This is what I had:  half an onion, half a pound of leftover sale Italian sausage, and a red bell pepper.  I also had one Mama Mary’s pizza crust (from when they were on sale two weeks ago) and a chunk of mozzarella. I found a pizza recipe on Cooking Light, and decided to run with it.

As originally written, the crust for this pizza is supposed to be a loaf of French bread, sliced in half horizontally.  If you wanted to proceed in that direction (and if you have to go to the store anyway), I would absolutely give it a try – alternately, I think it would also be totally de-lish on a halved loaf of the sale Ecce Panis ciabatta (one of my fav’s!).

By the way, the Ecce Panis breads are fabulous, if you haven’t tried them – and no, they didn’t pay me to say that!

The good news is that Pumpkin #3 is back at school today, I’m off the couch, and haven’t reached for Doodle Jump one single time today.  My wrists were on the verge of carpal tunnel, so it’s just as well!

SAUSAGE, PEPPER, & ONION PIZZA
Yield 4 Servings
SOURCE:  cookinglight.com

1 c. julienned yellow onion (Super Sweet onions are on sale)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned (organic red bell peppers are on sale)
8 oz. sweet Italian sausage (Sendik’s Own Italian Sausage is on sale)
t. crushed red pepper
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained (big cans of Red Gold Tomatoes are on sale; freeze half for later)
1 (8 oz.) loaf of French bread (or swap in Ecce Panis sale ciabatta, or any pre-made crust you like)
1 c. shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 -2 T. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 450.

Heat a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium0high heat.  Add julienned onion and pepper and sauté 6 minutes or until tender.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add sausage to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble.  Add crushed red pepper and diced tomatoes, and simmer 5 – 10 minutes, or until mixture is reduced and thickened.

Place the bread halves on a baking sheet and sprinkle them evenly with the mozzarella cheese.  Spoon the sausage mixture evenly over the cheese, then top evenly with grated Parmesan.  Bake pizzas for 5 – 10 minutes, or until cheeses melt and topping is hot.  Cut each pizza in half and serve.

Nearly everything I’ll require for a full-on pizza party is on sale in the current ad – and we’ll do much better cost wise to make our own than we would to wait around until the 10^th of never for the pizza boy to turn up.  Making our own is more fun than making a phone call anyway!

To shake things up a little, I might thow in this white pizza with broccoli.  I had a serious white pizza addiction for a brief period during the late 80’s.  My family lived in eastern Pennsylvania and I had a terrible retail job at the Wyoming Valley Mall.  Throughout my horrendous 8-hour shifts I would daydream of my lunch break in the food court, when I’d treat myself to a ginormous slice of white pizza at Dino’s Pizzaria…served on flimsy paper plates by a bunch of extra large, extra hairy, extra grouchy Italian brothers, who obviously didn’t enjoy working at the mall any more than I did.  Anyway, I was a little afraid of them.  But I’ll never forget that pizza.  It was outrageously good, and by far the best part of living in eastern PA.  It spoiled me for red sauce, I’ll tell you that much.

Years later, I still can’t get that pizza out of my head, so recently I went on a quest to find a recipe that came close.  I’ll be honest, this version in no manner of speaking compares to Dino’s.  Not by a long shot…but it satisfies a white pizza urge and is a delicious way to add an anti-oxidant to a traditional slice of junk food.

I still dearly miss that pizza.   The mall?  Not so much.

WHITE PIZZA WITH BROCCOLI
Makes one 16” pizza
Sauce recipe found on food.com

2 T. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T. flour
1 c. low-fat milk, warmed
¼ t. kosher salt
1/8 t. pepper
Pinch Italian seasoning
¼ c. good quality grated Parmesan cheese

Florets from one crown of broccoli, about 2 cups (on sale)
1 pre-made pizza crust (Mama Mary’s are on sale)
1 ½ – 2 c. shredded mozzarella (Wisconsin mozzarella is on sale)
¼ c. grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 450.

Heat butter in a small saucepan.  Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  Add flour; cook and stir for two minutes.  Slowly whisk in warmed milk, adding gradually.  Stir in remaining ingredients; sauce will thicken upon standing.

Place broccoli florets in a glass pie plate, along with 1/3 c. water.  Cover tightly and microwave for three minutes, or until bright green but still firm.  Drain broccoli and pat dry.

Place pizza crust on work surface and spread with some of the sauce (you’ll have some left over).  Top the sauce with half of the mozzarella, then the broccoli.  Top the broccoli with the rest of the mozzarella, then sprinkle with the ¼ cup of Parmesan.

Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, or until cheeses are beginning to brown.  Remove to a work surface, cut into wedges, and serve.

Here’s a bold promise:  I can almost guarantee you’ll have the whole sh’bang prepped and ready to go in the time it takes to fire up your oven to 475 degrees.

They’re cheaper to make, and tons more fun than waiting around on a delivery boy, so make these pizzas sometime this weekend!  Maybe tonight or Saturday night, or for munching whilst taking in the Packer game on Sunday afternoon.

I hope the Cowboys don’t bring those danged cheerleaders along.  Honest to Pete, what girl do you know who wants to stuff her face with pizza in front of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders?  I might have to eat mine in the other room.

I digress.  Just make the pizzas!  You’re gonna like the way they taste.  I guarantee it!

MY FAVORITE FRENCH BREAD PIZZA
Serves: 4

6 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 T. finely chopped fresh basil
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 loaf French bread, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 8 even pieces (see note)
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. pizza sauce
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (Shur-Fresh Mozzarella is on sale this week, 11/3/10 – 11/9/10)

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475.  Microwave oil, garlic, 2 tablespoons basil, and pepper flakes on high power in a small microwave-safe bowl until fragrant, 30 – 60 seconds.

Brush half of oil mixture over the cut sides and edges of bread and arrange cut side up on a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over bread and bake until cheese begins to brown, about 3 minutes.

Whisk pizza sauce, remaining basil, and remaining oil mixture in bowl.  Spread sauce evenly over bread, then top with mozzarella.  Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, 5 – 7 minutes.  Serve.

NOTE: I used two of the Ecce Panis Neo-Tuscan mini loaves that are on sale this week, 11/3/10 – 11/9/10. This was enough for a light supper; if you’re feeding more than four people, I would add a third loaf and up your olive oil, pizza sauce mixture, and cheese a bit.  It doesn’t have to be exact measurements, you really can’t screw it up.  Enjoy!!

Appetizers. I’m all about appetizers. I adore them. Love to make them, love to munch them. And I’m here to share the love, my friends. Shall we begin?

A few years ago I attended a holiday cooking class at my friend Ann’s house. While we did learn how to make several fabulous appetizers that evening, I think Ann’s hosting an evening of ‘cooking instruction’ was mostly a thin disguise for what it really was: an occasion for a fun group of thirsty ladies to gather around her island and sip far too much wine until far too late on a school night!

My big take-away from that evening at Ann’s (besides not feeling so swell the next day) was the recipe for these little shrimp pizzas. They’ve become an old standby for me throughout the past few years. They’re unbelievably simple to prepare, and I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like them!

(Actually, that’s not true. My friend Amy isn’t a fan. But then again, Amy’s motto regarding food in general is, “the blander the better”. Hmmpf.)

With the exception of the fresh red and yellow bell peppers, most of the ingredients for this recipe can be kept in your fridge, pantry, or freezer. If you have them on hand throughout the holidays, you’ll never be at a loss for a terrific appetizer to whip up in a skinny minute!

Happy weekend, everyone.

SHRIMP PIZZAS WITH BELL PEPPERS & BASIL

Makes 2 dozen

Source: Chef Katherine Ward

• 6 small flour tortillas
• 12 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced small
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 tube of garlic paste (find this in a small box on the top shelf, above the canned tomatoes)
• 1 c. grated asiago cheese
• ½ c. slivered basil, plus additional sprigs for garnish if desired

Preheat oven to 425. Place the diced peppers in a small mixing bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to blend. Spread peppers evenly on a cookie sheet with sides. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the peppers are beginning to blacken just slightly around the edges. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp on their sides, and using a sharp knife, cut the shrimp horizontally in half. Set aside.

Spread the flour tortillas on a large cookie sheet. Squeeze a dollop (1/2 a tablespoon or so) of garlic paste on each tortilla, use a small knife or spatula to spread the garlic paste evenly on the tortillas. One by one, divide the asiago cheese among the tortillas. Repeat with the roasted peppers. Top the pizzas with the sliced shrimp, cut side down, four slices per tortilla. Sprinkle pizzas with salt and pepper.

Bake the pizzas for 10 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and tortillas are lightly browned and crisp around the edges.

Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Scatter the slivered basil among the pizzas. Using a sharp knife, cut each tortilla into quarters. Transfer to a pretty platter and garnish with basil sprigs.

Shepherd Salad

• 1 sm Cucumber
• 1 small Sweet Onion
• 1 Tomato
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbl Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
• ½ cup Crumbled Feta, (I recommend Hidden Springs Creamery Fresh Sheep Feta in Brine)

Coarsely chop veggies, transfer to bowl.  Add Vinegar and Oil, toss well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with Feta and serve.

Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza

• 1 Boboli Whole Wheat Crust
• 1 Lemon
• 4oz Chevre, room temp.
• few leaves fresh Basil, cut in thin slivers
• ½ med Yellow Zucchini, sliced thin
• ½ med Green Zucchini, sliced thin
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Oven temp: 450

Stir together chevre with juice of half the lemon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread over pizza crust.  Scatter with fresh Basil slivers over cheese.  Arrange zucchini in circles on crust, overlapping slightly.  Squeeze juice of second half of lemon on top of zucchini , drizzle olive oil over zucchini and finish with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake 8-10minutes, until edges start to brown and zucchini looks roasted.

Crisse adds on the recipe that this makes a nice light lunch with a tomato salad and a white wine.

Saute of Zucchini & Toasted Almonds

• 2 Tbl Olive Oil
• 2 Tbl Thinly Sliced Almonds
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 or 2 small Zucchini, julienned
• few ounces of fresh grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan

Heat Oil on high in a large skillet.  Once hot, not smoking, add the almonds to the pan.  Cook stirring constantly until golden brown, apx. 2min.  Add zucchini, toss it with oil and almonds until to begins to glisten, (1 min) Just warm the zucchini….do not cook it to mush!  Season with Salt and Pepper, top with freshly grated cheese and serve.