Spud-o-licious Pizza

A savory pizza with cheddar and mozzarella, bacon, parmesan cheese, and sliced potatoes. It's like potatoes au gratin in pizza form. The sprinkle of fresh rosemary and chives or (green onions) is the perfect finishing touch for this delectable pizza!

Spinach Artichoke Dip and Whole Wheat Flatbread, Two Ways

Spring cleaning= NOT DONE. But the good news is I found two more pennies. I should be done by the end of the week which means I will be able to focus a little more time on this blog and a little less time on my cute little home.

So while I keep scrubbing and organizing I thought I'd bring not one but three delicious recipes to the table today. You are welcome (and yes, I'm sure you'll be thanking me--- they are that delish).

First off, I love Stacy's Pita Chips. I mean I really love them. But at the grocery store here they cost an arm and a leg ($5 for a small-ish size bag), and if you are acquainted with chip bags then you know they are at least half filled with air. That's why I developed this recipe; I can enjoy the pita chip taste for a much smaller price.

Flatbread "Pita"Chips

Recipe Source: © The Taste Tester

3 whole-wheat flatbreads*

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Brush a baking sheet with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil (it should be a very very thin layer of oil). Brush one side of each flatbread with 1/2 a teaspoon of remaining oil. Using a pizza cutter, cut each flatbread into small squares. Place flatbread pieces olive oil side up on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with desired amount of sea salt. Bake for four minutes and then flip over. Bake for an additional 3-6 minutes watching them very closely so that the chips do not burn!

*I use three flatbreads for this recipe because it is what I find fits best on a standard size baking sheet.

Now, I'm not going to flash a "pita" chip recipe in your face without giving you something incredible to dip them in!

Hot Spinach, Artichoke & Sun-dried Tomato Dip

Recipe Source: © The Taste Tester

1 (5-6 ounce) container plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup mayonnaise

4 ounces cream cheese

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup diced onion

1 (7 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained *You can also use a drained 14 ounce can of artichoke hearts. I like the marinated ones better but either will work.

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese *I recommend whole milk mozzarella if you can find it. I buy mine at Wal-Mart.

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, finely diced

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease an 8x8" or 9x9" baking dish. Whirl the first nine ingredients together in a food processor until smooth (you can also mix them together using a hand mixer if you do not have a food processor). Fold in 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and sun dried tomatoes. Spread dip evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. I like to turn the oven temp up to 375˚F for the last 5 minutes to get the edges a little crispy. Serve warm with flatbread "pita" chips, tortilla chips, sliced baguette, or fresh raw veggies like sliced sweet peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.

Since there are only three of us here at the Jenks home, we often have to get creative with how we eat our leftovers. So here's the third recipe for today! It uses leftover spinach artichoke dip and leftover flatbreads (we just pull our flatbreads out of the freezer for this one). The recipe is written per one flatbread pizza.

Spinach Artichoke Flatbread Pizza

Recipe Source: © The Taste Tester

1 whole wheat flatbread

1/3 cup leftover spinach artichoke dip

1/4 cup cooked sliced chicken (opt.)

3 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Spread dip on one side of flatbread. Layer chicken on top of dip and sprinkle with both cheeses. Bake directly on oven rack for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melty and bubbly and flatbread is crispy.

P.S. Another great way to enjoy leftover spinach artichoke dip is by stirring it into a bowl of whole wheat pasta!

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Pass the Cook Book Club: Guy Fieri's Cherry Cobbler Pizza

Even though I totally procrastinated this month, I am really loving this cook booking club. Next month's recipes are from The Picky Palate Cookbook and they all look incredible so stay tuned.

Because I waited so long to get this post done I chose the easiest recipe on this month's list, and the one that I had the most things on hand for. I should have made the quinoa which had rave reviews on our cook book club facebook page, but I didn't (I am going to very soon though).

To be totally honest, this wasn't my favorite dessert ever. For starters I don't like cherries (but that doesn't stop me from tasting them all the time, to see if my taste buds have changed). I didn't love how loose and crumbly the crisp topping was either. I felt it needed a little more brown sugar and a little more melted butter to give it some substance. I wanted so badly for it to be like the crisp topping on my favorite apple crisp.

However, my husband loved this. Dessert pizza is always a win in his book. Next time I make it (because there will be a next time), I am thinking it will be with homemade peach pie filling and an adapted crisp topping that is more to my liking.

Cherry Cobbler Dessert Pizza

Recipe Source: Guy Fieri Food: Cookin' It, Livin' It, Lovin' It (He tops his with mascarpone cheese instead of icing. The crust recipe is adapted ever so slightly from Lauren's Latest)

Wheat Pizza Dough:

1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour *plus or minus a quarter of a cup depending on humidity

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, stir the yeast and sugar (or honey) into the warm water. Let that sit for five minutes--- it should expand a little and look bubbly. Turn the mixer on low and add the oil, salt, and bread flour. Remove the whisk attachment and secure the bread hook. Add in the whole wheat flour. You might need a little more or a little less than a cup. When you are done adding flour you want the dough to be soft and look sticky but not actually stick to your hands when you touch it.

Turn the mixer on high and let it knead for 6 minutes. Form dough into a ball and return it to the mixing bowl. Cover and let rise for two hours (or until double in size).

Pizza Toppings:

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds

To prepare crisp topping, mix the oats, brown sugar, butter, salt and cinnamon together until crumbly. Stir in almonds. Set aside.

Preheat oven with a pizza stone in it to 425 degrees. Just for the record, an upside down cookie sheet works perfectly as a makeshift pizza stone. Roll prepared pizza dough into a large rectangle on parchment paper (about 8 by 12 inches and a quarter of an inch thick). Spread cherry pie filling over crust. Sprinkle oatmeal crisp topping over cherries.

Carefully slide pizza onto pizza stone in oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden and cherries are bubbly. Prepare icing while pizza is in the oven. Drizzle with icing while pizza is still hot and serve immediately.

Cream Cheese Icing: 

2 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 teaspoons milk

Cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whip until smooth and fluffy. If needed, add more milk until icing reaches desired consistency.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on these links and purchase the product, it will not cost more for you but I will earn a tiny percentage of commission which helps me keep this blog up and running. Thank you!

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

I was going to have an actual pie recipe for you today, but I've been trying to eat dessert only once per week. So, as it turns out I am actually going to share a pizza recipe with you. Pizza Pie. That's a thing, right?

I happen to be in love with this pizza. David and I have been searching for a tasty BBQ chicken pizza for a long time. We really like this one mainly because the sauce is tomato based, not BBQ sauce based. It sounds a little backwards for a BBQ pizza, I know. But we noticed that pizzas with just BBQ sauce as the base taste a little too vinegar-y (which we weren't too fond of). 

This particular recipe also adds pineapple as a topping, which we were skeptical of at first but it definitely paired well with the chicken and the sauce.

So far it's the best BBQ chicken pizza I've ever eaten. I think some crumbled bacon and sliced red onion would be perfect toppings for this pizza as well (in addition to the other toppings).

BBQ Chicken Pizza

enough pizza dough for 3 (12") pizzas

Sauce:

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 large tomato, finely chopped

4 teaspoons italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

Pizza Toppings:
2 chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled with BBQ sauce (then let cool and slice)
1 small can pineapple tidbits
3 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
fresh cilantro, chopped

Prepare pizza dough and roll into 3 (12") rounds.

To make the sauce, briefly saute the garlic in olive oil. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomato, and italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 20 minutes (this is a great time to grill that chicken if you have not already done so). Once sauce is finished simmering, remove it from the heat and stir in the BBQ sauce.

Spread one cup or so of sauce over each pizza dough round. Sprinkle each pizza with 2 cups of cheese (1 cup of mozzarella, 1 cup of cheddar). Then top with chicken, pineapple, and cilantro. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes .

Recipe Yield: 3- 12" pizzas
Recipe Source: adapted ever so slightly from Favorite Family Recipes