Merritt Family Pizza Night

This past fall, Moe and I were introduced to the art of pizza making.  Our friend's Cambey and David have shown us that as the process is just as important fun as the actual food you are going to eat.  Pizza night is a wonderful way to engage a large group (and family) and get everyone into the cooking spirit!  My parents came in town, and the last night they were here we shared this wonderful tradition with them!  Everyone was up in the kitchen participating (even my dad who is hardly the cook)! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we have and will continue to throughout the years.

Merritt Family Pizza Recipe
Source:  Cambey and Dave
Serves:  4 Pizzas

4 cups pizza sauce (recipe - Homemade Pizza Sauce)
2 - 8 oz bags of shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza dough - homemade or store bought (recommend whole wheat from Whole Foods)
Salt and Pepper
corn meal
pizza paddle
pizza cutter
pizza stone

Place pizza stone in a cold oven (very important so stone doesn't crack).  With pizza stone in oven, preheat oven to 550 degrees (if doesn't go that high, 450 degrees will work).  Put some flour on a working space and place dough on surface and roll.  If dough sticks to surface or rolling pin then sprinkle more flour on the dough.  Roll out and every couple of rolls rotate dough 45 degrees in a circle until you reach a 9-10 inch diameter circle.

You can store the rolled out dough on wax paper if you aren't ready to use and can stack them with a piece of wax paper between.  

When you are ready to cook pizza, put wooden pizza paddle on the counter and sprinkle with corn meal so that the pizza will slide off easily onto the pizza stone in oven.  Using your hand spread corn meal evenly over paddle.  Place pizza dough on the peel.  

 
Put a thin layer of sauce on dough.  Cover with toppings depending on which type of pizza you are making.  

Once toppings are complete, use peel to slide pizza onto pizza stone. Close door.  In a minute or so open door and using a fork to turn pizza 45 degrees and shut door.  Check pizza every 30 seconds to a minute turning with fork ever so often.  The pizza is done when the crust is dark brown and almost black.  Using fork, drag pizza onto a pizza try.  Slice immediately and eat!  


Pizza #1 - Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil
2 tomatoes, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 mozzarella ball, sliced with liquid removed
1 cup pizza sauce

Pizza #2 - Prosciutto and Buffalo Mozzarella
8 slices of Prosciutto
1 container of Buffalo Mozzarella, drained - remove excess liquid with Scott towel
1 cup pizza sauce

Pizza #3 - Pepperoni with Roasted Red Peppers
10 large Pepperoni slices from the deli
2 roasted red peppers (can use jarred or prepare your own on grill)
red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pizza #4 - Red Onion with Rosemary
1/2 red onion, sliced long ways and then halved
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, diced
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pictures from the evening...

Ratings:
Miss J, 10 out of 10
Moe, 10 out of 10

- Miss J

Chicken and Avocado Pizza

A delicious meal that doesn't require a lot of attention!  I made this while watching a movie with Moe, and I only had to pause it twice. Once it is assembled, just pop it in the oven, and bon appetit!

Serves: 4 people
Source:  The Ultimate Chicken Cookbook by Linda Fraser

8 plum tomatoes, quartered
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large ripe avocado
8 pita bread rounds
6-7 sliced of cooked chicken, chopped
1 onion, thinly diced
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place the quartered tomatoes in a baking dish (or on a sheet pan).  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil and season to taste.   Bake for 30 minutes, do not salt.   Remove the baking dish from the oven and mash with a fork, removing skins as you go.  Set aside.  Peel and pit the avocado.  Cut into thin slices.  Brush the edges of the pita bread with oil.  Arrange the bread on two baking sheets.  Spread each pita with mashed tomato, almost to the edge.  Top each with 2 avocado slices.  Sprinkle with the chicken, then add a few onion slices.  Season to taste.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Place one sheet in the middle of the oven and bake until the cheese begins to melt, about 15-20 minutes.  Sprinkle with half the cilantro and serve.  Meanwhile, bake the second batch of pizzas, and serve them hot. 

Notes:  I used a DiGionro pizza crust instead of pita.  I also used freshly grated fontina cheese instead of cheddar cheese.  I baked the pizza at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. 

Chicken and Avocado Pizza

Ratings:
Moe, 9 out of 10
Miss J, 8 out of 10

- Miss J

Whole Grain Zucchini and Red Onion Pizza

Whole Grain Zucchini and Red Onion Pizza

Serves:  2 (1 pizza each)

This is a quick easy meal that I can throw together last minute.  It is almost considered a kitchen sink type pizza as any vegetables that you have laying around can be thrown on top of this pizza! This recipe can also be served as an appetizer when entertaining.

1 package Whole Grain Tandoor - Baked Naan (each package contains to sheets of bread)

1/2 zucchini

1/2 red onion

Parmesan cheese

Alouette Cheese (garlic & herb)

fresh basil

ground pepper

salt*

olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly brush tops of Whole Grain Tandoor-Baked Naan with olive oil.  If you don't want to use olive oil, you can brush lightly with water to hold moisture.  Spread a thin layer of Alouette cheese on the bread.  Don't feel like you have to use the entire container of Alouette as a little goes a long way.  Slice zucchini into thin rounds and arrange on pizza.  Slice red onion thinly and arrange on top of zucchini.  Chop up fresh basil and sprinkle on top of pizza along with some Parmesan cheese.  Top with pepper and salt (optional).   Arrange pizza on a pizza tray and slide into preheated oven.  Cook for 10-12 minutes.  After 10-12 minutes, pull the pizza out and check bottom of crust to ensure that the pizza is not burning on the bottom (all ovens cook differently). If you like your crust extra crunchy like me, put the pizza back in for 3-4 more minutes to crisp up. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and let cool for 1 minute.  Cut immediately and serve.

Notes:  If you can't find or don't have Tandoor-Baked Naan, you can substitute this for pizza dough (homemade or store bought).  Any variety of vegetables can be used on this pizza.  I am not a huge fan of red onion so I put fresh grape tomatoes on mine.  Spinach and squash are also two vegetables that work well on this pizza. 

*Tip:  I generally do not add the salt to my recipes until the very end.  I figure that all the individual ingredients include so much sodium that it is much easier to add it at the end after you taste it then to put it on in the beginning and wish you hadn't!

  Whole Grain Tandoor - Baked Naan Package

  Cooking in the oven

  Let set for 1 minutes before cutting

  Pizza with zucchini, red onion, and fresh basil  Pizza with zucchini, grape tomatoes, and fresh basil

Enjoy!
 
-Miss J