pizza party

last night i had a pizza party.

we tried FOUR amazing types of pizza,

all inspired by cookinglight.

we made homemade dough and just used different

bases and toppings to create all these fab pizzas!

pizza dough

3 cups flour

1 package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 cup warm water

directions

1. mix all dry ingredients together

2. mix in water and oil

3. roll into a ball, and roll out onto a floured surface

voila!

(i like to bake the dough for about 10-15 minutes BEFORE putting

the toppings on to be sure it bakes all the way through)

homemade pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

4 cloves garlic

1/4 grated parmesan cheese

1 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

directions

1. place all ingredients in a food processor

2. process until smooth

(this is the base to the chicken pesto pizza below!)

the happy hawaiian

base: 1/2 cup lower sodium marinara sauce

toppers: 4 oz turkey pepperoni slices

1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh or canned)

1/2 cup mozzarella

the chicken pesto

base: 1/4 cup prepared pesto

toppers: 3/4 cup shredded roasted chicken breast

1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper

1/3 cup grated fresh parmigiano-reggiano cheese

the farmers market

base: 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

toppings: 2 cups fresh cut asparagus

1/2 cup spring peas

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons grated lemon rind

1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

(this was my fave... tasted super fresh and healthy.

almost like no other pizza i've ever tasted.

the lemon zest was an amazing addition!)

the greek austerity

base: 3/4 cup hummus

toppers: 6 sliced plum tomatoes

1/3 cup black olives

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1/2 chopped fresh basil

(i know what you're thinking...

hummus on a pizza?? it was SUPER good.

seriously.)

 for all pizzas, bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes

or until crust is baked through and cheese is melted.

   

overall, we had a fabulous time trying out all these different combos.

it's super easy to just make up the dough, split the pizzas in half,

and try out a handful of ingredients!

a great way to spend a friday night if you ask me :)