Homemade Pizza

Hey Guys!  Phillip and I had such a great weekend at home in Houston.  We got to watch the LSU game with friends (GEAUX TIGERS!!!), go to church on Sunday, and have my/our friend, Emily, over for dinner.  

Emily and I haven't gotten together in a while, because she is an accountant in the middle of busy season, and I have been working and doing who knows what.  We always have such a good time together...last night was no exception.  We laughed hysterically, caught up on all the noteworthy happenings in our lives, and provided some unintentional entertainment for Phillip.

At the last minute, I decided to make homemade pizzas.  Phillip and I enjoyed them so much last week I thought it would be fun to do again for Em.  I was pleasantly surprised with the results...

I am my own worst enemy and biggest critic when it comes to the food I prepare.  Rarely do I think my meals are extraordinary, but all three of us were in agreement...these pizzas were FREAKING AMAZING.

Here's how we did it.

***Beware:  this is a LONG, VERY DETAILED post.  I can't help myself.  I have to show you everything.  So...grab yourself one of these, pull up a chair, and enjoy***

Here's what you'll need:

 For the crust:  active dry yeast, olive oil, honey, wheat flour, white flour, cornmeal, salt.
*Click on link to read about how to make the perfect pizza dough!

 For the toppings:  marinara sauce (your favorite store bought or homemade), chicken, spicy Italian sausage, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, shallots (or onions), red bell peppers, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.*

*Note:  all of these are optional ingredients.  They are what looked good to me at the store that day.  I change it up frequently, but this is my favorite combo as of now.  Like most women, sometimes my opinions change :-)

I also decided to make a Chicken Pesto Pizza.  Have you ever had one?  The are o-so-good!  Did you know you can freeze pesto?!  I made this a couple of weeks ago and popped what I had leftover in the freezer (crossing my fingers that it would be good the next time I needed it)...it worked!  It was just as flavorful and fresh as it was when I made it!

Roasted Red Bell Peppers

1.  Place bell peppers on foil-lined baking sheet.  

2.  Put under broiler for approximately 20 minutes, or until they look like this.

3.  Put in heat-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap (this traps the steam in between the skin and the flesh, which makes it easier to peel off later.)  Leave in bowl until cool enough to handle.

4.  Peel off the skin and remove the seeds and membrane from inside.  Slice and set aside.

Roasted Baby Tomatoes and Garlic

1.  Put baby tomatoes and UN-PEELED garlic cloves on foil-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  

2.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to burst and the garlic softens.

3.  Remove peel and seeds from tomato.  (I realize I have too much time on my hands.  I do this so that the tender crust will remain crispy and not get soggy because of too much extra liquid.)

4.  Squeeze garlic out of pods and smash with fork to make a paste.

 Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper.

 Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon olive oil in nonstick skillet.  Preheat to medium-high.  Place chicken breasts in and cook until first side looks like this (7-8 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken and the temperature of your skillet).  Flip over and cook another 5 or so minutes.  

Make sure chicken is cooked all the way through!  The juices should run clear!  

Set aside.

 Squeeze spicy Italian sausage out of casing and cook in the same pan you cooked the chicken in.  Break it up with a wooden spoon and let finish cooking.  

Set aside.

 Drizzle a little more olive oil in the pan and add in a little pad of butter.  After the butter melts, add in the mushrooms.  Cook until brown.  Set aside.

 1.  Cut both ends off of shallot.  (A shallot is a mild onion)

2.  Remove outer layer of skin.

3.  Slice about 1/4 inch thick.

4.  Like this.

 Drizzle a little more olive oil in the same pan.  Season with salt and pepper.

The salt with help soften the onions and allow them to cook faster.

Set aside.

 Drizzle a little MORE olive oil in the SAME pan.  Smash a garlic clove and remove the skin.  Let cook in the oil until it turns GOLDEN BROWN.  Don't leave it in too long or the garlic will burn and taste bitter.  Remove and discard.

Now you have garlic-infused oil to cook your spinach in...yum!

 Dump about 1/2 pound of fresh spinach into pan with oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cook until wilted.

Remove from pan.

 Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, put in paper towel or kitchen towel (if you don't mind turning it green) and squeeze out ALL excess liquid.

Set aside.

 Look over your right shoulder and thank your husband for helping :-)

***You now have ALL the necessary components to make a FREAKING AMAZING pizza, so start building***

 First, drizzle a little olive oil on your rolled out dough.

 This is (obviously) the chicken pesto pizza.
1.  Olive oil.  2.  Pesto.  3.  Parmesan cheese.  4.  Chicken.  5.  Mozzarella and more Parmesan cheese.  6.  Drizzle olive oil on top.

This is the Chicken Veggie Pizza.

1.  Olive oil.  2.  Garlic paste (spread on dough).  3.  Marinara sauce.  4.  Mozzarella cheese.  5.  Chicken.  6.  Hot Italian sausage.  7.  Mushrooms.  8.  Shallots.  9.  Spinach.  10.  Roasted red bell peppers.  11.  Roasted baby tomatoes.  12.  Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  13.  Drizzle olive oil.

After all of that hard work, THIS is your reward:

Chicken Pesto.

Chicken Veggie.

Serve alongside heated marinara and red chili flakes to spice things up!
Have your own pizza party and let your friends make their own!
ENJOY!!!!

For some reason, when I do something, I tend to go all out.  But if you are in a hurry (or don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen), by all means improvise!  This basic pizza dough is SO GOOD, that the toppings are just an added plus.  Here are some ideas of other pizzas you can make.

Caprese Pizza:

Drizzle the dough with olive oil, then top it with fresh tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves.

Meat Lovers:

Marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, cooked and drained hamburger meat (and/or pepperoni, sausage, chicken, bacon, ham, etc.), more cheese, then drizzle the top and the outer edges of the crust with olive oil.  You can add any veggies you like or you can leave them out all together.  It's completely up to you!

Mix it up and add/leave out ingredients to suit your taste.  Let me know what you come up with!

Freaking Amazing Pizza Recipe

Pizza Dough

Sauce (marinara, pesto, etc.)

Meat (optional)

Veggies (optional)

Cheese (optional, but who wouldn't add cheese to pizza?)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.  If using a baking stone, preheat it for 30 minutes.

Cook all ingredients as stated in above post.  Be sure to season each ingredient with salt and pepper!

After all ingredients are prepared, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10-inch "round."  Transfer it to a 12-inch pizza pan, a large baking sheet, or a baking stone that has been sprinkled with coarse cornmeal.

Spread the sauce (marinara or pesto) evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around.  Top with desired ingredients.  Drizzle with olive oil.

Transfer the pan to the oven or slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.  Serve immediately.

Recipe rights:  Frank Stitt (pizza dough and pizza-baking method)

Modified by:  Rebecca Gayle

I hope this becomes a regular in your home!!  Remember, have fun!!!