Nathaniel's Flatbread Breakfast Pizza

1 fire roasted square flatbread pizza crust (we got ours at Target)
olive oil
1/2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese
3-4 pieces of proscutto
4 pieces of bacon, fried crisp
5 eggs
butter for frying eggs
Salt and Pepper
6 fresh basil leaves
Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush flatbread pizza crust with olive oil. Sprinkle shredded Mexican blend cheese on top of crust.

Cut or tear each piece of proscutto into 4 pieces and place all over the crust. Proscutto should not be touching each other.

Bake crust for about 6-7 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is brown and crispy.

While the pizza is baking, melt butter in a frying pan. Carefully crack 5 eggs in the pan and fry on one side and then flip eggs to make them over-easy to over-medium done.

Place 4 cooked eggs in each corner of the pizza crust and one egg in the middle.

Crumble or cut bacon and sprinkle on top of the eggs. Then, grate fresh Parmesan cheese all over the eggs (generously).

Chiffonade basil leaves and sprinkle on top of the pizza.

Cut pizza into quarters and serve. Use crust to soak up any egg yolk that runs off the pizza.

Serves 4.

 

Homemade Pizza

Making pizza is as American as apple pie! I learned the "art" of pizza making when I was 18 and got my first job at the Pizza Pub in Hartford, Wisconsin. I lived across the street from the Pizza Pub and the owner and his wife taught me how to prep and make the best pizzas in town. It all starts with a good crust, a good pizza stone, a very hot oven, and great ingredients. For me, it starts with a bread machine! So let's begin:

Pizza Dough (makes 2 14-16 inch pizzas)
12 oz. water (80 degrees)
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cups of bread flour (any flour works, really)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. bread machine yeast
1 tsp. Italian spice
1 tsp. granulated garlic

Place ingredients in bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (all professional recipes say this, so I guess it's important) and use "dough cycle." Feel free to add a little extra olive oil to make sure dough doesn't "stick" to the sides of the pan. When dough is finished, remove from bread pan, knead for about a minute on a floured board, divide dough in half and then let it rest for about 15-20 minutes, covering dough so it doesn't dry out. While dough is resting, make pizza sauce.

Pizza Sauce
1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
14 1/2 oz can of tomato puree
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. dried oregano (crush herbs between palms to allow fragrance/flavor to release)
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. fennel
1/2 tsp. rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a small saucepan, saute' garlic for 30 seconds in hot oil. Add the remaining ingredients and stir often to mix and keep from burning. Simmer for 20-30 minutes to blend flavors. Adjust seasoning to preference.

Chop all topping ingredients. I use onion, green pepper, black and green olives, fresh mushrooms, hot Italian sausage (pre-cooked and drained), pepperoni, 4 different cheeses (Parmesan, mozzarella, Mexican blend, and shredded sharp cheddar). Try Canadian bacon, shrimp, spinach, artichokes, hot peppers, or pineapple tidbits. You can pretty much use whatever you like to eat on pizza!

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Put olive oil on pizza stone and roll out pizza dough on stone. Sprinkle granulated garlic, salt, and brush with olive oil. Par-bake dough in oven for 5-7 minutes. This makes your crust crisp on the bottom and makes sure your crust cooks completely. Take crust out of oven and set on a oven-safe pad to assemble pizza.

Spread about half of the pizza sauce on crust, sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese and a thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Add onion, peppers, olives, mushrooms, sausage (or anything you like) on top of the cheese. Next cover pizza completely with another layer of cheese of your choice (I use a blend), top with pepperoni slices and sprinkle more Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 10-11 minutes in middle of the oven. When brown and bubbly remove from oven and allow to "rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Slice into 8 wedges and serve with an icy cold beer. Make second pizza the same way or par-bake the crust, cool and wrap up for pizza crust to enjoy pizza on another day (preferably tomorrow!) Bon Appetite!

Amanda's Pizza Rolls

My "guest chef" today is Amanda Stone -- married to my nephew Caleb. She shared this recipe on Facebook and the photo too. She got her inspiration at tidymom.net, but I personally think her recipe is much easier to follow! They look so yummy and easy, I just had to post it here for all to see! This looks like something that would be perfect for a Sunday night meal or a quick meal when you're on the go.

Pizza dough (refrigerated Pillsbury or homemade)
Toppings for pizza
Cheeses
Pizza, marinara, spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought)
Italian or Pizza seasonings


**These are made similar to jelly rolls.**

Roll dough out to about 1/4in thickness. Sprinkle dough with seasonings. Add toppings any way you prefer (I used mozzarella cheese on bottom, then added pepperoni, then added another layer of pizza cheese on top). Roll dough jelly roll style, starting on short side. Cut into 'rolls', about 1in thick (mine made 9 pizza rolls). Place about 1 in. apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Check periodically as ovens and times may vary.

Serve with the pizza sauce/marinara/spaghetti sauce as a dipping sauce

Calzones

Make bread dough in a bread machine at least 2-3 hours before you want to eat! You can make the dough early, cover it and put it in the refrigerator. Just remember to take out the dough an hour before you want to make dinner so it has a chance to warm up.
Calzone Dough
11/2 cups water
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 T. dried basil leaves (or Italian seasoning)
3 T. olive oil
3 T. toasted wheat germ
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. rapid rise yeast
1/3 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (or you can leave this out)

Place all ingredients except tomatoes in bread machine in the order specified by your manufacturer. Spoon tomatoes into 4 corners of the pan, but do not cover the yeast. Use the dough setting on your bread machine and remove dough when completed. Place dough on wax paper or parchment paper and allow to rest  for 15 minutes (covered).

You can use anything you like for Calzone Ingredients, but we used the following:

Grated mozzarella cheese, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, freshly sliced baby portabella mushrooms, chopped green or red pepper, chopped red onion, pepperoni, chopped fresh plum tomato, sliced black olives, fresh slices of garlic cloves, sauted lightly.

Other ingredients to try: cooked Italian sausage, cooked Italian meatballs, cooked chicken, artichokes, spinach leaves (cooked and well-drained), fresh zucchini (sliced), a variety of cheeses including ricotta cheese. For a Mexican flavor you could use cooked chorizo sausage, jalepenos, pepperjack cheese, Mexican spices, etc. There are endless possibilities!

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Divide bread dough into fourths. For each fourth, roll, dough out into an oval about 6-8 inches along to long edge. Fill HALF of the dough  with small handful of mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle as many filling ingredients as you want on top and finish with a generous handful of the grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, freshly ground black pepper, granulated garlic, and Italian spices.

Fold top half of the Calzone dough on top of the ingredients and seal with an egg wash (1 beaten egg with a small amount of water). Be sure the dough is well sealed or ingredients will spill out while baking. Place calzone on a baking stone and baste entire calzone with the egg wash. Bake on top rack in the 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Watch closely. to ensure it doesn't burn. Move pan to lower rack of the oven if top is too brown.

Calzone is done when the dough sounds "hollow" when tapped and you can hear the ingredients sizzle.

Serve with homemade or jarred spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce warmed up and placed in an individual bowl on the side. Inside ingredients are very hot, so be careful. You can eat like a burrito or with a knife and fork.

Below is a Vegetarian Calzone

Eat Your Homework Pizza

Nathaniel and Joshua made their own pizza for lunch which was part of their homework assignment for our homeschool cooking class. They promptly ate their homework!

This is a great Homeschool project that accomplishes two things -- teaching your children to cook and making lunch for them to eat. It is fun to let them pick their own ingredients, so encourage them to make something non-traditional and they will have the added satisfaction of creating a new recipe. Kids have great imaginations, so remind them they will have to eat what they make!

Below is a picture of Nathaniel's creation Spinach-bacon Pizza and the recipe follows:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. (The crust was store bought).....brushed crust with olive oil and add a clove of fresh garlic (crushed), then add pizza sauce topp with fresh spinach leaves and then ground black pepper and Italian seasoning. Place a small handful of chopped fresh tomatoes on top of the spinach, then a thin layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Add sweet onion slices, pepperoni, 2 strips of chopped, cooked bacon, and additional mozzarella cheese. Bake directly on the bottom oven rack for about 7 minutes, then move to top rack for an additional 3 minutes or until brown and bubbly. After it comes out of the oven, top with freshly-grated parmesan cheese.

Here is a picture of Joshua's Pizza called BLT Pizza and the recipe follows:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush pre-made crust with olive oil. Add 1-2 crushed garlic cloves and spread around. Add 1/4 c. chopped fresh tomatoes and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and freshly ground pepper. Cover tomatoes with 3 strips of chopped, cooked bacon, sweet onion slices and cover with finely grated mozzarella cheese. Bake directly on bottom rack of oven for 7 minutes or until crust is brown. Move to top rack of oven and continue baking until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly. While pizza is baking, mix 1 cup of spring greens with Ranch dressing. When pizza is done, top pizza with lettuce-ranch mixture and then freshly-grated parmesan cheese.

Pizzaghetti

AN ORIGINAL RECIPE BY JOSHUA CANTWELL

Can't decide if you want spaghetti or pizza for dinner? Why not have both? This unique pizza, topped with spaghetti and cheesy garlic breadsticks baked right along with it, was created by my son, Joshua (age 10) using his imagination and his love for cooking and creating recipes. Yes, it was his idea! I got to work, making it to HIS specifications, and dinner was on the table in less than 30 minutes! It was a hit; you need only eat one piece and you're full!

2 cans of Pillsbury pizza dough (found in the refrigerated section)
10-11 mozzarella string cheese sticks
2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound of capellini (or thin spaghetti), cooked and drained
1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 (24 oz) jar of your favorite marinara sauce, reserving1/4 cup
drizzle of olive oil
granulated garlic
Italian spice
Red pepper flakes
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
1 Pampered Chef Stoneware Bar Pan

While you can make this in any 15x10 inch pan, the bar pan by Pampered Chef makes the crust crispy and it works very well because it doesn't stick!

Preheat the oven to 375*.

Spread the two cans of pizza dough in the bar pan so that the dough hangs over all four sides. Place the cheese sticks around the edge of the pan and put the excess pizza dough over it so it is covered completely. Seal the dough and take off any excess dough in the corners. Be sure the dough is completely sealed and it is evenly spread across the bottom of the pan.  Drizzle olive oil lightly over the top of the crust. Liberally sprinkle the dough and the edge of the dough with granulated garlic and about 1/4 cup of the freshly grated parmesan cheese. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes. If crust puffs up, gently poke it to allow the steam to escape. Remove from oven.

In the meantime, mix the cooked capellini and the jarred spaghetti sauce except the reserved 1/4 cup of sauce in a sauce pan and heat. Add 1/4 c. of parmesan cheese, additional garlic, Italian spice, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and heat until warm.

Spread sauce and noodles on top of the partially baked crust and spread evenly. Spread the reserved 1/4 cup of marinara sauce over the noodles. Top with the mozzarella cheese and additional parmesan cheese if desired. Sprinkle (lightly) with additional Italian seasoning and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 8-10 more minutes or until crust and cheese are brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for about 2-3 minutes. Then cut with a pizza cutter making sure each piece of pizza includes one side with the mozzarella cheese bread stick. Serve with additional sauce if you'd like for dipping breadstick and additional red pepper if you like your spaghetti-pizza more spicy.

Optional: Make mini meatballs and add to the spaghetti to make it into spaghetti and meatball pizza...or make the sauce meaty by adding cooked Italian sausage to the noodles and sauce.

Makes 6 generous servings.