Whole Wheat Autumn Apple Pizza

Oh hello there Monday. We meet again.

I'm never quite ready for you Monday. Most Sunday nights I cook a warm comforting dinner and sit down on the couch with my hubby and watch our Sunday night Tv. Have you seen that new show, Once Upon a Time? It's so good. Afterwards I linger on the couch, dreading that I have to get up and figure out lunches for the next day.

I wish I had packed some of this leftover pizza for my lunch today.

But there were no leftovers!

This pizza is insanely delicious. And actually nutritious! It's covered in apples after all, right? I made this pizza while talking to a friend via Skype. She was so excited to be a part of my kitchen and see this pizza come together. Sadly, we lost connection right before the pizza was ready to come out of the oven. I had to post this for her today (and for you), so that she can get a move on and make it herself! ;P

Source: How Sweet It Is

For the dough:
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of your electric mixer with an attached dough hook, combine warm water, yeast, honey and oil and mix with a spoon. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until foamy, then add in flour and salt. Mix on low speed until just combined, then turn to medium speed to knead the dough for 5-6 minutes. If it seems to sticky, add a bit more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Brush a separate bowl with olive oil, add dough, turning once, then set in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2-2 hours. Cover with a towel.


For the pizza:
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large apple, very thinly sliced
5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into squares
1 small red onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup freshly grated gouda cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
8-10 sage leaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 15 minutes befor dough is ready to use, slice onions. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, then add onions with a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, soft and juicy. In the last minute, add garlic and cook for 60 seconds, then set aside off heat. While onions are cooking, cut bacon. Place on a paper-towel lined plate, and cover with another paper towel. Microwave for 3-4 minutes, just until the fat is rendered so the pizza is not incredible greasy. Set aside.

Remove pizza dough from the bowl and throw on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, roll and shape it into your desired shape. Brush with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with nutmeg. Slice apples (do not do this earlier unless you don’t mind brown apples), then add about 1/4 cup cheese onto the dough. Place a layer of apples on the cheese, then add the onions and garlic. Add the remaining cheese evenly over top, then finish with bacon and another layer of apples. Add a few pieces of sage if desired.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.


I'm obsessed.

Caramelized Onion, Apple, and Gorgonzola Pizza

This weekend I was craving my all time favorite pizza from California Pizza Kitchen- the Pear and Gorgonzola. If you've never had it, you don't know what you're missing! My first time going to a CPK was in Michigan, when the hubbs and I were apartment hunting. With the first bite of that pizza I was in love.

We didn't feel like going to the actual restaurant this weekend, so I decided to make my own version. I did a little searching online but didn't find an exact recipe, so I improvised.

I used apples instead of pears and pecans instead of walnuts. I chopped up an onion, took out some gorgonzola cheese and grated some mozzarella and pecorino romano cheese. I looove the greens on top of that pizza, so I added my own, using cesar dressing, which actually had a very similar taste effect.

It came out perfect, if I do say so myself.

We had a few leftover slices and I had them a few days later. It still tasted amazing. :)

Source: This Woman Cooks! Original, inspired by California Pizza Kitchen

Whole wheat dough- this is the recipe I used

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 apple, sliced and peeled

1 chopped onion

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 shredded pecorino romano

2 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Roll out dough and place on a pizza stone, if using. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add chopped onion and stir, making sure to coat onions evenly in oil. Cook unitl onions begin to get soft, add honey and stir. Cook until onions begin to brown and add sliced apples, stirring to coat. Cook for 1 or 2 more minutes.

While onion mixture is cooking, drizzle the dough with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Top with cheeses. Once the apples in the onion mixture have softened, sprinkle over pizza along with the pecans and gorgonzola cheese. Transfer pizza to over and bake for 30 minutes. 

Happy Hump Day! How has your week been going?

Tomato, Spinach Goat Cheese Pizza

Pizza night is a new addition to our house. We don't have pizza often, never order it for delivery, and rarely buy it at the store. Don't get me wrong- we're no pizza haters. I love a good slice or two...or three. Just not from any delivery service or frozen food aisle. I am a gourmet pizza gal, pizza from a good Italian pizzeria, coming out of a wood burning oven, pizza from California Pizza Kitchen (Pear & Gorgonzola, if you haven't tried it, you haven't lived).

I loved the different kinds pizza that we had in Italy, on our honeymoon.

Simple. Delicious. So tasty. Italy. How I miss thee.

Lately I've been obsessed with making my own pizza at home. I love making the dough from scratch, peeking to see if it has risen, grabbing  my rolling pin to roll it out (I love my rolling pin, it makes me giddy). This weekend I wanted to recreate the only frozen pizza that I will buy, on occasion. Target's Archer Farms Spinach & Goat Cheese pizza. It's so good, we dream about it and the globs of goat cheese...

This is my version. I hope you try it!

For the dough
Source: How Sweet It Is

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Combine flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, honey and oil, mixing with a spoon to form into a ball. Continue mixing with your hands and kneed for about 60 seconds. Lightly oil bowl and add dough back in. Cover and let rise for 2-3 hours.

After 2-3 hours, remove from bowl and punch down. Roll back into ball and let sit for 30 minutes.

Lay on lightly floured surface and roll very thin. Top with toppings and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

For the Toppings
3/4 cup tomato or pizza sauce (I pureed a can of whole tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 garlic powder 1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
7-8 slices of goat cheese, plus more for crumbling
6-7 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup defrosted spinach
salt and pepper
olive oil

After rolling out your dough, transfer it to your pizza stone or baking dish. Make sure to flour or use non-stick spray on your pan. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the dough and spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle the oregano, basil, and garlic powder over the sauce, followed by the cheeses. Place the slices of goat cheese on top. Add the tomatoes and defrosted spinach, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

What's pizza night like in your house?

Weekend Eats & Treats

I don't usually post about what I eat on a daily basis, but I've just got to share these eats with you. We're going to work backwards here. Starting with today.

Sunday: I am obsessed with this cinnamon bread from Aunt Miller's.

I want to eat it all day every day. Spread with some apple butter on top- oh my god. Greatest thing ever!! It was my breakfast this morning.

Saturday: Last night, after coming home from shoe shopping and a great girl's day out, I made Broccoli Cheddar Soup and some biscuits to go along with it.

Holy biscuits. These are good! Recipe forthcoming!

Friday: Friday night I made pizza, using Target's Archer Farms Spinach and Goat Cheese pizza as my inspiration. It is my favorite frozen pizza. My version is just as good, if not better, if I do say so myself...

Oh yeah, and these are the shoes I got. I know you're curious. :)

Sigh. Ready for Spring, anyone?

What should be for dinner tonight? I'm not sure...what are you having?

Chicken, Bacon, Tomato Ranch Pizza

It happened folks. I made my first pizza dough from scratch and lived to tell you about it. Remember, I was nervous/worried/freaked out on Saturday about this dough. It didn't seem to be rising at all. I waited more than 3 hours to see what would happen. If I told you what I did to see if I could get it to rise, you'd probably never take me seriously again. Let's just say it all worked out somehow and I am so happy to be sharing this with you!

I followed the directions for this dough to a T (except for allowing the dough to "rise" for more than three hours). After punching it and waiting another 30 minutes I rolled it out on the counter. My jaw dropped when I discovered how easy it was to roll out. I thought it was going to be sticky and stick to the rolling pin or be super tough. Neither one happened. It rolled out smoothly, gliding across my counter effortlessly. I was in shock.

I decided to go with one of my favorite pizza recipes for the topping. I topped it with chicken, bacon, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, mozzarella, and ranch dressing. Ranch, you say? Yeah, I thought it was weird too- but it's SO GOOD!

I was all giddy as it was baking up in the oven. I had to resist the urge to pull open the oven door 2324 times. The kitchen smelled amazing.

Sadly, I don't own a pizza stone (one of the many items I don't have in my kitchen!) so I set it on a cutting board to slice.

Oh sweet Jesus.

The hubbs and I settled on the couch with our slices to watch Megamind. Super cute, funny movie. Have you seen it?

For the dough
Source: How Sweet It Is

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Combine flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, honey and oil, mixing with a spoon to form into a ball. Continue mixing with your hands and kneed for about 60 seconds. Lightly oil bowl and add dough back in. Cover and let rise for 2-3 hours.

After 2-3 hours, remove from bowl and punch down. Roll back into ball and let sit for 30 minutes.

Lay on lightly floured surface and roll very thin. Top with toppings and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

For the Toppings
Source: adapted from Buon Appetito

1/2 ranch dressing, or enough to cover the dough
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
6 cherry tomatoes (1/2 can of diced tomatoes works too)
1/4 cup chopped onion (I omitted it this time, but have topped it with onions in the past)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread ranch dressing over dough. Top with cheeses, chicken, bacon, and tomatoes. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?