Velveeta Eats and A Couple of Sweets!

Another week has flown by and it seemed to be centered around one very special item, Velveeta! First up, some Spicy Cheesy Mini Meatloaves for a quick weeknight meal. This was my first time using Velveeta and it was amazing!

Since I couldn't seen to get enough of the stuff, some Famous Queso Dip while watching football.

Next up, Ultimate Nachos (with chicken instead of beef) because we still had more Velveeta left. (Football makes us really hungry for cheese!)

Finally, Cheeseburger Pizza, which literally combined our favorite 2 items into 1!

Coming off of our Velveeta high, I made some simple hot dogs with grilled peppers and onions and spiced up with Jalapenos and Jalapeno cheese.

Now onto some sweets! I haven't posted many cookies recently because they haven't been that interesting. (Chocolate Chips have been a very reused theme!) On a recent grocery trip, I found Pillsbury's Maple Brown Sugar Cookie Mix and it just seemed perfect for the season. They were super easy to make and I added Butterscotch Chips for extra flavor. They turned out really yummy and no one knew they weren't made from scratch! Shhh....

For my manager's birthday, I made some Chocolate Cupcakes (using cake mix) topped with Pink Vanilla Frosting. SO pretty and sweet!

Fast Five Followed by Fast Pizza!

We've been waiting for Fast Five to come out for months now and were so excited to watch it. My verdict? LOVED it! It's one of those movies with lots of action, funny dialogues and some of my favorite actors! We went to a 5pm showing to avoid the crowds and were starving by the time we got out. (I swear Popcorn and Skittles only make me hungrier!) Dinner had to be quick so of course, pizza was on the menu. This one was definitely yummy topped with Rotisserie Chicken mixed with Honey BBQ Sauce, Smoked Gouda Cheese and fresh Thyme. What a perfect Saturday!

Nigella's Crustless Pizza Take 2

I REALLY liked the Crustless Pizza I made last time using Nigella's recipe so I thought I'd make another one using asparagus. I love how easy it is and you can basically switch up the toppings any way you like. The "pizza" also tastes more like a quiche with the eggs and milk, which is a nice change from a crunchy crust. I blanched the asparagus for a few minutes just so they would soften and brown nicely in the oven. It came out SO good and just perfect Sunday football snacking! (Can you believe it's almost Super Bowl time?)

Welcoming my Hubby Home Neely Style!

Nothing says "Welcome Home" like pizza and tonight I welcomed Greg home with the Neely's Chicken Alfredo Pizza! I took a few shortcuts and used precooked chicken strips and Boboli Pizza Crust so it was very quick to put together. I've never made Alfredo Sauce from scratch before but it was really easy and definitely tasted better than the jarred stuff! I also used some left-over Roasted Grape Tomatoes, which tasted amazing on the pizza! What a great way to start off the weekend!

Meatloaf Meets Pizza AGAIN!

Meatloaf and Pizza are 2 of Greg's favorite meals and together, it just doesn't get any better! I totally forgot that I've made something similar before but this time I topped the pie with lots of tomatoes and bell peppers. I think when you have so many veggies in a dish, it makes you feel a lil less guilty about all the meat and cheese!

Ingredients:


1-1/2 lb ground beef
1-1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 plum tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F.


2. Combine beef, 1/2 cup mozzarella, bread crumbs, 1/2 of the tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire and oregano in large bowl; stir until well blended.


3. Place meat mixture into 9-inch pie plate. Bake 35 minutes or until internal temperature reads 160°F. Drain fat.


4. Top with remaining mozzarella, tomato sauce, tomato, green bell pepper. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and veggies are soft. Cut into wedges to serve.

Nothing Says Welcome Home Like Pizza!

Greg's been traveling for work all week and I wanted to welcome him home with his favorite, Pizza. (For the first time his flight was actually on time!) He flew home from the East Coast on a 6-hour flight so I knew he'd be hungry. I know this is nothing fancy and I've probably taken pictures of my pizzas more than a dozen times but it just looks so pretty! Very festive too with the red pepperoni and green basil, don't you think? Welcome home honey, I'm glad you're back!

Going Crustless with My Pizza!

I was watching Nigella Kitchen over the weekend and wanted to try the Crustless Pizza she made. I had some tomatoes in the fridge so I used that as the topping instead of pepperoni (since she did say you could add whatever you want!) and it came out SO good! I left the pizza in the oven for about 10 minutes longer after I added the tomato slices cuz I wanted them to get softer. I also sprinkled some Parmesan on top along with the tomatoes cuz pizza is just not pizza without some Parmesan right? Almost too pretty to eat! ALMOST!

Pizza Always Cheers Me Up!

We saw The Town this afternoon and really liked it! I won't give anything away but I was a lil sad at the end and nothing cheers me up like pizza! It's been a while since I made Chicken Pesto Pizza so I whipped up some homemade pesto using basil from my AeroGarden and we had a yummy Saturday dinner! It's amazing how quickly pizza can cheer me up!

Pizza for My Mexican Hubby!

I've made pizza lots of ways but never Mexican so tonight I decided to make Mexican Pizza! Greg is half Mexican and LOVES Mexican food so I knew he would like this. I topped the pizza with ground beef, Ortega Taco Sauce, Pepperjack Cheese and mushrooms. Super yummy Mexican flavors with just the right amount of kick!

Funny Movies Make Us Want Pizza!

Ok, actually what doesn't make us want pizza? We saw Grown Ups this afternoon and absolutely loved it! It was the perfect mixture of "guy humor", romantic comedy and stupid funny...otherwise known as the perfect summer movie (for us anyway)! I totally recommend it! Anyway, when we got home, we wanted nothing but an easy homemade pizza. Pepperoni, mushrooms and Mozzarella and DONE!

You Can't Rush Perfection...and I Did!

Patience is really not a virtue that I possess and that's why my 2nd attempt at Focaccia failed again. BUT this time, at least I didn't overbake it and it tasted like a very yummy flat bread! I followed this recipe using my bread machine to knead the dough, which was very easy. However, I didn't get home until after 7 and I was too impatient to wait for the cycle to end before taking the dough out. I mean, it seemed like it was ready! Anyway, you can see how flat and un-Focaccia like it looks but lemme tell you, it would make a REALLY good thin-crust pizza! I'm gonna attempt this again over the weekend when I have plenty of time so hopefully 3 time's a charm!

Almost Focaccia

I decided to try making Focaccia for the first time and it didn't turn out quite the way I had hoped. I think the problem was that my kitchen counter wasn't warm enough for my dough to rise fully. I also think I might have over-baked it slightly. The result wasn't bad, more like a flatbread than a Focaccia, topped with pesto, tomatoes and Parmesan. I'm definitely gonna give it another try though so stay tuned!

Finally...Deep Dish Pizza!

I was inspired by Joelen's BLT Pizza cuz Greg LOVES Deep Dish Pizza (he went to school in Chicago) but I was always intimidated by the crust. Her recipe sounded pretty easy using the stand mixer and I also liked the fact that the dough only had to rest for 10 minutes. Instead of BLT, I made Pepperoni and Mushrooms, cuz those are our favorite toppings. I also baked my pizza in a 10-inch spring-form pan cuz my cast iron is pretty small. I never thought I liked Deep Dish Pizza but this was good! The crust was thick and slightly crunchy from the cornmeal. I might add a bit less sauce next time cuz I think I went a lil overboard with it! I loved how the cheese was on the bottom cuz it's like a really good surprise as you bite into the pizza! I can't wait to experiment with more pizza dough now! I'm thinking Stuffed Crust next time...

Ingredients:


Crust:
1-1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 pkg quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2-2/3 c hot water (120-130°F)
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp cornmeal


Toppings:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 c pizza sauce
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
24 pepperoni slices
1 c sliced mushrooms


Prep:


1. Combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer to mix fitted with a dough hook.


2. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the stand mixer is running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Continue mixing until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.


3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.


4. Preheat oven to 450°F or highest setting. Sprinkle the cornmeal on pie pan or cast iron skillet. Press the dough onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Brush the top of the crust with olive oil.


5. Top the pizza with 1 cup of mozzarella, followed by the pizza sauce. Place the Pepperoni and mushrooms on top.


6. Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, or until the bottom of the pizza is crisp and golden. Remove pan from oven with oven-proof mittens.

North Beach Festival Fun!

This weekend is the 56th Annual North Beach Festival and it was super fun! We totally lucked out with the weather too since it was supposed to be cold and foggy but somehow the sun came out just for us!

After a long day of drinking, all we wanted for dinner was homemade pizza! (Well, almost homemade thanks to Boboli!) Topped with chopped Honey Ham and Mushrooms, TOTALLY hit the spot!

Celebrating Lakers' Win with PIZZA!

Not just ANY old pizza, BBQ Chicken Pizza! Big chunks of chicken tossed around in some Honey BBQ Sauce with mushrooms, Swiss cheese and LOTS of Mozzarella!

Rachael Ray's Pizza Bread Simplified

Yes, I know Rachael Ray makes 30 Minute Meals but I'm here to prove that I can make them even quicker! Greg loves pizza so I'm always looking for new recipes. (I know he never gets tired of the good old Pepperoni but I like the challenge!) I watched Rachael Ray make Bolognese Bread Pizza the other day and thought "what a great idea!" I already had some cooked ground beef in the fridge so I just reheated it in a pan with mushrooms and marinara sauce. Then I sliced some crusty Italian bread in half and topped each with the meat mixture and thick slices of Mozzarella cheese. 5 minutes under the broiler and we had some yummy 15 minute Pizza Bread for dinner! Beat THAT, Rachael Ray!

Lost Pizza

We sadly said good bye to one of our favorite shows tonight. We got hooked on Lost (like millions of other people) over the years and was sad to see it end. So to deal with our sadness, we made a Lost-themed dinner, a Hawaiian Pizza since the show was filmed on the island of Oahu. Yes, pizza makes everything ok!

2 of Greg's Favorites Combine in 1

On any given day, I know that I can make a Cheeseburger of a Pizza and Greg is a happy man. So as I was thinking about what to make for dinner, a genius idea came to me. Why don't I put them together and make a Cheeseburger Pizza? I mean, HOW did I not think of that before? I topped my good old Boboli crust with a mixture of pizza sauce and ketchup, followed by slices of Colby Jack Cheese. Then I topped it with cooked ground beef, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and LOTS of Mozzarella Cheese. Quick and easy and OH SO GOOD!

Pizza Pizza

Sometimes a picture is woth a thousand words...I just thought this was such a pretty picture and had to post it!

Breakfast of Champions

Pizza is actually pretty good at 9am on a Sunday morning! I mean, it's got Canadian Ham on it right? I had some pineapple chunks left over from making my Tropical Paradise Muffins, so when Greg wanted pizza for breakfast, Hawaiian Pizza was made! Those lil bits of green are fresh oregano from my Aero Garden. What a wonderful Sunday treat huh?