Mmm....pizza.....

Our herb garden is out of control. The herbs grow at such a rapid rate, I can barely keep up! Over the weekend, we noticed that the basil plant was so full, it was starting to lean. I picked a whole bowl full of basil, and the plant is still 1/2 full!



Smelling that fresh basil led to a whole list of ideas. After a very busy weekend, I wasn't in the mood to experiment. Instead, I made pizza. My favorite pizza dough recipe is here. I cut my batch of dough into two pieces. I like to make my pizzas smaller so they cook faster (or so I think, at least). I don't own a pizza stone, so I just dust turn a large baking sheet upside down and dust it with cornmeal.

The thing I love about pizza is that it is so easy to make, and I can usually do it without a special trip to the grocery store. YUMMY!

Pizza Sauce:
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. olive oil
dash of oregano
a few leaves of fresh basil

Brown garlic in olive oil. Add tomato sauce and herbs. Allow sauce to simmer for at least 15 minutes.


Assembly:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on a well floured surface. Transfer dough to the underside of a cookie sheet/cake pan that has been dusted with cornmeal. Bake for 5 minutes or until the dough has set up. Remove from the oven and add toppings (I used sauce, diced tomatoes, fresh mozz, and fresh basil). Brush olive oil onto the edges of the crust and return to the oven. Bake until the crust is golden, about 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Steak and Cheese Flatbreads

My family recently took a week off for a Disney vacation. We had a lovely time, but by the time we got back, I was dying to get into the kitchen. I didn't have much in the kitchen to work with, so I made a flatbread.I used a premade thin crust dough for this one, as I didn't have time to make my own after work. The boursin cheese went really well with the steak. I will work on making them more visually appealing, but for now they are just delicious! Yummy!

Steak and Cheese Flatbread
2 6 oz. Steaks
2 tubes of premade dough
1/4 c. barbecue sauce
2 c. shredded cheddar
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. Boursin Cheese (I used the garlic and herb variety)
1/4 c. shallots, thinly sliced.
1/4 c. Worshistire sauce
1/4 c. Soy sauce
1 clove garlic, cut minced
salt and pepper

First, I marinated the steaks in a mixture of the soy sauce, worshistire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic. The steaks marinated for about 15 minutes, then I grilled them until they were about medium done.

While the steaks rested, i prepared the flatbreads. I unrolled the crusts onto cookie sheets, then spread boursin cheese over them. I then added the shallots and the parmesan cheese. The steak was then cut into pieces and added to the flatbread. Next came a light drizzle fo barbecue sauce and a topping of cheddar cheese. They baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Makes 2 flatbreads

Chicken Cheddar Pizza

My newest pizza/flatbread creation:



I didn't have much time to make dinner the other night, which usually leads to experimentation. Since I had some already prepared pizza dough, I decided to try a new pizza. I cooked 2 chicken breasts with barbecue sauce, then shredded them. On the flattened pizza dough, I added: 1/4 c. Barbecue sauce, the shredded chicken, 1/4c. shallots (sliced thinly), and about 2c. of shredded Irish Cheddar. I baked it on a greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350. The results were suprisingly delicious! The barbecue sauce added a sweet side, complimenting the sharp cheddar cheese. I think I will make this and serve small strips as finger food at my next party.