California Pizza

 Inspired by a Farellis pizza we like, but tweaked 

One Pizza dough

Top with: 

Pesto

Shredded mozzarella 

Chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Sliced red onion

Feta cheese

Cashews 

Bake at 450 x 18 minutes 

Caramelized Onion & Blue cheese Pizza

 Loosely based off this recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/4481-balsamic-caramelized-onion-and-blue-cheese-pizza

We added herbs we had in the garden (chives & tarragon) but I think rosemary or parsley or thyme or sage (or a mix of all) would be good too. 

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough

4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped into large bite sized pieces

2 red onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning)

4 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs worchestershire sauce

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Black pepper to taste

5 oz crumbled blue cheese, divided

1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Handful of chopped fresh herbs (we used tarragon & chives)

Balsamic glaze to top, as desired

Instructions:

Sauté bacon in a large skillet until cooked soft (but not crisp-bacon will continue to crisp while baking on pizza) Transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain, reserving bacon grease

Sauté red onions in bacon grease over medium heat until caramelized & softened (about 30 min), stirring often to prevent burning  Stir in herbs de Provence, vinegar, & worchestershire sauce & continue cooking until liquid has mostly evaporated/formed a thick sauce.  Remove from heat

Preheat oven to 450*.  

Stir together ricotta, garlic, Parmesan, & pepper. 

Stretch pizza dough over a greased pizza pan  Spread onions evenly over dough.  Dollop ricotta mixture over onions.  Sprinkle 4 oz of blue cheese over pizza, reserving last oz of blue cheese & fresh herbs to sprinkle over pizza after it’s removed from oven.  Sprinkle bacon pieces then chopped walnuts over pizza

Bake for 15-20 minutes until crust done & pizza toppings crisped & bubbling  

Remove pizza from oven & top with last of blue cheese, fresh herbs, & a drizzle of balsamic glaze, as desired  Slice & enjoy 

Pizza Dough

https://sugarspunrun.com/the-best-pizza-dough-recipe/

The original recipe on the website makes 1 large pizza~since we're a family of 4, I always double it.  So below, the recipe is doubled to make 2 large pizzas (or 4 smaller ones if everyone wants to make their own toppings)

Ingredients

• Approx. 4 (to 4 2/3) cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)
• 2 packet yeast² (1 1/2 Tbs yeast)
• 3 teaspoons sugar or honey 
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tbs garlic powder and/or dried Italian seasoning (we use TJs soffrito seasoning & garlic salt instead of the regular salt above)
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil 

1 1/2 cups warm water

Instructions

• Combine 2 cup (125g) of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bow (we use our mixer & dough hook) If desired, add garlic powder and herbs at this point as well.
• Add olive oil and warm water and use a wooden spoon to stir well very well.
• Gradually add another 1 cup (125g) of flour. Add any additional flour as needed (I've found that sometimes I need as much as an additional 1/3 cup), stirring until the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl (see video above recipe for visual cue). The dough will still be slightly sticky but still should be manageable with your hands.
• Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil and use a pastry brush to brush up the sides of the bowl.
• Lightly dust your hands with flour and form your pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.
• Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. If you intend to bake this dough into a pizza, I also recommend preheating your oven to 425F (215C) at this point so that it will have reached temperature once your pizza is ready to bake.
• Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times). Cut dough in half to make 2 pizza crusts
• Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into 12" circle.
• Transfer dough to a parchment paper lined pizza pan and either pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust.
• Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface of the pizza (including the crust) with olive oil. 
• Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
• Add desired toppings (see the notes for a link to my favorite, 5-minute pizza sauce recipe!) and bake in a 425F (215C) preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until toppings are golden brown. Slice and serve.

Notes

¹I've found that all-purpose flour yields a softer crust while bread flour gives a slightly crispier exterior. Please see the post for more information on all-purpose vs. bread flour in pizza dough.

²Many commenters have reported using active dry yeast (use the same amount, 2 1/4 teaspoon) with success. Some people have proofed the yeast first with the 3/4 cup warm water, which is what I would recommend, while others have just mixed it into the dough as instructed. Both have had success! 

³Ideally your water should be between 105-115F (40-46C). I usually just use warm tap water but do make sure that your water isn't too hot or it will kill your yeast!

Making in Advance:

To make in advance, let the dough rise covered at room temperature as indicated in the recipe, then deflate it, wrap it tightly so it doesn't dry out, and store in the refrigerator for up to several days or it will freeze for up to a month. 

Queso Fundido Pizza

 1 pizza dough

cornmeal to dust pan

1 pound Mexican Chorizo

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 can chipotles in adobo sauce

1 cup tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco

1 cup black beans (could sub 1 cup corn)

chopped cilantro & chopped red onion to top 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  You could use a pizza stone, but this is a pretty loaded pizza and the grease from the chorizo tends to stain, so I prefer to use a pizza pan.

Saute chorizo and red onion in frying pan until chorizo is cooked thoroughly.  Drain grease as much as possible.

Roll out pizza dough & place on pizza pan sprinkled with cornmeal.

Mix together tomato sauce, 3 Tbs adobo sauce from can (or amount of heat to your preference), and 3 chopped chipotles from can (again, more or less depending on heat preference)

Spread tomato sauce mixture over dough.

Top with Monterey Jack cheese, then chorizo, beans (or corn), and crumbled queso fresco

Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees or until crust is crisp and cheese is melted & bubbly

Top baked pizza with cilantro and red onion and enjoy

Keith's Favorite Taco Pizza

1 pizza crust
1/2 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
taco seasoning
1 small can V8 juice (or water) for taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups corn (fresh is best, but frozen is ok too)
1 large tomato, diced (could always sub in salsa)
sprinkle of chili powder and garlic salt
1 handful of cilantro, chopped

• Brown the ground beef and onion and drain off fat. Mix in taco seasoning and liquid (water, V8, or beer is good)
• If using raw pizza dough, prebake pizza on pan for 5 minutes at 500 degrees
• Top pizza with taco meat, cheese, tomatoes, and corn and sprinkle with chili powder and garlic salt.
• Bake 10 minutes or until crust is done and corn is starting to brown a bit (if using a Boboli type crust, might need to broil pizza a couple of minutes)
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with cilantro.

Pizza Puppies

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/pizza-puppies/

(basically pizza pigs in a blanket~big hit with the kiddos)

• 6 sticks String Cheese
• 1 container (13.8 Oz. Container) Pizza Dough
• 1 package (approximately 50-piece Package) Mini Pepperoni
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ¼ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Marinara Sauce, To Serve

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan.
3. Cut each string cheese into fourths.
4. Break out the tube of pizza dough and roll it out a bit. Use a pizza cutter to divide the pizza dough into 24 pieces.
5. Take one of the dough pieces, top with a piece of the cut string cheese and two slices of pepperoni.
6. Pull the edges of the dough around the cheese and pepperoni, and pinch to seal closed.
7. Place seam-side down in the baking dish.
8. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
9. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder (go easy), oregano, and Parmesan cheese.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy with the marinara dipping sauce.

Salmon Pizza

1 pizza dough

2 salmon filets, cooked & crumbled (or equivalent smoked salmon filet)

1/2 cup cream cheese

dill

1 Tbs chopped red onion

zest of 1 lemon

juice from 1/2 of lemon

1 bunch of spinach, rinsed, dried, and chopped

1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup shredded monterey jack or mozzarella cheese

2 Tbs capers

Mix together cream cheese, dill, red onion, and lemon zest.

Bake pizza dough for 5 minutes in 500 degree oven.

Top with cream cheese mixture, salmon, red onion, spinach, capers, and shredded cheese. Bake for 8 minutes or until dough is done and cheese is bubbly.

Keith's Favorite Pizza

Pizza dough for 1 pizza (we love Trader Joe's Garlic & Herb dough, but anything would work~even Boboli)

1 bunch spinach, washed, dried, and chopped (or you could use a box of frozen, chopped spinach but squeeze dry well)

1/2 pound spicy sausage, browned (we like adding a 1/3 cup of dark beer about half way through the cooking so it reduces down to a yummy glaze on the sausage)

1 onion, sliced thin and caramelized (or you can do our cheater's caramelized onions)

1/2 cup garlic & herb cream cheese (easy to make your own with whipped light cream cheese, 2 cloves minced garlic, and Italian seasoning)

1/2 cup shredded monterey jack or mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees.

2. Roll out pizza dough to size of pizza stone. Bake on stone for 5 minutes ( we have to spray and flour our stone a bit so the dough doesn't stick)

3. Top partially baked dough with dollops of cream cheese, sausage, onions, and then spinach. Sprinkle with shredded cheese (and a little crushed red pepper if you like)

4. Bake for 7 more minutes or until crust is done and cheese is bubbly.

Potato Pizza

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Asparagus-Fingerling-Potato-and-Goat-Cheese-Pizza-352629

5 ounces fingerling potatoes (purple potatoes are great too!)
dash of garlic salt
Pizza Dough
olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 1/3 cups grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1 head swiss chard, washed & chopped
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste



preparation

Scrub potatoes clean. Pierce with fork & microwave x 8 minutes or until tender. Cool. Slice potatoes into thin slices

Saute onions with a little olive oil & S&P. (This is really good with caramelized onions, if you're feeling patient) Remove onions from pan.
Saute Chard with a little olive oil, red wine vinegar, S&P, and crushed red pepper.

Place pizza stone in oven (if yours isn't well seasoned, you might want to spray Pam it & dust it with flour). Preheat oven to 450°F. Roll and stretch pizza dough to 16x11-inch oval. Transfer to hot pizza stone. Brush oil over dough & sprinkle with garlic salt. Sprinkle mozzarella, leaving 1/2-inch plain border. Top with potato slices, onions, swiss chard, and goat cheese.
Bake pizza until crust is browned and asparagus is tender, about 18 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Cut into pieces.

Farm Box Pizza

Very similar to the pasta, but we love pizza :)

pizza dough (enough for one large pizza)
olive oil
garlic salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
1 head rapini(broccoli rabe, even just a head of greens, thinly shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 sausage links, casings removed
1/4 cup diced sundried tomatoes
shredded monterey jack and parmesan cheese to top


Preheat oven (& pizza stone) to 425 degrees

Boil greens/rapini for 3 minutes then drain well.
Saute sausage until browned, adding leeks for last 4 minutes of cooking and garlic for last minute. Drain well.

Stretch pizza dough over hot pizza stone. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and brush over dough. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Bake for 4 minutes.

Top with greens, sausage/leek/garlic mixture, and some diced sundried tomatoes.
Sprinkle with cheeses and bake 10 minutes (or until done)

Sausage, Fennel, and Provolone Calzones

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=600679

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 calzone)

Ingredients

• 4 Italian sausage links, casings removed
  
• 2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1 medium bulb) & fronds
  
• Garlic powder, italian seasing, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1 cup vertically sliced onion
• 2 tubes refrigerated pizza dough
  
• 4 big slices provolone or mozzarella cheese
  
• handful grated parmesan cheese
• spaghetti/pizza sauce for dunking
  

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add fennel, bell pepper, and onion. Season as desired. Cover, reduce heat, and cook for 9 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.

Roll each pizza dough out on a cookie sheet, and halve each cross-wise. Place 1 slice of mozzarella and up to 1/4 of filling on each rectangle. Work on just half of the surface of each rectangle of dough, then fold dough over top of filling and pinch edges firmly to seal. Sprinkle top of each calzone with parmesan cheese.

For a half-moon "pizza parlor" look to your calzones, mound filling into a half-moon shape, fold dough over top trim edges of dough to follow the rounded shape, then seal edges.Tie strips of dough scraps in knots, brush with garlic oil and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake knots with calzones.

If your dough tears, remove a little of the filling and repair. Repeat the process, spacing the calzones evenly on baking sheet. Bake the calzones for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown all over. Serve calzones with warm tomato or pizza sauce for dunking.

Breakfast Pizza

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=522124

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) can refrigerated crescent dinner roll dough
• Cooking spray
• 12 ounces turkey breakfast sausage
• 1 cup shredded hash brown potatoes
  
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Separate dough into triangles. Press triangles together to form a single round crust on a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim.

Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain.

Top prepared dough with sausage, potatoes, and cheese. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and egg substitute, stirring with a whisk. Carefully pour milk mixture over sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until crust is browned.

Malaysian Chicken Pizza

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=709851

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat, reduced-sodium Swiss cheese (such as Alpine Lace)
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 pizza crust
  
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

Preheat oven to 500°.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add chicken, and sauté 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

Pour rice vinegar mixture into pan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook mixture 6 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute or until chicken is done. (Mixture will be consistency of thick syrup.)

Sprinkle cheeses over prepared crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border, and top with chicken mixture. Bake at 500° for 12 minutes on bottom rack in oven. Sprinkle with green onions. Place pizza on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes.