Portobello Mushroom Pizza Cups

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
4 large portobello mushrooms (3 inches)
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
12 slices pepperoni, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Directions:
Remove and discard stems and gills from mushrooms; brush caps with oil. Place rounded sides down on an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pizza sauce, pepperoni, green pepper and 1-1/4 teaspoons Italian seasoning; spoon onto mushrooms. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining Italian seasoning. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and cheese is bubbly.

Comments:
I left out the pepperoni and green peppers so it probably deserved the "this is boring" verdict given by Adam. I'm not a mushroom fan, but I've decided I should try and branch out a little. (But I do draw the line with fish. I just can't do salmon. Sorry.) These were ok - got really liquidy when they cooled a little. Good concept, I think the problem was with the execution.

Crescent Pizza Pockets

From Pillsbury



Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/4 cup pizza sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni (24 slices)
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough on cookie sheet and separate into 4 rectangles; press each into 6x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.

Spread 1 tablespoon pizza sauce on half of each rectangle to within 1 inch of edge. Sprinkle each with 3 tablespoons cheese; top with 6 slices pepperoni. Fold dough diagonally over filling; firmly press edges with fork to seal. Sprinkle each triangle with 1/4 teaspoon grated cheese. With fork, prick top of each to allow steam to escape.

Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve warm.

Comments:
I had some... trouble... with the assembly on these ones. I think it's because I had the cheap store-brand, low-fat crescents. They just refused to stay together, tearing at the seams and everywhere else. I also swapped out some sausage for the pepperoni, but that shouldn't have made a big difference. They tasted great, they just kind of fell apart in the oven. Mental note: don't buy store-brand crescents and try to make something else out of them!

Grilled Pepper, Onion, and Sausage Calzones

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 portion Homemade Pizza Dough
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 14 ounces)
1 red bell pepper, quartered
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
Cooking spray
1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage links
1 3/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons New York-Style Pizza Sauce, divided
1 1/3 cup (about 5 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Remove Homemade Pizza Dough from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

3. Coat onion slices and bell pepper pieces with cooking spray. Place vegetables and sausages on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill vegetables 4 minutes on each side or until browned; grill sausages 8 minutes or until done, turning occasionally to brown on all sides. Remove vegetables and sausages from grill; cool slightly. Cut onion slices in half; cut bell pepper pieces into 1/2-inch strips. Cut sausages diagonally into thin slices.

4. Preheat oven to 500°

5. Place dough on a lightly floured surface; divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 9 x 5-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup New York-Style Pizza Sauce evenly over each rectangle, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Arrange sausage evenly over half of each rectangle; top evenly with onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle each calzone with 1/3 cup cheese. Fold other half of dough over filling; press edges together with a fork to seal.

6. Place calzones on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat calzones with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut each calzone in half; serve with remaining New York-Style Pizza Sauce.

Comments:
Major alterations on this one: Didn't grill anything. Used bread dough. But they turned out great. And huge.

Inside-Out Pizza Roll

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing
2 cups Meat Sauce
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
1. Using a standing mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the lukewarm water and yeast; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and wraps around the hook, about 5 minutes. Grease a large bowl with olive oil, transfer the dough to the bowl and let rise, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium skillet, cook the meat sauce over medium heat, stirring, until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes; let cool.

3. Punch down the risen dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Scatter the cheese on top, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Spoon the meat sauce over the cheese. Brush the border with some of the beaten egg and roll the dough up loosely, beginning at the short end. Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, brush with more egg and cut 3 vents on top. Bake until golden-brown, about 40 minutes.

Comments:
I opted to use bread dough rather than pizza dough for this since pizza dough always seems to be dryer than I like. Plus it saved a lot of time. It worked out pretty well. But I obviously didn't seal that top seam well enough since it exploded open...

They want you to use their meat sauce, but I just made my favorite dependable stand-by slow cooker pasta sauce instead. I made it the night before, letting it bubble away all night. This also saved time since I didn't re-heat it before assembling the roll.

Overall, this is very good. Even though I let it hang out for ten minutes after taking it out of the oven, it was still a mess to cut and serve:



I also think I may have overfilled it since it blew out both ends (and the top.) I might try this one again, perhaps getting some dough from the grocery store or trying something like that.

Greek Pizza

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
2 tsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 pound pizza dough at room temperature

Directions:
1. Arrange one rack on the bottom rung of the oven. Preheat oven to 450.

2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 6 minutes. If the onion seems to dry, add 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until the flavors are blended, about 3 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta, feta, dill, scallions, and pepper until well blended.

3. Sprinkle a work surface lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the surface. Cut the dough into 2 pieces. Knead each piece lightly, then with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each into a 12-inch circle. Transfer one circle of dough to a nonstick pizza pan or baking sheet and gently pull the dough back to a 12-inch circle.

4. Spoon the spinach mixture on the dough, spreading the mixture to 1 inch from the edge. Brush the edge with water. Place the second circle of dough on top and crimp the edges to seal. Cut 4 slashes ontop. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven until the filling is hot and the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.

Serves 6. POINTS Value per serving: 5

Comments:
I won't be making this one again. I made a few mistakes in the execution (note to self: never, ever buy Roundy's brand pizza dough again) and it seemed to not agree with Adam's digestive system.

Pancetta, Mozzarella, and Asparagus Pizza

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 teaspoon dry yeast
6.7 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 cup very thinly vertically sliced asparagus
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:
1. Combine warm water and yeast in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 5.6 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt to yeast mixture; stir until blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining 1.1 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (the dough will feel sticky).

2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add thyme, pancetta, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until pancetta is crisp. Stir in pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 475°.

5. Place a baking sheet in oven for 15 minutes to preheat. Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Stretch dough into a 10-inch circle on a floured surface. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cornmeal on preheated baking sheet, and place dough on sheet. Spread pancetta mixture evenly over dough. Arrange thinly vertically sliced asparagus over pancetta mixture; sprinkle evenly with shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese. Bake flatbread at 475° for 10 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Cut flatbread into 8 wedges.

Comments:
So let's pretend I made my own flatbread. Right. Actually, I didn't make this at all. The night it was planned I copped out and convinced Adam to make some burgers on our new grill. He ended up making this for lunch on Thursday. He had the day off, I was having a rough day at work. It was a nice surprise to come home for lunch to something already made for me.

The asparagus on a pizza thing took a little adjusting to, but overall it was good. Cheese, salt, crust. Yum.

Red Onion, Potato, and Goat Cheese Pizza

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
7 ounces fingerling potatoes (about 5 potatoes)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until just tender; drain. Cool slightly; cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.

3. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan, and sauté 8 minutes or until tender.

4. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 14 x 10–inch rectangle. Sprinkle cornmeal over a large baking sheet; place dough on baking sheet. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over dough. Arrange potatoes and onion over mozzarella; top evenly with goat cheese and garlic. Bake in lower third of oven at 450° for 15 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with thyme; cut into 12 pieces.

Comments:
I couldn't find any fingerling potatoes so I used some small red potatoes instead. This was really good. The sweet onions and the tangy goat cheese - Yum! I think 15 minutes might have been a little long to cook it, but that could also just be my oven.

Inside-Out Pizza Rolls

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing
2 cups Meat Sauce
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
Using a standing mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the lukewarm water and yeast; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and wraps around the hook, about 5 minutes. Grease a large bowl with olive oil, transfer the dough to the bowl and let rise, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium skillet, cook the meat sauce over medium heat, stirring, until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes; let cool.

Punch down the risen dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Scatter the cheese on top, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Spoon the meat sauce over the cheese. Brush the border with some of the beaten egg and roll the dough up loosely, beginning at the short end. Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, brush with more egg and cut 3 vents on top. Bake until golden-brown, about 40 minutes.

Comments:
Oh who are we kidding. We all know I didn't make the dough myself. And we all know RR wouldn't either. So whatever. The recipe itself suggests using store-bought pizza dough. I've found it gets too dry for my liking so I went with bread dough instead. Worked great except for how my seam came apart during the baking process. And I think I should have lowered the temp back down to 350 because the bottom got a little crunchy. All in all, good stuff. I did alter it a little more by adding sausage and using store-bought sauce. Once again kind of using the recipe for inspiration and going off in my own direction.

Mini Caesar Salad Pizzas

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 canned anchovy fillet
1 pound refrigerated pizza dough
3/4 head romaine lettuce, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Using a food processor, puree the parmesan, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and anchovy.

Cut the pizza dough into 4 pieces. On a baking sheet, rub the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and press each piece into a 4-by-8-inch rectangle. Place the dough on the grill, cover and cook until browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Brush one side of each pizza with the anchovy dressing. Top with the lettuce and tomato; drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Comments:
I skipped the grill part and just baked the crust in the oven. 10 minutes and it was perfect. I also opted for anchovy paste rather than messing with a food processor and a can of fillets. Really, when am I going to use all the other ones in the can if this recipe only needs one? It worked just fine. Adam didn't seem to be bothered by it and even requested seconds. Woo! He did suggest perhaps making it a CHICKEN caesar salad pizza. Interesting thought.

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 cloves garlic, 8 smashed and peeled and 4 finely chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, trimmed
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
2 pounds shrimp—peeled, deveined and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 baguette, split lengthwise and quartered crosswise

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook the smashed garlic until golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a food processor; reserve the olive oil.

2. Add the parsley to the garlic in the food processor and pulse to finely chop; set aside 1/4 cup. Add the ricotta and parmesan to the food processor; pulse to combine.

3. Preheat the oven to 500°. In the same skillet, heat the reserved olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until opaque, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved 1/4 cup parsley-garlic mixture.

4. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut side of each piece of bread and arrange on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Spoon the shrimp mixture on top and sprinkle with more parmesan. Bake until the cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes.

Comments:
Adam had picked this recipe out and then completely forgot about it. So when I made it he was all, "What is this?" and I was all, "Shrimp pizza. You picked it. Eat it and be happy."

Anyway.

I'm guessing it was decent since he ate it all. It was pretty easy to make after I finished prepping the shrimp. That was very popular with the cats. And I took the advice of the wise comment on this post and cut off some of the bottom of the bread to prevent tippage. Worked like a charm.

Chili Cheese Dogs in Beach Blankets

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 pound ground beef or turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
14 ounces refrigerated pizza dough
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 hot dogs

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Heat the oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and the chili, onion and garlic powders and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste, then add 1/4 cup water to help loosen it up. Lower the heat and simmer until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. On a work surface, roll out the pizza dough and stretch into a big rectangle. Cut the dough lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into 4 equal pieces. In the center of each rectangle, drop some chili and sprinkle with cheese. Set a hot dog on top and wrap the dough around it, sealing in the chili and cheese. The ends of each hot dog should peek out. Bake until golden, about 18 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Comments:
These looked cute. They were pretty easy to make although I'd suggest putting the pizza dough on the baking sheet before you put the chili on it. Otherwise the hot chili makes the dough fall apart and it gets messy. I learned that one the hard way. We both liked these and would probably make them again. Maybe add some bacon. Or use a different type of dough. We'll see.

Spinach-Artichoke French Bread Pizza

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 baguette, quartered
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 pinch nutmeg
Two 10-ounce boxes frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
One 9-ounce box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet. In a medium skillet, melt the butter with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and season with the nutmeg. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

2. Pull the spinach apart, then add to the sauce. Fold in the artichokes and cook until heated through. Stir in the parmigiano-reggiano, season with salt and remove from the heat.

3. Spread the spinach and artichoke mixture on the bread and top with the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes. Top with the thyme.

Comments:
I thought this sounded like a great idea - combine spinach-artichoke dip and French bread pizza. It was easy to make, tasted alright. A little bland, so I might mess with seasonings next time. What I want to know is how everyone keeps their bread upright in the oven. I end up sticking a piece of sandwich bread on the side to keep it from tipping. There must be a better way though. Any ideas?

Pizza Pockets - A 30-Minute Meal Experiment

I don’t remember where I saw it, but there was a blog around complaining about how Rachael Ray’s “30-Minute Meals” don’t really take 30 minutes to make. Have you seen the show? How could you think the average person with the average kitchen could be so coordinated and prepared to get everything done in that time period? Anyway. Someone took it upon themselves to pick a recipe and time themselves (and document their process with photos) to see how long it really took to make a 30-minute meal. It ended up taking them something like an hour (which I think was kind of unfair since they had small children interfering, but I suppose that’s reality for some people.)

So my quest tonight was to do the same thing in my calm, child-free house (although the cats do tend to enjoy helping out.) On the menu tonight was Pizza Pockets from the March 2007 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. It told me my prep time was 15 minutes and my cook time was 15 minutes. So total, 30 minutes.

Here’s the original recipe:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cornmeal
One 13.8-ounce package refrigerated pizza dough
2 hot dogs, preferably nitrite and nitrate-free, quartered lengthwise and chopped into small cubes
1/4 cup jarred tomato or spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, preferably fresh

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Sprinkle the cornmeal on a large cutting board and roll out the pizza dough to a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Using a pizza wheel or large knife, cut into four 5-by-7- inch rectangles.

2. Working with 1 sheet at a time, place a rectangle so the long side is facing you. Spoon one quarter of the chopped hot dogs onto the center of the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border around the filling. Top the hot dogs with 1 tablespoon tomato sauce and 4 tablespoons shredded mozzarella. Moisten the edge of the dough all around and fold the rectangle in half lengthwise over the filling. Pinch the edges together to secure. Set on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough rectangles, hot dogs, sauce and cheese. Cut 2 or 3 small vents in the top of each pocket. Bake until browned and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

And here’s my take on it:
Start time:


Turned the oven on. It takes seriously 15 minutes to get to 450 so I always have to remember to start the oven heating right away.


Got out my ingredients.


I hate hot dogs. They are scary, scary food-like objects. So, yeah, didn’t use hot dogs. I had some sausage in the freezer and I decided that would be a good swap out. So I added a step here since I needed to cook the sausage before stuffing the pockets with it.



I prepped the baking sheet and rolled out the dough while the sausage was cooking.


Yes, I actually used a rolling pin and tape measure. Didn't really get to the suggested size, but oh well. It still worked.


Assembled pockets. I always make a huge mess...


Shoo'd cat away from the food.

(oh my god, is that his tongue? Good grief... I keep them away from the kitchen when I'm cooking for other people, I promise!)

Put pockets in the oven.


While they baked for 15 minutes I made some green beans and relaxed.


Took them out at just over 13 minutes. Toasty and brown.


Finished product at:


for a total prep time of 34 minutes.

Given that I added probably 5 minutes to cook the sausage, I think I could have easily made this in under 30 if I had used the suggested hot dogs. And I even took time to answer the phone (Adam will be late) and clean up after the cats were done eating.

In conclusion, while some of the 30-minute meal recipes are only 30 minutes if you're as frantic in the kitchen as RR, some of them are totally do-able, even when you don't really follow the recipe. :)

On the more usual blog posting side, these were pretty good. I don't dig the whole "roll 'em in cornmeal" thing, but it wasn't too obnoxious. Another one of the myriad of calzones I have tried out. I still prefer bread dough to pizza dough.

Family-Pleasing Pizza

From Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious



Ingredients:
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
1 tube (13.8 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
2 teaspoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, press pizza dough into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Brush with butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Layer with 1 cup mozzarella, sausage and tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Italian seasoning.

Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

Comments:
Yum, pizza. I left off the tomatoes since Adam's not a fan. I also doubled the sausage (kind of by mistake.) Oops. It was very good. I like the idea of cooking it in a 13x9 pan rather than a pizza pan. This allows a thicker crust to form and I definitely am not of the thin crust party. I have a feeling I'll make this one again - perhaps with different toppings.

Crock-Pot Pizza

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2002



Ingredients:
egg noodles
ground beef
onion
spaghetti sauce
mushrooms (left out)
Italian seasoning
pepperoni
mozzarella cheese
cheddar cheese

Comments:
It seems a little weird, looking at the ingredient list, to think that this is "pizza." But it really does end up tasting like pizza. I think I went a little light on the cheese, but other than that it was pretty good. I'm not sure I'd make this again, and if I did I'd chop the recipe in half. It made a whole lotta leftovers. On that subject, I'm looking for a smaller crock-pot - around 4 quarts or so. My problem seems to be they don't make anything smaller than 5 quarts with a timer and warm setting dealy like the Smart Pot. *sigh*

French Bread Pizza

From Everyday with Rachael Ray May 2008



Ingredients:
butter
flour
milk
salt & pepper
honey mustard
baguette
sliced ham
gruyere cheese (I used mozzarella)

Comments:
Adam likes the Hawaiian pizza and this was pizza with ham on it so that's almost the same thing. Totally easy to make, very yummy. I even managed to avoid burning the bottom of the bread. I'm bad about that...