Pizza Night!

My kids love it when it's pizza night (and so do I)! I love it from Dominos, Papa Johns... but also from scratch. Here is my go-to pizza dough recipe, compliments of the Pioneer Woman! Her cookbook has slightly different cooking instructions than her blog, so here's the book version... which cooks faster so YOU'RE WELCOME!

Pizza Crust (makes 2 pizza crusts or 1 thick cookie sheet crust)
1 tsp. or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot, but not luke warm) into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let sit.

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated. Gently stir the yeast/water mixture, then drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together.)

Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days (or frozen for up to 6 months).
     *The dough could also be used for "focaccia like bread". Spread it on a cookie sheet, brush the top with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and dried herbs (i.e. rosemary, basil, Italian seasonings...)

To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Divide the dough in half. Lightly drizzle olive oil on pizza pan(s). Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing the dough into the pan with your fingers. (Surface of dough will be lumpy from finger marks.)

Lay desired toppings over the dough and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

As for the go-to sauce... I use THIS ONE from my "Our Best Bites" cookbook. Sooooo much better than anything you can find in the grocery store, and tastes similar to a sauce found on delivery pizza! You can also try a pesto pizza with THIS pesto sauce. Pizza is hard to mess up, have fun!

Basil!

Fresh basil is one of my favorite herbs to have on hand! I have it growing in pots out back so I can pick some off anytime to make a great-tasting meal.
Here are a few tips about growing your own basil:
-It needs full sunlight (at least 6 hours), and they are both indoor/outdoor plants.
-Clip any buds or flowers off your plant as soon as you see them. You don't want a bitter taste or your plant to go to seed.
-Pruning your plant makes more basil!


Now onto using it! Let me share a couple of our favorite recipes-- Avocado Basil Pasta and Fresh Basil Pesto!

Avocado Basil Pasta (from Peacocks on My Porch)

8 oz. bow-tie pasta
2 med. avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and coursely chopped
6 slices bacon crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled
2/3 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is ALWAYS best)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. In a large bowl combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper & salt. Add the hot pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese.

Obviously any kind of small pasta will work!

 

Fresh Basil Pesto

2 c. fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. pecans, walnuts or almonds (pine nuts is traditional, but pricey-I use what's in my pantry)
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Combine the basil with the nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times. (If your nuts aren't chopped already, pulse them alone first a few times, then add basil.) Add the garlic and pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. (Check the consistency of the pesto and add more oil if it is too thick.) Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

We like to toss this with pasta, or use this as the sauce on home-made pizza! For the latter, I use my go-to pizza dough recipe, spread pesto on top of dough, sprinkle shredded mozzarella (or slices of fresh) all over, and top with bacon (cooked, drained and crumbled) and fresh tomato slices for us grown-ups. My daughter says pesto is her favorite, so kids DO like the green stuff. :)