Arugula Pizza with Balsamic Glaze

 Now that the weather is a little cooler it's time to turn on the oven for some homemade pizza. This Arugula Pizza with Balsamic Glaze was the highlight of the day.

Pizza is just so versatile, you can top it with whatever you like. I started the morning by making two batches of pizza dough. I used Fleischmann's RapidRise Instant Yeast, with the rapid rise yeast your dough will be ready in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients for the Pizza Dough:

2 packages of RapidRise Yeast

6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups lukewarm water

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons of light olive oil

To mix the dough I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer with the dough hook. Add the water, yeast, salt, and oil into the mixing bowl. Begin adding the flour one cup at a time. Continue mixing until the dough forms. Then, Roll out on a floured surface, cover with a kitchen towel for about 30 minutes. This recipe will easily make three pizzas.

Lightly grease the pizza pan and roll out the dough. I made several tomato pizzas and Jamie made this Arugula Pizza with fresh tomatoes and balsamic glaze.

Start with spreading olive oil over the top of the rolled out dough. Add fresh oregano leaves, Italian seasoning, one clove of minced garlic, and some shredded mozzarella cheese. The fresh oregano is from Jamie's herb garden.

Now, add fresh sliced tomatoes and fresh arugula. You can slice the tomatoes to your liking thick or thin. Add some more shredded mozzarella cheese over top and bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Remove the pizza from the oven and drizzle the top with Cento Italian Glaze. This is a sweet and tart glaze made from balsamic vinegar and works well with meat, roasted vegetables, cheese plates, and fruits. Now, it's time to slice and enjoy your pizza.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it!

Norpro Wood Pastry/Pizza RollerKitchenAid Gourmet Pizza Wheel, One Size, Matte Red

 

Syrian Bread

This bread is a great flatbread to serve with lunch or dinner. We serve this bread with a wonderful dish called Lamb on the Rod. 

Grilled Lamb served with Syrian Bread

 Where I grew up you can buy this bread in any grocery store, but not here in Western New York. Since we were having lamb on the rod I decided to make my own fresh.

So I did what anybody would do, I searched the internet, and found this recipe:

 allrecipes.com by: Sue Litster.

I modified it just a bit by using less yeast, I also doubled the recipe, which would have called for 3 teaspoons of yeast I used one package of dry yeast or 2-1/4 teaspoons. Sue’s recipe mixes the dough in a bread machine, but I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.

By doubling the recipe, I yielded one nice 12-inch flatbread and four small about 8 inches round flatbreads.

It came out perfect and was a delightful addition to our grilled lamb on the rod, so thank you. Sue Litster.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

How to make Homemade Pizza

This mouth-watering homemade pizza recipe is handed down from my grandmother. My grandma Liz made the best pizza in the world. Whose grandmother didn't?

When I was a kid and knew she was making pizza I would make a dash for her house, which was easy because she only lived two blocks away.

Oh, the wonderful smell and the anticipation of waiting for it to come out of the oven. This is my recipe for homemade pizza; it's probably not as good as my grandmother's but close and besides it's homemade what more could you ask for?

Here is what you need to make the dough:

· 2 pkg. active dry yeast

· 2-1/4 cups of warm water, not too hot

· 1 tsp salt

· 3 tbsp of Crisco or oil

· 5 to 6 cups of all-purpose flour

This is how you make the dough:

1. In a measuring cup, add the yeast to the warm water and let it stand.
2. In a large bowl or your KitchenAid mixing bowl, add the flour, Crisco or oil, salt.
3. By now the yeast should have mostly dissolved in the water. So pour it into the bowl with the flour.
4. Mix by hand, or set your KitchenAid mixer on the low setting using the dough hook
5. Mix until the dough is smooth, and let the dough rise for one hour

This will yield about 3 pizzas 12” to 14” depending if you like thick crust or thin. I like thin crust.

Mixing the dough in my KitchenAid

Now we can make the sauce:

· 2 Can (28Oz.) of crushed tomatoes

· 2 or 3 tbsp of light olive oil or vegetable oil

· 1 glove of garlic Finley chopped (you can also add garlic powder)

· 1 Tsp. of oregano or Italian Seasoning

· 1 Tsp. salt - a little pepper

I like to cook my sauce first. Pour the tomatoes into a 1-quart pot, add all of the ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil, not a roaring boil, as soon as you see it start to bubble turn off the burner.

My pizza sauce on the stove

Preheat your oven the 450 degrees, spread the dough in your pizza pan, add your sauce, and sprinkle some Italian seasoning and Romano cheese. I bake two pizzas at a time for about 20 minutes, one pizza on the middle rack and one on top. After 9 or 10 minutes switch the racks.

Now you'll notice that I don't have any other topping on my pizza because this is the way my grandmother made it and I like it this way. 

The greatest thing about pizza is that there are so many toppings. Here are some that I do like to add sometimes:

Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Italian Pork Sausage, Anchovies (not my favorite), Green Peppers, Hot Peppers, Mozzarella Cheese. To add your toppings shorten your bake time by about 2 minutes, take them out and add your favorite topping, and put them back in the oven for 2 minutes.

As always Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed my recipe.

KitchenAid KSM3311XAQ Artisan Mini Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, 3.5 quart, Aqua Sky BlueBaking Sheet Set, 3-Piece Cookie Sheet Set with Silicone Handles, Steel Baking Pans Set, Durable Baking Sheets for Oven, BPA Free Cookie Sheets for Baking Nonstick Set, Sheet Pan - Black Baking Pan

 

Pepperoni Bread a Family Favorite

I enjoy family recipes passed down from generation to generation. Pepperoni Bread is another family recipe from my grandmother’s kitchen that we all loved when we were kids.

 She always used sliced pimento cheese to make this, but today I have a hard time finding pimento cheese, so you can really use any cheese that you like (slices or shredded).

This bread is really easy to make and makes a great snack or serve it with a nice salad before your main dish.

Okay let’s make some dough first; here is how you do it.

Ingredients:

·         5 to 6 cups of all-purpose flour

·         3 tbs. of Crisco or light olive oil

·         2 packages of dry yeast

·         2 ¼ cups of warm water (Not too Hot)

·         1 tsp. of salt

·         1 tsp of sugar (optional)

Instructions:  
 

1.      Dissolve the yeast in the warm water

2.      While you’re waiting add the flour, oil, salt, and sugar to a large bowl

3.      Add the water and yeast to the bowl and begin to mix. (I hope you washed your hand first)

4.      Knead until the dough is smooth and forms a ball, cover the bowl with a cloth, and let this rise for about one hour.

This dough recipe will make at least 3 Pepperoni Breads.

I use my Kitchen-Aid Stand mixer it makes the job really easy. Just add everything and attach the dough hook, and mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball.

Now get the ingredients ready to make that pepperoni bread. Here is what you need.

Ingredients:

· 1 or 2 eggs

· 1 package of sliced pepperoni (7oz. will make more than one)

· A package of sliced pimento cheese cut into 1/2-inch stripes

· A Sprinkle of paprika.

Instructions:  

1. Crack the egg in a bowl, and beat the egg until mixed. Set this aside for later
2. Spread the dough in a pizza pan (you don't have to go all the way to the edges)
3. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg
4. On of the dough place your slices of pepperoni, and cheese (not too much, just enough to cover)
5. Fold the dough over 3 or 4 times, until you have a loaf.
6. Be sure to pinch the ends of the loaf and the seam to minimize the ingredients from running out.
7. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg
8. Sprinkle some paprika on the top of the loaf.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes (until golden brown)

I hope you enjoyed another family recipe, and give it a try. As always Thanks for stopping by.

KitchenAid 5-Qt. Tilt-Head Stand Mixer KSM150PSBM Artisan Series, 5 Quart, Black MatteBaking Sheet Set, 2-Piece Cookie Sheet Set with Silicone Handles, Steel Baking Pans Set, Durable Baking Sheets for Oven, BPA Free Cookie Sheets for Baking Nonstick Set, Sheet Pan - Black Baking Tray

 

Poor Man's Pizza My Grandmother's Recipe

Poor Man’s Pizza, another recipe passed down from my grandmother. I really don’t know why my grandmother called this poor man’s pizza, I never asked. I learned how to make this by watching her. Although my grandmother made it best, isn't that always the case?

This is a great snack, or you can serve it with dinner because it's like garlic bread only in pizza form. This is very simple to make and if you don't want to take the time to make the dough. Just pick up a pre-made pizza shell or most stores will have dough already to use. Then it becomes very quick and easy.

So if you happen to like garlic, give this one a try. Poor Man's Pizza is great served with a nice salad and your favorite pasta dish and of course a glass of wine.

Ingredients for the Dough:

• 5 to 6 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups of Luke warm water
• 2 packages of dry yeast
• 3 tbs. of oil or Crisco
• 1 tsp. salt 

Ingredients for the Topping:

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbs. of light olive oil (or more if needed)
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• Italian seasoning to taste
• Grated Romano cheese to taste 

Instructions: 

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water, add oil and salt, and pour into a large mixing bowl
2. Add flour one or two cups at a time, and mix until the dough is smooth
3. Set the dough aside to rise for about 1 hour
4. Grease your pizza pan with Crisco. Spread your dough in a pizza pan (you can make it thin or thick however you like it)
5. Pour the olive oil into the middle and spread over the entire pizza with your fingers (Wash your Hands First)
6. Spread the finely chopped garlic over the pizza
7. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and grated Romano cheese to your taste
8. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees, Bake for about 10 minutes on the middle rack or until the crust is golden brown

I like using my KitchenAid Stand Mixer for making the dough.

Spread the dough in the pizza pan, you can make it thick or thin, I really like mine thin and crispy. I use my handy Norpro pizza dough and pastry roller, it's really a big help.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

KitchenAid 5-Qt. Tilt-Head Stand Mixer KSM150PSBM Artisan Series, 5 Quart, Black MatteBaking Sheet Set, 2-Piece Cookie Sheet Set with Silicone Handles, Steel Baking Pans Set, Durable Baking Sheets for Oven, BPA Free Cookie Sheets for Baking Nonstick Set, Sheet Pan - Black Baking Tray