3-Meat Pizza with a Seasoned Crust

I used to be a vegetarian. Not a full-on "meats are evil" gal (I still ate fish and eggs), but I started doing the veggie thing and decided to continue because at the time I just didn't miss meats that much.

That was five years ago. Hardly a day has gone by since then that I have been meat-free. Now I revel in the delight of crispy, rich bacon with breakfast, perfectly tender chicken parmesan, and even the occasional juicy cheeseburger.

Don't get me wrong, I've heard all the meat-haters out there get on their soapboxes and disparage animal products saying things like, "Meat gives you cancer!" or "Too much protein is bad for you!" or "Red meat is the worst thing for you!" And if they can't make those claims then they just start spewing off things like "Hormones!", "Antibiotics!", "MSG!", "Processed!" all while trying to conjure up images from The Jungle in your impressionable brain.

All things in moderation, my friends. All things in moderation.

Sooo...pizza. Shall we?

Lately, before the pizza making on pizza night begins, I've been hearing the husband chirp into my ear, "Can you make it with a garlic crust?" And the answer is inevitably, "Of course, darling!"

Really, it is. Because all it takes to turn a crust from "plain" to "gourmet garlic" is to add about a tablespoon of garlic powder to the dough while it's mixing.

But for this za, I wanted something more from the crust. I added the standard 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, but I also included 1 tablespoon of onion powder and 1 tablespoon of oregano. And if I am remembering this correctly, "I think you've perfected the crust" is a direct quote from the spouse during the pizza eating. Score.

Seasoned dough, waiting and rising

Ingredients:

• Prepared or homemade pizza dough for the crust
• About 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded chicken breast meat
• 9-10 large deli pepperonis
• 5 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
• About 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

I seasoned up the chicken meat with a dash of chili powder and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes. The pepperoni may lend enough spiciness for you. But not for me. I like it nice n' spicy!

Put it all together:

• First, place your pizza stone into a cold oven. I cannot stress this enough. If you want to know why, here's the reason. If you're going to be using the oven for the meat preparation, just leave the stone in there for whatever temperature you use to cook your meats, then later you can increase the temp up to 500 without ever having to wait for the oven to cool or putting the stone into an oven that's already hot. It is such a sadness to have a pizza stone break. When it happened to me, more than just my stone broke. So did a little piece of my soul. 

So let's get started with those three meats: chicken, pepperoni, and bacon.

• I prepped the chicken in the crock pot earlier in the day. I've found this is definitely the easiest way to prepare a bunch of plain chicken that I'll later shred and season for various meals. All that's required for that cooking is to place your chicken breasts (mine come in packages of 3) into the crock with a splash of olive oil plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Put the temp on low and let things simmer in there until the meat is no longer pink. My crock pot gets Africa-hot, so it only takes me about 3 hours on low to cook up that sort of batch. 
• The pepperoni is from the deli counter in the grocery store. Ask your delicatessen for about 9 or 10 thin slices of pepperoni. I used to order everything in pounds or ounces, but as it turns out, the people working behind the meat counter actually prefer counting slices than estimating the weight of your meats and cheeses. It didn't take me long to stop and think, "Oh, that does seem like it would be easier." 
• Bacon cooks so easily in the oven. Turn the oven to 375, line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place the bacon onto the sheet without overlapping any pieces. Place that in the oven until the bacon is crispy, about 10-15 minutes. When the bacon is done, blot the excess grease with paper towels, then crumble or chop it into bits and pieces. 

It's all just toppings from here!

• You did set your oven for 500 degrees a while back and put the pizza stone in it, right? Phew. Good. Now grab that stone with your hand in an oven mitt, place it on a stable work surface, and put the crust for your dough on top of the hot stone. Put it back in the oven (no toppings yet!) for 2-3 minutes. After that time, remove the half-cooked dough-topped stone form the oven and place it back on your work surface. (That's the secret to my so-called "perfected crust" recipe.)
• Spread the sauce on the dough as evenly as possible. Sprinkle on the shredded chicken. Evenly place the pepperonis on top of that. Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese followed by the bacon bits. Add more cheese to any spots you may have missed.
• Put the whole shebang back in the oven and set a timer for about 6 or 7 minutes. Really, just stay nearby so you can keep an eye on it and take it out when the cheese is melted and the edges of the crust are golden brown. 

Pizza out to cool on the cooling rack. This definitely helps with crust crispiness.

If you don't have the patience or shoulder strength to keep up with the calisthenics of removing and replacing and removing the weighty pizza stone from the oven, then you can do things the lazy way. Top your dough once with all the toppings in the order described and cook it in the 500 degree oven for 10 minutes. Still works, still yummy, but perfect? I'll let you be the judge of that.

Dinner is served!

It feels so right to eat this meat-covered pizza. 

Chicken and Artichoke Pizza with Capers and a Stuffed Crust

This has been my first and final attempt at a home-crafted "stuffed crust." It was not even my intention to make it that way, but I had lots of extra dough on hand as well as a deli drawer filled with countless cheeses. So I thought, "how hard can it be?" For me, it worked about as well as trying to write an essay with a pen that just ran out of ink.

Hence, this simultaneously became, "The Ugliest Pizza Ever." I was thinking of making that the title of this post, but opted not to so you can just see for yourself.

Be real. It looks delightfully tasty. You can be nice and say that the crust and general shape of it are "not that bad." Or you can be real and just admit that this is the Quasimodo of all pizzas. Either way, the whole thing got eaten.

Before I get to the ingredients and pizza assembly process, let me just brief you on what not to do when making a stuffed crust. I would provide "how-to" tips and tricks all about making a fantastic stuffed crust, but I'm not aware of any such information.

First, I made a ring of dough by piecing the leftovers together, Frankenstein-style. Then I topped it with havarti and mozzarella cheeses, folded it over to enclose the cheese, and pressed the edges with a fork to seal the deal.

Next, I attached the round of dough I had cut out for the original pizza to the cheese-filled ring.  Using more dough bits, I covered and reinforced any thin sections of dough so it would be as sturdy as possible for the transfer to the awaiting pizza stone.

Well then came the collapse. Right there in my kitchen, on top of a 500 degree pizza stone. I intended to quickly peel the stuffed-crust dough from the countertop and gingerly transfer it to the stone for a quick pre-bake. I may as well have hired the Hulk, removed his opposable thumbs, put a blindfold on him and asked him to do the job for me. It was that bad. Between expletive versions of, "Crap, crap, freaking crap!," trying to rescue my dough from a miserable burning death by pizza stone, and contemplating scrapping the whole project, I did not manage to get a snapshot of the whole ordeal.

I carried on anyway, reassuring myself that no one other than my husband and myself would see this mutilated za. It would be our little secret. I wasn't even going to blog about it! But I guess I got over my shame, or something like that.

Halfway into  putting together a pizza that could be mistaken for a salad and sweating blood in an attempt to open the jars of artichokes and capers, I received a text from my husband. "On my way home, Chaos is coming over for dinner." Crap, crap, freaking crap! I usually pride myself on my tasty, beautiful pizza creations. Now his friend is going to know the truth and he's going to tell everybody and no one will eat pizza from me again!

Okay, it didn't end up that way. The pizza was actually really good even though we had to eat it with forks and knives. And from the camera angles I used, you can pretty much tell it's a pizza!

Ingredients (for the pizza toppings, not for a stuffed crust too):

• 1 or 1-1/2 cups pizza sauce
• Roughly 8oz. marinated artichoke hearts
• Roughly 1/4 cup capers
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded into small pieces
• About 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

• Prepare your pizza dough and set it aside. God be with you if you want to attempt a stuffed crust because I'm not about to offer any help on that.
• Place a pizza stone into the oven and turn the temperature to 500 degrees.
• When the stone is hot, remove it from the oven and place the prepared dough on top of it. You can do a quick pre-bake (just 3 or 4 minutes) which will give you a slightly crispier crust, or you can just go ahead and start with the toppings.
• First, spread the sauce on top of the dough, working it all the way to the edges. 
• Sprinkle your artichokes and chicken on next, followed by the shredded cheese, and last, the capers. Capers are rather salty, so only put as many on there as you can handle of their salt level.
• Bake the whole thing until the cheese is melted and the edges of the crust turn golden-brown. If you've pre-baked you will do your final bake for about 5-7 minutes. If not, it will take a bit longer (about 10-12 minutes). 
• Remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting. 

The toppings on this gourmet delight are rather water-saturated, and in the 500 degree oven, they get super hot and stay super hot for a longer than average time. So just wait a minute.

Maybe Seth Meyers can more clearly relay that message to you:

Okay, 'nuff clowning around.

Go have yourself a fine-dining experience that includes this homemade, cheese-covered delicacy.

Deluxe BBQ Chicken Pizza

When I made a barbecue chicken and pineapple pizza with sharp cheddar, I thought I really had something there. And at the time, I did. But then the world of Pinterest presented to me an even better version of something I thought couldn't be topped. And here it is…

It's still a BBQ chicken pizza with pineapple chunks, but so much more…red onions, bacon, and jalapeños.  I am still recovering from this delight and can't possibly fathom improving upon this pizza any further.

Also, I did a twice-baked crust to make it a bit crispier. Lately my crusts have had a little "mush" layer just beneath the toppings, and although it does not ruin the meal it certainly causes a distraction. To eliminate the mush layer, simply bake your crust for 3 to 4 minutes before putting the toppings on, then remove it from the oven, top it with all the good stuff, and bake it again until it's done. Just that one extra step is completely worth the work.

Toppings you'll need:

• About 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup barbecue sauce, more or less depending on your preference
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 red onion, sliced and cooked
• 2-3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into bits
• 1/2 can (about 1/2 cup) pineapple chunks
• Handful of jalapeños, to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

If you don't have your chicken and onions all ready to go, cooking these is very simple.

• All I did for mine was slice the onion and chicken breast very thin, place the onions onto an oiled baking sheet, and place the chicken on top of the onions. That goes into the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The only thing I would have done differently is use more red onions. I only used half of a medium red onion, but using the whole thing would have satisfied me even more. But that's purely a matter of taste - use the amount of onion that makes you happy.

• When the chicken is cooked, remove the baking sheet from the oven and chop everything that was on it into bite-sized pieces. Set it aside while you prepare the rest, or put it in the fridge if it's going to be more than a few minutes before you start the rest of the za making.

Let us now start with the real business we came here for: to make an epic pizza.

• Preheat the oven to 500, making sure your pizza stone is inside.
• Gather everything you plan to put on the pizza (cooked chicken and onions, crumbled bacon, drained pineapple chunks, sauces, and shredded cheeses). Once you have your dough ready, you need to work with the swiftness. 

• If you want to do the crispy crust thing like I did, make sure your dough is ready to go (prepped and cut just smaller then the pizza stone). When the oven reached 500, take the pizza stone out and put just the dough for the crust on it - no toppings just yet. (Or if you're really crafty, slide the dough right onto the stone without removing it from the oven at all. 
• Now you're going to have to keep an eye on it so it doesn't cook too much, but generally it should take no more than 4 minutes to crisp it up a little bit. 
• Remove the stone with the dough on top from the oven and get ready to place your toppings on it next. 

It may be a little bit lumpy or bubbly looking if you're doing this step, but don't worry, it will all be just fine. Generally, kneading and rolling out your dough gets rid of the air bubbles within it, but obviously I don't have that art down to perfection just yet. If your crust begins to look like this, simply press down the bubbly parts with a spatula (not your hand 'cause it's freakin' hot!), or pop them with a knife to deflate them a bit. 

• Working with your pizza stone on a stable surface, evenly spread your pizza sauce onto the crust.
• Spread (or squeeze from a bottle) about half of your barbecue sauce onto the crust next. If you like your barbecue sauce more than pizza sauce, you can adjust the ratios of those. But don't worry - you will be adding more barbecue sauce in the last step. 
• Sprinkle on all the rest of the toppings (onions, chicken, pineapples, jalapeños, and bacon). Make sure they are evenly distributed around the pizza. You may prefer more or less jalapeños depending on your tolerance of hot and spicy things. 
• Sprinkle on the cheeses last (you can mix them or just sprinkle on one after the other) and carefully place the whole thing back into the oven.
• Now if you did the pre-bake on your crust, you won't need it in the oven very long before it's done. Perhaps 5 or 6 minutes should do it. If you didn't pre-bake, then this will take about 10 minutes until it is complete. My best advice is to keep an eye on it and take it out when it's as done as you like it. (Golden edges on the crust and melted cheese on top can usually indicate a done pizza.)

Golden and melty and DONE!

• Remove the pizza from the oven and spread or squeeze the remainder of your barbecue sauce on top. Let it cool for a few minutes (the pineapple pieces get hot in a 500-degree oven and they stay hot the longest). 

Mmm. Get into ma belly.

So, so, so good. Typically I do add-ons to my slices…nothing unusual - maybe just some red pepper flakes or a side of sauce for dipping. But I can say with confidence that this pizza needed nothing! It was a stand-alone winner and a Friday night delight. 

Deluxe Greek Pizza

If you're thinking this za looks familiar, then you're probably remembering my recent Mini Greek Pizza. No need to be confused and no need to be alarmed. I am not a pizza repeater. The Mini was a grand and tasty thing, but this Deluxe truly lives up to that title.

This pizza is loaded down with tangy flavors and fresher than fresh toppings. It was one of those so-good-out-of-the-oven-you-burn-the-roof-of-your-mouth tasty ones. It's a pizza I've been wanting to make for quite some time now but never seemed to have all of the ingredients at home all at once. But suddenly that all changed and the Deluxe Greek became a very delicious reality.

Pizza toppings:

• 1-2 cups pizza sauce
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• About 1 cup chicken breast meat, chopped
• Handful of Kalamata olives, sliced in half
• Handful of marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• About 3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• Half avocado, diced
• Half cucumber, diced

There are really two "sets" of toppings for this pizza: the ones that go on before the pizza goes into the oven, and the ones that go on after the pizza comes out of the oven, just before it is served.

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 500 with a pizza stone inside.
• Prepare your crust - roll it out on a lightly floured surface and cut it into a circle that is the same size or just smaller than your pizza stone. Let it sit there while the oven preheats and you prepare the rest of your toppings.
• The rest of the prep work is really nothing more than just chopping up ingredients. I used some leftover oven-baked chicken seasoned with tomato basil pesto as a topping, but if you don't have that on hand already like I did, that's the only cooking prep you'll really have to do. (Spread the pesto over the chicken and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.)
• Chop the chicken, tomato, artichoke hearts, and olives into bite-sized pieces and set them aside. (These are the toppings that go on first.)
• Chop the cucumber and avocado and set those aside separately. (These are the post-bake toppings.)

• When the stone is completely hot, take it out of the oven and place it on your work surface. Place the prepared dough for the crust on top of that.
• Spread your desired amount of pizza sauce on the crust, and spread it out evenly, going as close to the edges as you can. Then add on the first set of toppings, sprinkling them around evenly to the edges (chicken, tomatoes, olives, and artichokes).
• Top it off with your two cheeses (mozzarella and then feta on top) and carefully place it back in the oven. Bake it for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden on the edges and the cheese is melted on top.
• Take it out of the oven and place it back on your work surface. Immediately sprinkle the last two toppings on it - the cucumber and avocado pieces. Let it sit and cool for a few minutes before slicing. 

One thing I wish I'd used more of on this pizza were the Kalamata olives. These are not the puny, pathetic little black olives that you typically see atop the pizzas from major major pizza chains and subs from franchised sub shops. These are different. They are larger, full of flavor and downright excellent. And they just want to share all that flavor with you and your taste buds. Sadly, I only had about half a jar of these in my fridge. I suppose they were just so tasty I never even noticed how quickly they had been disappearing! 

Another thing I'd recommend is red pepper flakes. Sprinkle them all around! Spice is good. I actually sprinkled a bit over the whole za as soon as it came out of the oven, and then more onto my individual slices. It really brings all the flavor flaves together - salty feta, tangy olives, creamy avocados, fresh and crunchy cucumbers, savory pesto chicken and artichokes, and then there ya go with that spice. 

Spicy Breaded Chicken and Butternut Squash Pizza with Muenster Cheese

While everyone is going all pumpkin-crazy because fall is upon us (although I'm having a hard time noticing that because it's still around 90 degrees most days here in my corner of the world), I am all about the butternut.

Butter-what? Yes, butternut. Squash, that is. Don't get me wrong, I think pumpkins are great. Starbucks can make one hell of a melted ice cream drink using a little pumpkin flavoring. And you can make your own, lighter varieties of those drinks at home using some real pumpkins. Or you could use any other winter squash - one of which is butternut.

I could go on and on about how great this vegetable is...low in calories, jam-packed with vitamin A, tons of B6, and a respectable amount of potassium. With a little seasoning and a bake in the oven, it is just a delight to eat. Probably the most difficult part about cooking a butternut squash is cutting it open. Last week I baked one up until soft (about 50-60 minutes in the oven at 350), pureed about a cup of it, and incorporated it into some mac & cheese. Excellent choice, if I may say so myself - you could not even detect the squash and the mac was just so tasty, not to mention, secretly healthy.

If you don't believe me on the health of this stuff, check it out on World's Healthiest Foods, one of my favorite nutrition resources, thanks to my physician.

Even a medium or small-ish sized butternut squash gives you plenty to eat, so after making my mac & cheese I had a sizable amount of leftovers. And since I will never let a leftover go to waste, I just knew that a pizza was where some of these squash cubes were going to end up.

Ingredients:

• About 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup butternut squash, cooked and cubed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt, pepper, seasonings, to taste
• 1 cup chicken breast pieces, baked and breaded
• 1-2 large eggs
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 3/4 cups breadcrumbs
• 2-4 tablespoons spicy seasoning blend
• 4-5 slices muenster cheese, cut into fourths

Directions for the prep:

• Preheat your oven to 350.
• For the butternut squash: Cut the butternut squash in half and place on a lightly oiled pan, cut-side up. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on each half and add any seasonings on there you like. I did garlic powder, salt and pepper, although a little bit of cayenne pepper goes very nicely on butternut. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the flesh of the squash is very tender. Cut into cubes when done.
• For the chicken: Prepare an egg wash mixture (1-2 eggs and 1-2 tablespoons of milk), and a breading mixture (3/4 cup breadcrumbs, 2-4 tablespoons your favorite seasoning blend. I'd recommend something with a little spice in it.). Coat the chicken pieces in the egg wash first, then in the breadcrumb mixture. (I used chicken breast tenderloins, but you can use regular chicken breasts or any other chicken parts.) Place on a lightly oiled pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through but not dried out. Cut into small pieces when done. 

 

Directions for the za:

• Place a pizza stone in the oven and turn the temperature to 500. 
• Roll out some dough for the pizza crust. I did a thin and crispy white/wheat blend of a crust, which was delicious, of course. 
• When the stone is hot enough, carefully take it out of the oven. Place it on your work surface and place the dough for the crust on top of that. 
• Evenly spread pizza sauce on the crust, and then add all toppings. I didn't do my toppings in any particular order this time - it was really just a mix of cheese, chicken, and squash. Yep, nothing better than a good random medley of toppings on a pizza inspired by fall, my third favorite season!
• Pop it back into the oven, bake it away for about 10 minutes (maybe only 8 or so if you did a thin crust like me), and then take it out to cool it and enjoy! 

I sprinkled just an angel's dusting of black pepper onto the finished pizza. But what I should have done was sprinkle a leprechaun's handful of red pepper flakes. The mild nutty sweetness of butternut squash can handle a little heat. And that is just what I intended to do with these leftovers. Now that is nutty. 

Chicken, Bacon, Asparagus and Ricotta Pizza

Last time I made a "white pizza" it was good but not a fan favorite. Let me reassure you, this one was.

If I can remember correctly, I believe the spouse told me, "That was so good, I couldn't even talk," after he'd had just the first slice. 

For me, as much as I love a white pizza, I also have a deep love for tomato sauce. To solve that little dilemma here, all I did was serve the red sauce on the side. Excellent choice, if I may say so myself. 

Now I must also say, this pizza was work. Set aside about 2 hours from start to finish to make it...but don't be discouraged by that amount of time. It is so worth it. I guess you could go a little bit faster if you really tried. After all, I cleaned up as I went along and also unloaded the dishwasher and watched a Netflix documentary during the making of this pizza. You know if you want to watch a documentary, Netflix is the place to go.

So first, let us start with the crust. I didn't do my regular white/wheat crust because I wanted this one to be thinner and crispier. Although my usual crust is chewy and delicious, I was just in the mood to change it up. So I consulted a nearby cookbook called "Delicious Pizza." I thought, I can't go wrong with a title like that! 

I did a brief search for the book on Amazon, but I was not able to find it. Bummer. I guess all the delicious pizza secrets are not for sale! But the recipe for the crust was very basic...flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil. I rolled it out thin, heated up the pizza stone, and then baked the crust for about 4 minutes on its own. That's right...the crust on the pizza stone - no toppings - and bake it for 4 minutes. You want crispiness, this is how you get it. 

Now get your toppings ready, hold your pants on, and prepare for some pizza making madness. 

Gather your ingredients:

• 1 15-oz container of ricotta cheese
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 5 strips of bacon
• 1 chicken breast
• Handful of asparagus spears (I used a package of frozen)
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

To make it all so tasty and good:

• Pour the ricotta into a small mixing bow. Chop up the garlic into the tiniest pieces you can manage and add it to the ricotta. Add the rosemary into there as well and mix it all about. Let it sit while you do the rest so those flavors can mingle for a bit.
• Prep all the toppings. Heat the oven to 350. Arrange the bacon on one baking sheet and the asparagus on another. I added a little olive oil to my asparagus sheet to make it tastier and keep it from sticking. Pop those into the oven for about 20-30 minutes. I didn't set a timer, but just keep an eye on it until it's cooked the way you like it. I prefer my bacon and asparagus pretty crispy, so they were both in there for a while - the asparagus took a little longer than the bacon. 
• When they're done, chop the bacon into tiny bits, and cut the asparagus spears into thirds. 
• Heat a pan on the stove with a little olive oil, dice the chicken breast, and fry it up until it's cooked through.
• When the bacon and asparagus are done and the oven is empty, place the pizza stone inside and crank the temperature to 500. Now it's just a waiting game for the oven to get that hot. Go relax. Or do what I did and throw together a little Caesar salad to have on the side. You can also use this time to start heating up some red sauce...whatever kind is your favorite. I used some leftover homemade sauce I had on hand. 
• When your pizza stone is hot, take it out of the oven, and do what I told you to do before with the crust. Bake it, alone, for about 4 minutes. No toppings on it yet. Just a lonesome crust. This may cause some sections of the crust to bubble and rise. That's okay. Pop those bubbles and even out the surface again. You'll be able to do this because you're not cooking it all the way through yet.
• After those 4 minutes, take the pizza stone with the crust on it out of the oven and place it on your work surface. Spread the ricotta mixture onto it. You may not use all of it, depending on the size of your za. 
• Place the asparagus spears on top of that, followed by the chicken and then the bacon bits. Finish it off with just a touch of mozzarella and place that beauty into the oven for another 5 minutes or so. With the thin and now slightly crisped up crust, this will cook up in no time. It only took 5 minutes in my oven, but keep an eye on on it until it's cooked to your liking. 
• Serve with sauce of your choice on the side. 

You're going to want to dive into this ocean of pizza bliss long before it's done cooking. Actually, you may even be thinking of doing so during the bacon cooking phase. It's okay to munch on a little bacon, just don't eat all of it before za time.

If you're not a sauce lover like I am, feel free to omit it. Also if you want it a bit spicier, a bit of black pepper or red pepper flakes may suit your tastes.

I know, that looks like ketchup on the side. Now I do love ketchup, but as the old adage goes, there is a time and a place for everything. Mark my words - pizza time is no time for ketchup. That is tasty homemade pizza sauce.

Have a lovely time stuffing your face with this pizza excellence. I know I sure did!

Chicken, Artichoke, Feta, and Tomato Pizza with a Beer Crust

Let me guess, the "beer crust" got your attention? No doubt you've seen recipes for a crust made of cauliflower, zucchini, cheese, ground meats, egg whites, twigs, dirt, and other low-carb edibles. But beer? How is that even possible?

Well friends, thanks to the interwebs, I have found one recipe for a beer-infused pizza crust. And thanks to the current beer graveyard that is our vegetable crisper, this pizza was made possible. First and foremost regarding the flavors of this za, I must say, you must try this crust. I'm not one to divert from my go-to pizza crust recipe all that often, but this was well worth it. And also, it was super easy to make. I didn't use any rosemary because I didn't have any on hand, but I did use garlic powder and Blue Moon Agave Nectar Ale. Off da chain delish. Like, whoa. Click up on that recipe link and see for yourself.

For the pizza you will need:

• 1-2 cups pizza sauce
• 6 oz. jar of artichoke hearts, chopped (I like Progresso because they're already marinated)
• 1/2 onion, chopped and sautéed
• 1 chicken breast, chopped, seasoned and cooked
• 1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes
• 3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions:

• Prep all toppings. Heat a skillet on the stovetop with a little olive oil. Chop the onions and sauté them until they're soft and slightly golden. Place them on a plate when done and then you can add your chopped artichoke hearts to that same plate. Chop your chicken, season it and cook however you like. My chicken was actually leftover from a Mexican meal earlier in the week. I had baked it in the oven with some garlic powder and ancho chile powder. The bit of warm spiciness went perfectly with this pizza though. 
• Slice up the grape tomatoes and crumble the feta cheese if you have not bought the pre-crumbled cheese. (I never buy the crumbled kind unless there's some great sale on it...more bang for your buck to buy a larger block and cut it yourself!)
• Place a pizza stone in the oven and heat that baby to 500 degrees. When it's all hot, take it out, place it on your work surface, and carefully place your prepared dough for the crust on top of that. 
• Spread as much sauce as you'd like on top of the crust, working it all the way out to the edges. 
• Topping time. Onions, artichokes, and chicken go on next. I topped mine with mozzarella at this point, then saved the feta and tomatoes for last. And then a sprinkle of pepper after that.
• Place that all back into the oven and keep an eye on it for about 10 minutes, making sure the cheese on top turns a little bit golden but doesn't burn. For me this cooked up in about 12. 

Re-purposing my leftovers

Now that is fresh. Phresh.

Not only was this pizza the highlight to our weekend eating events, but also, our friend Matt joined us for it with some professional-grade pizza supplies in hand.

Casting my once-adored Kitchen Aid pizza cutter aside, Matt swooped in with his recent haul from a Kitchen Collection outlet shopping spree: a wooden pizza paddle and a fancy pizza cutter similar to this one from Williams-Sonoma. Like a boss. That pizza was sliced and plated effortlessly in mere seconds. I'm thinking these fancy pizza supplies are worth the investment.

I hesitate to say that this has been my favorite homemade pizza so far. But then again, that's probably how parents feel when telling you which child is their favorite. So I'll go ahead and say it - this za was top-notch. Definitely in the top 3 of my pizza children, and of course it made the honor roll. The crust - usually not so noticeable compared to the toppings - was outstanding. The feta always adds just the right amount of saltiness and the marinated artichokes were the perfect compliment. I don't like the idea of being a pizza-repeater, but for a za like this I just have a feeling it's going to happen.

Roasted Garlic, Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, & Chicken Pizza

The inspiration for this pizza came from Pinterest (surprise, surprise) but then I one-upped it by using sun-dried tomato pesto instead of the regular green stuff. I also learned that roasted garlic is extremely easy to make and even more delicious to eat. 

Another reason I was excited to make a za this particular weekend? I got a new rolling pin! I know that does not sound like such a thrilling thing for most people, but for all this time I have been making pizzas I have not owned a proper rolling pin. Even I find that a little bit odd. To roll out the dough I've been using a drinking glass turned on its side. That's actually worked quite well for me, but whenever my husband sees me using a glass to roll the dough, he worries that I will end up crushing it with my Hulk strength.  So I guess we can say it's pretty lucky I found this one before that happened!

The brand is "Bisetti" although I've never heard of that before. Williams-Sonoma sells one rolling pin of that brand, but the one I got is all one solid piece, more like this. It was one of those random finds I spotted at TJ Maxx one day while I was looking for anything but a rolling pin. And instead of being in the $15-$50 range, it was $5.99! 

Okay, enough of my hollering and raving about a rolling pin. On to the roasted garlic and the rest of the pizza.

Ingredients you'll need:

• 1 bulb of garlic
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4-6 oz. sun-dried tomato pesto sauce
• 1-2 cups pizza sauce
• 1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I seasoned mine a wee bit with some olive oil, salt, and pepper)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

To make the roasted garlic:

Let me just say again...this is so very easy. I will definitely be making it again to put into things other than pizza. 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
• Peel off most of the outer paper-y skin on the garlic (doesn't have to be all of it or too perfect looking).
• Using a sharp knife, slice off the top of the garlic, about 1/2 inch down.
• Drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake until soft, about 35-40 minutes.
• Let it cool completely when it's done, then use a fork to smash it up into a paste.

Yes, this is one of those "looks nasty, tastes yummy" kind of deals. Moving on...

To make the pizza:

• Place a pizza stone in the oven and heat it to 500 degrees.
• Get your dough and other ingredients prepped in the meantime. 
• Spread the roasted garlic onto the prepared pizza dough. You can do this during the next step, but the roasted garlic became a pretty thick paste after I smashed it up, so I knew that it would take a little bit of work to spread it around evenly. It was just much easier to do this without worrying about getting burned on the hot pizza stone for such intricate work here.
• When the stone is hot, place it on your work surface and place the dough on top of that. Top with the roasted garlic paste (if you haven't already), then the pesto, pizza sauce, chicken, and mozzarella - in that order. 
• Place that whole gorgeous pile of pizza tastiness back into the oven and bake away for about 10 minutes. This one cooked quick for me and I took it out after about 9 minutes. 

I think it's safe to say that the sun-dried tomato pesto was the noticeably tasty thing in this recipe, along with the roasted garlic. I actually only used about a half a bulb of garlic, and the pizza could have easily used more. I'll go for the whole bulb next time, no question about that. Also, the sun-dried tomato pesto that I used comes in an 8.5-oz jar, and I used about half of what was in that jar. Use more or less depending on how much you love pesto. So basically, use more. (Who doesn't love pesto?)

The first thing I could say when this pizza came out of the oven was, "This pizza looks so legit." Because it did. I mean, come on...you have to admit it looks a bit like a DiGiorno at first glance. But these flavor-flaves put DiGiorno to shame. Shame, I say! Slice it, let it cool, and chow down to believe.