Pizza Dip!!!!

This Dip has become a favorite among my friends for girls nights, baby showers, and parties!  Its so easy and is definately a crowd pleaser!

1 jar pizza sauce (not spaghetti sauce)

1 8oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 package pepperoni chopped

1 can chopped olives

2 cups mozzarella cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• grease baking dish.
• mix all of the ingredients, leaving about 1/2 cup of mozzarella left for topping
• cover with foil and bake for 30 min.
• remove foil and add remaining mozzarella and BROIL for 5 min.
• Serve with french bread!!

***MAKE SURE TO SOFTEN THE CREAM CHEESE...I PUT IT IN THE MICROWAVE UNTIL EXTREMELY SOFT.

Easy Pizza Sauce

I have tried a couple pizza sauce recipes and this is kind of my own combination of what I found I personally like best based on those I have tried. I never buy pizza sauce anymore, because I think this tastes better and is easy to do with stuff I normally have on hand.

Also, the last few times I have made pizza, I have made the crust Katie posted here and it is the best I have tried! (pictured above..) I recommend it!

1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
(*optional*- for a "bolder" flavor- you can add 1/2-1 tsp Paprika- it is good, but I personally like it a little better without- so, whatever your taste...)

Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Saute the garlic for a couple minutes until slightly browned. Add all other ingredients. Heat through. You can put on crust immediately or simmer on low for a short while as you prepare the crust.

Enjoy!!

Thin-And-Crispy BBQ-Chicken Pizza Snack Wedges.....

This is a recipe from the Biggest Loser Cookbook. We really enjoy this. It is supposed to be a snack, but we eat it for a meal. Sometimes we make it with all the low fat ingredients, and sometimes we make it with what we have on hand. Either way, its a nice treat!!

1 whole wheat flour, 96% fat-free tortilla (8" diameter)
2 tablespoons barbeque sauce (7 grams carbs or less per 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup finely shredded Cabot 75% light cheddar cheese
2/3 cup chopped grilled chicken breast
1/4 slivered red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Makes 1 serving
381 calories, 45 g protein, 32 g carbs, 9 g fat

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the tortilla on a small nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 4-5 minutes per side, or until crisp. If air bubbles form, poke them with a fork, then press out the air with a spatula or oven mitt. Remove the sheet from the oven. Top the tortilla evenly in layers with the sauce, cheese, chicken, onion and cilantro. Bake for 2-4 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted. Slice into 8 wedges. Serve immediately.

Tomato Pesto Pizza...

Prepared Pesto
Salt
Mozzarella cheese
Roma tomatoes

Prepare your favorite pizza crust (here is the one I always use.)

Spread prepared pesto on dough. Don't use too much or pizza will have a lot of oil gather on the top.

Sprinkle with salt.

Top with cheese, a layer of roma tomatoes, and some more mozzarella.

Bake according to your crust directions.

**This is another recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I didn't think my hubby would like it because he doesn't usually enjoy pizzas that don't have regular tomato sauce on them. This was a hit and he even requested left overs for his lunch!

Pizza Crust

I know pizza crust recipes have been shared before, but Spencer makes the best pizza crust known to man. We have three pizza crust recipes we use for different reasons. This is the one we use for the most delicious pizza ever...when Spencer has time to make it. It takes a little while, but it's well worth the wait.


Pizza Crust

• 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 envelope rapid rise yeast
• 1 tbs sugar
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 200.
2. Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5 min. Add oil.
3. Mix flour and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet one cup at a time until ball forms.
5. Spray the inside of a separate large metal bowl with cooking spray. Put ball of dough inside and cover with plastic wrap (also coated with cooking spray).
6. Turn off oven and place metal bowl in oven for 40 min.
7. Remove dough and pound down.
8. Preheat pizza stone at 450.
9. Roll out dough to make crust (makes 2 pizzas).
10. Top with favorite pizza toppings and bake 8-10 min. (until crust is golden brown) at 450.

Toppings pictured (our favorite): BBQ sauce, mozzarella cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, canned diced tomatoes, cooked and cubed chicken, chopped red onion. I dare you to try it. Delish!

We've also made it with the standard pizza toppings, with alfredo sauce and chicken, and with yummy fresh tomato and fresh basil from our garden.

Pizza Crust!....

I got this pizza crust recipe off of www.justmade.blogspot.com, it is sooooo good. It's extremely moist and very easy. Tonight I just made a canadian bacon pizza, but there is a really good recipe on that website for a bbq chicken pizza- check it out!

1 cup very warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 scant tablespoon yeast
3 tablespoons oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Disolve sugar in water then sprinkle yeast on top and let float for 1 minute. Stir in yeast and let it proof for 10 minutes. Yeast should foam. Stir in oil, salt and flour and knead for 10 minutes. Place dough in oiled bowl and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with pizza stone in oven. Remove pizza stone from oven and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll or toss dough and place on stone. Top with your favorite toppings and place in oven! Cook for approx. 18 minutes

**I didn't have cornmeal so I used flour, it worked fine, just don't use too much.
**Original recipe says to cook for 20-25 min. I cooked for 18 and it was perfect.

Pizza Casserole...

My mother has been making this dinner for as long as I can remember. With 5 picky kids it worked out great. There is no real recipe for it, just put as much as you want. Now that I cook it for Cameron and I, I add a few more ingredients--anything you would put on a pizza is tasty in this!

• Penne noodles
• Italian sausage
• Pepperoni
• Prego
• Mozzarella

Boil the noodles and cook the sausage. When both are done, combine noodles, sausage, pepperoni, and prego- mix well. Put in a baking dish. Put shredded mozzarella on top. Cook at 350 for about 45 minutes (or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through)

I usually saute onion with the sausage. I also add olives and sometimes some peppers. Its super easy and is great with garlic bread.

Calzones...

I got this recipe off the website where Jeanine got her "yummiest muffins" recipe. Tonight we had Camerons sister and her family over for dinner and thought this was a great idea. They were so good and neat because everyone gets to create their own. Definately a good dinner when you are having people over!

DOUGH:

• 1 package of dry, active yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 tablspoon olive oil
• 3 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

put yeast in one cup of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Let it stand for 15 minutes. Then add the olive oil.

In a mixer mix together the flour with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar. With the motor on, pour in the yeast mixture and let the motor run until the dough comes together.

Take the dough out, form it into a ball and put it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover it and let it rise for one hour in a warm spot. Punch the dough down and divide it into four (or more if you want them smaller) balls. Put the balls on a greased cookie sheet and let them rise for 40 minutes. Then, on a slightly floured surface, roll the balls into circles with a rolling pin. Put the circles on an oiled cookie sheet and fill with toppings. Put toppings on one side of the dough and then fold the other side on top. Leave enough bare around the edges so you can seal the edges with a fork.

Put them in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes-20 minutes. Take out when golden brown.

TOPPINGS:

We used Italian sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, olives, fresh spinach leaves, and tomato sauce. The blog I got this recipe off of also recommended ricotta cheese, feta cheese, ham, red peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms....pretty much anything you want!!

These were super good and this recipe makes 4 large calzones. It was great, I made the dough before everyone came, then everyone filled their own and I threw them in the oven!