Pizza Bianco

With the remaining bread: fail; pizza: win crust, Cookie Monster and I made a white pizza. On this pizza went:

*The base layer of ricotta cheese

*Dried basil

*Cloves of garlic, which roasted in the oven to become deliciously sweet (and not at all strong and bitter, like raw garlic) bursts of flavor

*Chopped salami (for Cookie Monster)

*Mozzarella cheese

*Freshly ground pepper

I gave the meat a shot, but it wasn't for me. So I picked it off of my slices and gave it to Cookie Monster, who happily gobbled it up. He really likes his salami! And yep, that is exactly what she said.

It was simple, but oh-so-good. Very much like its Italian ancestry. Those Italians really know what's up, don't they?

Salute!

Bread FAIL. Pizza WIN.

When Snowpocalypse 2010 and Snowpocalypse 2010 II: The Sequel hit, I got bored sitting around inside. Usually when this boredom hits, I head to the kitchen to cook or bake something. I have, in the past, tried to make some bread, so I decided to try it again. 

Wow. Major FAIL on the bread baking. I had to warm up the water to dissolve the sugar, and I knew the water was too hot. But, being the impatient idiot I am, I dumped in the hot water anyway, hoping for the best. Yeah. Not so much. I straight-up killed my yeast. Oh, and I over-kneaded it, too. I covered my ball o' dough with a towel and kept checking it. It rose not at all. Zilch. Nada.

So, with my proverbial lemons, I made pizza crusts. Instead of bread, we had pizza. Not too bad a trade, right?

Here's the lovely gourmet pizza we made with the bread fail:

I started with a layer of olive oil brushed over the dough, then added some fresh spinach that I had chopped finely in the food processor with a bit more oil. Then we added:

*Caramelized onions

*Bleu cheese

*Prosciutto

*Goat cheese

*Chopped dates

Baked until golden brown and delicious, it was awesome! Cookie Monster and I have pretty high pizza standards now, since we make all kinds of kick-ass pizzas at home. Sometimes restaurant pizza is hard to compete with what we make. And when we make it, it's always super healthier than take-out.

Om nom nom!

Leftovers for Lunch

For lunch yesterday, I had a plate full of leftovers. Leftovers are usually fine with me, and I more often than not reinvent them into something different. This time, though, their original preparation was the best, so that's how I ate them.

 

We have roasted Brussels sprouts, leftover pizza and a surprise.

 

 

That looks like a big pile of mashed potatoes, right? Wrong! It's actually cauliflower puree. I just steam the cauliflower until it's a little overcooked, then pulverize in my mini food processor with  chicken stock to thin it, a little butter and S&P. It's really good and if you close your eyes, you almost think it's mashed potatoes. 

 

The pizza was from a local place called Tutti Gusti, and it was broccoli, ricotta and tomato pizza. SO GOOD! As is requisite with leftover pizza, it was eaten cold. 

The Brussels sprouts I roasted in a hot oven (about 450) with a little olive oil, S&P until they were nice and caramelized and some of the outer leaves had turned crunchy.

After the photos, I added a dollop of cilantro jalapeno hummus and a few cracker pieces. 

Tasty lunch!

Pear and Gorgonzola Mini Pizzas

This is just about the simplest thing to make ever. I had mini whole wheat pitas from Trader Joe's, and all I did was first brush with a thin layer of olive oil. Then I thinly sliced a very ripe pear and added some crumbled gorgonzola cheese on top. I was already using the oven to cook up a butternut squash and some roasted broccoli, so when they were almost done, I added the pizzas. They took about 10 minutes in the oven, and the cheese got all melty and oozy, and the pears softened and sweetened. With a quick grind of pepper, they were ready to nom. Awesome! This would be easy on a regular pizza crust, too, and additional toppings like honey, sliced pecans or caramelized onions would make it aweseomer.*

Bon appetit!

*No, that is not a word. But I just used it anyway.

ChezVCK Solo Dinner

Cookie Monster plays softball one night each week, and while I am a pretty loyal cheerleader, I draw the line at shaking my pom poms at games that begin at 9:45 p.m. So sometimes I dine alone. Here is a dinner I made during one such evening. It's the ChezVCK healthified version of pizza.

Here we have a whole-wheat pita. It's a whole one (not separated into halves/pockets) and fairly thin, so if you wanted to open it up and stuff it, it would be very messy. But it makes a good vehicle for pizza toppings. On this pizza I put a little marinara sauce, slices of turkey pepperoni (pretty much tastes exactly the same as regular, but 17 slices--a serving--is 80 calories, as opposed to eleventy billion like in regular pepperoni) and some chopped green bell pepper. I topped the pizza with cheddar and white cheese (I can't remember what kind exactly, but it was probably provolone) and stuck in under the broiler in our toaster oven. This gets the cheese nice n' bubbly.

I always have vegetables with dinner, so here's my vegetable portion: a large salad with the following:

*romaine lettuce

*cucumbers

*zucchini

*carrots

*pepperoncini

*a few green olives

*hot pickled peppers

and topped with Trader Joe's lowfat parmesan ranch

All together:

Pizza this way is quick, easy, healthy and, best of all, frickin' awesome!

Barbeque Chicken Pizza

Cookie Monster and I like to make homemade pizza every now and again. Here is one we sometimes like to make. This one is totally different, and it's the first time we've had this variety of pizza at home. Using the barbeque sauce I made from scratch, along with the chicken I roasted at home, this made an awesome pizza. CPK, you got nothin' on me!


I wanted to make homemade pizza dough, but I didn't have time this day. So I went with our ol' standby for pizza dough: whole wheat baking mix. I just mix it with water 'til it's the right consistency, then stretch it out onto a pizza stone drizzled with EVOO so it won't stick. Then I added the awesome pizza ingredients. I started with a layer of bbq sauce, then spread out the chicken. Then I added mushrooms and olives, and grated a layer of white cheddar over everything. Then I cut up a slice of proscuitto and put the pieces all over the top so they would get crispy.

I baked it 'til it looked like this:

And it was incredible. If I do say so myself. Which I do.

Pesto Pizza

Cookie Monster and I like to make homemade pizza from time to time. It's easy, uses up a lot of ingredients and is a lot healthier than takeout. Since I have the patience of a gnat, we make our crust out of whole-wheat baking mix. Your standard Bisquick-type baking mix, only made out of whole wheat flour. Usually Cookie Monster is in charge of this while I busy myself with chopping and prep. He just adds water 'til it's the right consistency; sometimes he gets really wild and throws in dried oregano and basil. But only if he's really livin' on the edge. He also puts a layer of cornmeal on the pizza stone to prevent sticking.

This pizza has a layer of pesto on the bottom in place of red sauce, turkey pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, parmesan cheese and goat cheese. Now tell me where one can buy a pizza with all those toppings. Where?!? At Chez VCK and nowhere else? Ha! That's what I thought.


The pizza turned out really yummy. It got a little crispy and the goat cheese browned nicely. Good job, us!


VCK Pesto Pizza

Whole wheat baking mix
Water
Cornmeal
Pesto
Turkey pepperoni
Sun-dried tomatoes, either packed in oil or water (doesn't matter)
Roasted red peppers
Parmesan cheese
Goat cheese

Combine baking mix and water 'til desired consistency is obtained. Throw in some dried Italian herbs if you're feeling especially adventurous. Dust some cornmeal on your pizza stone so your dough doesn't stick.
Spread a thin layer of pesto on the dough, then add the rest of the toppings. Bake at 400 'til cheese browns, about 15-20 minutes. Savor your handywork, then call your nearest pizzeria and brag about your homemade pizza skills.