procrastination is my biggest strength

Greetings from a typical fast summer in Wisconsin. Sheesh, I am seriously behind in up dating this year long quest, my apologies for those I kept waiting.

Waaaaaay back in June, my brother and his family came back from Germany for a two week long visit. One night, we decided to host a sleepover for four rowdy boys. We made them pizza, I thought they'd be interested in build-your-own type but they were busy outside rough-housing. So to put these pizzas together for them. I used a flatbread crust, some shredded mozzarella, and pepperoni. They loved them! So easy to just throw it all together. That night I also made a pizza for my sister and I with half mushrooms and half green olives.

The week of the 4th of July, I made a fresh pizza that wasn't baked, well, just the crust. I sliced up some farmer's market tomatoes really thin, chopped up some basil, sliced mozzarella, and drizzled with some balsamic vinegar. So refreshing and much easier to eat in the mugginess of July.

I am unfortunately behind one week, after my brother left, I sort of became lost in the shuffle of the season; however, the following week I made a pizza that tasted like lasagna. No lies. Basically I mixed together some chopped spinach and ricotta cheese with sauteed garlic and onions. Spread that mixture onto the crust, topped it off with some red sauce and mozarella. Then baked it. Seriously, lasagna.

The following week I harvested some beets from the garden and used the greens on a pizza. With mushrooms, onions, and mozzarella, and with a garlic infused olive oil as a base. It was pretty tasty! Nothing like eating things you've grown yourself, though this year, my garden is a little slow producing.

I had an afternoon to myself and made a pizza for lunch. Nothing but green and Kalamata olives. I can't add olives to anything that we both will eat because one of us doesn't care for them. Surely, it isn't me.

This past week I made a delectable goodie with mushrooms and fresh basil from the yard. And I piled that basil on because we love it so much. The crust was exceptionally crispy and baked perfectly. One of my favorites so far.

pesto tomato, kale and goat cheese, grilled pizza

The last three pizzas have been pretty delicious. The first of the three was a pesto pizza with mushroom, yellow and red cherry tomatoes, and spinach. I always forget how good pesto is on pizza, and can't wait for my little basil plants to be substantial enough to make my own pesto.

The second pizza was a hit with the Vandenbergs. I found the recipe on Epicurious.com. The crust called for it to sit and ferment for 5 hours, which gave it a nice and springy crust. I sauteed the kale with some garlic and then spread it on the pizza. Then used goat cheese. I haven't used goat cheese in much of my cooking, but it's tasty little treat.

I tried my hand at grilling pizza, and I am not afraid to admit that I failed. The idea sounded wonderful. I caramelized a Vadalia onion, sliced up a handful of white mushrooms. Had the crust all ready. Placed it on the pizza peel and onto the grill. I should have known that the grill was too hot. The first side of the crust cooked nicely so i flipped it over and added the onions, mushrooms, and mozzarella. Hot grill + pizza crust = burned city. I will try my hand at it again, as the parts that weren't too charred had absolutely wonderful flavors.

Four good ones

well, well, well....time has escaped me once again, so i figure i better catch up on this thing before summer takes me away..

the first week of april i constructed a ricotta and asparagus pizza, topped off with mixed greens, and parmesan cheese. i found the recipe outta some magazine and figured i'd give it a whirl. and it didn't whirl us too much. it was really bland and dry, but sure looked pretty. basically i spread ricotta cheese on the crust, added some asparagus and baked it. once it was done, i topped it with mixed greens (that i tossed with olive oil, lemon, and garlic powder) and parmesan. i wish i would have added some red sauce or garlic to give it a little umph.

we followed the first week up with a winner. a BLT pizza (minus the mayo because todd doesn't care for it, silly, i know). i cooked up the bacon while the lone crust was baking, sliced up some tomatoes, and got out the mixed greens. once the crust was done baking i coated it with some olive oil and powdered garlic. put on the bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes...added a little parmesan. super good. but i should have added mayo to half once it was finished baking just because it was a little dry.

week three consisted of some easter festivities. my family decided upon BRUNCH, BRUNCH, BRUNCH, BRUNCH (you must chant that) and i made a fruit pizza. using the crust recipe that ferments over night in the fridge (the best i've found...so if anyone has another, let me know), i baked the crust by itself. meanwhile, i allowed the cream cheese to soften. i added some strawberry yogurt to the cream cheese and mixed until creamy and smooth. i then smeared it on the crust, and topped of with fruit...you can use whatever but i purchased a pineapple, strawberries, and blackberries. delicious and a nice change of pace.

and finally, the fourth week....and i think the best pizza this month. i was racking my brain, trying to figure out what i could do differently for the sauce....a while back i made a roasted red pepper and feta dip...and figured i could pull something similar with pizza. so i roasted 2 red peppers, along with a handful of cherry tomatoes. peeled about 4 cloves, and added about a quarter of a red onion to my food processor. i also added a tablespoon or two of panko bread crumbs, a little salt and pepper, and processed until smooth. i made a simple crust, and smothered it with the sauce. i then added some feta and parmesan. the sauce was absolutely perfect. the pizza was absolutely tasty (i even forced myself to save some for lunch).

Where has March gone?

No I haven't been not making pizzas, I just have not been updating for the whole long, warm, then snowy month of March. We came up with some good pizzas. Lemme fill you in.....

The first week of March I made a roasted red pepper pizza with feta and half kalamata olives. It was one of the top pizza so far. I roasted the peppers myself, and used the same sauce and crust recipes as I always do.. it was even really good cold the next day for lunch.

I know many people are not fans of brussels sprouts, nor am I. However, they have been totally redeemed by my friend Chad. He sautees them with olive oil (the original recipe called for bacon, but they're vegetarian). (I sauteed them with bacon grease I have on reserve in my fridge.) Then adds sriracha hotsauce and some lime juice, and then roasts them in the oven until perfectly cooked. Mine didn't turn out as wonderful as his, but still good nonetheless. I then threw them on a pizza with red sauce. Pretty good, but the next day's leftovers, not so good.

I know I've made just a plain ol' four cheese pizza previously, but I haven't made just a one cheese pizza. (well, actually I have, but it was the fried pizza crust one). So simple, so easy. Needless to say, this one was delicious. Same crust and red sauce recipes.

The last week of March I made a pineapple "chutney" topped pizza. I used some pineapple, yellow onion, and some cherry tomatoes, mixed it all together and threw it on top of some red sauce and topped it off with my salty favorite: feta. Todd was a big fan of this one, he loves pineapple, and especially when it's mixed in with other ingredients. It was really good, though.

So this week I made strombolis, and was in a rush to get to Todd's work with them so we could eat dinner together on his break (how lovely is that?). I was about half way there when I realized I forgot my satchel that contained my CAMERA. So no stromboli pictures.

I made some red sauce, thawed a package of frozen chopped spinach, waited for my pizza dough to rise while squeezing out the spinach. Crumbled some feta. Cut up some kalamata olives and sliced some yellow cherry tomatoes. I formed the dough then layered one half with sauce, spinach, feta, olives, and tomatoes, mozzarella, and then another layer of sauce. Baked at 425 until a nice golden brown.

I've made them before, but these two were a pretty good concoction. Try it!

sweet potato/feta/caramelized red onions with red sauce

i had one lonely little sweet potato waiting patiently in the cupboard for awhile, so i decided to thinly slice it up and put it on a pizza. added a little feta, mozzarella, and some caramelized onions into the mix and dinner was ready.

i was a little worried that the potatoes wouldn't cook all the way, but if you slice them thin enough, they turn out perfectly cooked.

european pizza, beer crust pizza, and black bean pizza

cabin fever is here. perhaps i should be making a lot of pizzas but for some reason i haven't been. not to say that i've been slacking. just a little unmotivated and updating this blog.

i made a pizza with my nephews while visiting in germany. they helped me make the sauce and dough, and put the cheese on top. what helpful little guys they were. my brother said it was the best pizza they've had since they've moved over there. since my supplies of topping were limited, and the kids (and even my brother) are a tad on the picky side, i just made a couple of pizzas; one with half pepperoni and half cheese. and the second with mushroom, olives, and red peppers. yes, repeats, but i'm counting it as a week because we were over seas.

we loved spending time with my brother and his family, if only we could have stayed longer.

the week after we returned home from our european adventure i made a beer crust cheese pizza. with a mixture of tomato and this summer's pesto. pretty good tasting. the crust turned out sweeter than usual but still good. good to have a different tasting crust. the recipe was off of martha stewart's website found here.

this past week's recipe was inspired by my dearest friend ashlee gene. a cornmeal crust, with black beans, tomatoes, salsa verde, cheese, and topped with avocado and fresh squeeze lime juice. be sure that you place the avocado slices on the pizza after it's done baking. mmmmmm mm....so good. it would have been even better with some cilantro but i had none. we had plenty of leftovers and todd and i both tried it cold, and it was still good.

16th and 17th pizzas

last week we had my parents over for some pizzas. and i actually made this recipe ... the one that i have been meaning to make since i started this endeavor. it was really good! the recipe made enough for three pizzas and i just threw the leftover dough in the freezer.

my folks really like shrimp pizza. so i made one for them (with a quarter of it pepperoni) and then made a mushroom and green/red pepper pizza...half of it with olives.

both were delicious, and we seriously enjoy sharing meals with our families....even though they complain our house is too cold.

this week's pizza was roasted potatoes and caramelized red onions with a white sauce and feta cheese. a tad on the dry side but still pretty tastey. i think it would have been better with a red sauce.

i made everything from scratch, always forgetting how easy a white sauce is to make: butter, garlic, half and half, and parmesan cheese, and a little bit of flour to thicken.

lying in bed i thought of drizzling with balsamic vinegar after the pizza was baked. that probably would have given it more moisture.

this sunday we are off to europe to see what it's all about (i've never been there, todd has a couple of times); and to see my dearest brother and his family! so we'll be finding a pizza place and substituting that for the one or both weeks. bon voyage!