Artichoke Mushroom and Prosciutto Pizza

For those of you who live in the Milwaukee area do yourself a favor and eat at Transfer Pizza, you wont be disappointed. In my mind they have the best pizza in the Milwaukee area. They offer gluten free options as well as a variety of pasta dishes, but the pizza is a must! Every time we have dinner there we get the Prosciutto Fungi, which is the inspiration for this pizza.

Ingredients( Serves 4)

• 1lb fresh pizza dough ( I used Trader Joe’s fresh pizza Dough)
• 2 table spoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 11/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup button mushrooms thinly sliced
• 4 canned artichoke hearts diced
• 3 slices prosciutto torn into pieces
• 1 tablespoon parsley finely minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough into a 12in round, and transfer to a pizza stone. Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Top prepared crust  with cheese, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and prosciutto. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until pizza is bubbly and lightly browned. Top with parsley, slice, and serve.

 

Breakfast Pizza

To help celebrate a friends Birthday a few weekends ago I decided to make a big breakfast pizza to bring along to eat the next morning. I love making homemade pizza since I get to pick all the ingredients. For this pizza I like to keep it very traditional with your standard breakfast ingredients. To start preheat your oven to 400, and insert your pizza stone to let it start warming up. (If you don’t already have a pizza stone they are a great investment, and take your pizza crust from good to FANTASTIC! Here is a link to the one I use, it is Food Network brand from Kohls.)

Ingredients

• 1 fresh or frozen pizza dough brought to room temperature
•  Flour for dusting
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil ( Use your Misto if you have one,  or a small brush if you don’t)
• 3 Eggs scrambled
• 1/2 lb of  Country sausage
• 1/2 Cup of assorted diced peppers
• 1 Small diced onion  (1/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 Cups shredded Colby Jack cheese.
• 1 Tablespoon chopped Parsley

Special Items Needed

• Rolling pin
• Parchment paper
• Pizza stone

Directions

Begin by preparing the pizza dough. Roll the dough into  a 12 inch round using  a rolling pin, adding flour as need. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper to avoid any sticking, and place pizza on a cookie sheet since you will be transferring it into the oven. If you are not using a pizza stone place the pizza on whatever pan you plan to bake it on. Next  spray the dough using your Misto or brush with olive oil.  Allow the dough to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook the 3 eggs in a pan till just under done (They will finish cooking in the oven). In a separate pan cook the Country sausage along with the diced pepper and onions. Allow this mixture to cool before assembling the pizza.

To assemble start with the eggs. Spread evenly over the pizza leaving a 1 inch boarder. Top eggs with half of the cheese. Next add the sausage, pepper, and onion mixture . Finish by topping with the remaining shredded cheese and a sprinkle of parsley.

Since I am not baking my pizza right away I will cover it, and store it in the refrigerator over night.  In the morning I will allow the pizza to come to room temperature while my oven and stone preheat.

For those of you that plan on baking yours right away transfer pizza to your warmed pizza stone, and bake for  12-15 minutes. It many take a few minutes longer for those of you using an aluminum pizza pan. So watch your oven.

Once the pizza is bubbly, and starting to brown remove from the oven and allow the pizza to cool just slightly. Slice and serve warm with a big cup of coffee or an Almost Famous Bloody Mary!

This turned out so good I can’t wait to make it again!

Lasagna Bread

Alex and I are currently training for a half marathon, so after our long run days we like to do some carb loading! The race is only 3 weeks away so we are trying to stay motivated, which is hard since it seems like our bodies are giving out on us :). There has been a lot of hip cracking, and sore muscles in our house lately!

I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. The recipe had all of those great lasagna flavors, but didn’t require you to fuss with cooking noodles. I made a few simple adjustments to the Rachael Ray recipe to make it even easier for weeknight dining, and added some greenery.

Recipe Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 Jar of Your favorite sauce
• 3 Cloves or Garlic Grated
• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 lb of Ground Meat (I used venison, but beef, turkey, or even pork would be great)
• 2 oz of  Fresh Spinach (A big handful)
• 1 Cup Park Skim Ricotta Cheese
• 1/4 Cup GratedParmesan Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons of Fresh Parsley Chopped
• 1 Loaf of Ciabatta, Split lengthwise
• 2 Cups of grated Mozzarella Cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then warm your jar of marinara sauce over medium-low heat, with the grated garlic for 10 minutes. While the sauce simmers, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the meat, and cook till fully browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add marinara sauce to the ground meat and, stir in the spinach. Allow the spinach to wilt. Next, combine the ricotta, parmesan, and parsley in a bowl.
•  To assemble, place the bread on a baking sheet. Evenly distribute the meat sauce over the top of each half of bread; dollop with ricotta mixture and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake until melted and bubbly, 10-15 minutes. Cut into large chunks and serve.

This meal is very hearty and can feed a crowd, or two hungry runners! To round things out serve with a big Cesar Salad or Lemon Green Beans.