 500˚ F and preheat a pizza stone.  Roll out the pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round.  Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil.  Spread the chili sauce over the crust in an even layer.  Layer with the shallot, zucchini, red pepper flakes, shredded chicken, and cheese.
  
  Happy Eating! Sara :)
  
• Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.  Sprinkle evenly with the peanuts, cilantro, and basil before slicing and serving.
  

Chicken Barbeque Pizza

Becca here with one of my family's favorite pizzas!  There's a local pizza place here that serves a chicken barbeque pizza that we would sometimes order for lunch during my "working days" many years ago :)  Since I don't have the time or budget to do that regularly now, with 3 little ones & homeschooling, I've started making our own.  Feel free to use your family's favorite pizza crust recipe, or even a store-bought crust, as well as your favorite barbeque sauce.  Although I love a tangy sauce on bbq sandwiches, I think a bit of a sweeter sauce (like Kraft or KC Masterpiece, not expensive 'real' barbeque store stuff :) tastes better on this pizza.  Bonus, it's less expensive too :)  See below for a great tip on reheating any kind of pizza too.  No more soggy or chewy crust!!

Your favorite pizza crust
1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce (see note above)
1 red onion, cut into pieces
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (great use for Slow-Cooker Easy Cooked Chicken & Stock)
2-4 cups mozzarella (this part-skim mozzarella from Sam's club is my favorite, and just $2/a pound)

Prepare pizza crust for toppings.

Spread barbeque sauce evenly over pizza crust, reserving some for topping.
Next, add chicken, red onion, and mozzarella cheese.  Top with remaining barbeque sauce.
Cook according to crust directions (I do mine at 500 for 10-12 minutes)

**To reheat leftover pizza of any kind, I use my broiler pan; you likely have one in the drawer under your oven and didn't know what to do with it.  Now you have at least one great use!  Make sure you use both of the pans together; there should be a bottom solid pan, and a top pan with vents on it, as you can see above, that stack together, vented pan on top.  Place your pizza on top of the vented pan to reheat it, I do 400 until the cheese starts bubbling, and you'll have an amazing crisp crust; it definitely tastes 'fresh' and not reheated.  Enjoy!

Grilled Flatbread Pizza

This pizza is unique in that it uses very non-traditional pizza ingredients, and is also made on "naan". Naan is Indian flatbread and can be found in the bakery section of your local Wal-Mart or grocery store. It came with two in the package. If you do a google search you can find many recipes to make Naan yourself, which I would encourage and will try to do next time to save on the cost. This pizza also strongly emphasizes onions. Yummy! I cook with onions or garlic at least 5 or 6 nights out of the week. This pizza was my first attempt at carmelizing onions and boy were they good!
Occasionally I'll make a meal that might not be low fat, but it isn't processed either-meaning I quickly recognized the ingredients in everything I was using to cook with. That's a quick "test" I do a lot-First, see how many ingredients are in something (the less the better), and also see if I know what they are.

Flatbread Pizza-found here: Our Best Bites: Flatbread Pizza (the "I" in the paragraph below is one of the lovely ladies from Our Best Bites)

Ingredients:
Naan or other flat bread
Alfredo sauce (either store bought from a jar or home made, but you only need a tiny bit)
Fresh baby spinach leaves
Cooked chicken, rotisserie chicken, fauxtisserie chicken, pre-cooked frozen strips, baked, etc.
Caramelized onions*
Feta cheese
Cooking Directions:
Layer the above ingredients on flatbread and cook in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Slice and serve!
*I actually have been meaning to do a whole post on the different methods of caramelizing onions, because there are a few ways to do it.  But for right here and now, if you’ve never done it before, just thinly slice onions and saute them in a skillet on med-low heat with a couple of pats of butter.  After about 15 minutes  when they’re nice and soft add a sprinkle of sugar (either brown or white) if you want to enhance the sweetness.  Continue cooking until they’re caramel colored.  It can take 20-30 minutes depending on the heat of your pan and the thickness of the onion.  You could make them ahead of time and just store them in the fridge.

Enjoy! Sara