Homemade Pizza

Oh man, I feel bad for the lack of posting lately. My life has been taken over by soccer games and sick babies. But life is looking up: Baby is feeling better and only one more week of soccer. I love watching the girls play soccer but the time commitment is intense! I owe a thanks to my mom for running me all over the place to play soccer. Thanks mom!
So, homemade pizza. I love to make this. It is one of those meals that brings back great memories of cooking with my mom. She would pan out the dough while I grated the cheese. Then we would help mom top the pizzas. I don't think I even knew about Little Caesars until I was in middle school. I thought homemade was the only way to do it. This recipe does take some planning ahead of time. I like to do it on the weekend when I have time to enjoy cooking. With school getting out soon, maybe we will have a pizza party.


Homemade Pizza Dough

1 c. warm water
1 Tbs. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 1/2 c. flour
Sprinkle yeast and sugar into warm water measured into a large mixing bowl. Stir until dissolved. Let set until yeast starts to raise, about 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, 2 c. flour, and mix thoroughly. Add additional 1 1/2 c. flour, Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let raise until double, about 45 minutes.
Punch down dough and divide into 2 balls. Place in a greased pizza pan or cookie sheet and press to fit. Half the dough will made a 12-inch pizza, or a small cookie sheet. On each pizza spread with half of pizza sauce.


Pizza Sauce

1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat in a small saucepan until warm.

Top pizza's with mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings. Place pizza in a 400 degree oven and bake until crust is browned and cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Topping Ideas:

pepperoni
Canadian bacon
mushrooms
olives
onions
green peppers
pineapple
tomatoes
chicken
You can really use anything you have lying around. Be creative!

Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti in Galic Oil

Another fantastic recipe from Everyday Food. It is suppose to be a lighter version of regular chicken Parmesan. Love it! This meal came together really quite fast and was super tasty. The kids loved it too. Claire kept saying "More meat, Mommy?"Note: I had never made my own bread crumbs before. But I found it super-easy. Just break the bread up into smallish pieces and pulse it in a blender. They were really good!

Chicken Parmesan

2 slices bread, broken into smallish pieces
1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper2 Tbs. flour
1 egg white4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
prepared spaghetti sauce
1 garlic clove

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. In a food processor, place bread, Parmesan, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse processor until coarse crumbs form; transfer to a small bowl. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Place egg white in a third shallow bowl and beat until frothy.Dip top side of chicken in flour, and shake off excess. Dip the same side of the chicken in the egg white, letting the excess drip off. Then dip chicken in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere. Bread only one side of chicken. Transfer chicken to the prepared cookie sheet with breaded side up. Bake until breadcrumbs are crisp and browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until chicken is opaque throughout and cheese is lightly browned, 6-8 more minutes.Meanwhile in a separate pan, heat up the spaghetti sauce. Simmer until warm. Serve chicken with a generous amount of sauce. Place sauce on the plate them place chicken on top of sauce.


Spaghetti with Garlic Oil


salt
8 ounces spaghetti
2 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. onion, minced
1/4 c. fresh parsley leaves

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1/4 c. pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
In the pasta pot, heat oil, garlic, and onion over medium heat until garlic and onions begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add reserved pasta water, then spaghetti and parsley, season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve with chicken and enjoy!