Jalapeno Popper Pizza

My last final was yesterday, now I have 8 months off from school. I'm so excited to have time for my hobbies again! I've been meaning to blog about this pizza for awhile now but just haven't had the time. My former co-worker inspired this one. She makes "Jillapenos" so I thought maybe I'd try them on a pizza.

Crust:

2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet)

1 1/4 Cup warm water
4 1/4 Cup flour + more for rolling out crust
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup olive oil
Drizzle of honey (about 2-3 Tbs)

Mix warm water and yeast together, let sit for 5 minutes or so (don’t use hot water, it will kill the yeast). Mix flour and salt, drizzle with honey. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well. Make sure all flour and water is absorbed. Form into a ball. Grease the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil, coat dough ball in oil. Let sit while you prepare the sauce and toppings. Dust a cutting board with flour and roll dough out to the size of your cast iron pan, if it's too big just rip off the edges, if too small just add a patch piece and press into place. Dough should be smooth and elastic if it sticks to the cutting board add more flour.

Toppings:

1/2 Pkg. Cream Cheese
3-4 Jalapenos (sliced)
1/4 lb. Pork Sausage
1/2 lb. Bacon, crumbled

1 Handful Craisins

2-3 Handfuls shredded cheese (I used cheddar/jack)

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 425. Cook bacon and brown sausage, reserve the grease from bacon or sausage to saute your jalapeno slices. Slice Jalapenos and remove seeds (or keep them in if you like more spice). Saute jalapenos just until they start to get a little brown. 

Warm cream cheese a little in the microwave (20 seconds or so) just enough so that it spreads without tearing your crust. Spread over your crust with the back of a spoon. layer jalapeno slices, craisins, sausage and bacon crumbles evenly over cream cheese. Top with shredded cheese. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted and crust is brown on the edges.

Pesto with Shrimp, Andouille Sausage and Artichokes

I was going to do a Jambalaya/Creole/Cajun sort of pizza but I was outvoted by the man-friend who preferred pesto. I will try a spicier Cajun version at some point.
 

Crust:

2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet)

1 1/4 Cup warm water
4 1/4 Cup flour + more for rolling out crust
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup olive oil
Drizzle of honey (about 2-3 Tbs)

Mix warm water and yeast together, let sit for 5 minutes or so (don’t use hot water, it will kill the yeast). Mix flour and salt, drizzle with honey. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well. Make sure all flour and water is absorbed. Form into a ball. Grease the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil, coat dough ball in oil. Let sit while you prepare the sauce and toppings. Dust a cutting board with flour and roll dough out to the size of your cast iron pan, if it's too big just rip off the edges, if too small just add a patch piece and press into place. Dough should be smooth and elastic if it sticks to the cutting board add more flour.

Toppings:
1/2 Cup Pesto
1 Andouille Sausage (sliced)
2 Cups Shrimp (cooked/grilled)
1/2 Artichoke Hearts (sliced)
1 Cup Shredded Italian 3 cheese blend
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

Assembly:
Marinate shrimp in lemon juice, garlic, oil, salt and pepper (add Old Bay or other seasonings if you wish). Slice Andouille Sausage and grill with shrimp. Not too long, we don't want the shrimp getting rubbery.

After rolling dough into your pan, spread pesto sauce over crust with the back of a spoon. Evenly spread Sausage slices and shrimp over pizza and top with Artichoke hearts, sprinkle with 3 cheese blend. Top with Mozzarella. 

Bake at 425 until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Shrimp Alfredo on the Grill

Summer has been busy busy and then I started school and the great struggle with math. Finally got around to making another pizza when I went to the cabin for our first annual girls weekend with my mom and aunt.

First things first, get your grill happy. I like to keep my coals on one side so I can move things around from direct heat to indirect, the crusts tend to burn on the bottom if they are directly over the coals for too long. 

Crust:

2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet)

1 1/4 Cup warm water
4 1/4 Cup flour + more for rolling out crust
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup olive oil
Drizzle of honey (about 2-3 Tbs)

Mix warm water and yeast together, let sit for 5 minutes or so (don’t use hot water, it will kill the yeast). Mix flour and salt, drizzle with honey. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well. Make sure all flour and water is absorbed. Form into a ball. Grease the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil, coat dough ball in oil. Let sit while you prepare the sauce and toppings. Dust a cutting board with flour and roll dough out to the size of your cast iron pan, if it's too big just rip off the edges, if too small just add a patch piece and press into place. Dough should be smooth and elastic if it sticks to the cutting board add more flour.

Toppings:

Alfredo Sauce (from a jar or make your own)

Extra minced garlic if you like, added to sauce

Marinated and grilled shrimp (tails removed)

Sliced tomatoes (I had a few strange varieties in my garden but any kind will do)

Mozzarella (fresh or shredded)

Fresh Basil

Assembly:

Marinate your shrimp in wine, garlic and onions (I used onion wine from the Clover Meadow Winery near my cabin in Shell Lake Wisconsin but any cooking (or drinking) wine will do). www.clovermeadowwinery.com/

Stab shrimps with skewers (or smore sticks) and grill a few minutes on each side til pink (if using pre-cooked just til they get heated, happy and grill marked). Don't grill them too long or they will get rubbery.

Prepare crust and press into the bottom of a cast iron pan

Spread sauce over crust with the back of a spoon

Slice up shrimp into smaller, more bite sized pieces and lay chunks over sauce,

Lay sliced tomatoes evenly and top with mozzarella, I used slices of fresh but shredded will work too.

Grill pizza directly over coals for a few minutes until cheese starts to melt. Move off of direct heat and continue grilling until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Top with basil and grill a few more minutes.

BLT with Chicken, Artichokes and Avocado

I know I should always use the freshest ingredients possible but lately I’ve gotten into finding creative ways to use canned food.

First: I’m a college student on a strict budget (that I don’t necessarily follow, there isn’t much I’m above, but Ramen is one of them).

Second: Canned food keeps longer and doesn’t require refrigeration so you can stock up. I hate buying fresh produce and tossing it because I didn’t use it in time.

Third: I’ve always wanted to be as independent as possible and people have always made fun of me for being over prepared and always having a backup plan. Until they need something like food, water or sunscreen when camping. When I see something I like or want I never want to buy it, I want to know how to make it myself. I’ve started gardening and canning, my goal is to have my own farm where I can grow and raise everything I need and I won’t have to worry about preserving meat but for now I’ve started collecting canned food and trying to figure out tasty ways to use it. 

Fourth: I read somewhere (and will try to find the proof) that certain canned foods have more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than in their fresh state. Canned tomatoes for example have more Lycopene (cancer fighter) than fresh. Here is one article about Lycopene and tomatoes in particular: http://pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/diet-cancer/nutrition/how-lycopene-helps-protect-against-cancer

 I’ve never been a fan of canned meat, it smells coming out of the can but I’m trying to be adventurous and I found if cooked and incorporated into a soup or casserole correctly it’s not too shabby. It can be downright delicious!

I was going to make a BLT salad with chicken and avocados for lunch today but then I thought why not put it all on a pizza and write another blog?

Crust:

2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet)

1 1/4 Cup warm water
4 1/4 Cup flour + more for rolling out crust
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup olive oil
Drizzle of honey (about 2-3 Tbs)

Mix warm water and yeast together, let sit for 5 minutes or so (don’t use hot water, it will kill the yeast). Mix flour and salt, drizzle with honey. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well. Make sure all flour and water is absorbed. Form into a ball. Grease the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil, coat dough ball in oil. Let sit while you prepare the sauce and toppings. Dust a cutting board with flour and roll dough out to the size of your cast iron pan, if it's too big just rip off the edges, if too small just add a patch piece and press into place. Dough should be smooth and elastic if it sticks to the cutting board add more flour.

Toppings:

The down side is you have to use the whole can or use the leftovers up soon. I didn't put quantities in here because you can decided how much you want to use or save.

Canned Stuff:

Diced Tomatoes

Artichokes

Chicken Breast

Honey Mustard Dressing

Fresh:

1/2 lb. Bacon: cooked, drained, crumbled

“Lettuce” or any greens, I like spring mix or spring mix with herbs

1 Avocado: Diced

1 Cup Mozzarella: Shredded

Assembly:Only part of this pizza is cooked, avocados and greens get funny in the oven so we will put those on last.

Bake or fry bacon, remove to drain and cool. Open a can of chicken and toss it around in the bacon grease. Make sure to break up the big pieces. Add chicken to the bacon to drain and cool. While waiting open and drain diced tomatoes and artichokes, chop up or break apart artichokes. When the bacon and chicken are cool break both up with your fingers.

Grease a cast iron pan with butter, oil or bacon grease. Lay rolled out dough in pan and spread honey mustard over the bottom with the back of a spoon. Spread the Bacon, Chicken, Tomatoes and Artichokes evenly to cover the dough. Top with mozzarella. Bake at 425 until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. When your pizza is happy toss on diced avocados and greens.

Spicy Mac and Cheese with Bacon Pizza

I got busy with the 4^th of July and a new job so it’s been a few weeks since my last blog. I thought I’d make a big comeback with the least healthy pizza I’ve ever made. Carbs on carbs, butter on butter and bacon. To top it off the whole thing is cooked in bacon grease! Let’s get started!

Crust:

The crust was easy on this one: Pillsbury crescent rolls (I used the Garlic Butter ones) Just unroll them and arrange in the pan so they cover the bottom and sides. I squished mine together and folded over the edges. 

Mac + Cheese:

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled

1 Cup heavy cream

3 Tbs.  Butter (I just tossed in a glop, no need to measure)

6 oz. Pepperjack, shredded

4 oz. extra sharp Cheddar, shredded

1/4 Cup Jalapenos (jarred, canned or chop your own)

Minced garlic (I used about 2 Tbs.)

1/2 lb. (1/2 box) noodles, cooked, drained, your choice, I used Rotini

Cherry tomatoes, sliced

1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs

First things first! Bake your bacon, or fry. Drain and crumble.

Drain grease from the pan. Add jalapenos and bacon, add the garlic last on top so it doesn’t scorch. Add cooked noodles, drizzle cream on top, add glop of butter and a handful of each cheese.

Mix it all together and simmer on low, sauce will thicken as it cooks.

When sauce is thick spoon the concoction onto your crescent roll crust.

Toss on a few sliced cherry tomatoes. Spread remaining cheese over the pizza and top with bread crumbs or smashed up croutons.

Here is the pizza before the cheese, I feel cheese is the clothes of the pizza, you can't see whats really going on with the cheese covering it all up.

Bake at 375, you will have to bake longer than the crescent roll instructions say due to the gooeyness of the Mac and Cheese. This pizza didn’t come out of the pan very well so perhaps in the future I will pre-bake the crescent rolls a bit. Updates coming just as soon as I try this pizza again.

Pesto, Smoked Salmon, Artichoke and Cream Cheese Pizza

I saw this pizza on a menu somewhere (I don’t remember where now) and thought I should give it a shot at home.

Unfortunately I don’t live near a good Salmon fishing river nor do I have a smoker (but has now been added to my list of things to build) so I had to buy my smoked Salmon. I also bought the Pesto instead of making it from scratch. Sorry, I was in a hurry with this one, the savages were hungry. I did however make the crust and I added Basil, Oregano and Rosemary from my little flower boxes on the deck.

Crust:
2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet)

1 1/4 Cup warm water
4 1/4 Cup flour + more for rolling out crust
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup olive oil
Drizzle of honey (about 2-3 Tbs)

Mix warm water and yeast together, let sit for 5 minutes or so (don’t use hot water, it will kill the yeast). Mix flour and salt, drizzle with honey. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well. Make sure all flour and water is absorbed. Form into a ball. Grease the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil, coat dough ball in oil. Let sit while you prepare the sauce and toppings. Dust a cutting board with flour and roll dough out to the size of your cast iron pan, if it's too big just rip off the edges, if too small just add a patch piece and press into place. Dough should be smooth and elastic if it sticks to the cutting board add more flour.

Toppings:

1/4 Cup Pesto sauce (I will add a recipe when I make my own)

1/2 Cup Canned/Jarred Artichoke Hearts

1 Smoked Salmon Fillet

1/2 Cup Cream Cheese Mozzarella Pearls (or you could use shredded)

Assembly:

Roll out crust to fit pan. Pesto is usually pretty thick so use the back of a spoon to spread evenly over the crust. Break up Salmon and artichokes and spread evenly to cover. Top with dollops of cream cheese and finish with mozzarella pearls. Bake at 425 until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted

Grilled Peach, Mascarpone and Pistachio Pizza

It was finally nice enough out to grill today! I made 2 little pizzas because they fit better on my baby grill than a big pan with a handle. First things first, get your grill happy! It can heat up while you get your ingredients ready. 

I stumbled upon this recipe for Grilled Peaches, Mascarpone and Pistachios while noodling around on Pinterest and thought it might be good on pizza as an appetizer or dessert. I combined this recipe with another one I saw that used Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar. 

The crust is the same recipe I used before, this time I added fresh Rosemary:


Crust:

2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet)

1 1/4 Cup warm water
4 1/4 Cup flour + more for rolling out crust
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup olive oil
Drizzle of honey (about 2-3 Tbs)

Mix warm water and yeast together, let sit for 5 minutes or so (don’t use hot water, it will kill the yeast). Mix flour and salt, drizzle with honey. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well. Make sure all flour and water is absorbed. Form into a ball. Grease the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil, coat dough ball in oil. Let sit while you prepare the sauce and toppings. Dust a cutting board with flour and roll dough out to the size of your cast iron pan, if it's too big just rip off the edges, if too small just add a patch piece and press into place. Dough should be smooth and elastic if it sticks to the cutting board add more flour. For this recipe you can toss in the Rosemary whenever and get it incorporated into the dough or sprinkle it on after it's rolled out.

Toppings:

2 Peaches

1/2 Cup Mascarpone Cheese

1/4 Cup Pistachios, Chopped

Honey, just a drizzling

Balsamic Vinegar, just a drizzling

Peaches:

I had issues trying to cut perfect rings around the pits so I just cut the peaches in half in thin slices. Lay them out on a plate and drizzle with Honey and Balsamic Vinegar.

Next step, grill the peaches, I used a grill pan because I didn't want the slices to fall through the cracks. The pan also holds the moisture from the drippings. They don't take very long, we just want them to show grill marks and get a little squishy. Welding gloves are extremely important for this sort of recipe. The pans would be almost impossible to remove without them.

Now we are ready to assemble. Get your crusts ready and lay the grilled peaches on in a single layer. Shake the chopped pistachios over the peaches and add dollops of Mascarpone, sort of evenly. They will even out on the grill as they melt. Drizzle with honey. Toss em on the grill.

Pizzas on the grill don't take long and need to be watched for burning crusts. The farther the coals are from the cooking surface the longer it will take but there is also less of a chance of burning. These pizzas only took a few minutes.

Thai Peanut Pizza

I have had this pizza at many a restaurant with a few variations, so naturally I wanted to try and make it myself.

Pitas:

Here is a great tutorial on Pita Bread. Or you can use store bought, if you make your own you can make them any size you wish.

This is my modified recipe:

3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Drizzling of honey
1 packet yeast or 2 tsp.
1 1/2 cups warm water
Drizzling of oil

Preheat oven to 400. Mix water, yeast and honey. Let sit about 5 mins. Add flour salt and oil. Mix together, if dough is sticky add more flour. Knead on a floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Tear off chunks and form into balls, the amount of balls depends on the size of your pitas. Flatten with hands and roll out to desired size. Bake until pitas puff up or get a bit golden in spots, about 10 mins.

Peanut Sauce:Peanut sauce is another thing that you can buy or make. When it comes to sauces I don’t like to measure. Everyone likes something a little different. A little sweeter, and little thicker, a little spicier so play with your sauce and add your own ingredients. I used this recipe for Peanut Sauce because it was only 5 ingredients that I already had. I tasted it along the way, added spices and thickened with either peanut butter or honey:

My modified recipe:

1/4 Cup honey

1/4 Cup soy sauce

1/4 Cup peanut butter, or more to taste (I used chunky)

Curry chili paste to taste

Sprinkling crushed red pepper

Sprinkling ground ginger

Sprinkling ground black pepper

Sprinkling cayenne pepper

Toppings:Quantities depend on the size or quantity of pizzas you are making so these are rough estimates, also I always seem to put too much on my pizzas, I've never made a pizza I could eat without a fork. If you like yours thinner you can chop up the ingredients finer or use less.

Chicken, cut up into small chunks and sautéed in oil (canned works fine too)

1 can baby corn, chopped

1 can water chestnuts, sliced

A few baby carrots, chopped

A few green onions, sliced

Handful of Peanuts

Mozzarella cheese, shredded, fresh or pearls

Assembly:Start with a happy pita! Since the crust is already baked by the time you put your toppings on the pizza only has to bake until the cheese is melted. I baked my pita right in the pan the pizza was assembled in.

While the pita is getting happy in the oven (or your store bought one is waiting patiently in a pan) sauté chicken in sesame oil (or any oil you like). Spread peanut sauce evenly over pita leaving about ¼ to ½ inch bare around the edges. Add chicken. I mixed all my sliced and chopped veggies together and then just toss them all on at once. Cover with cheese and bake until cheese is melted, and maybe a little brown on top.

Bacon + Pineapple Pizza with Balsamic Reduction and Gorgonzola

Crust:

2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or one packet)

1 1/4 Cup warm water

4 1/4 Cup flour + more for rolling out crust

2 tsp. salt

1/4 Cup olive oil

Drizzle of honey (about 2-3 Tbs)

Mix warm water and yeast together, let sit for 5 minutes or so (don’t use hot water, it will kill the yeast). Mix flour and salt, drizzle with honey. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well. Make sure all flour and water is absorbed. Form into a ball. Grease the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil, coat dough ball in oil. Let sit while you prepare the sauce and toppings. Dust a cutting board with flour and roll dough out to the size of your cast iron pan. Dough should be smooth and elastic if it sticks to the cutting board add more flour.

Balsamic Reduction:1 cup balsamic vinegar1 Tbs. Brown Sugar1 Tbs. Honey

In a sauce pan, combine vinegar, honey and sugar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, Stir occasionally for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat, sauce will thicken as it cools.

Toppings:

1lb. cooked and crumbled bacon
1 can sliced pineapple
1/2 Cup Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 Cup mozzarella cheese
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary

Bacon:
I like to bake my bacon, there is less splatter that way and it cooks more evenly. This can also be done in a cast iron pan. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lay strips flat in a pan or on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet (if using a cast iron pan, lay the bacon right in the pan). Bake until desired crispiness is achieved. Drain bacon on paper towels and crumble when cool. If you have a grill pan you could bake the bacon in it and grill the pineapple using the bacon drippings.

Pineapple:
I used canned pineapple because they were already cut into pretty rings and are easier to grill. Fresh or chunk pineapple will work as well (if you are not pre-grilling).

If you cooked bacon in a grill pan drain the excess drippings and return to high heat, lay the pineapple slices in a single layer and grill just until grill marks are visible.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 425. Pizza will cook much faster on a charcoal grill or in a fire so watch carefully and check often. Spread the coals out as even as possible and don’t let them pile up anywhere or your pizza will have burned spots. (I will be posting grilled pizzas as well, but today was rainy).

Lay rolled out dough in pan and push edges up sides of pan about half way. Cover with crumbled bacon. Lay grilled pineapple slices over bacon, try to cover as much area as possible, cut up extra slices and toss those on too. Sparingly, cover pizza with Gorgonzola crumbles and a drizzling of Balsamic Reduction. Top with mozzarella cheese and garnish with rosemary. Bake until crust edges are golden brown and cheese is melted. Slide your pizza out onto a cutting board, chop it up and enjoy!