Stuffed Bubble Pizza

This bubble pizza is stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella and baked in a cast iron skillet for a fun pull-apart dinner.  It's a kid and adult pleaser and the perfect Superbowl snack!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Are you looking for a healthier and low-carb way to enjoy pizza? This Cauliflower Pizza Crust is the solution!

Okay, before you click away from this posting thinking that cauliflower and pizza don't go together, hear me out!  Seriously, even Mike said this was good.  And if he says something is good, then you know it is good!

I'm currently 14 days into the 21 Day Fix.  It's been a great experience for me to really pay attention to what I'm putting into my body.  Rather than mindless eating, I am being intentional about every bite I take.  I'm exercising self control, being diligent about my portions, and making sure I'm getting an ideal combination of food.  And guess what?  It's working!  I'm losing weight, losing inches, and my cravings for junk are gone.  Honestly, a brownie doesn't even sound good right now!

You might be wondering what this transformation and my new journey as a Beachbody Coach means for this blog.  Really, not a whole lot.  I'll probably be posting more healthy recipes, like this one.  But I will also continue posting the more indulgent recipes you love.  I firmly believe in balance and that a healthy lifestyle allows for treats.  Plus, I didn't eat everything I made before, so I can still make sweets and send them to work with Mike.  His co-workers will be thrilled to have more food sent their way!

Anyway, back to this pizza.  It's a great way to enjoy pizza if you're counting calories or carbs, or on the 21 Day Fix program like I am. When I started the program, I promised Mike that he would still be able to enjoy the foods he loves.  It's worked out really well: if he has a burger, I have a turkey burger; if he has pizza, I have cauliflower crust pizza.  I've seen this idea before and I was always skeptical.  How is a vegetable going to taste as good as pizza?  But since I knew Mike was going to be eating pizza in front of me, I decided to give cauliflower crust a try.

Now, I can't tell you honestly that this tastes just like a slice of nice thick doughy pizza, but I can tell you it's a delicious substitute.  I felt like I was still able to enjoy the flavors of pizza without the extra calories from the bread. I chose to keep my pizza light and used chicken as a topping instead of pepperoni. You can use any toppings you desire.  Just a note though, this is a pizza that you'll be using a fork for!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen cauliflower
2 eggs

1.  Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it is completely shredded.  You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your processor.

2.  Beat the eggs together.

3.  Add the eggs to the shredded cauliflower and stir until coated.

4.  Divide the mixture into 4 even amounts.

5.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and press the "dough" into a circle.  Be sure it is the same thickness everywhere.

6.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Allow the crusts to cool before removing them from the pan.

If you're eating the pizzas immediately, add the toppings after the crusts have cooked for 20 minutes and then bake another 5 minutes until the cheese melts.  You can make these crusts ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them; then, when you're ready to make your pizza just place them on a pan, add the toppings and bake for about 10 minutes.

If you're doing the 21 Day Fix, this crust counts as 1 green and 1/4 red.

If you are on a weight loss journey, wanting to start one, or just want to get healthy and want to learn more about Beachbody (or having a free coach!), please leave me a comment!

Cheeseburger Pizza

Cheeseburgers for dinner tonight, or pizza? Both sound good, but why decide between the two? You can have both with this Cheeseburger Pizza!

Do you get coupon booklets in the mail?  I love when we do because they save us money, but also because sometimes they introduce me to new foods or restaurants.  Many times Mike and I have tried something new because we had a coupon for it!

We recently received some coupons for a pizza joint.  I set the coupons aside, not because I wanted to go there, but because the picture of their newest pizza caught my attention.  It was a cheeseburger pizza!  Genius, right?  I've had a variety of uncommon pizzas: BLT Pizza, Jerk Chicken Pizza and Breakfast Pizza  to name a few, but the concept of a cheeseburger pizza never occurred to me.

Saturday nights are typically our pizza nights, so I decided to branch out and try my take on the cheeseburger pizza.  I used some creamy Velveeta and mixed it with cooked ground beef to make a delicious sauce.  I put that on my favorite pizza crust and then topped it with a layer of mozzarella cheese.  When the pizza came out of the oven I added diced tomatoes and pickles.  I briefly considered adding on some shredded lettuce but opted against it because warm lettuce didn't sound appetizing.  You could add virtually any toppings you enjoy on burgers or pizza!

Cheeseburger Pizza

Makes 1 large pizza, approximately 8 slices

Ingredients:
Pizza dough
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Velveeta
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced pickles
1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1.  Roll out or press pizza dough onto a greased pizza pan (or pizza stone).

2.  Cook ground beef in a large skillet until browned.  Drain grease.

3.  Cube the Velveeta cheese and add it to the skillet with the beef.  Cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted.

4.  Spread the meat and cheese mixture on top of the pizza dough.

5.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.

6.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until pizza dough is cooked through in the center and the edges are golden.

7.  Top warm pizza with diced pickles and tomatoes.  Serve warm.

Pizza Sticks

It's pizza, but in a stick! All the pizza flavor you love, without the mess!

I always look forward to finding out my monthly assignment for the Secret Recipe Club.  Some months I am assigned to a blog I am already familiar with, but other times I get the chance to discover a new blog.  This month, I was assigned to Manuela's blog, Manu's Menu.  I've heard of her blog before, but after browsing it to find recipes, I will now be a regular reader!

Manuela is an Italian, whose husband is of Indian descent, living in Australia.  As you can imagine, she features a wide variety of cuisines on her blog.  She specializes in Italian foods though, and I came across many intriguing recipes that I'd never heard of before like Cabbuci and Arancine.  While her Italian cuisine interested me, the recipe that really caught my eye was one for Pizza Sticks.  (Don't worry, I'll be trying plenty of other recipes too!)

I was looking for an easy recipe to make while Summer was napping, but I also wanted something fun that both Mike and I would enjoy.  These Pizza Sticks were perfect!  They have all the delicious flavors of pizza, but in a mess free and portable snack.

Manuela's original recipe gave the ingredient measurements by weight, but since that's not how I typically bake, I weighed my ingredients and then took the cup measurements.  I've written my measurements in the recipe below, but you can visit her recipe for the weights.  The dough was easy to work with and came together quickly.  I cut my dough into sticks, but I think these would also be fun cut into squares, like Cheez-its.  These sticks are best enjoyed fresh from the oven, or at least the same day they are baked.  If you eat them the next day, you may want to crisp them in the oven for a few minutes firs.

Mike and I both enjoyed these sticks and Mike has already requested that I make them again!

Pizza Sticks 

Makes 16-18 sticks

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon oregano

1.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the ingredients using the dough hook.  Add additional ketchup if necessary to form a ball of dough.

2.  Refrigerate dough for at least 20 minutes.

3.  Place dough on a floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 10x16", dough should be about 1/4" thick.

4.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1" sticks.

4.  Place sticks on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges.

These are best eaten the day they are baked, but can be stored overnight in an airtight container.

Source:  Manu's Menu

An InLinkz Link-up

Pizza Pies

Something about fall just screams "bonfires" to me. Maybe it's the cooler nights and crispness in the air. Maybe it's the memories of high school football games followed by bonfires at my friend's house. Whatever it is, I love spending the evening sitting around a warm campfire, enjoying good company and good food.

Especially the food.

Last year I built a fire pit in our back yard.  We've enjoyed making s'mores and just sitting around the fire. Last week, for the first time ever, Mike suggested that we cook our dinner over the fire.  He didn't have to ask twice, and so once Summer was sleeping, we headed out to cook!

Mike calls these Pizza Tonkas and I call them Hobo Pies...whatever they may be called in your family, they are guaranteed to please!  I prepared the ingredients inside the house and brought the prepared sandwiches outside for us to grill.  Please excuse the pictures, Mike got a little impatient while cooking his sandwich and stuck the cooker completely in the fire which resulted in a very burnt sandwich!  I took my time to cook mine, but still did not end up with the perfectly golden brown sandwich I desired!

The great thing about these sandwiches is that you can customize them however you want!  We stuck with simple pizza ingredients--sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, but you could certainly add additional toppings like mushrooms or sausage.  We also enjoy putting apple pie filling between two pieces of bread to make apple pies.  In fact, last year, I put peanut butter, Nutella, and some marshmallows in mine and ended up with a decadent dessert sandwich!

Pizza Pies

Ingredients:
Sandwich bread
Butter
Pizza sauce
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni slices
Additional toppings as desired: sausage, mushrooms, ham etc.

1. Spread butter on one side of each piece of bread.

2. Spread about 1 Tablespoon of pizza sauce on the un-buttered side of the bread.

3. Top sauce with cheese, pepperoni, and any other desired toppings.  Cover with another piece of bread, butter side out.

4. Place the assembled sandwich into a greased Square Pie Iron.

5. Cook sandwiches over a hot fire for approximately 5 minutes per side.  Carefully open pie irons and slide the sandwich onto a plate.  Be careful--it will be hot!

Patriotic Fruit Pizza

Can you believe that it is already the last week of June?  This year has flown by!

I'm really looking forward to next week, not just because it's a short work week (Mike and I both have Thursday and Friday off--yay!), but also because it's one of my favorite holidays.  I love the 4th of July.  The parades, car shows, chicken lunch in the park, grilling for dinner, craft shows, and fireworks, plus the patriotic attitude of everyone around is just so exciting to me.

Every year my hometown has a huge Independence Day celebration.  When I was in high school, I marched in the parade with the band.  Before then, I often walked in the parade with our church's float.  For the past few years, Mike and I have been able to go to the parade and just watch it.  Then everyone leaves the parade location and drives a couple miles down to the township park.  There are food vendors, crafters, a chain saw artist, and a huge car show.  There is also typically a children's play area set up.  I love how the community all comes together to celebrate--I think that's one of the reasons I love this holiday so much.

After an afternoon in the park, Mike and I plan to head back to my parents for dinner.  You can't have 4th of July without grilling dinner!  At least not in my family...  This year will be especially fun because (for the second year in a row) my grandma will be visiting from Canada, so we'll be able to spend the whole day with her.  Then, if we can make ourselves stay awake, we'll head out to watch the fireworks.  Yes, it's a full day, but it's one filled with friends, family, and celebrating our freedoms!

On Monday, I shared a recipe for Copy-cat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies and at the end of the post, I left a little teaser about what I made with the giant cookie.  If you haven't guessed it yet, I made this Patriotic Fruit Pizza.  I was inspired by my friend's open house, where she had a mini fruit pizza bar.  I knew that the combination of strawberries and blueberries would be the perfect topping for a fruit pizza, and what better way to design it than with a symbol of our freedom?

Fruit Pizza

Makes 2 large pizzas (approximately 20 servings each) or 5-6 dozen individual cookies

Ingredients:
1 batch Copy-cat Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Dough
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
2 (7 ounce) jars marshmallow cream
1 pint blueberries, washed
2 quarts strawberries, washed and hulled

1.  Prepare cookie dough and bake according to recipe directions for individual cookies.  For 2 large pizzas,  roll each half of the dough into a circle, about 1/2" thick and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes, until lightly browned.

2.  Mix the cream cheese and marshmallow cream together until smooth.

3.  Spread frosting onto cookies/pizzas.

4.  Cut strawberries into quarters, lengthwise.

5.  Place blueberries in the upper left corner of each cookie.  Arrange strawberry pieces in horizontal lines, leaving space between each line (to form red and white stripes).

Store decorated cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.

**Just a note:  One batch of the cookie dough makes a lot of cookies.  If you don't want to make them all into fruit pizzas, just make what you want, and then freeze the remaining cookies.  That's what I did and it worked out great.  You can also make one large cookie and a bunch of small ones--the possibilities are endless!

Here's another patriotic snack for your Independence Day Celebration:

Festive Marshmallow Treat Fruit Skewers

Breakfast Pizza

How often do you eat breakfast for dinner?  Mike and I have breakfast for dinner at least once a week.  Our go-to meal is an omelet, but I've been known to whip up a batch of pancakes or French toast if we have the time.

One of the best things about breakfast for dinner is how simple it is.  Plus, if you have any leftovers, they make a great breakfast!  Pot roast for breakfast...not so much...

I'm really excited to work with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for their Breakfast After Dark campaign.  Not only have I been a ICBINB fan for years (I love their spray), but I just love anything that has to do with breakfast.

I wanted to take a step back from our typical breakfast for dinner recipes and come up with something different.  I have to give credit for the inspiration for this recipe to Mike's co-workers.  He told me a couple weeks ago that they were talking about having breakfast pizza when they had to work a Saturday.  They were disappointed that there are no local restaurants that make or deliver breakfast pizza.  That got me thinking, and I decided one of these days I'll make a few breakfast pizzas to take over on a Saturday morning.  But first, I had to perfect the recipe.

I used a new pizza dough recipe for this breakfast pizza, and I substituted the olive oil with melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter has 70% less saturated fat than butter, no hydrogenated oils and is made from a blend of vegetable oils. It's a product that I feel good about eating, and serving to my family.

If you are interested in viewing some breakfast recipes or finding your own inspiration for Breakfast After Dark, I suggest checking out I Can't Believe It's Not Butter's webisodes and recipe collection. The toasted breakfast burrito is calling my name!

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water, approximately 110 degrees
1-3/4 teaspoons yeast
3/4 teaspoon honey
1-1/2 Tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, melted
3-1/4 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 eggs, scrambled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Pour the warm water into the bowl of your stand mixer.

2.  Sprinkle yeast on top of the water and pour in the honey.  Allow the mixture to sit, untouched for 5 minutes.

3.  Add melted ICBINB, flour, and salt and mix on low speed until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

4.  Increase the mixer speed and knead for 5 minutes.

5.  Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Set in a warm spot and allow it to rise for 2 hours. (See note**)

6.  Punch the dough down and press it onto a greased pizza pan.

7.  Poke the dough with a fork to avoid air bubbles.

8.  Bake the crust at  375 degrees for 15 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned.

9.  Remove the crust from the oven and top with scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese.

10.  Return the pizza to the oven for approximately 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

**Note:  I made the pizza dough the night before, as this meal was served for dinner (I knew I wouldn't have time to make the dough after work!).  I mixed the dough after dinner and then allowed it to rise for 2 hours and then punched it down.  I refrigerated the dough in the bowl overnight.  Then, when I needed the dough, I pulled it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature (about an hour--but I was able to fry the bacon and scramble the eggs while waiting) before rolling it out.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Pizza Sliders

Given the number of pizza recipes on my blog, it should come as no surprise when I say that Mike and I love pizza.  We could easily eat it 7 days a week, but considering that it is not the healthiest meal choice, we try to limit ourselves to 1 night a week (plus leftovers for the lunch the next day!)

Recently, a chain restaurant came out with their version of pizza sliders.  The commercials made them look really good, so last time we ordered pizza, Mike and I decided to go for the sliders.  We loved how they tasted, but decided we probably wouldn't order them again.  You see, we're cheap.  It cost us $10 for 9 sliders.  Typically when we order from this restaurant, we get their dinner box, with an 8 slice pizza, 5 breadsticks, and 10 cinnamon sticks.  That also costs $10.  Between the two of us, we ate 8 of the 9 sliders.  Yes, I eat as much as my husband.  Don't judge ;)  When we get the dinner box, we have enough food for dinner, plus leftovers for lunch the next day.  So basically, even though we enjoyed the sliders, we're too cheap to buy them again.

One night I figured, why not make our own sliders?  I've made a mini version of pizzas before, and these are basically the same thing.  I didn't plan far enough ahead to make my own pizza dough, so I decided to use Pillsbury Grands.  I used the Flaky Layers Butter style to give the crust an extra something special.  Mike and I both really enjoyed these, and we'll be making our own pizza sliders from now on! 

Pizza Sliders

Makes 8

Ingredients:
1 tube Pillsbury Grands biscuits
1 cup pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
24 slices of pepperoni

1.  Flatten biscuits into rounds about 5" and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

2.  Spread the pizza sauce over the flattened biscuits.

3.  Top the pizza sauce with shredded mozzarella and pepperoni.

4.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

Pizza Casserole

I have great in-laws!  I know there are a lot of people who might think I'm crazy for saying that...Everyone has heard stories of terrifying mother-in-laws.  But, I really am truly blessed to have married into a great family.  I know Mike would say the same about my parents.  We all get along really well.  In fact, our parents often will get together without us and play cards.

One great thing about everyone getting along so well is that we are able to combine a lot of holidays.  The first year we were married, Mike and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house for both of our families.  My parents hosted the next year and we hosted again this past Thanksgiving.  We also spend our Easter Sundays with the combined families.  This year, we'll be enjoying time together at my parent's house.  It's wonderful to be able to spend the time together so we don't have to figure out whose house we'll be at, or have to eat multiple Easter dinners in one day.

Mike and I also make a point of eating one meal a week with our parents.  We go to my parent's house every Sunday after church for lunch and games.  Every Thursday night we go to Mike's parent's house for dinner.  Not only does it mean I get a night off from cooking, it also means that we get to spend extra time with our families.  We've been doing this since we got married 2-1/2 years ago and I don't imagine we'll end this tradition any time soon.

This pizza casserole is one of Mike's most requested dishes when we eat at his parent's house.  It's fairly simple to make and it feeds all 4 of us, plus enough leftovers for Mike to take to work the next day.  (Bonus!)  It has all the components of pizza--pepperoni, cheese, and tomato sauce, mixed with ground beef and pasta.  This recipe was passed on to us from Mike's mom and I'm sure it will always be a family favorite!

Pizza Casserole

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound egg noodles
1 (14 ounce) can pizza sauce
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (3 ounce) package of pepperoni
additional "toppings": diced ham, bacon bits, mushrooms etc

1. In a frying pan, over medium heat, brown beef until there is no pink left. Drain grease.

2. Cook noodles according to the directions on the box until al dente.

3. Mix pizza sauce and soup together in frying pan with ground beef.

4. In an oven safe dish, mix together noodles and meat mixture.

5. Stir in 1.5 cups of mozerella cheese, most of the pepperoni, and any additional toppings you desire.

6. Cover top of noodle mixture with remaining pepperonis and 1/2 cup cheese.

7. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Serve hot.

Pepperoni Pretzels

It's the first thing you smell when you step foot into the mall.  It's like they pump the scent of freshly baked pretzels through the air systems to tantalize you until you give in and buy a pretzel.  Wait, that would be a great marketing tactic...maybe that is what they do!

Typically, I've been able to resist the temptation, but that hasn't been the case lately.  A couple months ago, Mike and I stopped by the mall to check on something.  It took a lot less time than we planned and we had time to kill before heading to our friend's house.  The smell of the fresh baked pretzels called to us and we had to give in.  We split a pepperoni pretzel that was absolutely delicious.  Mike talked for days about how good it was and how I would have to re-create it.  Then, a couple weeks ago we were at the mall again and the thought of a pepperoni pretzel was too much...we had to give in and buy one (or two...).

The other day, Mike requested that I make pepperoni pretzels.  Remember how much he loves homemade pretzels?  I sprinkled some cheese over the pretzel dough and then topped it with slices of pepperoni.  We both loved these pretzels and we'll certainly be making them again.  Goodbye mall pretzels, hello homemade pretzels!

German Style Soft Pretzels

Makes 4

Ingredients:
1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees)
2-1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2-1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons baking soda
shredded mozzarella cheese
pepperoni slices
butter for brushing on top

1.  Pour the warm milk into a large bowl and sprinkle with the yeast.  Let it sit for about 2 minutes.

2.  Mix in the brown sugar and 1 cup of flour.

3.  Melt the 2 Tablespoons of butter and stir into the mixture.

4.  Add the remaining flour and salt.  Mix to form a slightly sticky dough.

5.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth but still slightly sticky.

6.  Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise until the dough doubles (about 1 hour). 

7.  Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

8.  Divide the dough into 4 pieces to make "mall-sized" pretzels.  Roll and stretch each piece into a 30 inch rope.

9.  Form each piece into a pretzel shape by forming a U-shape, then holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press lightly onto the bottom of the pretzel.

10.  In a shallow baking dish (or pie tin), dissolve 3 Tablespoons baking soda into 1-1/2 cups water.

11.  Dip each pretzel into the baking soda water and place formed pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly sprayed with cooking spray. 

12.  Sprinkle pretzels with mozzarella cheese and place pepperonis on top.

13.  Bake pretzels at 450 for 8-10 minutes, until golden.

14.  Remove pretzels from the oven and brush with melted butter while hot.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Pretzel recipe from:  NYC Eats

Garlic Bread Pizzas

Mike’s favorite food, hands down, is pizza. We typically plan to have pizza for supper at least one night per week, usually Fridays. Last week, I asked Mike what sounded good for supper. He replied, “pizza”. Of course, pizza always sounds good to him! Lucky for him, I had planned to have pizza for supper that night.

This pizza is based off of a pizza currently being made by a popular restaurant. The advertisements look so delicious that I knew I had to make it at home. These garlic bread pizzas are easy to make and taste fantastic.

If you don’t have the time or desire to make your own garlic bread, you certainly could use store-bought. I went ahead and used the entire loaf of bread so that we would have extras. These pizzas freeze great and Mike is thrilled to have the leftovers to take to work. Feel free to spice it up with extra pizza toppings—we’re pretty boring around here and we prefer just pepperoni!

Garlic Bread Pizzas

Serves 8

You will need:
16 slices of garlic bread (the amount made by one loaf of this recipe)
1 jar pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used a pizza blend)
32 slices of pepperoni

1. Spread pizza sauce on one side of each piece of garlic bread.

2. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of the pizza sauce.

3. Top with 2 pieces of pepperoni. You can also add any other pizza toppings you desire.

4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Pizza is one of our go-to meals around our house. I typically have all the ingredients in the house and if I have some dough already in the freezer, it's a relatively quick meal to make.  As you might guess, we also love any twist on pizza, like pizza bites, pizza rolls, pizza monkey bread, and pizza bread.

Everyone once in a while, Mike and I will have a "sample-platter" meal.  It's basically a random assortment of whatever we have in the house that sounds good--usually a lot of finger foods.  We don't do it too often because it tends to not be a healthy meal!  When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a great addition to our next "sample-platter" meal.

These pepperoni pizza bites were so easy to make, and they were delicious!  I made a full batch of the cheese filling the first time I made these, but we didn't end up needing it all.  It made a great addition to Mike's lunch, as well as a delicious after-work snack for him.  It also made a delicious dip.  These would make a great lunch for kids this summer, and it's easy enough they could make it themselves!

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Makes 20-30 servings

You will need:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup pizza sauce
pepperoni slices
Town House crackers

1.  In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and pizza sauce until well combined.

2.  Place a couple tablespoons of the filling on one Town House cracker.

3.  Top with a pepperoni slice.

4.  Continue filling until all the cheese filling is used up.

Adapted from: Picky Palate

Pizza Rolls

Can you believe October is 3/4 of the way over?  It's like I blinked and the month just flew by!  It's the third Monday in October, and that means it's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club reveal. 

I love participating in the Secret Recipe Club.  It's fun to be introduced to a new blog that I might not have otherwise known about, and then search their blog for "that" recipe! 

This month, I was assigned to From Apples To Zucchini.  Pam has an abundance of delicious looking recipes and you can be sure you'll be seeing more recipes from her blog around here!  One thing I really loved about Pam's blog is that she focuses on recipes that are as nutritious as possible. I bookmarked several of her recipes to make before I narrowed it down to just one. 

It was difficult to choose one recipe to highlight today, but Pam's recipe for Pizza Rolls caught my attention. (Does that surprise anyone?!)  You see,  Mike loves pizza rolls.  I think he'd eat them every day if I'd let him!  However, store-bought pizza rolls are not very healthy and full of empty calories.  When I saw Pam's recipe makeover, I knew this was the perfect way to provide Mike with a healthier version of one of his favorite foods!

Mike and I both thought these were delicious.  I made ours with a blend of Italian cheeses and pepperoni.  This recipe made enough for both of us to enjoy for dinner, as well as 2 lunches for Mike to take to work!  I loved having a healthier alternative to pack for his lunch.

I should add that you're getting lucky today--not only is this a recipe for pizza rolls, but for the wonton wrappers as well!  I don't think I'll ever buy wonton wrappers from the store again!

 

Pizza Rolls (and Wonton Wrappers)

Makes 24 rolls

For the Wonton Wrappers:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water, plus a little more

Sift flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Whisk together egg, salt and 1/4 cup water. Pour into flour well. Mix together, adding additional water until the mixture will stay together in a ball. (Keep in mind that you do not want it to be sticky.)

Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and pliable.

Let rest for 30-60 min. (The longer it sits the easier it will be to roll out)

Divide dough in half. Keep one half covered while you roll out the other one on a surface lightly coated with cornstarch (if you use flour it may toughen it up). Roll out as thin as you possibly can. (Melissa's note:  I rolled my dough out to 21 inches by 7 inches.)

Cut into 3.5 inch squares (You should be able to get approx. 12 wonton wrappers out of each half).

For the Pizza Rolls:
1/2 cup prepared pizza sauce
48 slices of pepperoni
1/2 -3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheese
wonton wrappers (recipe above)

Place approximately a teaspoon of pizza sauce, 2 slices of pepperoni and a pinch of cheese in the center of each wrapper and fold over, sealing the edge by pressing them together with the tines of a fork.

Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and spray the tops with canola cooking spray

Bake at 400 for 12-17 minutes, or until browned.

Grilled BLT Pizza

I'm not a huge sandwich eater, but one of my favorite sandwiches is a BLT.  There's just something about the crisp bacon, juicy tomatoes, and lettuce that I love.  And, you all know how much I love my pizza!  When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be the perfect topping for my grilled pizza.  I hope you'll check out my "How-To" that I posted yesterday, I know you'll love grilling pizza as much as I do!

You will need:
4 individual pizza crusts, grilled
4 cups lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 large tomato, diced
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup Bacon Ranch dressing (you can substitute regular ranch dressing if needed)
1/4 cup Asiago cheese, shredded

1.  In a large bowl, combine lettuce, tomato, bacon, dressing, and cheese.

2.  Spoon topping onto freshly grilled pizza crusts.

3.  Slice pizza and serve.

What could be better than a BLT salad on top of pizza?

Adapted from: Annie's Eats

 

How To Grill Pizza

How many of you have heard of grilled pizza?  Quite a few recipes have been floating around the blogosphere lately and I decided it was high time to jump on the wagon.  And I'm glad I did!  Grilling the pizza dough takes it to the next level--this was the best pizza dough I've ever made!

I've seen 2 ways to grill pizza; I'll share both of them with you, really they're quite similar.  However, I prefer the results of one way over the other.  You'll need a stiffer dough for grilling, as the dough doesn't go on a pan.  My go-to dough recipe was perfect.

You will need:
2-1/4 teaspoons yeast
1-3/8 cups water, 110 degrees
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour

1.  Sprinkle yeast into a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and pour water over it.  Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes, until yeast begins to bubble.

2.  Stir in olive oil, salt, and flour and mix until a dough forms.

3.  Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes by hand.  You can also use your stand mixer, it will take about 6 minutes.

4. Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1.5 to 2 hours.*

5. Deflate dough by punching down and knead for about 5 minutes. Allow the dough to rest before dividing it into 2 pieces (or 4 if you're making personal size pizzas).*

6.  Place the dough on a floured surface and form the pizza crust.  Remember that you're grilling the pizza crust, so you don't wait it to be so thin it will burn right away or so large that you can't easily move it.  

Now it's time to grill!

First prepare your grill:  

I always turn the flames to high to get it hot and then when I put the dough on, I lower the heat to medium.  Our grill has a thermometer so I let it get up to 350 degrees.  Before grilling, grease the grates of your grill using a vegetable oil soaked paper towel.

Next, place each pizza round on the grill.  Cover the grill and let the dough cook for about 3 minutes.  

Open the grill and your pizza dough should be bubbled up and look something like this:

Now this is where you can choose which route to take.  If you'd like, you can flip your pizza dough over and cook the other side.  Or, you can choose to just grill one side of the pizza.

If you choose to flip the dough, flip let the other side cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Remove from grill and add  your choice of toppings.  Return to the grill, cover, and cook on lower heat until the toppings are warmed (about 2 more minutes).

If you decide not to flip the dough, after the original 3 minutes of cooking, reduce the grill heat to low and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.  Add your toppings and return to the grill until the toppings are warmed through, another 2 minutes.  Keep a close eye on your dough so it doesn't burn!

I prefer to grill both sides of the pizza as it really infuses both sides of the crust with the delicious grilled flavor. I found that grilling just one side of the crust led to burned crust in order to cook the dough all the way through.  Though grilling both sides causes you to lose the puffy edges created by grilling just one side (the air bubbles pop when you flip it over), which may lead to more spilled toppings, I've found the added flavor is totally worth it!

*I would like to note here that after the dough has risen I'll often put it in a ziploc bag and store it in the fridge for a few days (up to a month) before using it.  Mike and I both think the flavor is much better after the dough sits for a while.  Or, we quite often make personal sized pizzas by dividing the dough into 4 balls.  We'll use 2 that night and save the rest in the fridge for another time.

Come back tomorrow for one of my favorite ways to top a grilled pizza!