Chicken Caeser Pizza and Homemade Pizza Dough

 

Chicken Caesar Pizza

Pizza dough, *recipe below*
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken breast
1/4 cup Cardini's Caesar Dressing, more if desired
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Follow dough direction below. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread dough out on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes to prebake the crust before topping.

Spoon dressing over dough. Top with chicken, cheese and seasonings. Bake at 425 degrees for about 12-15 minute.

Pizza Dough

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 teaspoon Instant Dry Yeast

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast in a work bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the water and olive oil. Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. Knead with floured hands or by stand mixer for 10 minutes on medium or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

After mixing.

After doubling.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours., or until approximately doubled in size and puffy. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Use your hands to roll each piece of dough into a tight ball. Cover and allow it to rise for 20 more minutes before baking.

Two of the dough balls.

As you can see, it doesn't have to be perfect! 

Preheat oven to 425°F and bake for 10-15 minutes to prebake the crust before topping. Take out of the oven and top with pizza sauce and your favorite toppings and cheese.** Bake until the cheese us golden in spots and the crust edges are a light golden brown.

** Follow the instructions for my Chicken Caesar above. 

This dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months before using.

Mine didn't have as much basil 

and pepper as the hubby's did.
Make it yours like I did! 

Pizza Toast

Mama called it Cheese Toast, but my son calls it Pizza Toast. It is such a simple, easy and tasty treat. Whether it'd for an after school snack or add meat for a meal, it's sure to please kids of any age! I used my own homemade Pizza Sauce, but you can use your favorite brand. I also used a Colby Jack Cheese blend, but again use your favorite. The possibilities are endless!

1 French Bread Loaf, cut in thick slices
Pizza Sauce (or spaghetti sauce)
2 cups Colby Jack Cheese blend
(optional) pepperoni, onion, peppers, olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread slices of bread with a tablespoon or so of sauce. Top with the toppings of your choice, or simply top with cheese. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. If serving to children, be sure to let them sit until the cheese has cooled enough to be safe. 

Pepperoni Pizza Burger Bombs!

The Kids love pizza and burgers, So I combined the two for these Pepperoni Pizza Burger Bombs! As you can tell by the picture at the bottom of the post... It got them all here! :-)

 This was the test run.
It tasted good, but not very pretty!

This was the second run.
Very good and looks good too!

Pizza Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, grated
1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

One 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Burger Bombs :

1 pound ground beef

Kosher salt and black pepper

Pizza dough, room temperature

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced

4 ounces thin pepperoni (about 32 slices)

1/4 cup olive oil, for brushing

For the sauce: To a small saucepan over low heat add the oil, garlic and onion and cook until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and seasoning, and mash with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

For the burger: Form the meat into four 4-ounce patties and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Grill until medium, then remove from the heat and place on a paper-towel-lined plate.

Divide the pizza dough into four 4-ounce balls. Press out each ball on a floured board. Top each dough round with a slice of mozzarella, a couple slices of pepperoni, then 1 burger patty and 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce. Repeat with cheese and pepperoni. Fold the dough over the burger as if making a large dumpling. Brush with olive oil and top with a little extra cheese and pepperoni. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with extra pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

Pizza Monkey Bread

Pull-apart bread, which we call Monkey Bread, is perfect for parties, showers or just a great supper. They can be sweet or savory. This one is made with pepperoni and cheeses, but you can add anything you want to it. There are no limits to the combinations that you can make. I made this one very simply using Krusteaz Garlic and Onion Flatbread mix. I highly recommend it. It was delicious in this recipe!

Pizza dough or canned biscuit dough

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 tbsp. basil leaves

1/2 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil

1 (8 oz.) package of mini pepperoni

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan well.

Cut pizza dough or biscuits into small pieces.

Add all the ingredients in a bowl, except the dough and toss. Add the dough pieces a few at the time and toss so that the oil is spread evenly on each piece of dough. If you add them all at once, they stick together and just make a huge ball... I found that out the hard way! LOL

Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked. If the middle is still not cooked thoroughly, leave it in the oven for another 5 minutes at a time until it’s done. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with marinara, pizza or spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Pizza Phyllo Packets

I was running low on groceries and scraping around for something to fix a starving teenager. I had the ingredients for pizza, but nothing for the crust. I remembered that I had phyllo dough in the freezer.

2 cups of cheese, I used Colby/Jack

1 cup spaghetti sauce

1 pkg pepperoni, chopped

1/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1 pkg Phyllo Dough Sheets

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Follow the directions on the phyllo dough to thaw and arrange sheets. Lay out one sheet of dough and brush with melted butter or lightly spray with oil. Repeat two more times. 

Mix all the ingredients, except dough, stirring til mixed.

Cut dough in half with a pizza cutter.

Spoon 2 tbsp of mixture at one end.

 Fold the end over forming a triangle... keep folding corner to corner.

 Tuck the end in on the last fold.

Arrange on a baking sheet covered in foil

and lightly sprayed with oil.

Lightly spray with packet. Bake for 20 minutes,

or until golden brown.

 OOPS! Well, maybe I can save them...

Well... they taste pretty good.

Pizza Dip

My son loves all things pizza, so I made this dip. It was perfect for him. I served it with bread sticks, but you could serve it with crackers or chips. The full recipe is at the bottom of this post.

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and cheese until smooth.

Spread in the bottom of an oven proof dish.

I used a jarred spaghetti sauce and added hamburger.

Sprinkle with bacon and add mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper.

Add pepperoni and a little Colby Jack cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 or 20 minutes.

I used canned biscuit dough and shaped them into bread sticks.

YUMMY!

Pizza Dip Recipe

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup finely shredded Colby Jack cheese blend, divided

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

12 slices pepperoni
Crumbled bacon (2 slices)

1/4 lb hamburger cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl combine spaghetti sauce, garlic, onion, basil, salt and pepper. Set pizza sauce aside.

In another bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 cup of Colby Jack cheese.  Mix well until combined.

Spread cream cheese mixture in an even layer in a baking dish. Pour blended pizza sauce over cream cheese mixture and evenly distribute with spatula. Add hamburger and bacon.

Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over pizza sauce. Top pizza dip with pepperoni. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of Colby Jack cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

Serve with Breadsticks.

Pizza Tarts

Most kids like pizza, but my son likes anything that resembles the flavor of pizza. I made a pizza dip last night and had plenty of stuff left over. He requested that I make these tarts!

1 can refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits per can)
Spaghetti Sauce
Cheese, (I used Colby/Jack)
Pepperoni
Basil
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Flatten out each biscuit and put them into a muffin tin. Top with a teaspoon of sauce, cheese, the seasonings and finally 1 or 2 slices of pepperoni. I added a tiny bit more cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Remove from the oven and use the tip of a knife to transfer the biscuits to paper towels to absorb any grease from the pepperoni.

No Yeast Pizza Dough

 

1 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp oil
1/2 to 2/3 c water


Mix dry ingredients, then add 1/2 cup water and oil. Stir until it forms a ball. If dough is stiff, add more water. If it's wet or sticky, dust with a little flour. 

For pizza: Add sauce, toppings and cheese.Bake at 400°F for 15-25 minutes.

... add sauce

... pepperoni, cheeses, basil and S&P.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Emile Henry Flame Pizza Stone, 12-inch - red - Flame (Google Affiliate Ad)

Gametime Snacks

 

Teriyaki Wings, Lemon Pepper Wings, Stuffed Mushrooms, Spicy Corn Dip, Sausage & Cheese Meatballs, Dilly Ranch Crackers and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheeseball...

 From the other end of the table...

Teriyaki Wings

Teriyaki Sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Mix all but the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of cold water, in a sauce pan over medium heat. Mix cornstarch and water. Stir til dissolved. Add to sauce pan. Heat until thickened. Toss wings in sauce and serve.

Lemon Pepper Wings

Lemon Pepper Sauce

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp minced garlic

lemon pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for a couple of minutes. Toss wings in sauce and serve.

I made Melissa's Melissa's Supreme Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms. Click here for her recipe. BTW... hers are much prettier than mine!!! ;-)

I made Amiee's Jalapeno Corn Dip. I didn't have the jalapenos so I added Cayenne Pepper instead. :-)

Pizza Tarts

Dilly Ranch Crackers

I changed these up a bit the usual recipe is...

Oyster Crackers (12oz bag)
1/4 cup oil

1 package Ranch Dip Mix

1/2 tsp garlic powder

I added 1/2 tsp lemon pepper for a kick!

Mix ingredients in a plastic container with an air tight lid.  Shake crackers and flip container every 10 minutes or so. I make these a day ahead for the oil and flavors to set.

To change this Chocolate Chip Cheeseball up, I added some peanut butter to the original recipe! I left out the vanilla because I had vanilla wafers to go with it.

Tablecraft 2-Pk. Appetizer Cones (Google Affiliate Ad)

Eggs Benedict Pizza

with Prosciutto, Eggs and a side of Hollandaise Sauce for dipping...

Thin Pizza Crust Recipe

.25 oz. pkt. active dry yeast

1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
3/4 cup 110 degree water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water; allow to rest for 8 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix well with a heavy spoon.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.

Place dough on a lightly greased pizza pan and stretch dough to edges.

For the Hollandaise Sauce:

1 cup butter

3 egg yolks 

1 tablespoon heavy cream 

1 dash ground cayenne pepper 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Melt the butter until bubbly in a small pan. Remove from heat before butter browns.

In a blender or large food processor, blend the egg yolks, heavy cream, cayenne pepper, and salt until smooth. Add half of the hot butter in a thin steady stream, slow enough so that it blends in at least as fast as you are pouring it in. Blend in the lemon juice using the same method, then the remaining butter.

To assemble the pizza:

Spread a little of the Hollandaise sauce over crust and top with bacon*, eggs, salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until edges are golden and the eggs or done to your liking.

*Pan fry the bacon until done but limp... this way your pizza is not swimming in grease and the bacon takes on a little crunch!

Eggs Benedict Pizza (more instructional recipe if you need it)

4-6 slices Prosciutto or bacon

4 eggs 

1 cup butter 

3 egg yolks 

1 tablespoon heavy cream 

1 dash ground cayenne pepper 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 pizza dough

In a skillet over medium-high heat, fry the Prosciutto or bacon on each side until done but not completely browned. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter until bubbly in a small pan. Remove from heat before butter browns. In a blender or large food processor, blend the egg yolks, heavy cream, cayenne pepper, and salt until smooth. Add half of the hot butter in a thin steady stream, slow enough so that it blends in at least as fast as you are pouring it in. Blend in the lemon juice using the same method, then the remaining butter.

Place pizza dough on a pizza pan. Cook for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven and drizzle with a little of the cream sauce. Top with prosciutto and carefully break eggs on top. Bake for another 6 minutes or until eggs reach desired doneness.

Not as runny as I like... but good!

French Bread Pizza

For those that don't know... the hubby has 2 kidney stones, and we have been in and out of the hospital all week. He stayed overnight Friday and is scheduled for lithotripsy tomorrow morning. Friday night, I came home and fixed a quick supper for Elliott and me. We didn't have much of anything in the house, since I hadn't been grocery shopping in a while. I had an old loaf of french bread, some sauce in the freezer and mozzarella cheese in the frig.

I zapped a couple of cubes of sauce...I had made a batch of sauce, put it in popsicle molds and popped them in a zip-loc bag for later use. I hollowed out the bread a little and spread on the sauce. 

I dumped on the cheese and topped it with Basil and Kosher salt. 

 It baked for about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Mmmmmmm!!! 

Nice little supper!