Pizza! Pizza!

Had to give a few props to John's old days slinging pizza at the Little Caesar's. His pizza tossing technique definitely comes in handy when we are making our own (and a bit more sophisticated) pizza at home. We discovered Trader Joe's pizza dough a few months ago and have certainly been having fun with our creations. The dough is delicious, and so much easier than making it yourself... not to mention it's only $1.99 per bag. It bakes up thin and crispy but stays soft and perfectly chewy... Yum! They make a white and a whole wheat dough, and both are equally as good. The white is a little easier to roll out, but the wheat gives that yeasty, slightly sweet taste that goes perfect with a spicy red tomato sauce. We get most of our ingredients from the farmers market, and those we can't find at the market we try to find as local and fresh as we can get. I really think this makes a huge difference in any food you make, and even more so on these pizzas, where the veggies are at the forefront of this meal.

These pizzas take about 20 minutes to bake, so it is a very quick, easy and fun dinner to make. The really great thing is you can cut the dough to make anywhere from two to four smaller pizzas, or you can cut them in half, fill with yumminess and fold over to make calzones! Our daughter is still a little small to chow down on a slice, but older kids will love making their own pizzas... And you don't have to eat their creative ideas! It is always best to roll the dough as thin as possible and place on a pizza stone or baking sheet before adding the toppings. Makes it much easier to transport to the oven!

Here are a few of our favorite combos:

"The Buena Vida Court"
1 medium sweet onion caramelized in butter and olive oil
6-8 figs, cut in half lengthwise
Blue cheese, crumbled (buy a wedge and crumble yourself if possible)
Fresh mozzarella
Olive oil
Fresh garlic, minced
Fresh arugula

Brush the dough with olive oil and minced garlic. Add thin slices of mozzarella, then the figs and onions. Sprinkle the blue cheese on top and bake according to directions on the dough package. After it's out of the oven, sprinkle arugula over top and enjoy!

"The Cecilia"
1 cup loosely packed fresh spinach
1 medium yellow onion, caramelized
1 container mushrooms, cooked with onions
5 fresh garlic cloves, roasted
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes. Heirlooms are delicious if they are in season!
Slices of fresh mozzarella
Goat cheese

Brush the dough with olive oil. Spread tomatoes around and cover with onions, mushrooms and garlic cloves. Layer the cheeses, drizzle with extra olive oil, sprinke with extra sea salt, and bake till done! This is a go-to favorite.

"The After-Party"

2 or 3 packages of mushrooms, depending on your love for mushrooms... I use 3! Slice them thin, microwave covered for 5 minutes to get the juice out, and do a quick saute with a little butter and salt and for some extra flavor.
Fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
Parmesan, shaved thin, not shredded
Fontina, thinly sliced
Fresh feta, packed in water if you can find it (Trader Joe's has a great one)
JJ's tomato sauce
                                         Chopped Parsley to sprinkle on after cooking

Spread a layer of the sauce over the dough, top with the cheese and add the mushrooms. Layer it on thick! The pictures are of this pizza, but made by pre-vegetarian us. There is some yummy pancetta in there too if you are into that!