Pizza. Yes, it is a food group.

Some days even the best home cook or chef eats out. Some of my best memories from childhood involve a dinner out just because. Now I am a mom and sometimes we eat out for the experience. Tonight was one of those nights. And there is no place we eat pizza except YNot. Tonight in fact it was the little man's request. Food is a memory. Wherever or whatever you eat make the memory a good one.

Steal of the Week: Chicken and Herb White Pizza

This month I tried something a little different when I planned for the month...I decided to concentrate on one source for my new recipes. I thought this might be a fun way of trying new things but also help me get through my pile of magazines! The recipe I stole this week is from by now what most of you should know is one of my favorite magazines: Cooking Light. The husband was especially interested in their Chicken and Herb White Pizza so I added it to the menu and went to work!

First of all, I always scoop up the pizza dough balls from my local Harris Teeter whenever they go on sale for 99 cents AND on Sunday's they usually mark down their rotisserie chickens $2 off. And since I also plan my menus based on ingredients...I already had the grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese too! The sauce was very easy and took no time to make. The only change I had to make was one of my own doing...how on earth was I out of fresh garlic? So in went garlic powder instead!

I will admit I am still having some difficulty with making a round of pizza dough! But the sauce still looked pretty yummy on it even if it was misshapen:

I followed the instructions to the letter, even ensuring I cooked it on the bottom rack. Anyone with a pizza stone know if that would make a difference? This picture in hindsight makes me laugh...looks like my tasty pizza is in jail!

Topped with parsley and chives from my very own herb garden (I didn't have fresh oregano and decided it didn't really need it) and the result was very good. Hubby suggested adding some crushed red pepper to the sauce (shocker) and the fresh garlic will definitely make a difference.

I think it will make a great appetizer pizza and I plan to try it with my own homemade dough...sometime soon!

RECIPE: Chicken and Herb White Pizza courtesy of Cooking Light

Friday Night Bites: Easy Homemade Pizza

Some nights, especially Fridays I purposely plan for an easy meal using a mix of pre-made and fresh ingredients. One particular Friday, it was just me and the 4 year-old at home because my husband was out and I had "homemade pizza" on the menu (not to be confused with when I put "pizza" on the menu meaning we are hitting our favorite local pizzeria!). My son, like most little kids does love pizza, but it's all cheese or nothing at this point in his preschooler existence. So what's a mom to do? Do what they do at the pizzeria...make it a partial pizza!

I had some store bought tomato sauce on hand as well as pizza dough from my grocer's deli section. I also had al fresco chicken sausages on hand (as I do a lot I suppose), this time the roasted pepper and asiago flavor. the great thing for me with those sausages is that they are precooked and super easy to slice. I also had some grape tomatoes on hand and finished everything with some sprinkled Italian seasoning:

Notice I left about a quarter of the pizza "plain" just for my little guy! Topped with cheese and baked int he oven at 475 degrees for 10-15 minutes and the result:

I have always used the wheat pizza dough and really like the taste and texture. The only change it really needs is the use of a pizza stone or pan. I try and mitigate the soft bottom crust issue by baking my pizza first on my cookie sheet and then removing it and finish baking it directly on the oven rack. Then the next logical step is for me to start making my own dough....which is something I am working up to and can't wait to share!