Tag Archives: pizza

Breakfast Pizza

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About three and a half years ago I was in Paris with Jay and it was in a very touristy area that we found a pizza place – don’t ask why we ate Italian food in France but it’s what was available. I ordered for myself a pizza with two fried eggs and fresh cream drizzled on top. Since then I’ve wanted to cook an egg on a pizza but never got the nerve to try. Until now.

Breakfast Pizza

Pizza dough, fresh, ready made or store bought, your choice

Eggs, the number you use depends on the size of the pizza, I used 5 eggs on mine

Shredded mozzarella, lots if you love cheese like I do

Sour cream

Cooked bacon bits, I know I’m all into the whole veggie thing but I gotta have my bacon!

Baby spinach

Fresh dill

Start by preheating the oven to about 375-400F (I’m sorry I can’t remember what setting I used). Spread sour cream over the prepared pizza dough, then add spinach and bacon and other toppings you might like and then crack the eggs – gently so the yolks don’t break – on top. Add the dill and lastly sprinkle cheese over everything and bake for about 30-40 minutes, depending how soft you want your yolks.

Jay showed obvious suspicion and doubt when he asked what was for breakfast but upon his first bite he literally ate his own words. I loved that this only took minutes to put together (it helped that the dough was ready to go of course). Waiting for the pizza to bake meant I could go back to bed and laze until it was ready. Delish!!

Fast and easy tomato, basil, cheese pizza

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Fresh basil. Tomato. Buffalo mozzarella. Those are the basic ingredients for stomach pleasure. Even the sight of the three ingredients on a cutting board bring a smile to my face. I think it was while I was in Italy that I “discovered” caprese salad and also where I fell in love with fresh basil. Since then I’ve made an effort to find buffalo mozzarella (not so easy to find the good stuff but bocconcini cheese balls do the trick) and to keep a constant supply of tomatoes and fresh basil for moments when I crave some Italian simplicity.

Today is one of those days and for lunch I’ve made a super easy and quick pizza.

Ingredients for one pizza:

Thin pita bread – if you prefer to make dough then go for it but I wanted a pizza “NOW”

Tomato sauce, store-bought or homemade

Buffalo mozzarella, cut into slices

Tomato, sliced

Fresh basil

Spread the tomato sauce over the pita bread and then arrange the basil leaves on top and then the tomato and finally the cheese. Pop it in the oven for a few minutes just until the cheese melts and there you have a gorgeous and tasty lunch.

I will call this post “delicious”

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Jay and I agree that pizza is one of those things we could never get sick of. When I think of takeout and ordering food I automatically think of pizza. In my mind, there are three constant ingredients – dough, sauce, and cheese. After that, the pizza is an empty canvas begging to be filled with colourful toppings that result in a picture of deliciousness. The pizza I made this week was inspired by a Weight Watchers recipe from the Turnaround Program Cookbook, which consisted of goat cheese, caramelize onions, tomatoes, and black olives but I added a few other toppings. The dough recipe came from Engineer Baker (recipe here).

Pizza, makes 6 servings

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion thinly sliced

Salt

2 tsp butter

8 plum tomatoes, chopped (about 3 1/2 cups) I used about 2 cups of canned crushed tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 pound prepared fresh or thawed frozen pizza or bread dough

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

10 black olives, pitted and chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried

First start the pizza dough and follow preheating instructions. About a half hour before the dough is ready to be baked, start caramelizing the onion by heating the oil in a skillet/pan, then adding the onions and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same pan melt the butter and add the tomatoes and sugar. Stir frequently until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer about a minute. When the dough is ready, spread the tomato mixture over top along with the onions and the rest of the toppings. On my pizza I added crumbled feta cheese, fire roasted red peppers, and roasted tomatoes. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the goat cheese looks slightly toasted on top.

050

 

 

Iced tea, pizza and cookies

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It was Canada Day yesterday and Jay and I decided to walk through High Park where our local MP was hosting a picnic. We only stayed long enough to watch a group of belly dancers perform their dance routine before we continued our walk toward the lake. It was a gorgeous day and I was surprised it didn’t rain.

As we made our way back home we began to ponder what we would have for dinner. I suggested we order a pizza because I had been craving pizza for a while. Jay suggested we make pizza and I somewhat grudgingly agreed. I wasn’t really in the mood to cook but I didn’t really mind since pizza is super easy to make.

I decided to use the Uno’s Deep Dish pizza recipe (same recipe I used for Jay’s Pizza Pops). I have to say that this pizza dough recipe is way better as a deep dish pizza than as a pizza pop.

While the pizza dough was rising I felt inspired to make a small dessert. I pulled out my Small Batch Baking Book and I flipped through each page until I found something I could make; Cream-Filled Chocolate Cookies. The book describes these cookies as being sweet and very similar to Oreos. The book is right. The cookies were very sweet and if I ever make them again I’ll only use half the sugar. It’s a good thing the recipe is from the Small Batch Baking Book and only makes enough for six cookies.

Earlier in the day I had a strong desire for iced tea, but not Nestea or other traditional iced teas. I wanted to make steeped iced tea and I chose Lipton’s Chamomile tea. I used 6 tea bags and 6 cups of boiling water. I let it steep for about 5 minutes then I added a generous squeeze of honey, almost an entire tray of ice cubes and then I popped the pitcher in the freezer. It wasn’t until after we returned from our walk that I remembered I had left the tea in the freezer. Luckily it wasn’t frozen solid. It was just right and so refreshing after a long walk.

With the pizza, cookies and iced tea ready, Jay and I settled back to watch a documentary while we ate our scrumptious dinner. This is what I consider a perfect way to end the day.

Steeping 6 bags of chamomile tea

Steeping 6 bags of chamomile tea

I love watching an entire ice cube tray melt in a matter of seconds.

The contents of an entire ice cube tray melting in a matter of seconds.

Pizza dough ready for toppings.

Pizza dough ready for toppings.

Delicious deep dish pizza!

Delicious deep dish pizza!

Chocolate cookies ready to be assembled.

Chocolate cookies ready to be assembled.

Chocolate cream-filled cookies. Yummy but a bit too sweet.

Cream-filled chocolate cookies. Yummy but a bit too sweet.


Potato Pizza

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We just finished eating a ridiculously unhealthy and oily, yet sinfully satisfying and scrumptious “pizza.”

Essentially, all I really did was fry up two coarsely grated potatoes and shaped them into a pancake. Once it was fried I topped that with diced canned tomatoes, mushrooms, pepperoni, onions and mozzarella. I was afraid the bits of potato would stick to the pan so I poured the oil into the pan like it was a deep fryer. I think next time I make this I will go easy on the oil.

I baked this at 450F for 10 minutes and…voila! I’ve gained back those five pounds I lost last week!