Pizza alla Vodka

Happy New Year!

I know it's been a little quiet here, and I never got the chance to wish everyone a Merry Christmas or recap the best recipes of the year. It's because we spent the holidays with my in-laws in Florida, and I thought that I would have time to blog while there and have some free time. It never happened (the blogging that is), but there was plenty of free time. The kids loved the spending time with their grandparents, and Eric and I got to take a much needed break from the busyness of our hectic schedule, too.

I hope you all celebrated the holidays in whatever way fits you best. My favorite New Year tradition is having a fancy steak dinner at home. Eric and I cooked together for our tasty dinner, salsa danced in our living room with our kiddos and watched a funny movie till midnight. We even drank an entire bottle of wine. I highly recommend watching "We're the Millers" if you haven't seen it already, I might have laughed my face off.

Pepperoni Pizza Bread Bowls

How is Thanksgiving already next week? Oh.my.goodness.

More importantly, I have my annual Friends-giving this weekend with my college PALS that I have been busy prepping for because it's the one holiday that I love spending with my second family. We plan on spending Thanksgiving with my family this year so my mom can have all 8 of her grand-kids together in one place. My three younger sisters can't stop talking about all the dishes that we all plan on making and EATING. I'm looking forward to the turkey, corn casserole and pumpkin pie!

Leading up to the holiday eating, I have been making meals that are completely satisfying and truly comfort food at it's best. Pizza are one of our favorite meals to enjoy. We have a local pizza joint that we usually order take-out, or I usually prepare a batch of my favorite thin crust pizza whenever we miss Italia.

This meal has to absolutely brilliant because it is pizza in a bread bowl. Usually you have soup in a bread bowl, but why not pizza. It's a pizza addicts dream come true. Luckily, Elena was extra happy the morning I prepared the dough and was able to finish preparing the meal hours before dinnertime. The hard part was not eating all the leftover bread tops before dinner came around. I served this with a simple arugula salad and extra pizza sauce on the side.

Pepperoni pizza bread bowls = smack-tastic.

Pepperoni Pizza Bread Bowls
Adapted from The Confections of A Foodie Bride & Pizza sauce Adapted from Taste of Home
ZipList Add Recipe
{Printable Recipe}
Ingredients:

Thin-Crust Pizza

Confession.

While I was on vacation in Italy, I ate an entire pizza by myself. No joke, and normally I’m a two slice only kinda girl because after that I’m desperately looking for my stretchy pants. Most pizzas that my husband and I typically order around here have a thick crust and you get more dough than toppings. Then the pizza expands in your stomach and you are moaning in your gluttony. However, irresistible and nom-worthy Italian pizzas might make you re-think about limiting your intake.

The secret to eating an entire pizza is…the thin-crust or an empty stomach. Just kidding. Thin-crust pizza has this perfect, crispy texture and it really allows you to savor the toppings of the pizza versus the feeling of eating overstuffed toppings with the bread. If you are a lover of thin-crust pizza like myself, you need to make this recipe.

This recipe is the closest to an Italian wood-fire pizza that I can enjoy at home. The dough is easy to prepare and comes together in the food processor, no kneading really required. Tip: I did purchase a pizza stone, but you don’t need one if you don’t want to spend the money on one.  You can buy a unglazed quarry tile from Home Depot – it will cost less than $2. It’s the cheaper alternative for a fancy pizza stone. The pizza stone or tile is needed because it locks in the heat while the pizza cooks in the oven.

Since I’m still daydreaming about Italy, I have two favorite types that I highly suggest that you try out – Caprese and Quattro Formaggi. Thin-crust pizzas don’t require too many toppings, just spread out a little bit of pizza sauce and a handful of cheeses. Don’t forget the bottle of wine to enjoy with your pizza, too.

Buono Mangiare!

Thin-Crust Pizza
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated Jan/Feb 2011
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra
1 ⅓ cups (10 ½ ounces) ice water
½ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups (16 ½ ounces) bread flour, plus extra

Sauce
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Toppings:
Quatto Formaggi - Fresh mozzarella, sliced; Italian Fontina cheese, Scarmorza cheese, & blue cheese
Caprese - Sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil
Cornmeal (optional)

Preparation:

At least 24 Hours before prepare the dough: In a food processor, process the flour, sugar, and yeast until combined. With the machine running, slowly add ice water through the feed tube, process until the dough is combined and no dry flour remains. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.

Add oil and salt and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball - about 30 to 60 seconds. Remove dough from bowl, knead briefly on lightly oiled work area until smooth, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a lightly oiled container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

One hour before baking the pizza, adjust the oven rack to the second highest position and place a baking stone on the rack to preheat. Preheat the oven to 500˚ degrees.

Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and divide in half. Form each half into a ball and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, with at least 3 to 5 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour, and place on a well-floured countertop. Using fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk or toss it up in the air and give it a couple whirls like the pizzeria’s. Leave 1 inch of the outer edge thicker, and gently stretch into 12-inch round if possible. Lay out parchment paper and spread a handful of cornmeal on the paper and place the dough on the paper.

Spread ½ cup tomato sauce over pizza, add a couple handfuls of cheese, garnish with a little bit of kosher salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Carefully lift the parchment paper with pizza on-top and place carefully onto stone and bake until the crust is well-browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pizza and place on wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat step to bake pizza, top and bake second pizza.

Review: It’s like having a taste of Italy at home…soooo perfect. It’s crisp in texture, and depending on your toppings – it melts in your mouth like butter. Seriously, this recipe definitely hit my Italian sweet spot and brought me back to to my favorite Italian pizzerias.

Flatbread Pizzas with Broccoli Pesto

The attack of the 2011 cold is upon me again. Eh, all I want to do is crawl in my bed and sleep. I wish I could magically have a big pot of hearty soup, but I have been slacking a bit in the kitchen. I’m in zero mood for cooking but somehow I’ll manage to make something quick and easy to prepare for dinner. I usually try to stick to weekly menu that I have selected but there are days where I’m grateful for having a back-up plan. Pizza is always a great back-up plan.

Sometimes when I loathe making dinner, I loathe making a pit stop to a restaurant or calling an order in. I rather eat a grilled cheese at home because of my silly homebody ways. I absolutely loved this dinner because it included eggplants and Brussels sprouts as toppings on my pizza. Strange toppings huh? I had a craving for comforting and a tasty pizza yet I wanted to incorporate some vegetables without having to eat a salad on the side. I like things all in one, the easier the better. I had used leftover roasted vegetables that I had made the night before and added them as part of the toppings. My go-to choice for pizza is usually plain ole’ pepperoni, but this is definitely a tasty new favorite. Simple and easy!

Flatbread Pizzas with Broccoli Pesto
Adapted from Sunset
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
Pesto:
⅓ cup walnut pieces
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups coarsely chopped Italian parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pizza & Toppings:
1 to 2 Italian sausages, cooked and sliced
¼ cup slivered red onions
1 cup of roasted vegetables (eggplant, red bell pepper, onions, & Brussels sprouts)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, cut into slices
4 flatbreads (pita or naan breads)
1 cup arugula

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the pesto. Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes. Steam or simmer broccoli until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain, cool in ice water, and pat dry.

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts, broccoli, parsley, garlic and olive oil until smooth. Add parmesan and salt and mix until combined. Set aside.

Prepare pizza. Place flatbreads on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Prepare sausage in the oven or frying pan until cooked. Spread pesto over flatbread, arrange roasted vegetables, sausages and a layer of mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake until cheese softens, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add arugula and red onion slivers on top.

Yield: 4 servings
Nutritional Factor: Calories: 334.1; Carbs: 18.5g; Sugar: 1.9g; Protein: 13.4g; Fiber: 2.4g

Review: Quite a refreshing change from plain ole’ pepperoni pizza, but with a bit of a health kick! You can easily substitute the toppings to your liking, but I’m a weird person that likes vegetables on their pizza.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

One of Eric's most beloved pizzas from California Pizza Kitchen is the BBQ Chicken Pizza. Something about the mixture of sweet and tangy bbq sauce mixed with creamy cheeses is an ideal pizza that he enjoys. I like this pizza as well, but I adore the salads and soups that CPK has to offer. I prefer the simple flavors of a margherita pizza or a sweeter tangs of an Hawaiian pizza. Eric and I don't always agree on pizza flavors but this was a great way for him to enjoy his personal piece of pie at home. Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Inspired from California Pizza Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 ball of pizza dough
1 cup of boneless cooked chicken breast, diced
2 tablespoons or more of your fave bbq sauce (Chris & Pitts)
8 ounces of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
4 ounces shredded Gouda cheese
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped finely
Salt & pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Roll and stretch out the pizza crust to at least 8 to 10 inches. Lay the pizza crust on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil on the crust and then sprinkle on a pinch of salt.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion. Sprinkle with shredded Gouda cheese and chopped cilantro.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly. Cut into 4 slices and serve immediately.

Review: I love replicating restaurant meals' at home because sometimes when you can't go out to dinner, it's always nice to have the food you love from the restaurants at the comfort of your home. Plus we can control the portion that we serve ourselves. Who can say no to homemade pizza? Certainly not my hubby. LOL

Pizza Dough

Pizza is one of those comfort food dishes that we crave every now and then. It's something about all that wonderful gooey cheese, luscious toppings, and golden bread crust that makes you want it. The majority of the time Eric and I order delivery or dine out at at fancy pizza place, but indulge yourself once in awhile and make the pizza dough from scratch. This is my go-to pizza dough recipe whenever I feel like having homemade pizza at home. I haven't been fearful of making bread ever since I got the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." Yeast no longer scares the daylights out of me and I'll make bread from scratch whenever the opportunity arises. (hehe)

Anyhow, Ina Garten made this beautiful White Pizza with Arugula and I loved the simplicity of the flavors. I loved the mixtures of cheeses and the peppery notes from the arugula. Making a great base to your pizza dough guarantees a nice crispy crust. I love a pizza crust that is chewy and soft and crispy from the exterior and this recipe is perfect for all of that. Get some toppings that you love and have a pizza party. Enjoy!

Pizza Dough
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa: Back to the Basics
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast or 2 packages
1 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
salt

Preparation:

In the KA mixer bowl, add the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the dough hook. Make sure the yeast is dissolved and mix if needed. Add 3 cups of flour into the bowl and 2 teaspoons salt and mix on medium-low speed and let the dough come together, forming a ball of dough.

While the dough is mixing, slowly add the additional 1 cup of flour to make it soft and flexible. Let the dough knead on medium-low speed for 10 minutes until is elastic and smooth - add additional flour if needed to avoid it sticking to the bowl.

After the dough is ready, place the dough on your floured workspace and knead it by hand a couple dozen times. The texture should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl and roll the bowl around to make sure the olive oil coats the dough. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

When the dough is ready, place it back on your floured workspace and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Place them on a jelly roll sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover it with a damp hot kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. You can use it immediately, or place in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.

When you're ready to make your pizza, grab a piece of pizza dough and roll into a circle using a rolling pin. Roll the dough and stretch it out to be at least 8 inches - it's almost like your own personal size pizza. Place on parchment-lined sheet pan and prepare another piece. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (yes, it needs to be that hot and make sure your oven is clean). Add your toppings as you like. Bake the 2 pizzas for 10 to minutes, until the crusts are crisp and cheese are slightly brown. Enjoy!

Before: Ready for toppings

After: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Review: Making your homemade pizza dough is easy as pie only if you have a Kitchen-Aid mixer to do the majority of work for you. This pizza dough is foolproof to me, and I never have any problems with it. I made a nice selections of personal pizzas for Eric and me. I was trying to clean up the fridge, use stuff from the garden, test out my tomato sauce as pizza sauce and use inspiration from the CPK menu. The pizza when cooked is perfectly crispy and depending on how thin you roll it - it comes out pretty tasty. My BBQ Chicken pizza was delicious!

Potato Leek Pizza

Last week Eric came home for dinner and took a whiff in the kitchen and thought I had made pizza for dinner. I could tell he was slightly disappointed when I told him that I made turkey meatball sandwiches instead. This week I wanted to surprise him for dinner and make homemade pizza to make up for his misconception. We usually like to enjoy pizza from Papa John's, CPK's, and my favorite place, Zito's Pizza - we either decide inexpensive, gourmet fancy pizza, or the deluxe-pricey-delivery pizza. I chose a recipe that was gourmet and fancy and easy enough to make at home, and knew that this recipe would be appealing. The combination of ingredients of potatoes, leeks, bacon and goat cheese on a pizza was quite eccentric, but since Pioneer Woman loved it and raved about it in her cookbook - I knew it was worth a try.


Potato Leek Pizza
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Ingredients:
recipe for Pizza Crust (recipe below)
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 leeks, rinsed well to remove grit and thinly sliced
3 small red potatoes, sliced paper thin
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
1. Prepare the pizza crust by drizzling lightly with olive oil and sprinkling lightly with salt.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until cooked but not crisp, then remove and set aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the skillet. Return it to the stove and, over medium-low heat, saute the leeks until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the leeks from the heat and set aside.
3. Using a sharp knife or mandoline, slice the potatoes very thin. Be careful not to allow them enough time to oxidize. **No need to remove the skin of the potatoes either, the skin of the potato is thin enough to eat.** Arrange the potatoes in a single layer all over the crust, slightly overlapping the edges. Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt, then lay the mozzarella slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Place the leeks on top of the cheese, then sprinkle the fried bacon pieces over the top. Add a generous dose of crumbled goat cheese, grated Parmesan, and a sprinkle of pepper.
4. In an oven preheated to 500 degrees F, bake the pie for 8-11 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice it into wedges or squares and serve immediately.

Pizza Crust
Yield: 2 pizza crusts

Ingredients
1 tsp or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1. In a mixing bowl, pour the yeast over 1 1/2 cups of warm water, stirring gently. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, mixing until the dough forms a ball. (You can also do this by hand.)
2. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. **From previous yeast experience, preheat the oven to 350 with your bowl (I use my KA mixer bowl), and when you are ready to let your dough rest for 1 to 2 hours. Turn the oven off and keep the oven door slightly open. It will be a warm enough place for the dough to rise during these cold winter months.**
3. Divide the dough in half, then using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing it into an oiled pan with your fingers. The thinner the better. The surface of the dough should be lumpy from finger marks -- all the better to receive and hold toppings. The other half of the dough may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days before use, or frozen for up to 6 months.

Review: Husband was happily delighted that we were having pizza for dinner. He was proud of my "homemade pizza dough" said it looked like CPK's. This was an explosion of flavors with the pungent goat cheese, light and thin potato slices, baconized leeks, gooey mozzarella and crisp sweet bacon. It was a little messy, and we ate the pizza with a knife and fork. Seriously, anything with bacon is a WINNER! The combo of flavors might scare you, but don't be fooled, you gotta try it. We each had two slices, and it was quite filling versus a traditional pie. Next up, I'll be making calzones with the other half of my pizza dough.

Pizza night & HG special

Eric is such a lucky husband, sometimes I give him the meal he wants just because he asks for it. I originally wanted to make Cuban Pork Chops last night because the weather was a perfect sunny day, maybe around high 70 degrees or so. Perfect BBQ weather for us. However, Eric would have to clean the BBQ grill up so we could cook up the pork chops. Around 5pm, I asked him what do you want, Pork Chops or Pizza? He said pizza because it's easier. I said fine, let me start dinner. I also made a great salad from Hungry girl, it was a perfect accompaniment.

I bought my cast iron skillet a couple weeks ago, and have been looking for multiple uses of it. I came across Ally's blog for Culinary infatuation and she has made several cast iron pizzas that look delicious! I cheated and bought already made pizza dough from Trader Joe's...hey it only cost less than $1.50 for already made pizza dough. Ally does give a great recipe for deep pizza dough...which I should have done, but I wanted to make dinner in 30 minutes or less. It came out looking soooo good, but I really wanted a crispier crust...which I neglected to pre-cook the dough crust for 5 minutes before putting all my wonderful toppings.

I'm going to make this again using the pizza dough recipe, homemade pizza is always such a treat because you pick your toppings and how much you want on it. :::nom nom nom:::

Deep Dish Skillet Pizza adapted from Culinary Infatuation


Deep Dish Pizza
Toppings:
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Havarti cheese, sliced finely - about 3 to 4 slices
1/2 cup Quattro formaggio shredded cheese
1 Tbs. dried oregano
pepperoni slices, about a handful
1 to 2 Italian sausage (sliced)
1/2 cup or more pizza sauce* I used leftover tomato soup*
2 Tbs. red onion, diced finely
2 Tbs. red and green bell peppers, diced
2 Tbs. fresh chopped basil

Preparation:
Grease your cast iron skillet and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Roll dough into a rectangle and using hands make the closest to a circle with the dough as you can using your fists.
Transfer dough to a large cast iron skillet.
Spread dough around the skillet and up the sides. Make it as even as possible.
Layer the marinara and dried oregano and spread spread evenly with a spoon.
Add pepperoni & sausages and then top with the remaining cheese and basil.
Cook on bottom rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to the top rack for about 5-10 minutes so the cheese gets nice and bubbly brown.

Let pizza rest about 10 minutes and cut into slices with a pizza cutter. You're going to need a fork & knife, too!


HG Special Salad Adapted from Hungry Girl
**I omitted the cup of chicken from the original recipe, since I wanted a simple salad.**

Ingredients:
3 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup of cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup of sliced carrots
1 Tbsp. red onion, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. canned chickapeas, drained
1 Tbsp. canned corn, drained
1 Tbsp. canned beets, drained & chopped
1/4 shredded parmesan cheese *I used mozzarella cheese since I had shredded so much for the pizza*
*added 1.5 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive oil & a drizzle of balsamic vinegar*
*Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste.*

Add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. I love the beets in this salad, it gives a great flavor!