Mini calzones

These mini calzones from Food & Wine are fun & delicious. There's just something irresistible about these shrunken pizzas!  You can experiment with different fillings, changing it to suit your taste.  I did half of ours with pesto, ricotta, and pepperoni, and the other half with marinara, ricotta and pepperoni.  We loved both versions, and I served marinara on the side for dipping.  My kids devoured these too, so it's a family friendly meal!

MINI PEPPERONI, RICOTTA AND PESTO CALZONES

Yield: 16 calzones

Ingredients:

DOUGH:

1 cup warm water (110 degrees is ideal for the yeast)

1 tablespoon honey

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

3 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

1 cup ricotta cheese

4-6 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni, chopped

1/4 cup jarred basil pesto

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

Olive oil, for frying

Instructions:

MAKE THE DOUGH:

In a large bowl, stir the warm water, honey and yeast until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir until a loose batter forms. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour until almost completely incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a work surface with any remaining flour and knead until the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and silky, 7 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and brush all over with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into balls and transfer to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes.

FILL THE CALZONES:

Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a 4-inch round, a scant 1/8 inch thick. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta on one half of the round, then top with 2 to 4 pepperoni slices and a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of the pesto. Fold the dough over to form a half moon and press the edge to seal tightly. Crimp the edge with a fork or pinch at intervals to make pleats. Transfer the calzone to a baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make the remaining calzones.

Preheat the oven to 325°.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 350°. Fry 4 calzones at a time, turning once, until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the calzones on paper towels and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest. Serve hot.

** MAKE AHEAD: The stuffed calzones can be prepared through Step 3 and frozen for up to 1 month. Let the calzones return to room temperature before frying.

Poblano and pepper jack pizza

We made this tasty pizza from Every Day with Rachael Ray for dinner a few weeks ago.  The poblano peppers and pepper jack cheese give it a little kick, but it isn't super-spicy, so don't be afraid. The cool avocado on top is a nice touch, too.  We looooove pizza at this house, and this one is a winner!

POBLANO AND PEPPER JACK PIZZA

Ingredients

3 tablespoons EVOO

2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

1 teaspoons ground cumin

Salt and pepper

1 large poblano pepper, quartered and seeded

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into wedges (root ends attached)

Pizza dough, store-bought or homemade

1/4 cup store-bought salsa verde

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated pepper jack cheese

1 ripe avocado, sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Lime wedges, for squeezing

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill to 500 degrees . In a small bowl, mix together the EVOO, garlic and cumin; season with salt.  Place the poblano and onions on a baking sheet; brush with 1 tbsp. of the cumin oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, turning with tongs, until the vegetables are charred in spots, about 5 minutes. Return the poblano and onions to the baking sheet. Cut the poblano into 1/4- to 1/3-inch strips.

2. Lower the heat on one side of the the grill to low. Oil the grate on that side of the grill. Move the shaped dough to the grill. Lower the edge of the dough onto the oiled grill, draping the dough perpendicular to the grate. Cover the grill and cook until the crust begins to bubble and brown, about 3 minutes. Loosen the crust with a metal spatula; cover and cook for 1 minute more. Flip the crust over; cook until beginning to brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Invert the crusts flat side down onto a baking sheet.

3. Brush the crust generously with the cumin oil. Spread the crust with the salsa verde, then top with the pepper jack cheese, poblano slices, and onions. Place the baking sheet on the cooler side of grill, cover and cook until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes (or in a 450 degree oven).  Off the heat, top the pizzas with the avocado and cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges.

** Alternatively you can cook this in the oven instead of on the grill.  Char the oiled poblano pepper and onions on broil, then prebake your pizza crust for a 6-8 minutes at 450 degrees.  Then pick-up at step 3...

Jalapeno popper pizza

We made Closet Cooking's jalapeno popper pizza last week, and it was delicious.  The jalapeno ranch is the VIP here- not only does it serve as the sauce, but we preferred our pizza slices dipped in it as well.  Yum!

JALAPENO POPPER PIZZA

Yield: 1 large pizza

Ingredients

1 pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)

3 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature

5 tablespoons jalapeno ranch dressing (we mixed 1/3 cup ranch dressing and 1 chopped jalapeno in a food processor, to taste)

2 jalapeno peppers, sliced, and seeded if you prefer less heat

4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces and cooked

1 cup mozzarella, shredded

1 cup cheddar, shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the cream cheese into the jalapeno ranch dressing.

Roll the dough out into a circle roughly 12 inches across and spread the creamy jalapeno ranch dressing over it.

Sprinkle the jalapeno peppers, bacon, and cheeses onto the pizza.  Bake until golden brown on top, about 5-10 minutes.

Parmesan crust pizza

I bookmarked this page for parmesan pizza dough a few weeks ago and it made it into the dinner rotation tonight. I used it for a simple pepperoni pizza - quick marinara, pepperoni slices from the deli counter, and fresh mozzarella. My dough was really sticky when I was trying to roll it, so I was worried how it was going to turn out. But we all LOVED it - even the kids - and you can really taste the parmesan cheese in the crust. This will be added to my go-to pizza dough favorites!

Chicken, red grape, and pesto pizza

Dinner tonight was chicken, red grape, and pesto pizza from Cooking Light. Sounds like an interesting combination, huh? Don't be skeptical - this is a delicious pizza!! I made a homemade thin crust pizza dough and baked my own chicken, then followed the recipe as is (actually, I forgot to top it with scallions but didn't realize it until we were almost finished - oops). Just trust me on this one- try it!

Bacon, potato, rosemary & fontina pizza

 Last week we tried Tyler Florence's bacon, potato, rosemary & fontina pizza, and it was delicious!! The recipe calls for topping it with arugula and a squeeze of lemon. We tried it that way plus plain, and liked them both. If you already have arugula in the fridge, use it -if not, just serve it without. The pizza tastes great leftover, too!

French onion grilled pizzas

Dinner last night was French onion grilled pizzas from Rachael Ray's magazine. (I made homemade pizza crust from a Bobby Flay recipe here). We modified the recipe for indoor cooking - cooked the bacon and onions in saute pans on the stove, grilled the pizza crusts on a grill pan, and broiled them in the oven once they were topped to melt the cheese. Also, we put the tomatoes on with the rest of the toppings so they would be warm, instead of at the end. This pizza recipe sounded simplistic (no sauce?!), but it turned out to have a lot of flavor. Robert and I both really enjoyed this one!

Pizza dip

My contribution to the Super Bowl party this year was cheesy pepperoni dip, a recipe I saw on another food blog called Noble Pig. I omitted the black olives (personal preference) and followed the rest of the recipe as is. Hot, cheesy, and yum!

Chicago-style deep dish pizza

One look at this recipe and I knew it would be outstanding - and it was!! The dough is buttery and rich, the sauce is delicious, and all that cheese... YUM! We added pepperoni's between the mozzarella and sauce layer, and followed the rest of the recipe as is. (This makes one 9-inch pizza).

09.26.09 Beef tenderloin grilled flatbread

Over the weekend, we made beef tenderloin grilled flatbread, a Bobby Flay recipe. Every component adds a ton of flavor - the white bean puree was great as a dip with tortilla chips, and roasting the shallots made them out-of-this-world delicious! I halved the dough recipe, which made 2 flatbreads instead of 4, so I have one in the freezer for another day. Similar to grilling pizza - a must-try!!

09.12.09 Mexi-pizza

We made Rachael Ray's mexi-pizza last weekend, including her homemade chorizo (just browning ground pork with spices) because I couldn't find fresh sausages at my grocery stores. I also couldn't find queso fresco, so I substituted ricotta as suggested. I love anything with roasted poblano peppers - they are great on burgers, too. This was a delicious, meaty pizza, with lots of spice!

9.1.09. Spicy Shrimp Pizza (Guest Post!)

My people. You missed me. I know you did, and I missed you too. Robert here with a guest post, straight out of Blue Mountain Beach, FL - and bringin the heat.

Tonight was homemade pizza night and we've become accustomed to grilling our pizza crusts. I got my creative juices flowing and came up with this shrimp pizza recipe. We marinated shrimp in a mixture of oil, chopped cilantro, and 1 minced habanero pepper. We fired up the grill to roast a poblano and a red pepper (until charred) and then threw on the shrimp (just a few minutes on each side). Then we grilled the pizza crust (about 1 to 2 minutes per side).

Then it was time to construct our masterpiece. We topped the crust with homemade marinara sauce (that you better be making!), skinned and chopped the peppers and added them. Then we added the grilled shrimp, some chopped cilantro, and a few handfuls of mozzarella cheese. Finally, we julienned a raw jalapeno pepper and added that on top of the cheese.

After putting the whole thing under the oven broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese, this baby was ready to eat!

08.01.09 Grilled pizza

We had another successful turn grilling pizza last weekend at the lake. We tried a new dough recipe - a thin crust from Cooking Light - that is light and crispy. Robert grilled the dough for a few minutes on each side, then we topped them and broiled them in the oven a minute to melt the cheese. The pizza on the left is like a caprese salad with dough - homemade marinara, rounds of fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves. The pizza on the right is BBQ chicken - McClard's BBQ sauce, red onion, grilled chicken basted in the BBQ sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Both were delicious and will be repeated soon!

07.27.09 Grilled pizza

We made more grilled pizza this week, this time featuring a homemade pizza dough. We think the Pillsbury refrigerated crust is pretty tasty, but it's too thin and fragile to grill with. I had been wanting to try homemade dough anyway, and we were thrilled with the results! It definitely tastes more authentic, and it isn't too difficult to make, just a little time consuming because of the rising. This recipe made 2 portions - we used one immediately and froze the other. For last night's pizza, we grilled the dough for 2-3 minutes on each side over medium heat, on our grill pan on the stovetop. After grilling, we topped it with marinara sauce, cheese and pepperoni, then broiled it in the oven for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese bubbled and browned. Delicious!!

07.04.09 Spicy chicken pizza - GUEST POST

Holla! (or Challa to you foodies out there) - Robert here making another guest post on Lindsay's Menu. We decided to make pizzas on 4th of July and I had the creative juices flowing. I decided on what I named the "3-pepper Firecracker Chicken Pizza" (in honor of the 4th of course). We started with Rachel Ray's simple tomato sauce (which Lindsay regularly reminds you that you need to be making!) and then roasted some peppers on the grill - 3 jalapenos, 1 pablano, and 1 red pepper. After a few minutes on high heat and sufficiently blistered, we removed the skins and seeds and julienned them.

Meanwhile we heated a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil on high heat and added 2 chicken breasts seasoned with blackening seasoning. Once cooked we added the diced chicken, peppers, and a few small yellow and red vine tomatoes (halved) to the sauced crust, topped it with cheese and popped in in the oven.

It's good stuff! But make sure you have something to drink nearby!

05.01.09 Grilled pizza with sausage and peppers

Dinner tonight was grilled sausage and pepper pizza from Bobby Flay. All this post really needs to say is - do yourself a favor and make this recipe - but of course I'll elaborate... I have been hearing a lot lately about making pizza on the grill, and this was our first time trying it. It definitely has a different flavor than pizza baked in the oven, and it's fantastic! My suggestions and changes are as follows: 1) I used Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough, 2) the onions and peppers took longer than 8 minutes to soften on the grill, so I suggest starting them with the sausage and just keeping an eye on them, 3) we made Bobby's tomato and mozzarella salad to give us another reason to use the basil vinagarette. The pizza recipe is a bit complicated/time consuming, but I think it's worth the effort. If it's too much for you, at least try your own favorite pizza recipe on the grill - I may never bake a pizza again!

02.23.09 Blackened chicken pizza

Dinner tonight was Rachael Ray's blackened chicken pizza. This is one of our all-time favorites. The spices on the chicken are perfect, and the yellow tomato salsa is irresistible! (Sorry I don't have a picture - I was without my camera for a few days). But trust me, you HAVE to try this one!

01.05.09 White pizza

Dinner tonight was White Pizza from Cooking Light. I was surprised we liked it for two reasons: 1) it's meatless (Robert), and 2) there isn't any marinara sauce (me). Just a couple of notes - I prepared the crust like I do for all of my pizzas: used a refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough, sprinkled cornmeal on the baking sheet for crispness, brushed the crust with olive oil, and pre-cooked for 8 minutes. Delicious!

01.23.09 Philly cheesesteak pizza

Dinner tonight was Rachael Ray's Philly cheesesteak pizza. This is one of Robert's favorites - but you definitely have to like onion to enjoy this one! (This post on how to caramelize onions was very helpful for me - great tips on how often to stir, when to add salt, etc). Our favorite pizza dough is the refrigerated Pillsbury one, and the rest of the ingredients are self-explanatory. The tip to sprinkle cornmeal on the pan under the dough works great for all homemade pizzas - it makes the crust extra crispy.