Thursday, January 26, 2012

PIZZA PLEASE-AH!

Pizza!!! Probably the best food ever created. And it is so versatile! So may different types of crusts, sauces, and toppings. And today, I have a real treat that is deceptively easy but will have your family thinking you are a 5 star Italian chef. My husband requested this pizza and after putting together some various research online along some of my own ingenuity, I give you Stuffed Crust Spinach and Ham White Pizza! And I found all the ingredients I needed for just around $20 bucks at the local BB, which is not the cheapest place to shop (but the only place in town), This not too bad versus delivery considering I had almost nothing on hand. And the savings would really add up if you had someplace more cost effective to shop.
So, into the kitchen!

NON EDIBLES:
You will need a mixing bowl, and a baking sheet for pizza (or if you have one a stone pizza cooker), a spoon, and a pizza cutter.

EDIBLES:
2 packages of BETTY CROCKER Pizza Crust mix (Betty Crocker really is the best)
1 cup of water per the crust package instructions
7 - 9 string cheese sticks
Approx 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup to 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (or an Italian mix if you go with preshredded)
Cubed ham (to taste)
Fresh spinach (to taste)
A handful of diced tomatoes.
Flower to dust your fingers and workspace with
Corn meal mix (optional)
EVOO

HOW TO:
Preheat the oven to about 425 and spray or grease your pan or stone cooker.Wash your hands thoroughly since you will be using them almost exclusively to make the pizza.
Now for the food. First, prepare your pizza crust dough per the package instructions. Once the dough is prepped, flower your fingers and begin laying out about 3/4 of the dough and begin to form it in a thin circular shape, leaving a little extra room at the edges for the stuffed crust. If you have a larger number of people to serve, by all means use all the dough you need. Now that you have a rough shape pounded out, simply take the cheese sticks and roll the excess dough at the edges over, being sure not to tear the dough. Feel free to shape and stretch to size as needed. For a medium sized pizza, I used 7. Once the stuffed crust is done, it's time to add the toppings, starting with the Alfredo sauce. Just be sure not to over load the pizza. Once your beautiful pizza is done, set it in the oven for about 20 minutes and it's perfection!
If you want to get fancy, you can dust the edges of the dough with corn meal mix for that authentic look and taste. You can also throw a little pesto in the sauce as well to shake things up.
As a bonus, I made cheesy bread sticks with the leftover dough. Just form into a log like shape and score a few portions out with a knife or fork. Coat with EVOO or butter and then dust with cheese!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!!