BIZZY BAKES

Tonight was supposed to be an aspargus mozzarella pizza but knowing hubby's dislike of asparagus as well as his sportsmanship when I have served asparagus as a group recipe, I decided to use zucchini.  Granted, asparagus has a more distinct flavor but the zucchini picked up flavor of the other ingredients.  We loved it.  (Photo Above) Thinking, it might need something more, I made another one with sauce and chopped zucchini instead of sliced and I think, I liked the plain one better but I loved the chopped zucchini in place of the spokes. (Photo Below) Peggy selected the Asparagus and Mozzarella Pizza which is found on page 215 of Weeknight Wonders and I love Peggy for this.  I could see serving this regularly and using other vegetables as well.  Broccoli or cauliflower would work well. Do check out our group page to see what others have done with this recipe. Linked to:              Whimsy Wednesday ...

I planned on making pizza for supper, the other night, and decided eggplant would make an excellent topping.  I looked on the Internet for a recipe using haloumi cheese which I had to use up and eggplant and surprisingly found a few. I already had pizza dough frozen so I defrosted it and hubby did the honors of rolling it while I was at work.  I had cooked the eggplant earlier in the day and only needed to get the remaining ingredients together. I am working different hours, this year, and come home later and so far have found it almost impossible to eat at a decent time, if I don't cook (or at least prep) in the mornings. There is something magical about walking in and having only to put something in the oven or to simply cook pasta to go with meatballs, already  made. Although the pizza was good, I was not happy with the choice of cheese.  Haloumi is a tasty cheese but it did not melt like mozzarella and I do like a melty cheese on pizza. I would certainl...

Hey, Hey Donna Hay, what are you dreaming up for us today.  How about Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Pizza?  That is the name of the recipe we from the WWDH group are supposed to be making, this week.  Since I had butternut squash but not pumpkin, I subbed it in, and I am sure it is as good.  This recipe is found in Modern Classics 1 on page 78 and it was chosen by Kayte. Now, this is a strange combination and I am not sure how we feel about it.  It is not that it was not good.  It was simply different and calling it pizza sounds strange.  I used Katz's gluten-free pizza crust for the base....no making my own if I can help it - on a school day.  This was another easy recipe from our gal, Donna. As a Kosher Jew, I could not use meat that was called for and you can see what the other ladies made and how that worked out.  I also did not use thyme.  Yesterday, temptation got the best of me and I bought a new spice called Sweet and Spicy and ...

 I had some dough in the freezer (gluten-free) and wanted to use some of it up.  I had  balls of dough each making two items.  I already knew, I wanted to make a pizza with ricotta cheese but the second item remained a mystery to me.   No point it obsessing about this, I was  sure something would come to mind and I promptly forgot about the second ball of dough. As you probably know, inspiration comes from what is in the refrigerator and I had my favorite roasted pepper dip.  I mixed it with some ricotta for this creamy topping and added caramelized onions and spinach.  It was easy to put together and we loved every bite. Ricotta Pizza Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese 1/2 cup roasted pepper dip  1 tablespoon olive oil  1 large onion, thin sliced 1 cup of baby spinach leaves Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll our crust and place on pizza pan.  I think, my pan is ten inches.  Bake for 5 mi...

Pizza is no longer the pizza, we drooled over, in past years.  It can be healthier and much more interesting.  I like to serve pizza, at least, once a month.  I had some pre-baked pizzas, in the freezer, so I happily withdrew them from their cold home and went to work on a topping. I mentioned, recently, with Passover approaching, I am attempting clean out the cupboards and freezer and I am using whatever, I find.  This time, it is my pizza crusts and frozen broccoli.  The Ricotta was also without a planned purpose.  I make a habit of keeping Ricotta or cottage cheese on hand if I decide to make lasagna or stuffed shells.  I was in pretty good shape in terms of ingredients, on hand. Since my crusts were ready to be put in the oven, I mixed the topping.  I combined a few ingredients with the Ricotta cheese and spread it on the crust, topping it with three cheeses and the broccoli.  I went heavy on the Ricotta and broccoli.  It was ...

I  have to admit, I took a lot of liberties with this recipe because I had to make it gluten-free and because, I had spinach, not arugula, in the house.   Despite these changes, my inspiration was Ellie's French Bread Pizza. I had saved a ball of pizza dough from the last time, I made pizza, and used that instead of the French Bread.  It would have been easier using bread. After rolling out the dough and baking it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, I poured marinara sauce on top of the surface and covered it with about 2 cups spinach and then with a little more than a cup of shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.  I baked it for another 10 minutes or until the cheese turned golden.  Then, we demolished it. Thanks to Ellie for the inspiration.

We haven't had pizza in ages which means, I have not made gluten-free pizza in ages.  I decided to look for a new recipe and landed at the Gluten-Free Cooking School and decided to use the recipe, I found there.  I had all the ingredients which is a plus.  It was only the crust that I was looking for and that I made.  I already had some leftover sauce in the refrigerator.  Go to the Gluten-Free Cooking School website to get her sauce recipe. Gluten Free Pizza Gluten Free Pizza Crust   (adapted) 1 tablespoon yeast 1 1/3 cups milk 1 teaspoon sugar 1 1/3 cups brown rice flour 1 cup corn starch 2 tsp. xanthan gum  (I used guar gum.) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon oregano 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 teaspoons cider vinegar Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the milk in the microwave so that it is warm (not so hot that it would burn your finger, just warm). Combine the milk with the sugar and yeast in a small mixing bowl. Crust If you stir the mixture whil...

Crustless Pizza by Nigella I was excited when I came across this recipe.  When, I read what was in it and how it was made, I had doubts about it coming out, like pizza, and I was correct.  It did turn out to be a delicious dish and I would make it again with a few changes.  I would put the vegetables in the batter and possibly add just a bit of oil.  I would start with half a tablespoon. Considering this comes from Nigella's Kitchen, I knew it had potential.  I love this book.  I enjoy cooking from it but even more, I enjoy reading it, like an instructional novel.  Nigella has wonderful hints to adapt to our own cooking.  She also reveals her own cooking experiences and they make this book a little bit of autobiography. Crustless Pizza  (adapted) From Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson. Serves:  2 to 4 servings Ingredients: 1 egg 2/3 cup gluten-free brown rice mixture Salt 1 cup  milk Olive oil cooking spray 1 cup grated Ch...

As I mentioned before, in preparation for Passover,  I am clearing out the cabinets and freezer.  I thought, it would be fun to share the first transformation.  Keep in mind, everything, I am showing you has to be gone in two weeks.  Watch me cook up a storm. My husband and I disagree how the freezer should be packed.  He thinks that plastic bags are the way to go and he is correct, I can get more food into the freezer using them.  On the other hand, once in plastic bags, I have to empty the freezer until I find what I am looking for. I choose hard plastic containers which absolutely take up more space but for me, are easy to locate.  Even if I have to remove some, they are a snap to put back neatly.  It is also good for my need for organization. The first food to be cooked is pizza.  In the freezer were two mini pizza crusts with a packet of sauce.  A little drama.....Out! Out! Darn Pizza!  And zoom,it is gone. Ingr...