Mama Mia!

I wish I knew some Italian because these little pizzas are amazing!! I love pizza, but don't have it near as often since I've had a baby. We don't like to spend the money on delivery, and even the frozen pizzas (the good ones) are expensive! Before Logan was born, we made homemade pizza a lot. It was easy, inexpensive, and most of all...good!

I was watching a recorded episode of Rachel Ray and she made mini deep dish pizzas. They looked so good and easy I decided I had to make them for dinner. I changed them up a little and made them cheeseburger pizzas. They were so good and the great thing is, you can eat three and it is only the equivalent of 1 biscuit! I do have some hints to make them easier for you, so before you make them be sure to read all the way to the end of the recipe.

Bacon Cheeseburger Mini Deep Dish Pizzas
Source: Inspired by Rachel Ray, my additions are in italics

1 can refrigerated biscuits
1/2 lb. ground beef
6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
tomato sauce
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese

Cut each biscuit into thirds and press into rounds. Press each round into a cup of a muffin tin that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook according to the package's directions. Brown ground beef, drain fat, add onion and cook until tender. Add garlic and worcestershire sauce and cook an additional few minutes. Put cooked meat into a medium bowl and toss with crumbled bacon. Fill each mini crust with tomato sauce, about a spoon full in each cup. Not enough to make the crust soggy. Top with parmesan cheese and then fill with the toppings and top with mozzarella cheese. Place back in the oven just to melt the cheese.

My tips: My crusts puffed up instead of spreading around the cup, so about 3/4 through the cooking time, I took them out and used a spoon to mash them back into cup form. Then placed them back in the oven to finish cooking. Also, be sure to spray your pan with cooking spray and use a large spoon to remove the mini pizzas. They come out great!

Breakfast for Dinner, With a Twist!

We used to have pizza night once a week, either ordered in or homemade. If you recall, we went through a grilled pizza kick. Man, those were good! Anyway, I decided to do a breakfast pizza. Taylor wasn't as enthused as I was with the prospect, but he did try it. He said he would rather stick to traditional pizza, but I thought it was a nice change of pace.

I also used one of my favorite seasonings EVER! Pilleterri's Bold & Spicy Seasoning. It is great on just about everything!!!

Breakfast Pizza
Source: Me

1 refrigerated pizza dough (we like pillsbury)
5 eggs, scrambled
5 sausage links, the heat and serve kind, defrosted and sliced into 1" pieces
cheddar cheese
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
milk
chicken stock
salt
pepper
Pilleterri's Bold & Spicy Seasoning

Roll out the pizza dough and bake for 1/2 the time indicated on the package. While it is baking, add the butter to a small sauce pan and let it melt over medium heat. Add the flour and cook a few minutes. Add milk until it creates a sauce. Yeah, I don't do measurements with the liquids. I just add until it looks right. Let it thicken over the heat and then use the chicken stock to thin it out a little. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When the half baked pizza crust comes out of the oven, use the gravy like pizza sauce and spread over the crust. Sprinkle with the pilleterri's seasoning. Add the eggs and sausage. Sprinkle with any cheese of your choosing, I used cheddar.

Grilled Pizza???

I've have been seeing this concept on many blogs over the past few weeks and keep meaning to give it a try, but things have been a little hectic lately. For one, I went into pre-term labor this past weekend and had to go to the hospital to get those contractions to stop so this baby will have a little more baking time. Contrary to what my husband believes, my tummy does not function like a turkey; just because my belly button has popped out doesn't mean the baby is done cooking!

I am now getting back into the swing of things and decided I would try out this concept of grilled pizza tonight. As you know, I am a big fan of grilling since it keeps the heat outside where it belongs and not inside my house where I am trying to keep it a decent temperature without breaking the bank. Yes, I am the air conditioning nazi. (Just for the record, I am the same way with the heat in the winter. I do not discriminate against seasons)

I made my stand-by no yeast pizza dough and got all my toppings ready to take out to the grill. For me, it was alfredo and pesto sauce with mozzarella, parmesan, pesto-jack, and smoked gouda. I just ran across the pesto-jack at a local grocery store and just HAD to try it out. It did not dissapoint!

I'm sure you don't have to think real hard to know what Taylor had on his pizza. :)

I am now one of grilled pizza's biggest fans. The crust was crispy on the outside and soft inside, with a slight smokiness from the grill. It is my new favorite way to have pizza. You do have to be pretty organized though.

I made the dough and got the crusts rolled out. I then sprayed the grill with olive oil and got it heating up. I gathered my toppings and headed out to the grill. Throw the pizza dough on the grill for about 5 minutes, until the side on the grill is firm and has nice grill marks.

Flip the pizza and add your toppings. Close the lid and let the pizza grill until the cheese is melted. This all happens really quickly so that is why you want to have your toppings out at the grill with you.

20 minutes 'till heaven

Ever since I made homemade pizza several weeks ago, it keeps coming back up when we talk about what to have for dinner. It is really simple (thanks to the no yeast pizza dough recipe I use) and I love that you can cater to your tastes for the night. I saw a yummy looking white pizza on A Taste of Home Cooking last week and was inspired to create my own.

I actually thought ahead this time and prepared my dough Sunday night and stuck it in the fridge. This was a brilliant idea! I need to start thinking ahead more often. ;)

For my version of the white pizza I knew I wanted to use cream cheese as a base. I also still have gouda in the fridge (I know you are shocked to see me using it again). I mixed that with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and mozzarella for the topping and that makes a total 4 cheeses on my pizza. Do I hear angels singing? All that cheese must mean I’m in heaven, right?

Jaime’s Heavenly White Pizza
(This pizza makes 8 small slices)

1/2 recipe for no yeast pizza dough
4 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup each smoked gouda, mozzarella and parmesan, shredded/grated
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Red pepper flakes, to taste

Combine cream cheese, garlic, cayenne pepper and salt together in a mixing bowl. Roll out your pizza dough and top with cream cheese mixture. Follow with the gouda, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Finally, top with cilantro and red pepper flakes. Bake according to dough directions. Mine bakes for about 20 minutes, hence the title. ;)

That's Amore!

You know, like "when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie?" Cheesy, I know. :) I got the idea to make homemade pizza from Dela over at Not Your Mama's Southern Cooking. She recently posted about making her own pizza dough for the first time and it inspired me, since I have never made my own either. The husband and I have also been getting tired of my usual meat and potatoes meals (one of which I have planned for this weekend) and wanted a change of pace. Taylor loves pizza and everyone says there is no better pizza that the one you make yourself since you can personalize it to your tastes. This also means we can each have individual pies to our liking. This might not matter to you, but for us it means we will both enjoy our pizza more. I love white sauces, especially Alfredo, on pizza. Taylor is not a big fan and would rather have a really good tomato sauce. This way we will both get what we like!

I wanted to make the entire meal from scratch, so first I had to find a dough recipe. I also wanted to use what I had on hand in my kitchen. No time to run to the grocery store after work...I was way too hungry for that. And that means no yeast in the dough. I don't bake bread often...well ever, so yeast is not something you will regularly find in my cabinets. Dela made her dough with beer, but we also don't keep that on hand, so I had to keep looking. I finally found what looked like a good no yeast pizza dough on EasyPizzaCrusts.com. We both loved the crust. It had a good flavor and texture, but it didn't brown much on the edges.

No Yeast Pizza Crust
Source: EasyPizzaCrusts.com - my additions in italics

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp Italian Herbs
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
2 dashes cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pizza pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add liquids and stir to incorporate dry ingredients. Knead dough by hand 6-8 times on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough thinly. I halved the ball of dough and we had individual pizzas that were perfect for one serving. I rolled mine out pretty thin in more of a square shape. Taylor wanted his a little thicker, so we made it round.

Place rolled dough onto prepared pizza pan, rub a little oil over the top to keep the sauce from making the crust soggy. Add your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, depending on crust thickness.

I also wanted to make the sauces myself instead of from a jar. However, my attempt at homemade Alfredo sauce was a bust and I ended up using some from a jar. The marinara sauce recipe turned out awesome! I just came up with my own recipe using ingredients I had on hand. It was quick and easy! Taylor loved it!

Quick Marinara Sauce
Source: Me

1 can stewed tomatoes, pureed
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning Spice blend
1 large clove or 2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot or 1/2 small white onion, minced
olive oil, just enough to saute the garlic

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the oil, garlic and onion. Sautee until tender. Add the tomato puree and Italian seasonings. Bring to a light boil then reduce heat to simmer for about 5 minutes, or longer if you have the time. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors will develop. I made the sauce first and let it simmer while I made the pizza dough.

The pizza's turned out great!


Mine was Alfredo sauce, red pepper flakes, mozzarella, smoked gouda and grilled chicken that had been marinated in Italian dressing.



Taylor's was marinara sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni. He said it was much better than any frozen pizza from the store. We will be making homemade pizza again. We've already been brainstorming about possible toppings for next time!