Asian Chicken Pizza

I've really been enjoying making pizza for my family every Friday night. I might even be ready to *gasp* try making my own dough!

When deciding on take-out, my husband usually chooses pizza while I tend to gravitate towards Chinese. This collaboration, however, satisfies us both. Oh, the deliciousness; another keeper from Stephanie Cooks!

Asian Chicken Pizza

from Stephanie Cooks

• Pizza dough
• 5 ounces of chicken, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (less or more depending on how hot you want it)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tbsp. honey
• 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil
• Sesame seeds (optional)
• 2 tbsp. sliced green onion

Preheat the oven to 450.

Combine the red pepper flakes, garlic, soy sauce, honey, and vinegar. Stir well, set aside.

In a small skillet cook the chicken. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Pour the sauce mixture into the pan. Heat over medium heat until it thickens and becomes syrup like, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, toss well.

Form the dough. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, rubbing to coat the dough.

Top with the chicken/glaze mixture. Make sure it's evenly coating the dough.

Top with the cheese and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.

Bake 10-12 minutes. Top with green onion. Serve hot.

"Chicken" Bacon Ranch Pizza

It's Pizza Friday! This is another awesome pizza from Stephanie Cooks. There should be chicken in here too, but yours truly forgot to defrost the chicken in time. The accidental omission didn't matter, however; the pizza did just fine without it (though I can't wait to try it again with the chicken). We ate this outside on the patio and my husband repeatedly requested that I make two of these next time.


Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
from Stephanie Cooks; originally from Annie's Eats

• 1 batch of pizza dough
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
• 4 ounces grilled chicken, diced small
• 3 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and diced small
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced small
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 450.

Prepare your pizza dough, leaving a thicker edge around the side for the crust. Prepare it on either parchment paper or on a pizza peel topped with corn meal. Drizzle olive oil lightly over the crust and rub it all over the dough, over the edges as well. Bake for 7 minutes.

Top with the ranch salad dressing, spreading evenly over the crust.

Next, arrange your chicken, bacon, and tomato evenly over the dressing.

Top with the cheddar cheese. The sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over top.

Transfer the pizza to the stone. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.

Top with the green onions as soon as you pull it from the oven. Serve hot.

Tomato Alfredo Pizza

I mentioned a few days ago that I've been making pizza every Friday. As I prepare my menu for the week, I go directly to Stephanie Cooks. Here, my friend Stephanie has an incredible pizza variety and I have bookmarked nearly all of them. Do yourself a huge favor and go check out her pizza collection.

This honestly tasted like a gourmet pizza. My husband and I inhaled the whole thing and, I must confess, I would have eaten more had there been any.

(Disregard the photo - I snapped some pics but then ended up baking it again for another minute or two and forgot to take new pictures.)


Tomato Alfredo Pizza
from Stephanie Cooks

• Pizza crust
• 1/2 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tbsp. flour
• 3/4 cup skim milk (or cream if you don't want to take the light approach)
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce (I used sliced tomatoes instead)
  

Preheat the oven to 450. Stretch out the pizza dough on your stone or pan and bake for 7 minutes.

In a small saucepan melt the butter. Add the flour, stirring until it forms a paste.

Pour in the milk, stirring constantly.

Bring to a low boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Once the sauce is somewhat thick, add the romano cheese, stirring well.

Cover the pizza crust with the alfredo sauce and add sliced tomatoes if using.

Top with the mozzarella cheese. Drizzle the tomato sauce over the cheese.

Bake 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp.

BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Oh how I've missed my blog! The end of the school year is always chaotic as I try to write my final exams, clean out my classroom, and read portfolio evaluations. Throw my own two young children into the mix and most days I'm happy just to eat, let alone prepare a blog post.

But! Yesterday, I said goodbye to my 97 favorite 9th graders (well, the ones who showed up) and today I am ready to blow the dust off of this blog.

I've been making my own pizza on Fridays (I have many more to come!) and I am loving the tradition. I recently purchased a round stone from Pampered Chef and it has changed my life. My dough comes out so much better now, and I'm actually planning to buy a second (and maybe a third!) so that I can do double duty. My husband and I love trying new variety, but the kids keep asking me for "regular" pizza.

Anyway. This BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza has been a favorite for sure. What a delicious flavor combo! It's so perfect for this time of year, and it's so easy to put together (especially if you cheat like I did and use canned pineapple).


BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza
slightly adapted from Sing for Your Supper

• 1 batch pizza dough
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 2 chicken breasts, fully cooked and shredded
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, plus more for brushing on the crust
• 1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
• 1 can crushed pineapple or pineapple tidbits
• fresh cilantro, chopped, about 1/3 cup (I omitted)
  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Stretch dough across pizza stone or tray and bake for 7 minutes.

Toss the cooked, shredded chicken breasts with the BBQ sauce. Set aside.

Brush the pizza crust with a thin layer of BBQ sauce, then spread on the ranch dressing. Top with the cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese, then the chicken and pineapple. Bake for about 15 minutes, until all the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Top with the chopped cilantro. Makes 1 pizza.

Pizza Bagel Thins

I am in love with bagel thins.  As far as I'm concerned, they are way better than "diet" bagels, but they still only have 100 calories.  Top with some low-fat cream cheese and fruit, and you've got yourself a delicious breakfast or snack.

But wait, my friends - they are not just a morning food!  Top with your favorite pizza combos, and -poof- it's dinner time.

I love that you can be so flexible with these.  Next time I want to add spinach to these... or maybe try a Hawaiian version.  Yum.

Pizza Bagel Thins

from Running Mama Cooks

• 1 bagel flat
  
• 2 tbs part skim ricotta cheese
  
• 1/4 cup cooked chicken
  
• 1/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
  
• dried basil
  
• garlic powder
  
• Parmesan cheese

Lightly toast the bagel flat. Spread with ricotta cheese. Place chicken and top with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with basil, garlic powder and a little parm. Place under the broiler with door open until toppings are heating and cheese is slightly browned.

Pizza Puffs

I made these little puffs as a fun dinner (who doesn't love bite size pieces that you can dunk?!), but we didn't have nearly enough. They were so delicious that we couldn't pop them into our mouths fast enough. I'll be doubling next time for sure, or maybe coupling them with another fun appetizer.


This puffs are sure to be a hit the next time you entertain, as well - and the possibilities are endless! Combine your favorite pizza toppings or flavor combinations for a fun twist.


Pizza Puffs
Adapted from Megan's Cooking

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetarian beef crumbles (or just ground meat)
  
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 375^o. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; stir in the milk and egg.

Stir in the cheese and meat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes.

Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Sprinkle the tops of the puffs with the green onions. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Superbowl Snack Throwdown: Mesquite Chicken Pizza Sticks

It is so hard to believe that HighLowAha's Superbowl Snack Throwdown is just a week away from its conclusion. It certainly flew by! Please visit their site to vote for our final secret ingredient.

(BOTH of my peppers went bad - please use your imagination and pretend there are peppers on this pizza!)

This week's ingredient was barbecue sauce, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out this recipe for Mesquite Chicken Pizza that I've been eying on Tasty Kitchen. This is another concoction that is just so fabulously versatile. If you're a whiz in the kitchen, you can make your own pizza dough and even barbecue sauce. If you're more of a throw-together kind of cook, then grab some store-bought dough and a bottle of sauce.


I absolutely loved the flavor combination on this pizza. The smokiness of the seasoning coupled with the sweetness of the barbecue sauce... and of course, everything is made better with handfuls of cheese!

To make these a little "snackier," I cut them into strips. When I was pregnant with Ryan, Pizza Hut had come out with their "Dippin' Strips" pizza, and I LOVED them. So any pizza that's cut into strips is just perfect in my mind... and then you can dunk!


Ingredients

• 1 pizza crust - homemade or store-bought
  
• 7 whole Chicken Tenders
• 5 dash(es) Mesquite Grilling Seasoning
• 1 whole Green Pepper, Diced
• 1 whole Red Pepper, Diced
• 1 whole Small Red Or White Onion, Diced
• 2 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 2-½ cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 cup Smokey Barbecue Sauce, plus more for dipping
  
• 2 dash(es) Salt

Preheat oven to 400.

For pizza assembly, spread 1/3 of the total amount of cheese onto crust. Then sprinkle on peppers, onions, and chicken. Add remaining cheese, and salt. Drizzle on any smokey barbecue sauce of your choice.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

Three-Cheese Garden Pizza

When Brooke came to do a Pampered Chef show at my house, she made this delicious Three-Cheese Garden Pizza to demo some of her products.


It was so good that I went online to try to find the recipe. Since then, I've made this numerous times. It's so easy and simple to throw together, yet it looks rustically elegant. I love that it's packed full of veggies and nutrition - makes the bowl of ice cream for dessert not count. ;)

I should add, in case anyone is interested, that after watching Brooke's demo, I purchased the "large bar ban" and "garlic press." I don't think I will ever make pizza in anything else besides this piece of stoneware. I can't wait to get more!

Ingredients

• 1 package refrigerated pizza crust
• 1 small onion, sliced into rings
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 2 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  

1.	Preheat oven to 400°F. Using lightly floured Baker's Roller™, roll pizza crust into a 14-inch circle on Large Round Stone. Bake crust 7 minutes. Remove from oven; place on Stackable Cooling Rack.
2.	Using Ultimate Slice & Grate fitted with v-shaped blade, slice onion, zucchini and tomatoes. Slice mushrooms using Egg Slicer Plus®.
3.	Using Garlic Press, press garlic over crust; spread evenly. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheeses evenly over crust; top evenly with onion, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes. Grate Parmesan cheese over vegetables using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Sprinkle with seasoning mix. Bake 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown; remove from oven. Cut into wedges using Pizza Cutter.

Superbowl Snack Throwdown: Mini Aloha Calzones

Happy Friday!  You can celebrate the weekend's arrival by clicking here to vote for your favorite pineapple recipe in HighLowAha's weekly Superbowl Snack Throwdown!  Hopefully, your favorite involves cute little umbrellas... ;)

I never had pineapple pizza until our honeymoon.  We found a little pizza place in Lahaina on Maui, and they had this amazing pineapple and ham deep dish pizza.  I'm not usually a fan of ham OR pineapple (well, except for when I was pregnant with Ryan and ate pineapple like it was my job) but this pizza was absolutely amazing.  More than 6 years later, I still remember it.

I've had similar (but not as yummy!) pies since, though most involve a red pizza sauce.  While those variations are good, I much prefer the delicious flavor combination of the ham and pineapple to stand out on its own and not be masked by tomatoes.

When pineapple was selected as the secret ingredient, I knew I wanted to replicate the yumminess of that pizza.  While you might choose to serve these with a tomato sauce for dunking, I prefered to leave them plain.

One of the things I love about this recipe is how versatile it is depending on your cooking ability - or how much time you have.  You can make your own pizza dough or use store-bought.  Fresh pineapple or canned.  Diced deli meat or last night's leftover ham.  This is truly a recipe that will appeal to all ability levels in the kitchen!

They are very fast to whip up and are sure to disappear quickly.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 batch pizza crust
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 cup mozzarella
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1 cup diced pineapple (if using canned, drain first!)

Preheat oven to 400.  Lightly coat a 9x9 baking dish with oil.

Roll out pizza dough and divide into 16 pieces.  Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Take a piece of dough and flatten.  Place a spoonful of the pineapple mixture into the dough and wrap the corners around to seal.  Place seam side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Bake uncovered for 16-20 minutes.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Like many people, I love pizza nights.  What beats just picking up the phone and sitting down, in thirty minutes or less, to a hot pie with oozy gooey cheese? 

Although we've lived in this house for over 6 years, we've yet to really find GREAT local pizza.  In all honesty, though, laziness is a factor; the place we usually use is adequate, and we haven't continued searching around.

I don't make my own pizza often, mostly because when I think of homemade pizza, I think of Nana's or my mom's - and I know I can't duplicate theirs!  But every once in awhile I come across a pizza that's so tempting that I can't pass it up; this Chicken Alfredo Pizza from Kickin' it in the Kitch was surely among them!

I cheated and used a store bought crust, but nonetheless, this was fantastic.  I didn't love the Alfredo sauce I used, so next time I might even be enticed to make my own.  Best of all, this reheated nicely for a yummy lunch the next day.

Ingredients

• Pizza dough (you could use homemade or store-bought)
• Half jar of alfredo sauce
• Chicken, cubed & cooked
• Frozen spinach (Next time, I'll use fresh)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil, parsley and oregano mixed together

Preheat the oven to 500 (or, if using a premade crust, follow package instructions).

Roll out pizza dough to desired size on pizza stone. Spread alfredo sauce on crust and add the rest of the toppings. Brush the olive oil mixture on the crust. Bake at 500 degrees for 12 minutes or until crust is golden.

Chicken Parm Pizza Balls

This was a scrumptious dinner inspired by Dish It Up. I used fresh whole-wheat pizza dough, which definitely gave it fabulous flavor, but also made it a bit more difficult to stuff and roll. I think that a tube of dough may be easier to work with, although not as yummy and fresh-tasting. In an effort to add some more protein, I also chopped up some grilled chicken and stuffed into the balls.


These were delicious, and I think they'd make a really fun appetizer. You could stuff this with anything at all, which makes this such a versatile dish.

I do wish that I doubled the recipe. I only got 16 balls to feed all three of us!


Ingredients

• 1 ball of fresh pizza dough
• 1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1-2 cups of diced chicken
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning (combine oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• pizza or marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease pie pan.

Grab a walnut-sized piece of dough and flatten. In each dough piece place a couple pieces of chopped chicken and a tablespoon of cheese. Seal dough around meat and cheese and place seam side down in pie pan.

Repeat, placing approximately 16 dough balls in each pie plate.

Once assembled, drizzle oil over the balls and sprinkle with the herbs.

When ready to bake: bake at 400°F for 16-20 min. Serve with warm pizza or marinara sauce.

(You can also cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze.)

Stuffed Pizza Pie

One of the things I love best about Picky Palate (and several other blogs) is that the dishes are "tested" by other little boys. So when I see a successful recipe, I am more confident when I give them to Ryan.


This Stuffed Pizza Pie was no exception. Ryan ate almost an entire slice by himself! Later, he kept coming up to me when I was trying to actually eat dinner myself, begging for more.

I'd like to pretend that the fact that I let him "dunk" into some Ranch Dressing had nothing to do with it...

But this was absolutely delicious, and the fact that it was so simple is just a bonus. I'd love to play around with this and make different variations. The possibilities are endless...!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz whole wheat or white pizza dough
• 1 Cup ricotta cheese
• ¼ Cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (dried or fresh)
• 2 Cups fresh broccoli florets, steamed until fork tender, about 3 minutes in boiling water
• Pinch of salt
• ½ Cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 ½ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Spread and press one piece of dough into the bottom and sides of a 9-9 ½ inch round baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheese until well combined. Spread into pressed pizza dough.


2. Place olive oil into a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute spinach until wilted down, about 3 minutes. Place evenly over ricotta cheese layer, and sprinkle garlic on top. Place steamed broccoli florets over spinach and season with a pinch or two of kosher salt. Layer roasted red peppers, then mozzarella cheese over top. Press out remaining piece of dough and place over filling, tucking edges inside of pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cooked through.

3. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan or cutting into wedges.

Pizza Casserole

I love a good pizza, but I can never make them well myself. Whenever I do venture into the Land of DIY Pizza, it's always a Boboli crust with ricotta, mozzarella, basil, and tomato slices. I mean, that's good and all, but there's nothing WOW about it. Nothing can take the place of either my grandmother's pizza or a good gooey slice from our local pizzaria.

When doing it at home, however, this is a pretty good substitute. I saw it on Brooke's blog not too long ago and starred it right away for future use, and last night I decided to go for it. It was so easy and it tasted great. I always seem to be wary of a recipe that doesn't call for any spices or herbs, but I guess I need to learn how to trust the food! This was fabulous, and while it's probably not the most figure-friendly dish out there, it's a wonderful quick weeknight recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Package of mushrooms
• 1 jar of tomato sauce
  
• Spray of Pam
• 1 10 oz can refrigerated pizza dough
• 6 oz of part skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 425. In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook onion, garlic until softened, add meat stirring until it's browned. Drain, if necessary, and return to skillet.

Add mushrooms and tomato sauce, and cook until heated through and most of the sauce has been absorbed (you want your meat mixture more on the dry side then the saucy side).

While meat cooks, coat a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza crust dough, and press into bottom and halfway up sides of the baking dish. Pre-bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, then add a layer of cheese, then a layer of the meat mixture, then top with a layer of cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 12 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese melts. Cool 5 minutes before serving.