Pizza Pizzazz

Pizza Pizzazz

A popular item in my house, as well as a lot of people I know, is pizza. Many things have been compared to pizza - sex, traveling, shopping........

"......when it's good it's very good, and when it's bad

- it's still pretty good."

There are a "bazillion" ways to make pizza and everyone has their favorites. Bookstores, the Internet, and grocery stores are hubs for finding creative ways to make pizza. You can bake it, nuke it, grill it, and fry it. The key is finding the right crust, toppings, and sauce. We've tried many of the pizza joints around town and have our favorites. So.......knowing what we like, I have been playing around with some homemade versions that have been delicious and a lot less expensive than pizzeria pizza.

My boys - ages 11 and 16 - like a basic pepperoni and mozzarella cheese pizza. (My 5-year-old daughter prefers bread sticks with mozzarella - no pepperoni.)

Here are a couple of tips for a basic pepperoni pizza:

• Pepperoni - Cut down on greasy pizza by wrapping pepperoni in paper towel and microwaving it for 30 seconds. There will be orange fat soaked into the paper towel that won't be soaked into your crust.
• Tomato Sauce - Use canned tomatoes - diced or pureed work the best. Simmer in a skillet 10 to 15 minutes with a little olive oil and a couple cloves of garlic. Play with the amount until you get the right amount you and your crew will like.

Here are some other of my favorites that prove the versatility of the 'za!!

Grilled Pizza

• Refrigerated pizza crust - any brand
• olive oil
• pizza sauce (see above) - or you can use jarred,canned, etc.
• 1 pkg. mozzarella cheese- shredded
• plum tomatoes - sliced
• black pepper
• small fresh basil leaves Parmesan cheese - crumbled, shredded, or shaved
  

1. Invert a pressed-out and oiled pizza crust from a sheet of nonstick foil onto a hot grill. Remove the foil and grill.
2. Flip the grilled pizza crust with tongs and a large spatula or the flat bottom of a baking sheet.
3. Top evenly with the pizza sauce, mozzarella, tomatoes, and pepper. Grill until the bottom if golden. Sprinkle with the basil and Parmesan.
   

Baked Potato Pizza

• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
• 1 loaf (1-lb) frozen pizza dough - thawed
• 3 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese - shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese - shredded
• 6 bacon strips - cooked and crumbled (see my Blog entry about bacon for an easy way to make bacon in the oven)
• 2 green onions - chopped
• 2 tbsp. chives - minced
• PAM with olive oil
• sour cream - optional - but why would you NOT want sour cream with any baked potato - even baked potato pizza
  

1. Place potatoes in small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover - simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and pat dry.
2. Unroll pizza dough onto a 14-inch pizza pan coated with PAM with olive oil. Flatten the dough and build up edges a bit. Melt butter in the microwave with the garlic - then brush over the dough.
3. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer over the dough. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with cheeses.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 22 - 28 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
5. Sprinkle with bacon, onions, and chives. Serve with sour cream.

Mediterranean Pizza

• 1 prebaked thin Italian or French whole wheat or white bread shell crust - about 10 oz.
• 3 tbsp. pesto - your own or premade
• 2 medium tomatoes - thinly sliced
• 3/4 water-packed artichoke hearts - rinsed, drained, and chopped
• 1/2 cup feta cheese - crumbled
• 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp. minced onion flakes
  

1. Place the crust on an ungreased 12-inch pizza pan. Spread with pesto. Sprinkle with garlic salt and minced onion.
2. Top with tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and ripe olives.
3. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through.

Please let me know if you have any favorites to share or suggestions for these recipes or any other part of my Blog. Since this is so new to me, I would appreciate feedback if you get a chance.

THANKS!!!!