foodie: squash "pizzas"

inspired by this recipe and with a gorgeously round summer squash in need of use, i set out to make my very own version of squash "pizza".  the buttery squash made for a delicious (though not so stable) crust, and the fresh marinara, parmigiano reggiano cheese and garden basil, made it all the better!  the result was quite tasty, if i do say so myself.

here's what you'll need for pizza for two...

1 round summer squash
marinara
cheese of your choosing
olive oil
salt
fresh basil

preheat oven to 400

1. cut the squash into 1/2 inch thick rounds, and place on an oiled baking sheet. drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once, until both sides are lightly browned and the edges begin to curl up.

2. remove from the oven and top as you see fit!  caramelized onions, chopped kalamata olives and homemade pesto could be delicious, too.

3. bake for another 10 min or so, until the cheese begins to melt.

enjoy with a side salad and a glass of wine :-)

foodie: cauliflower crust pizza

the month of gluten-free recipes continues -- this time with a pizza recipe!  pizza was one of the foods that i anticipated missing during my month long gluten-free experiment, since craig and i enjoy homemade pizza frequently.  but, thanks to this recipe for a cauliflower crust, i'm not missing pizza at all that much.

here's what you'll need for pizza for two...

1 cup cooked, mashed, drain cauliflower (approximately 1/2 medium head)
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 egg
salt
olive oil

preheat your oven to 425

1. combine the cauliflower, almond meal, parm, flaxseed, egg and salt.

2. oil your baking sheet or pizza stone well with olive oil.

3. use your hands to press the "dough" into your desired shaped (the crust should be 1/4 inch thick), and drizzle top with more olive oil.

4. bake for 15 min +/- or until edges are browned and center is no longer mushy.

5. remove from oven, and top with desired ingredients -- i used caramelized onions, sauteed red peppers, kale pesto, kalamata olives, red sauce, bleu cheese, ricotta and mozzarella!

6. put back in the oven for another 5 min or so until the cheese is bubbly.  (don't bake for too long otherwise the crust will get mushy again...)

the pizza was truly delicious.  the cheesy, flavorful crust only added to the deliciousness of the toppings.  the only thing is that the crust can be a little "weak" at the center of the pie.  the edges held together well -- sturdy enough to eat with your hands -- but as you reach the center of the pie, you may need a fork and knife.  i read a lot of different recipes, and this seems to be a common occurrence, but if you figure out a way around this issue, let me know!

bon appetit!

when the boys are away, the girls will play!

tonight my sister, some friends, and i are enjoying a girls' night in.  craig's on his way to montreal as we speak for a friend's bachelor party, so girl-time is a must!  what's on the itinerary?  pizza, wine, fire in the fireplace, chick flick (maybe) and obviously lots of laughs and good conversation.  and maybe some just dance on wii...  sounds pretty prefect, right?

what we're drinking...

night harvest - sauvignon blanc
tapeña - dry rosé
rex goliath - free range red

i've had night harvest and rex goliath before, but the tapeña is a new one. cross-your-fingers it's a "goodie" - i love finding new vintages : )

what we're eating...

pizza!  usually we make-our-own, but tonight, to keep it super simple, we're opting for take-out.  i'm thinking a 1/2 broccoli garlic, 1/2 ricotta roasted red pepper pie.

broccoli pizza  - picture credit {here}

what's satisfying our sweet tooth....

cake balls.  it's such an awful name, but they really are delicious.  little tiny cake/frosting/chocolate-dipped bits of heaven.  (recipe to come next week.)

yes, that's right...i made those : )

hope you have some fun weekend plans, too!

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 : )

pizza time

last night craig and i decided to get take out.  it was too hot to cook, and we wanted to try a pizza place my cousin and his wife recommended.  pina's pizza in doylestown is your typical pizzeria.  booths line the right wall and the counter flanks the left.  their pizzas are massive.  seriously, they are some of the biggest and most extravagantly topped pizzas i've seen in quite a while.

pizzas topped with penne vodka, chicken parm or stuffed with spinach and cheese.  we opted for a 1/2 eggplant and ricotta, 1/2 sundried tomato pie. 

typically i eat 2 to 2 1/2 slices.  well, pina's pizza was so huge and so rich, i would barely finish one slice!  needless to say, we have A LOT of leftovers : )

while we waited for our pizza, we wandered around the shopping center and found the latest philadelphia magazine.  their cover story?  "the very best pizza."  ironic, no?  now, craig and i have quite a few more pizza joints to try...  i think we have our work cut out for us.

what's your favorite kind of pizza???

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....