Hi gang! I realize it’s been a ridiculously long time since we’ve discussed pizza!  We’re still having pizza on Thursdays over here at the HQ, don’t worry about that.

We haven’t been playing around too much with toppings or variations.  Reflecting on that I realized that since we have so much going on here (lots of changes, revelations, and decisions to make) that we’ve been turning more to the familiar.  The comfortable.

Veggies and occasionally some sausage are the main staples of pizza this summer.

This week I almost split up the pizza and made two of them, a his and hers.  While Scott was in San Fran, I still made pizza for myself and even used the pizza stone!

It was easier with a smaller pizza and I thought that I might give that a shot this week.  However both of us were really hungry and I didn’t want to have to wait through two pizzas cooking before I could eat.

Yikes!

So I didn’t split them.  Maybe next time.

I made a quick and easy pizza sauce combining some canned tomatoes with fresh ingredients.  We also had:

• Shredded Moz
• Grated Parm
• Shredded Carrot
• Spinach
• Banana Peppers
• Chicken sausage
• Canadian Bacon (Scott’s side)

We’ve even fallen out of our routine of watching Antiques while eating pizza.  Now we watch Conan or something else we’ve taped.  I don’t know why, maybe we really are just looking for a bit of change.

Did you have pizza this week?

For more pizza goodness, read about how my friend Rachel makes pizza at home.

Setting: Kitchen and Home Office, Tuesday afternoon

Me: Hey what do you want on your pizza this week?

Him: Muhmphfh!

Me: What? Meat?

Him: BEANS!

Me: Oh beans. Oh, hrm.  Okay. Mashed or whole?

Him: Whole.

Me: Pinto or black?

Him: Pinto.

Me: Done.

And that is how the enchilada pizza came to be born.  Scott said he wanted beans on his pizza this week which is a really odd request, right?  So it occupied my mind for quite some time as I tried to figure out how I was going to work this pizza out.  I brain stormed about it for awhile and finally came up with my master plan.  It was going to be reminiscent of eating an enchilada.

It wasn’t until Wednesday where I realized that it would be totally fitting since Thursday was going to be Cinco de Mayo.

I made a regular pizza crust. Had I had a finer ground cornmeal on hand, I would have made a cornmeal based crust.  If you have that, go for it!  It would be amazing!

I made an enchilada sauce to use in place of pizza sauce. I’m still tweaking this recipe so you’ll have to wait on that.  It’s almost there so it shouldn’t be too long before I can make it again and finalize it.

The toppings were based off the original bean request.  I mixed:

• 1 15oz can of Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Green Pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 Red Onion, finely chopped
• Almost a cup of corn kernals
• Huge bunch cilantro, chopped

I mixed them in a bowl and added in some salt, pepper, and touch of chili powder.  Topped it with the juice of 1/2 a lime and  a bit of olive oil.  Mixed and let sit in the fridge all day until pizza time.  I used the olive oil to help keep the beans hydrated during cooking.  Otherwise they could have dried out.

I used two cheeses for topping.  A chihuahua that we shredded ourselves and also a pepperjack made from milk from grass-fed cows, which we also shredded ourselves.

Layers went as follows:

• Heaping layer of sauce
• Chihuahua cheese
• Bean mixture
• Pepperjack cheese
• Chorizo on Scott’s side.

Baked at 425 for about 20 minutes on a pizza stone.

The pizza was amazing.  It came out exactly as I hoped it would, in fact probably better.  When the cheese is bubbling up and over the side, you know that you are about to eat something that will be remembered for a while.

This was an ooey gooey pizza full of flavor and very filling.  Though we did each go back for another slice!  I also wanted to top the pizza with chopped avocado once it came out of the oven but we were so terribly hungry by the time we go to eat last night that it slipped my mind.

I’ll definitely make sure to add that for next time because there will be a next time for sure.

Very successful Pizza Thursday this week!  Did you do something special for Cinco de Mayo?

Pizza Thursday! Oh yeah they are still happening, don’t you worry.  Yesterday was a pretty fantastic day around these parts.  I got a lot accomplished around the house, made some new connections, and I did all the pizza prep.  This time I even made sauce!

Oh yeah!

Typically, I take the super easy way out with pizza sauce.  I’d use a can of organic tomato sauce and add in some extra spices.  It’s tasty, quick, and doesn’t break that bank.  However yesterday I wanted something special.

It’s birthday week around these parts for yours truly! And I wanted my birthday week pizza to be killer, so I made some sauce.

I did use a big can of crushed tomatoes but there’s also some stock in there, lots of fresh veggies, and some red wine for depth.  It’s fab and I will share the recipe with you soon.  It made enough for our pizza last night plus four more containers of sauce which are now in the freezer waiting to be called to action.

Next time I might make an even bigger batch so I have more backup! Also? Making my own from now on, all the way.

I made a classic sausage, pepper, and onion style pizza.

• Homemade Crust
• Homemade pizza sauce
• Shredded Moz
• Spicy Italian Sausage
• Red and Green Peppers
• Red Onion

Both of us were starving by the time we sat down to eat.  It had been a long work day at the tail end of a long week.

March madness indeed all! OHC is crazy busy up in here and it doesn’t look like it’s letting up anytime soon.

I loaded up with a center piece and a HUGE corner piece.  Then I went back in for a third piece because it was so so good! The sauce was perfect for the pizza, though next time I’ll have to be sure to use a touch more.  It absorbed into the crust a little bit and I want some saucy action as I eat!

We finished up the Pens game from Tuesday and holy crap they won! In regulation time!  It was a glorious thing to witness, trust me.  We sipped on wine that I don’t have a picture of because they are all blurry.  Sorry about that!

It was a 2008 Pinot Noir by Echelon and it was a really lovely wine.  Very smooth with a slight dry finish and very light as well.  Didn’t sit heavy on the tongue and was a nice follow-up to the pizza.

I also had some mini eggs because it’s Spring and you have to eat mini eggs!

Any plans for the weekend?  Sadly mine involve work and other related type things.  Booo!

Hi gang! Man it’s been a while since we’ve talked about pizza right?  Goodness! I’ve just had so many other things to discuss that pizza kind of got pushed to the side.  Rest assured that we have been continuing our Pizza Thursday tradition!

I made one for the last week of 2010 and I don’t mind telling you that it was pretty fantabulous! Though I’m not here to discuss that pizza, I’m here to discuss this week’s pizza.

The first Pizza Thursday of 2011!

I’ve never really showed you the whole process of making pizza here at the HQ before and now is the time!  Buckle in for the pictorial process of making pizza at the HQ.  First you start with your dough.  Make sure it’s perfect and has had ample time to rise.

Now that we’ve got our dough, let’s get started!

“What mom? It’s pizza day?  PIZZA DAY!”

“Oh man dad, did you hear that?  PIZZA and CRUSTIES!”

Roll out your pizza dough with your favorite rolling pin.

Transfer dough to a cutting board or other apparatus that will help you get it on the pizza stone.  Top it with your favorite sauce or whatever sauce you want!

P.S. Pigtails are so awesome.

Sprinkle on your favorite cheese, using as much as you want.

Top with your favorite toppings!

“I dunno about spinach mom.”

“You’ll be fine.”

Pinch the sides together so no toppings or sauce gets out.

Bake on your pizza stone for about 20 minutes until the crust is crisp, the cheese melted, and the veggies heated through.

Have a fizzie drink with fresh lime while you wait for the pizza to cook.

Remove from pizza stone carefully and cut into several slices.

Plate up pizza.

Head to the couch to get snugs, watch TV, and enjoy your homemade pizza!

This week’s pizza was veggielicious!

• Whole Wheat Crust
• Pizza Sauce
• Red Onions
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Banana Peppers
• Hot Sauce

Don’t worry, Rocky didn’t even notice the spinach.*

What’s pizza night look like in your house?

*Clearly I’m kidding. However, just in case it wasn’t clear, Rocky only gets the crust of the pizza and never a slice of pizza.

No idea why I’m making a “pursed lips” face but there it is.  You can see all the toppings for the pizza behind me prepped and ready to go!  Whooo!

You guys I was so excited for pizza this week it was ridiculous!  Since I was out last week with the stomach whatever we didn’t have pizza.  I have been looking forward to last night since the previous Sunday!

How has everyone’s week been?  Mine has been not as productive as I would have liked.  We got stuff done around the house, like the last bit of yard work to winterize the yard.  That includes pulling up dead plants, raking leaves, and one last mow for the season.  I did the plants and leaves in the backyard while Scott mowed and did the leaves in the front yard.

We’re lucky that our township does leaf pickup so we just have to pile them by the curb and they come to remove them.  However I think they might have forgotten about us this time around.  They came down our street and put all the leaves on the road but they never came back to pick them up.  Whooops!  I hope they remedy that soon!

Okay, so let’s talk pizza.  Not only was I excited to just eat pizza but I was also excited about one of the toppings that was going on the pizza.

Banana peppers!!!

Come to mama my pretties!

Banana peppers are one of my super favorite toppings for pizza ever.  I stopped buying them though because all jars of peppers I found all contained Yellow #5 as an additive.  I have no idea why either.  I mean, banana peppers are already that bright yellow to begin with and pickling them makes them even more bright.  Why the color additive?

However I missed them so much it hurt.

So I said “screw it” and I bought some banana peppers with the best ingredients I could find and since Yellow #5 was the last ingredient, it means it is the least prominent.  So here they are in all their yellow additive glory on my pizza.

Ta-da!  Pizza!

• Whole wheat crust
• Pasta sauce base
• Shredded moz and pepperjack cheese
• Red onion
• Banana pepper
• Artichoke chunks
• Broccoli
• Buffalo chicken sausage

Scott’s side of the pizza had tons of red pepper flakes and chipotle pepper flakes sprinkled on top of the sauce and under the cheese.  However when he helped me pull it out of the oven, he turned the pizza and then I didn’t know who’s side was what since we had the same toppings.

:o

You know I got some of the hot side when I took a bit.  Whooo!  I wasn’t looking for all that spice but I nutted up and ate my pizza.

While we ate we finished Wednesday’s Pens game which was horrible.  Oh my gosh it was so horrible it’s not even funny.  Johnson let in so many goals and the Pens just couldn’t get their act together.  It’s best if we don’t talk about it but let it pass in silence.

Wine for the evening while watching some House Hunters was Twin Vines Vinho Verde.  I know, we changed things up a bit and decided to go with a white instead of a red last night.  It was light and bubbly and refreshing.  Love vinho verdes!

Tell me about your week friends!  How is everyone doing?

P.S. Can you believe it’s already the middle of November?! Craizness!

Reunited and it feels so good…

Gang you have no idea how much I was looking forward to Pizza Thursday this week!  We’ve had a long week full of catching up from being away all last week.  Sometimes coming back from vacation, you sort of feel like you need a rest just from catching up on everything that happened while you were away!

Do you ever feel like that?

And we’re in the planning and plotting stages of lots of meetups and events.  Admittedly I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed right now with everything that’s going on.  I’m looking forward to the holidays and hopefully getting some breathing room and downtime.  Maybe tossing some gaming in there as well because this mama hasn’t gamed in ages and I need some action.

I was also looking forward to this pizza because we haven’t had homemade pizza in two weeks!

Craziness!

I really didn’t want any meat on the pizza this week and kind wanted to stuff my face with some veggies.

This pizza had a new sauce base.

I got this pasta sauce in a swag bag that was given to me recently.  I decided to test it out on some pizza.

• Whole wheat crust
• Pasta sauce
• Shredded moz and provolone
• Red onion
• Red and green pepper
• Artichoke
• Broccoli
• Shredded carrot

Yum yum!!

The best part about this pizza?

BUBBLE!!  It was on Scott’s side and he said I could have it, but it was his fair and square so I wasn’t going to take it.  I did pout and lament about how he had great bubble and I did not though.

The sauce wasn’t too bad as a pizza sauce.  It was a tad sweeter than I like pasta/pizza sauces to be but that can easily be remedied by adding in some garlic powder.

We finished Wednesday’s Pens game while we ate dinner.  It was bad. Fluery (whom I do not particularly care for) was in the net and well, yeah.  It wasn’t a good game.  Wine for the evening was Blackstone Merlot and since it’s Halloween week, we had to be festive!

Wine out of themed plastic cups right here! Klassy!

I got Rocks settled on the couch and then we got all snug to watch some more TV.  Don’t be jealous of my Eeyore jammies now!

We watched Undercovers, is anyone else watching that show?  It’s alright but dang there’s a lot of nookie in that show.  I can handle some but when it seems forced, like it is put in there just to have it in there, then I start to roll my eyes and get disinterested.  We did give No Ordinary Family a shot but holy cow that show is horrible.  Horrible!  So I gave it up but Scott, who loves all things superhero *dorkcoughdork*, is still watching.

After a while I headed upstairs to read for a bit before crashing out.  I’m ready for the weekend, how about you?  Can you believe next week is November?!

Hi pretties!  Pizza Thursday was a little different this week because we had pizza out!  I know craziness!

Yesterday I was at an event for a brand new grocery store (more on that next week!) that just opened up in the area and I was gone all. day. long.  I know it might sound odd but it was really fun and getting an in-depth tour on how a business is run is really interesting.

Since I was gone all day, clearly there was no time for me to make dough or prep toppings.  Since the store had an in-house pizza department we decided to test it out and see how they did.

They have a bunch of toppings to pick from and the pizza is made in wood fired brick ovens.  They did not have whole wheat crust at that time but plan on getting it soon.  Since this was the first day of operations and the store was a madhouse filled to the brim with loads of people, I can live with white crust.  Ya know?

The pizzas come in personal sizes and you can order one or four at a time.  Since this was for both Scott and I, we went with the four pizzas option.

One pizza had:

• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Artichoke

Second pizza had:

• Red Onion
• Green and Red Peppers

The pizza was really good!  The crust was fluffy and thick, cooked perfectly.  The sauce wasn’t too sweet and they were very liberal with the cheese.  Next time I would probably ask for light on the cheese because for me, it was almost too cheesy.

I liked the first one more than the second and had more of that.  Since we don’t eat the crust ends because we save those for Rocks (LUCKY!), the pizza slices end up being small.  I ate one and half of the pizzas.  YUM!

We watched Wednesday’s night’s hockey game while munching.  Not the greatest of games.  I don’t know what they’ve got going on but dang they need to pull it together.

Needless to say I was exhausted yesterday so I kicked it in bed before 10pm.  Life of the party right here!

Hi gang!  How is everyone’s week going?  Scott and I have been slammed!  I know I keep saying this week after week, but seriously, each week keeps getting crazier. :o  I’m a little stressed over stuff right now because I have so much going on.  I’m starting to have anxiety dreams, do you get those?  My most common ones are that I’m in high school and can’t find my locker.  EVER.  If for some magical reason I make to my locker, there’s a lock on it and I don’t know the combination. FYI, in real life I never had a lock on my lockers and our lockers were not the ones with locks built in.  So you can see why this would stress me out!

Next one is that I’m driving and the brakes aren’t working properly.  I have to put all my weight onto the brake and hope that the car finally slows down so that I don’t hit the person in front of me.

I’m also battling a small cold-type thing.  Monday evening I felt a little off and by Tuesday I totally felt like butt.  Wednesday I was okay and by yesterday evening I was exhausted and not feeling well again.

I haven’t talked about it too much but I’m running the Columbus Marathon next weekend and I really don’t have time to be sick!  For the record, I’m running the half and not the full (originally I typed that “fool”  HA!).  I’m a half girl and not a marathon girl just so we’re all on the same page.

Anyway let’s talk pizza!  Dough turned out fabs yesterday and so did the pizza.

• Whole Wheat Crust
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded moz
• Shredded Carrot
• Red Onion
• Artichoke hearts
• Sundried tomatoes
• Spicy Italian sausage

Yum!  The sundried tomatoes didn’t burn or get crispy this time around because I soaked them in hot water first.  That helped so much!  They plumped up and got even sweeter.  A few pieces had some crispy dark edges but nothing catastrophic.

The Italian sausage is actually sausage that was made during a sausage making class that Scott and I attended.  Lots more on that topic in the future!  It added a nice touch to the pizza and it’s all from local sources and it was homemade, can’t beat that!

Wine of the evening was one of our favorites, Da Vinci Chianti!  It’s a lovely deep red with a pretty intense dryness at the end (to us).

Okay gang here’s the deal, it is now officially HOCKEY season!  Which means instead of me talking about Roadshow, I’ll probably talk about hockey instead.

I’m also pretty sure this will bore you.

Last night was the first Pens game of the season (not counting preseason games) and they played in their brand spanking new arena!  Too bad the game was horrible and they lost.  Okay, the game wasn’t that bad but they really seemed to be scrambling and not really quite sure what they were doing.  Gah!  Next game is tomorrow!

Alright, time to publish.  Tell me how you’ve been doing this week!