Grilled Pizza

*New change: I made this tonight and used Naan Bread instead of making dough and skip the step of grilling dough for 1 minute before placing toppings.  The Naan Bread was really good...we just started adding the toppings right from the package and place straight on the grill.  You could also try the Boboli pizza crusts but I have not tried it so I couldn't say how it would taste. Naan Bread can be found at Walmart and most grocery stores in the bakery department.

I saw this one on The Sisters' Cafe and have been wanting to try it. It has been so warm and humid the last few weeks we (meaning me) have not been wanting to cook...so we've been using the grill any chance we can. Today we tried this pizza and it was really good!

I used this bread dough recipe: (This recipe will make 4 pizzas. I doubled this to make 8 individual sized pizzas)

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. yeast
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Activate yeast in water and sugar, then add salt and flour, knead well and let rise once. Divide into 4 balls and roll flat to about 1/4 inch. I think mine were about 8 inches in diameter.

I brushed the dough with melted garlic butter to avoid sticking to the grill. Place on clean, heated grill for about 1 minute and then flip over using tongs. Cook for an additional 30 seconds. Watch carefully...I burned my first couple! Remove from grill and spread pizza sauce and then choice of toppings. Replace in grill for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. I rotated them around from the top shelf in the grill to the bottom to avoid burning. Serve with side salad and enjoy!

Sauce: You can use canned pizza or jar spaghetti sauce, it's easy. I used a can of tomato sauce with some garlic salt, dried onion, oregano, basil , pepper and parsley. I didn't measure anything...I think it was pretty much 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. of it all. Sorry....

Suggested toppings: sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, diced ham, black/green olives, onion, green pepper, mushroom, pineapple, tomato slices. Sprinkle with parmesan. For Margarita Pizza use marinara, fresh basil, fresh tomatoes and mozzerella! YUM

Fruit Pizza

Our family is really wanting Spring to come...but since Nova Scotia isn't warming up any time soon we decided to make something "Springy or Summery" to help it along. There are so many different ways to make Fruit Pizza but this is how we did it today!

The crust was made with my favorite sugar cookie mix, (Betty Crocker in a pouch, add 1 stick melted butter and one egg) spread onto a greased pizza pan and baked at 375F for about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

The filling was just a fruit dip, this time made with Peach flavored cream cheese. You can also make your pizza with cream cheese frosting or even just whipped topping.

1 8-oz tub cream cheese, softened, any flavor
1 jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Soften cream cheese, add to marshmallow cream in bowl and mix with hand mixer until smooth. Add vanilla and mix well.

Spread fruit dip, whipped topping or cream cheese frosting on top of cooled cookie crust. Arrange cut up fruit of choice and enjoy!

Vegetable Pizza

This is the BEST summer meal! It is really refreshing and fairly easy to make; it's kind of like a salad on a crust. I usually add broccoli to add some green but I didn't have any at the time.

2 pkg. Jiffy pizza crust mix (I can't find this in Canada so you can also just use a pre-made pizza crust or make a pizza dough)

Mix up pizza dough and spread on pizza pan fairly thin. Bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes or until crust is light brown. Let crust cool.

This sauce makes enough for 2 pizzas:

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (I always use the "light")
1/2 c. light mayonnaise
1/2 pkg. powdered ranch mix
3 green onions, chopped

Mix all ingredients together, spread on cooled pizza crusts and add toppings you like.

Suggested toppings: grated cheddar cheese, shredded carrots, black olives, green peas, diced tomatoes, chopped broccoli, diced ham (I add this to get some protein in the meal) sunflower seeds, fresh mushrooms or anything else you would put in a salad. Refrigerate for about an hour to chill and enjoy!

Calzones

I got this idea from KW, she brought these to me when HB was born for supper one night. It's a great meal because the kids can make their own using the toppings that they want so everybody gets their own way. And, they are so yummy! Bonus!

Make breadstick recipe first and let raise once. (I double the recipe to make 7-8 calzones.)

Suggested toppings:
1 jar spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce without beef
shredded mozzerella cheese
sliced pepperoni
diced ham
sliced black and/or green olives
onion, chopped fine
green pepper, chopped
pineapple tidbits, drained
mushrooms, sliced

Roll out small chunk of dough (about the size of a small apple) on a floured surface with rolling pin somewhat thin, try to make it about 8-10 inches in diameter. Start with sauce, then add toppings of choice and top with cheese. I've found if you put the cheese on top of the toppings, it melt better inside the calzone and kind of binds the toppings together. Fold top over and pinch edges together to make a half moon shade. Poke a couple of holes in the top (my kids poke their first initial to mark theirs.) Place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Bake at 400F for about 15 minutes or until top is golden brown. Immediately after taking out of the oven, brush top with garlic butter. Enjoy!

Alfredo Chicken Pizza/BBQ Chicken Pizza

From the kitchen of AR and BR

2 chicken breast, cut into small pieces and browned
½ - ¾ c. BBQ sauce or Alfredo sauce
3 green onions, diced
mushrooms, sliced
Mozzerella cheese
1 diced tomato
¼ cup fresh cilantro

Follow bread stick recipe and roll out to however thick or thin you like. Brush edges of dough with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt, basil, and Parmesan cheese. Spread bbq sauce/alfredo sauce, chicken, green onions, mushrooms and cheese. Bake @ 350-375 for about 25 min. Then top with fresh tomatoes and cilantro.

*I bake the crust alone for about 10 minutes, then added the sauce and toppings and bake for another 15-20 minutes and it made the crust a little crunchier.