Pizza and Pie

I have been lacking in the creativity department lately with my suppers. So, as my husband had decided it would be great for me to stay close to home this week to make up for my very busy May .... I decided to play in my kitchen. :)

My supper menu tonight consisted of:

Homemade Sausage Pizza, BLT Pizza and Chicken/Broccoli Alfredo Pizza
Bow-Tie Pasta with Alfredo Sauce
Rhubarb Custard Pie
Lemonade


I tend to use my bread dough for my pizza dough. Why? Because I know the recipe by heart and it's a lot easier to just throw it all together. I am not the typical measuring, check the recipe, be very specific type of cook. Nope, I just go with the flow and have fun.

Side Note: My dear grandmother was here for dinner one evening and she was talking about how her mother was an awesome cook, but she never measured or followed a recipe. The food was always good, never the same, but always good. My husband shouts, " That is what YOU do!". ha!ha! "Yes" I said," it's in the genes". :)


My bread dough recipe is as follows:

1 c. warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
2-3 TB. brown sugar ( or honey)

Whisk together and let sit for 5 min. till bubbly

Add:
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil
3 c. flour
1 Tb. dough enhancer

Mix well and knead for 10 min. ( if this were bread I would let it rise, punch down and form and then let it rise again) With the pizza, I let it rise for 5 min. Then I divided into 3 pans, rolled out and put my toppings on. I let sit with the toppings on for about 5 min. Then bake at 400 degrees till done.

Sausage/Cheese Pizza

I made my own sauce with my canned tomato sauce and tomato paste. I added granulated garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Put sauce on pizza followed by browned sausage and cheese.


BLT Pizza

After I rolled the dough I brushed 1 TB olive oil on top.
Then layered with 1-2 c. shredded mozzarella
1-2 tomatoes sliced thin
Bacon (* tip.. I actually used bacon bits that I had... but you can cook up the bacon and crumble it on the pizza)

Bake at 375 for 10-15 min. Before serving top with :

2 c. shredded lettuce mixed with 2 TB. mayonnaise



Chicken/Broccoli Alfredo

1 chicken breast ( more if you want more) grilled and shredded or sliced
1 c broccoli florets
olive oil and granulated garlic
1-2 c. mozzarella cheese

Alfredo sauce


After rolling the dough out I brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with granulated garlic. Then I put the Alfredo sauce on top. I sprinkled the chicken and broccoli and then the shredded cheese.

Bake at 400 for 12-15 min. Maybe less, I didn't set the timer! I just kept peeking in. :)

Alfredo sauce
1 stick of butter
2 cups of milk
( I also added a little bit of heavy cream in place of the milk)
1 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded

cornstarch/water to thicken.


Melt butter and then add milk. Heat but do not boil. Add the Parmesan cheese. If it isn't as thick as you like, make a thickener with 1/4 c. cornstarch and 1-2 tsp. cold water. Whisk into the sauce.



Rhubarb Custard Pie:
I found this recipe on-line at: http://wardstreetbistro.typepad.com/wsb/2008/05/rhubarb-custard.html

Serves 6.

9" unbaked pie crust, chilled

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

4 cups diced fresh rhubarb (about 1 lb. of rhubarb)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

For the topping: Mix together the 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar and melted butter. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced rhubarb, sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and sour cream. Transfer the pie filling to the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle the topping over the pie filling.

Bake the pie on the lower-middle rack of the oven at 450° F. for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 350° F. and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes more, until the filling starts to bubble.

Let cool completely before serving. Serve room temperature or chilled

Blessings to you!