foodie wednesday: bbq onion pizza

this past weekend, we attended a post-holiday party thrown by our wedding photographers, a husband and wife team...who are both awesome, by the way.  i offered to bring an appetizer and was trying to think of something creative as i stared into my fridge.  what to make...?  and then it came to me...bbq onion pizza : )  yum!

1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup bbq sauce, your favorite
1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 dough recipe {here} (or one store bought crust or ball of dough)
olive oil
salt & cracked pepper

preheat oven to 425

1. saute onion in a bit of olive oil until lightly caramelized (season with salt)
2. prep your pizza stone or baking tray with some olive oil and corn meal
3. spread the dough and top evenly with bbq sauce
4. when onions are done, distribute them evenly over the crust as well and then sprinkle with bleu cheese
5. top with a bit of cracked pepper and drizzle with oil olive
6. bake for 15-20 min until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown

before baking

allow to cool for 5-10 min before cutting if you want to enjoy it right away : )

after baking : )

mangia!  mangia!

foodie wednesday: egg pizza

a few nights ago, i was feeling pizza.  i seem to always default to my favorite, go-to toppings - like roasted veggies - so i was determined to push the envelope (at least a bit) more than usual...

and this is what i came up with:

egg pizza

1/2 olive oil dough recipe {here}
1/2 cup shredded chicken (i used leftover bbq chicken)
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
3 eggs
2-4 oz crumbled feta
1/2 cup marinara sauce
cracked pepper
chopped basil

preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. sprinkle cornmeal on pizza stone (or a baking tray) and stretch dough.

2. spread the dough evenly with the sauce, followed by 3 cracked eggs (yolks intact), chicken, olives and feta.

3. bake for 15-20 min & then remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting.

4. season with cracked pepper and then sprinkle with fresh basil.

mangia!  mangia!

craig really loved this protein-packed pizza because the eggs added an awesome, creamy richness to the meal.  definitely will make it again!

you wondering what i did with the other 1/2 of the dough???  we enjoyed it the other night topped with homemade pesto mixed with a little marinara, olives and provolone cheese.  so yummy too : )

foodie wednesday: french bread pizzas

i promised yesterday that i would post the recipes for the french bread pizzas we made for our clothing swap.  my sis had the brilliant idea of getting a large boule (i.e. round loaf) and cutting it into 4 layers (like a layer cake) - each layer served as a crust for our toppings.  they were delish!  and super easy to make : )

so, here's what went down:

1 large boule, cut into 4 layers
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup red sauce
cheeses (as much and as many as you want)
olives
roasted red peppers
turkey pepperoni

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees and toast bread for a few minutes to get it a little crispy

2. top 2 rounds with pesto, 2 with red sauce

3. add cheese and olives and pepperoni and peppers and whatever else you please  (our combos?  (1) pesto + bleu cheese + provolone + olives / (2) red sauce + mozzarella + cheddar / (3) pesto + mozzarella + roasted red peppers / (4) red sauce + muenster cheese + turkey pepperoni)

4. bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly

5. cool slightly before cutting

makes 6 (or so) lunch servings

we paired our pizza with a simple salad.  mixed greens & arugula topped with bleu cheese and dried cranberries.  we dressed it with a classic balsamic vinaigrette.  yum!  to complete the feast, we sipped on some sangria. 

it was a lovely lunch : )

roasted asparagus & brie pizza

omg.  this pizza was truly awesome.  very a-typically as far as toppings go, but what it lacked in tradition it made up tenfold in buttery goodness.
ok, so here's what went down...

earlier in the day i made some super easy, no-knead bread dough.  i know i've shared this recipe before, but if you're anything like me, when i first heard "bread dough", i shunned it in fear.  i always thought homemade bread was an undertaking for only the bravest and most patient of cooks.  i mean, don't bakers have to start working at 3am just so they can open at 7am?  but have no fear - this recipe is truly simple and easy.  it takes about 5 min to mix together all the ingredients, and then you let it rise.  then you mold it and bake.  super easy i promise.  (have i convinced you yet?  here is the recipe.)

back to the pizza.

1/4 of bread dough recipe or 12oz pizza dough
6-8 stalks of asparagus (from a nearby farm)
1/2 shallot
2-3 fingerling potatoes
1/2 small meyer lemon, thinly sliced
3 oz brie
1 tbsp (or 3 tsp) olive oil
rosemary
salt & pepper

1. preheat oven to 400.

2. wash asparagus & potatoes well.  snap the woody part of the stems off of the aparagus and thinly slice the potatoes.

3. place veggies on baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil over veggies and sprinkle with salt & pepper.  roast for 10-15 in the oven until asparagus is tender and potatoes are golden brown around edges.

4. while the veggies are in the oven, thinly slice the shallots and saute in 1 tsp olive oil until caramelized.  set aside.

5. sprinkle cornmeal over pizza stone (or baking tray) and spread dough.

6. once asparagus & potatoes are done roasting and slightly cooled, arrange on the dough.  add the lemon, shallots and brie.

7. drizzle final teaspoon of olive oil over top and season with salt & cracked pepper.

8. bake for 25 min or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.  remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  sprinkle with fresh rosemary before serving.

this pizza was seriously delicious.  and the asparagus - both green and purple - from the local farmers' market was so fresh and sweet.  even with the brie cheese, the asparagus stole the show.

pizza pizza

last night i was in the mood for pizza.  homemade, yummy pizza.  my mom had just given craig & me a jar of homemade basil & pine nut pesto, so i was anxious to put it to good use : )

mid-afternoon, i mixed up some super-easy no-knead dough (recipe {here}) to use for the pizza crust.  a little bit of prep and forethought, but it's totally worth it.

pizza pizza

i preheated the oven to 400 degrees and then spread the dough on our pizza stone that i had sprinkled with cornmeal.  (i regular baking tray will do the trick too.) 

then i topped 1/2 with:

mom's pesto
muenster cheese
chopped kalamata olives

and the other 1/2 with:

vodka sauce
mozzarella
turkey pepperoni

bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.  while baking, make yourself a faux cosmo : )

1.5 oz vodka
2 oz cranberry
squeeze of fresh citrus (i like lime)
top it off with seltzer or diet 7up or sprite

sit back and enjoy your drink.  and enjoy the delicious smell eminating from your oven.  when the pizza's done baking, let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and enjoying!  mangia : )

mmm...pizza....

{heart} day menu for two: pizza & wine

picture credit {here}



this valentine’s craig and i are staying in. we celebrated with an evening on the town this past saturday.  cocktails at left bank libations.  sushi dinner at our favorite japanese place, ota-ya.  after-dinner drinks at marsha brown’s upstairs bar.  so tonight, we’re keeping it low-key.  but low-key does not have to mean boring or not special…

ever since we started dating, our “date-night-in” default has been pizza & wine.  it’s become such a tradition that craig and i have developed pizza & wine telepathy.  we can just glance in each other’s direction, and we’ll simultaneously blurt out “pizza and wine tonight?”.  we sometimes go for gourmet, homemade pies…sometimes for papa john’s.  either way, it’s the perfect date-night-in menu.  so when it came to our february 14th meal, i couldn’t think of anything more us.  i mean really, what could be better than a homemade (possibly heart-shaped) pizza and a bottle of red, white, rosé or bubbly (whatever your preference) to make it extra special?!

picture credit {here}

dinner – homemade pizza for two

use ¼ of bread dough recipe or buy prepared pizza crust or dough at your grocery store or from your local pizza place

my toppings of choice: caramelized onions, sautéed red peppers, mozzarella, provolone & parmesan, any fresh herbs on hand, good red sauce (but really, top it with anything you love)

the essentials: salt, pepper, olive oil

preheat oven to 425
place dough on oiled (and “cornmealed”, optional) baking sheet or pizza stone and spread to desired thickness/shape
arrange toppings (the more, the better : )
drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle with salt and pepper.
bake for 20 or minutes until golden brown and bubbly
sprinkle with fresh herbs
allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting (or eating!)

dessert – chocolate-covered strawberries
melt chocolate over double-boiler (i.e. a glass or ceramic bowl over a pot ½ full of slow boiling water)
dip fresh strawberries (cover generously : ) you can also dip banana chucks, apples, pineapple, marshmallows, graham crackers, cookies, brownies, rice krispies treats, spoons, fingers
place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper
allow to cool in fridge for an hour or so (make no more than 2-3 days in advance)

picture credit {here}

drink – red wine
buy
chill for just 20 min prior to drinking to bring down temp slightly
uncork
drink

and remember, don’t worry if your pizza’s not perfect. ugly pizza tastes just as good : ) happy {heart} day!

so, are you red, white, rosé or bubbly?

and congratulations to karina cifuentes!!! the winner of the raymer’s gourmet chocolate giveaway! <3