Pizza Roll

Seriously Kristie, pizza again?

I know!  Even with my love for it, I may be getting a little pizza'd out.  My husband was gone, we've been out of town, and the house looks like a BOMB went off.  I needed something quick and easy, and since dough was already in the fridge it seemed like a good choice.

And it was!  "Dewicious!"

Roll out your dough into the shape of a lily pad like I did.  Actually, a circle is best, but the lily pad worked. I used this dough I made about a week ago that had been frozen and thawed.  

Put on your cheese and toppings.  Don't put sauce on, it's just too messy.  You can dip it in sauce while eating.  And that it spinach, not basil in case you're wondering.   I've got to work in at least something green!

Roll it up...

... seal the ends..  and I don't have a picture of this step, but I brushed it with an egg white & milk mixture to make it brown nicely.

Then I sprinkled on some parmesan cheese and some of this heavenly goodness- Garlic Garlic.  My Mother in Law bought this for us and it is so great on many things, pizza crust especially.

Bake at 400 for about 20 or until golden brown.

 Let it sit for a few minutes and then used a bread knife to slice into it.  I think any knife with a serrated edge would be fine though.

And there she is!  Will and I enjoyed it while watching some Christmas movies.

Tonight I will make a real meal I promise!

Also, I will be posting for Menu Monday!  

I'm not good at consistency... working on it... maybe a New Year's resolution...

~Kristie

Braden's Pizza

I did not want to make dinner tonight & didn't want to go to the store b/c it's COLD out there!

So we did Dinner On Hand. What do you have in the pantry/fridge/freezer & how can you make it work? Dinner On Hand frequently requires creativity & an open mind.

Tonight we had Pizza & I let Braden pick the toppings.

Yes, his eyes really ARE that blue!

Remember that post where I decided that since I ask my kids to eat my grownup food that I can make & eat kid food sometimes?
... 

What my baby wants, my baby gets.

And tonight my baby wants pizza with Feta, Goat Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, Hard Boiled Egg, Chives, Green Onion, Lime, Lemon, & Pear.

Now, before you start thinking how gross this sounds let me show you a picture-

This is my husband IN ITALY eating a pizza w/Egg, Bacon, Capers & who knows what else on it. I don't know if they really eat obscure pizzas like this or if they just saw the Americans coming & decided to have some fun.

But, what's the worst that will happen? It's not very good. 

The absolute worst is that it's inedible & we make pb&j's.

What's the best that happens? The pizza is surprisingly delicious, my son has a sense of pride in helping me make dinner, discovers a joy of cooking, & becomes the next Wolfgang Puck.

I'm thinking the potential rewards outweigh the potential costs.

It's a calculated risk & one that I'm willing to take.

He choose all of the toppings. 

 

Adding Lime Juice 

Hot! Blow on it. (TWSS)

How Real Chefs Wash Their Hands.

Mmmm! Pizza!

Don't be afraid to try something new even if it may sound a little odd. It wasn't my favorite pizza toppings but my kids enjoyed it & Braden had FUN making it!

~Alison

Pizza Muffins

These muffins have been all over lots of cooking blogs and of course Pinterest.  I had all the ingredients on hand, with some mini pepperonis that needed to be used, so Will and I made these for lunch the other day.  

They were easy to throw together and really good.  I'll definitely make these again.  

This recipe is taken from Simply Being Mommy

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 oz turkey pepperoni, diced
• 3/4 cup milk, 2%
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and oregano. Whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni and let stand for a few minutes.
2. Stir the batter and divide evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 23 minutes.
3. Warm pizza sauce in the microwave for about 15 seconds or heat on the stove in a small sauce pan. Serve the muffins with the pizza sauce for dipping.

And an extra fun tidbit-  Will liked them so much he decided he needed to keep one in his toy box.  Fun!

~Kristie  

Homemade Pizza!

Who doesn't love pizza?

Recently our lifegroup at church had to answer the question, "If you were about to be executed, what would you choose to be your last meal?"

My answer:  PIZZA!

I know I have the same answer as most 12 year olds, but I can't help it- I've always been a huge fan of pizza.  

I even love CiCi's.  (Did you just gasp?)  Please don't hold it against me.  I mean if I could I'd eat California Pizza Kitchen or Mellow Mushroom (check it out!) all the time, but I'm a stay at home mom on a very frugal budget.  

So in order to have pizza frequently we started making it at home.  We do it about once a week.  I found a super easy and tasty recipe for dough you can do in the food processor.  I don't have a Kitchenaid mixer, so the food processor is my best buddy when it comes to pizza dough.  

This recipe is taken from Emeril's site here.

You need: 

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour, plus more if necessary (start with 2.5 and add if too sticky)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1.  Put the water and yeast in the mixer and let sit for like 5 minutes to "proof".

2.  Add salt, oil, and flour.  

3.  Pulse the mixer until it forms a ball of dough.  Check stickiness, it should be soft and not too sticky.

4.  Remove from mixer and place on floured work surface.  Knead just a bit.

5.  Put dough in oiled bowl and coat dough ball with the oil.

6.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour. 

7.  Remove from bowl and form into your crusts.  I usually make about two. 

When I make this I usually do it in the morning or around lunch so it's ready at dinner time.

I toss on whatever ingredients I have in the fridge or pantry.  That time it looks like I had pepperoni, onions, red pepper, tomatoes, and some spinach.  This dough usually rises really nice, well depending on the type of yeast.  I bought the pizza dough "no rise" yeast the other day and wasn't too impressed.  

Making homemade pizza is also super fun to do with your kids.  I know my little man loves it. Although a lot of times he's not even hungry anymore when the pizza comes out of the oven because he filled his tummy up eating pinches of raw dough, cheese, pepperonis, and veggies. He'll even try to eat the flour and say it's so "dewicious".  

See.

He's a nut.

Give this recipe a try & put pizza on your menu this week too!

~Kristie