the super bowl is just around the corner, and these definitely need to find a spot on your spread.  they’re basically a dinner roll, made with pizza dough and filled with cheese and pepperoni.  i tried a new pizza dough recipe for this, and the key ingredient is honey.  it’s a different dough than my chicago style dough, but it is perfect for rolls.  next time i want to add a bit of rosemary to change things up.

slightly adapted from: the doctor’s kitchen

• 1 c warm water
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 packet yeast
• 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• mozzarella cheese, cubed
• pepperoni slices
• evoo, to top rolls
• italian seasoning, to top rolls
• parmesan cheese, to top rolls

1. combine honey and warm water in a bowl.  sprinkle with yeast and allow to foam.
2. put flour in a bowl and stir yeast mixture in.  add oil and salt, in the end.
3. put mixture on a floured surface, and knead for ten minutes, until smooth.
4. oil dough ball and place in a covered glass bowl.  allow to rise until doubled, for about two hours.
   
   
   
5. when ready to make rolls, pre-heat oven to 400°.
6. divide dough into twelve equal parts.
7. fill each ball with a cube of mozzarella cheese.
   
   
   
8. seal dough around the cheese and place seam side down, in a pie dish.  repeat for remaining dough.
   
   
   
9. combine oil and spices and brush over dough.  sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
   
   
   
10. allow to rise again, for another 3o min.
    
    
    
11. bake at 400° for 16-20 minutes.  serve with warm pizza sauce or ranch dressing.
    
    
    

enjoy!

on my first trip to chicago in 7th grade, i had a slice of chicago style pizza.  it was love at first bite.   years later, i discovered that my mom had a stonewear chicago style pizza pan and have been making my own chicago style pizza ever since.  (thanks for giving me your pan, mom! )

i have been through a few different recipes for dough.  it all started with freezer section bread dough, which was great, but difficult to find in stores that are not vg’s.  then, i tried a variety of box mixes, and none had the same texture or flavor.  this most recent recipe is the closest that i’ve found to a true chicago style crust.  it’s full of cornmeal and is very buttery.  it’s the perfect pizza crust!

also, as a side note… i’m very excited about my new wa kitchen because it has a skylight and helps with making great pics for the blog!  this is one of my first blogs with sky-lit pics and hopefully there will be plenty more to come!

source: pizzamaking.com

• 3 1/2 c flour
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1/2 c cornmeal
• 1/2 c canola oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (i’m a fan of fleischmann’s pizza crust yeast, it is designed just for kneading out pizza crust)
• part-skim mozzarella cheese
• assorted toppings
• pizza sauce
• parmesan cheese
• oregano flakes

1. you’ll want to get started the day before you want the pizza.  greatness takes time!
2. in a bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, add water, sugar, yeast, flour, cornmeal and salt.
3. mix on low speed for a few minutes until the dough comes together and then add the oil.  mix dough for 5 more minutes.
   
   
4. form the dough into a ball and place into a bowl.  (use the stand mixer bowl, if you don’t have any other plans for it.)  cover loosely with plastic wrap and then a dish towel.
   
   
5. place in the fridge overnight to rise.
   
   
6. one hour prior to baking, remove the dough from the fridge and pre-heat the oven to 450°, about 30 min before you put your pizza in the oven.
   
   
7. coat your baking pan with some evoo.  after resting for an hour, start kneading your dough out into your pizza pan. press it out until it covers the bottom of the pan and then begin to press the dough up the sides of the pan.  this may require some pulling, make sure the dough reaches the top of the pan.
8. cover the bottom of the dough with slices of cheese.
   
   
9. add your toppings.  tom is a meat lover, so we added ham, pepperoni and sausage.
   
   
10. top with another layer of cheese.  i am the cheese lover, so that’s how we roll around here.
    
    
11. spoon pizza sauce on top of the cheese.  don’t be shy, the more the merrier.  you don’t have to worry about making your crust overly soggy, since it is on top.
    
    
12. top with grated parmesan cheese and dried oregano.
    
    
13. bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.  remove the pizza from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
    
    

one of the things that i miss the most about tennessee is publix.  i can’t say enough wonderful things about the store.  one of my favorite things to pick up there was pre-made pizza dough and top it with just about any topping i’d like.  pre-made dough is non-existent in wa.  i’m working on a replacement recipe (aka future post), but it is not as easy as going to publix and buying it pre-made in the bakery.  just sayin.

i suppose that this is a “things that i miss about michigan” post, too.  the inspiration for chicken mediterranean pizza comes from cottage inn pizza.  i’ve never seen a pizza like it on a menu since moving, so of course, i had to re-create it at home.

• cornmeal
• pre-made pizza dough (or any form of pizza dough that you would normally use)
• 2/3 c pizza sauce
• 1 c pre-cooked, shredded chicken
• 3 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 c feta cheese
• banana peppers, to taste
• evoo

i think i may have mentioned this before, but i was a picky eater growing up.  dear ol’ mom was nice enough to keep some things on hand for me, including freezer chicken patties (which i can prepare several ways!) and hot dogs.  this is one of my favorite ways to have a hot dog.  recent trips to the dog of nashville have inspired me to revisit some of my favorite ways to eat a dog.

this recipe is for four hot dogs, multiply as needed.

• four hot dog buns, toasted
• 1/2 c pizza sauce
• 4 hot dogs (i prefer koegel’s viennas, serve the curve and the crunch! thanks to mom and dad for delivering to nashville )
• italian seasoning
• 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese

1. pre-heat broiler.
2. in a medium frying pan, cook hot dogs in pizza sauce, stirring sauce constantly.
3. place hot dogs in buns, spooning additional sauce on top.
4. sprinkle with italian seasoning.
5. top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
6. broil until cheese is brown and bubbly. (i used a 9×13″ glass pan lined with foil for easy clean up.)

enjoy!

as i have said before breakfast is our favorite meal of the day.  breakfast was served at our late morning wedding reception and i could go on and on about how much we LOVE breakfast.  but i won’t.  i’ll just share another shoemaker-approved breakfast dish.

Adapted from SmittenKitten

• 1 pizza crust (however you prefer to make it)*
• 1/4-1/2 lb. ground breakfast sausage
• 1/4 c grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
• 1 c grated mozzarella
• 3 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• green onion
• parsley flakes

* i picked up an awesome pre-made dough from publix that was just waiting to be kneaded and topped.

1. pull dough out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you want to start making pizza.
2. pre-heat oven to 500°.
3. brown sausage in a pan.  place on a paper towel lined dish to drain of excess grease.
4. knead out dough.  make sure the bottom of the crust is floured well.
5. t0p with parmigiano reggiano, mozzarella and sausage.
6. crack the three eggs over the top of the pizza and top with salt and pepper.
7. bake for 8-10 min. or until eggs are cooked to your liking.
8. remove from oven, top with green onion and parsley flakes.

enjoy!

this is a very delicious recipe from my aunt debbie.  i’m sorry for the quality of this iPhone photo*, it just doesn’t do this dip justice.  you’ll have to try it for yourself!

*edited on 1/1/2012 – updated and added pics!

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/3 c sour cream
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c pizza sauce
• 1/2 c pepperoni*
• 1/4 c green onion*
• 1/4 c green pepper*
• 1/2 c mozzarella cheese

*other toppings of your choice may be substituted.

1. preheat oven to 350°.
2. beat first five ingredients in a small bowl using mixer.  spread in a pie dish.
3. spread pizza sauce over top.
   
   
4. chop pepperoni, green onion and green pepper.  sprinkle on top.
   
   
5. bake for 10 min.
6. shred cheese and put on top.
   
   
7. bake for 10 more min.
   
   
8. serve with breadsticks or crackers.

enjoy!