His and Hers Pizzas

Picky Kid Cheese Pizza

My family loves pizza, it is seriously bordering on obsession.  Making it at home allows us to each have whatever kind we want.  Kids love a make-your-own and Geoff and I don't have to argue about toppings, win and win. 

To start you need pizza dough.  My recipe is super simple and inexpensive, but you could purchase store bought to speed up your pizza. 

Ingredients for dough:
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1teaspoon sugar
2 cups (or so) ap flour
dash of salt
splash of olive oil

Directions:
In your mixer add the water, yeast and sugar and allow to proof for 5 minutes.  

Next, add about 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 cups of flour.

Turn the mixer on and combine.  You want to see the dough form a ball, you may need to add small increments of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.

 Let the mixer do the kneading for you and let it go for 5 minutes.

Then cover with a towel and allow to rise until double in size and had bubbles on top, about 2 hours.

This will make 2 tiny kid pizzas and 2 personal size adult pizzas or 1 big pizza.  You can double the recipe for more pizza dough. 

His Pizza:  BBQ Chicken

I love a veggie pizza, but my husband wants meaty.  Making personal pizzas lets us both have what we would prefer.  

 

Ingredients: (for personal sized pizza)

1/2 cup cooked chicken

1 ear of corn cut off the cob

1/4 bell pepper, finely diced

2 tablespoons diced onion

2 tablespoons sliced black olives

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro 

2 tablespoons bbq sauce

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

2 tablespoons grated smoked gouda

Directions:

Preheat your pizza stone in a 475 degree oven for at least 30 minutes.  

If you don't have a pizza stone, you can make these on a cookie sheet.  Oil a cookie sheet and add the rolled out but untopped pizza dough.  Bake for 5-7 minutes by itself to allow it to set up and the bottom to brown a little bit.  Then pull out and top.  

 

Roll out the dough on a floured cutting board or pizza peel.  Top with bbq sauce then cheese.  Add the chicken, corn, bell pepper, onion and olives. 

Carefully slide off the pizza peel or cutting board using your widest spatula on to the pizza stone and cook until top is golden, about 12-15 minutes.  Check after 2 minutes and take a fork to any bubbles that have formed. 

  

  

 





To remove from the oven, place the cutting board next to the pizza stone and use the spatula to scoot the pizza onto the cutting board.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Her's Pizza:  Margherita

This is my very favorite pizza, super simple and super delicious.

Ingredients (for personal sized pizza):

1 cup roasted tomatoes 

10 or so cloves of roasted garlic

1/4 cup sliced fresh basil

olive oil

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

Directions:  

Roll out the dough and drizzle with olive oil.  Top with cheese and roasted tomatoes (to make tomatoes: toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and a 1 teaspoon brown sugar, roast for about 20 minutes while the pizza stone heats up).  and roasted garlic (wrap a head of garlic, drizzled with olive oil in aluminum foil, roast about 40 minutes until golden and spreadably soft).  

Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes until cheese is melted and the top is golden.  Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil. 

 

  

Amy's Peas and Thank You: Top 10 Sandwiches

Who doesn't love a sandwich, (well besides my super picky Owen)?  And with the kids going back to school here are a few ideas beyond the PB & J:

1.  Grilled Pesto and Mozzarella:  On sourdough or ciabatta smear butter on what will be the "outside" of the sandwich.  Inside one slice of bread, slather a thick layer of pesto.   Add sliced tomato and slices of mozzarella cheese.  Grill on both sides until golden and melty.

2.   Roast Beef and Bleu Cheese:  A sort of typical deli sandwich, but upgraded with tasty condiments.  In all honesty, I am a condiment lover, so I love this one.  On a toasty french roll layer roast beef, spinach and red onion (did you know if you soak your red onion in ice water first it will be a little more mellow and you won't spend all day with onion breath?).  In a bowl, add equal parts mayo and bleu cheese crumbles, slather liberally on the bare side of the roll.  Yum.

 

3.  Southern Style Tomato:  I am not from the South, but I would eat like I was every day if I could.  This recipe is so few ingredients that they really need to be top drawer.  Take a "country" style white bread, which is a little drier and slather it in good quality mayo, top with thinly sliced fresh basil and thick slices of tomato from the garden or farmer's market, and that is it.  This sandwich is definitely more than the sum of its parts.   

4.  Pulled Chicken:  Pulled pork is one of the most delicious things on the planet, all smoky, tender and sweet.  However, quick it is not.  If I am not up for making a pork shoulder I will sometimes make "pulled chicken".  Using a rotisserie chicken, this is super quick and easy.  Remove the skin and bones, shredding all the chicken meat.  Toss with warmed barbeque sauce, add to a potato bun (the squishier the better) and top with crisp, creamy coleslaw. 

Chicken Salad:  Paula Deen may be having a career crisis right now, but that woman can make some chicken salad.  You just can't improve upon this recipe, it is my go to: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/almond-chicken-salad-recipe/index.html 

 6.  Egg in the Hole:  Very simple, yet wholesome and delicious.  Now, I make mine the usual way, with a over easy egg.  But of course, Owen won't eat a runny yolk, so I make him a "scrambled egg in the hole".  All the fun of the original just much more kid friendly and very portable for busy mornings.  Melt some butter in a medium high skillet.  Using a glass or fun cookie cutter create a hole in the center of the bread.  Add to the skillet and toast for 1-2 minutes, until nearly brown on one side.  Mix your egg in a bowl (one egg per one slice of bread).  Add to the center hole and just like you are making scrambled eggs, pull the cooked egg up to let raw egg run underneath.  After set on one side, flip and cook through.

   
7.  Banh mi:   Vietnamese is my favorite Asian cuisine because they embrace French bread!  Banh mi is traditionally made with roasted pork, but I often use chicken breast.  Layer your choice of meat on a crusty French roll slathered in mayo mixed with chili sauce (Like "Rooster" sauce).  Mix a splash of apple cider or white wine vinegar with a teaspoon of sugar and toss shredded carrots, cucumber, radishes and cilantro thru it and pile the veggies on your sandwich. 

 8.  Croque Madame:  A croque madame is a croque monsieur with the addition of an egg and I really love anything topped with a runny, gooey, rich egg.  First make a bechamel sauce by melting a tablespoon of butter and adding a tablespoon of flour, cooking for 1 minute.  Add 1 cup of milk, salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg, cooking until thickened.  In an oven safe pan lay a thick slice of french bread, ham and swiss cheese.  Ladle the bechamel over, about 1/4 cup per sandwich.  Throw under the broiler until brown on top and bubbly, about 2 minutes.  While broiling prepare 1 egg per sandwich to your liking, I like over easy, and top sandwich to serve. 


9.  French Dip:  My sister Erin and friend Amber both love this recipe and when I tried it, I couldn't believe how easy and delicious it was.  This is THE recipe to catch a man, from All Recipes:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Slow-Cooker-French-Dip/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=french%20dip&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

10.  My Mom's Italian Hoagie:  Want to see my Mom look irrational, take her to a sandwich shop, have her order a "hoagie" and see them have no idea what she is talking about.  Hoagies are an east coast thing that aren't all that common where we live on the west coast, but they should be, everybody loves Italian flavors and this sandwich is divine.    Take a long loaf of Italian bread and drizzle it with olive oil, red wine vinegar and dried Italian seasoning.  Top with your choice of Italian meats, I like Ham, salami and turkey (although turkey isn't Italian at all), layer on provolone cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced tomatoes, red onion, and, what makes this sandwich in my opinion, diced pepperoncini.  Ohh, I am hungry now.