Thinking Outside the Pizza Box

Tonight we we went outside the proverbial pizza box to create a one-of-a-kind pie.

Apple + Blue Cheese + Caramelized Onions + Apple Cider Vinaigrette + Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

I'd been craving a pizza of this sort for about a month. I loved Ina's Roasted Pears so much, and I'm a huge fan of Apple Quesadillas, so a pizza variation on these meals seemed like the next logical step.

This pizza exceeded my expectations, friends. Blue cheese and apples were clearly cousins in another life, and caramelized onions make everything better, right? Not only did this dinner wake up my taste buds and put a smile on my face, but it definitely has a "sophisticated" feel to it. I'm already dreaming up ways it could be converted into a smaller, bite-sized appetizer or finger food at a party.

We served our pizza with spinach salad on the side. And possibly a chocolate muffin for dessert (Just because I don't eat them for breakfast doesn't mean I won't indulge later in the day. Nothing is off-limits after 5pm, friends. And yes, I know that defies everything Dr. Oz ever taught us.).

What's your most creative pizza creation?

Whole Wheat Pizza with Apples, Blue Cheese, and Caramelized Onions

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

(dough recipe from my trusty ol' Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

• 1 - 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 - 1/4 to 1 - 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 - 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 TBSP olive oil

Pizza Topping Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large apple, sliced
• Blue cheese to taste
• 1 recipe of Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Directions to Prepare the Pizza Dough:

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, yeast, and salt. Add warm water and oil and beat with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the whole wheat flour as you can.

2) Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead in as much of remaining flour as is needed to make a moderately stiff dough that's smooth and elastic (knead for about 6 - 8 minutes). Divide dough in half and place one half in the freezer for later. Place the other half in a bowl, cover, and allow it to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

3) Preheat oven to 425 degrees and coat a pizza pan with cooking spray. Roll out pizza dough onto a floured surface. Place on pizza pan and prick with a fork several times. Bake for 8 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, heat a dash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until nicely browned (about 8 - 10 minutes). Also, prepare the cider vinaigrette.

5) After the crust has baked, remove from the oven and top with onion, sliced apples, and blue cheese. Drizzle vinaigrette over the top. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 8 - 10 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned.

Pizza Night Made Easy

We all love homemade pizza, right?

A crust made with only a handful of ingredients (literally--there are a mere 5 ingredients in tonight's recipe), just the right amount of sauce, and loaded (I'm talking loaded) with your favorite toppings.

The only downside to homemade pizza can be the time factor. Making anything with yeast can certainly throw a wrench in the plans of a busy cook. If you start homemade dough when you get home from work, you'll be lucky to have dinner on the table before the "The Office" starts at 9:00pm.

But alas! A solution for the busy cook: Make your dough when you have time on the weekend. Freeze it. On your Pizza-for-Dinner-Day, put the dough in the fridge before you leave for work. Arrive home, turn on the oven, prep you pie, and you've got dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

That's how Pizza Night works at our house :)

I use a basic whole wheat pizza crust recipe from the classic Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. It's quite simple and it produces a thin, crispy, healthy crust. If you're looking for a thicker crust, just use the entire recipe for your pizza, as opposed to dividing it in half. And, if you're looking for a way to further simplify your prep-work, there's no shame in letting your Kitchen Aid dough hook do all the kneading for you.

So, this weekend when you hit up the grocery store, be sure to pick up all those strange pizza toppings you fantasize about (roasted corn and blue cheese anyone?), and plan your Pizza Night for next week.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

(recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

My favorite part of homemade pizza is doing pizza MY way. Some of my favorite toppings include homemade pesto, fresh mozzarella, green peppers, onions, broccoli, tomato slices, spinach, fresh garlic, and a sprinkling of Italian seasoning.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 to 1 - 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I usually end up using the full 1 - 1/2 cups)
• 2 - 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• Pizza toppings: marinara sauce or pesto, mozzarella cheese, and tons of veggies

Directions:

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm water and oil, and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds. Then, beat the dough for about 3 minutes on high speed.

2) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in as much of the whole wheat flour as needed to make a moderately stiff dough that's smooth and elastic. Knead for about 6 - 8 minutes.

3) Divide dough in half. (At this point, wrap up one half of the dough and put it in the freezer). Place each dough half in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 - 60 minutes.

4) To make a thin crust pizza, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 12 inch pizza pan. Roll dough out into a 12 - 13 inch circle and place on prepared pan. Prick with a fork and bake for about 9 - 10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and load it up with your toppings! Return to the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until it's bubbly.

Speedy Supper

What do you whip up for dinner when you're short on time and have a mile-long to-do list?

Flatbread pizzas!

Typically, I make homemade pizza at the speed of most things I create in the kitchen: slow as a turtle. I make speedy cooks cringe. I adore the dough-making process, I love mounding every veggie in the fridge on top, and I crave whatever random combination of cheeses cover the top (Gorgonzola anyone?).

But today, it just wasn't happening. With a major event at my work this weekend (we're hosting a former "Biggest Loser" contestant!), and company arriving tomorrow (Adam's parents are visiting for the weekend), I knew a night of warp-speed cleaning and baking was in store.

The quick fix? Whole wheat flatbreads topped with chunky marinara sauce, mozzarella, Gorgonzola, veggies, garlic, and a sprinkling of seasoning.

Tonight's repast may not be a culinary masterpiece, but it sure did hit the spot. And left me plenty of time scrub the baseboards and bake some muffins :)

What's your favorite meal to make when you're short on time?

Flatbread Pizzas

(A Hungry Spoon recipe)

This recipe speaks for itself--you're on easy street with quick n' simple preparation. The longest part of the process? Heating up the oven :)

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flat breads
• Marinara sauce (or pesto)
• Veggies of your choice, chopped (we used green bell pepper, onion, tomato, and spinach)
• Cheese of your choice (we used Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan)
• A few cloves of garlic, minced (if you're really time-crunched, just sprinkle some garlic powder on top!)
• Italian seasoning

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Spoon marinara over each flatbread. Sprinkle cheese on top. Top with a big ol' mound of your chopped veggies. Sprinkle with garlic and Italian seasoning.

3) Place flatbreads on a greased cookie sheet and bake for minutes, or until heated through and cheese has melted. Serve with extra marinara for dipping.

4) Eat. Enjoy. Now move on to the next item on your to-do list!