Sausage Pizza Tacos

 Before you say, "no way!"  Stop and think for a second...

What's in a typical taco?

Ground meat, spices, taco sauce...a little salsa with peppers and onion. Lettuce, cheese, cilantro...maybe a few other things???

Well these sausage pizza tacos are not that far off.

Ground sausage (spicy and/or sweet), sauteed peppers and onions...a little pizza sauce, fresh basil and cheese....

So go ahead and marry your two favorite foods! They're a fun spin on family taco night!

*You could replace the sausage with any ground meat...just make sure to drain the grease before mixing in the sauce and then stuffing the shells.

For the recipe and how to visit my post here at SheKnows: Sausage Pizza Tacos

Halloween food idea ~ Mini scream face pizzas

Two English muffins or a piece of store bought Naan bread will form the shape of the face for these individual mini Scream Face Pizzas.

If you're making for a group of kids, either construct the pizzas and place them on an oven sheet - show them the pan with the pizzas uncooked and then again after they're cooked - so they can see how the cheese melted and the scream face formed.

Or... cook them right before kids arrive, turn off the oven and allow them to keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

Or Plan C... let the kids get involved in the making of the scream face pizzas!  Have a contest for...scariest face, most like the original scream face, silliest face, messiest face...etc....

Have Fun and Happy Halloween!!!  You'll find the how to here at SheKnows: Mini Scream Face Pizzas

Thin Crust Shrimp Scampi Pizza ~ If you're a Trader Joe's fan, you'll LOVE this one!

At first glance this pizza may look dry to you, but trust me when I say it's anything but!  It's light, crispy, fun, and POSITIVELY delicious!!!   Keep costs down by replacing the shrimp with sauteed broccoli and garlic...or leave the toppings off all together and simply go with cheese! 

Now...here's where some of you will like me and some of you will not.  My Super Thin Crust Shrimp Scampi Pizza was made almost entirely with ingredients I picked up at Trader Joe's.

If you're one of the, "unfortunates" (with no Trader Joe's), the pizza can obviously be made by gathering the ingredients elsewhere...or go crazy and make it entirely from scratch.

Here's what you'll need...followed by the How To:

Leek, Cherry and Goat Cheese Pizza ~ With Spring Breathes New Life

We had a wonderful time with my husband's parents visiting the past few days.

Now this coming weekend ...we'll be hosting Easter dinner.




The meal will be the first in a long time...my entire immediate family is getting together for a holiday celebration.

You see...last Christmas was nice...but for serious health reasons...

...we weren't all there.




Now...

...it's time to celebrate! :)



While contemplating Sunday's menu (and working in the yard)...I made these Leek, Cherry (preserve) and Goat Cheese Pizzas on Soy Pita Bread from Trader Joe's.

Meant solely for inspiration (because you get the idea)...the combination of flavors is spectacular!   (Just be sure to cook up the leek in a pan first then top and bake your pizza!)  They're SO DELICIOUS...they may just make this weekend's spread!

Below...looking up through the trees in our yard...because...With Spring ...Breathes New Life.

Roasted Brussels Sprout Pizzas that I dare you not to LOVE!

One night when I was a little girl my Mom made brussels sprouts for dinner.

I was told I wasn't to leave the table until "all those cabbages are gone."

So there I sat...at that table for hours.  I colored... I read... I mastered the Rubik's Cube... but I refused to eat those sprouts!



It wasn't until my parents threatened "no dessert for a month" that I plugged my nose, closed my eyes and ate those brussels sprouts down ~ without even taking a breath!

Ten minutes later (in an I TOLD YOU SO ironic twist of fate) I was sick as a dog!

We never had brussels sprouts again.



Until now.

Right before eating I drizzled just a tiny touch of that aforementioned White Truffle Oil over the top and... well... I'm not bragging BUT these are worthy a spot on the menu at ANY upscale restaurant - they are THAT GOOD!

HERE ARE THE STEPS AND SOME PHOTOS:
*These might look like they're a bit overcooked but the photos don't do them justice! Just keep an eye on them when baking. Take off the outside "charred/crisp" layer of sprout if you would like... 

Preheat oven to 425.  Rinse, trim and cut brussels sprouts in half.

Toss brussels sprouts, pearl onions (you could use regular onion or shallot peeled and quartered) and garlic cloves in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in roasting pan cut side down and roast for 10 minutes.

Here they are out of the oven. Caramelized, soft yet crunchy with super concentrated flavor!



Store bought Pizza Dough - not gonna lie. Floured and ready to be separated and rolled.



Separate into seven sections then roll into mini circles (about 6 inches in diameter.)



Parcook the pizza dough rounds in a 425 degree oven for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven.

Take some of the roasted garlic cloves and smash them with a spoon over top of the parcooked dough.

Then top the dough rounds in this order: grated Parmesan Cheese, shredded mozzarella, roasted Brussels sprouts, onions, a bit more cheese and touch of lemon zest. Drizzle with Olive Oil.



Cook in a 425 degree oven until cheese melts - about 5 minutes.

Enjoy hot, warm or at room temperature. If you have it...a tiny touch of truffle oil on top is superb, but they're amazingly delicious on their own! ENJOY!

Neapolitan Pizza, Four Reasons I Rarely Stray

I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about pizza toppings. The President could be on television warning of an asteroid destined to destroy earth and I'd still be contemplating Thai basil and coconut curry pie. So why then, is what you see here...sauce, garlic, basil and cheese...the pizza I end up making 90% of the time?

Here's four reasons:

1) Kids. With their love of pizza came a world devoid of toppings. What was once just my husband and me dishing out our favorites... sausage, peppers, onions, ham...is now a family of four...two pint sized ones who wont even touch their slice if they suspect close contact with an onion.

2) No time for frivolity. I could be staring down a bounty of fresh mushrooms, roasted peppers, leafy spinach and farm fresh bacon, but the understanding that homemade pizza is in my immediate future renders those laborious ingredients (in need of peeling, rinsing, slicing and dicing) time bandits - plain and simple.

3) Analysis Paralysis. While dreaming up unique pizza toppings, I begin imagining flavor combinations that simply shouldn't go together...the likes of tuna, cheese, mint and lemon. Thankfully, I have yet to act on any impure thoughts and instead (to the delight of all) revert back to my "safe place" of tomato, basil, garlic and cheese.

4) A lover of all things classic. Like the little black dress, Huckleberry Finn, The Beatles White Album and the BLT...with the classic *Neapolitan Pizza, you simply can not go wrong!

SOME FACTS:
*My pizza here did not adhere to all the following...but amazing nonetheless!

To call a pizza a true Neapolitan pizza, one must adhere to the guidelines outlined by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, based in Naples, Italy, the birthplace of pizza. According to their rules, an authentic Neapolitan pizza must be:

•Cooked in a wood-fired oven. Gas, coal, and electric ovens do not qualify.

•Only fresh, high quality ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes, 00 flour, fresh mozzarella, and other high quality toppings may be used.

•The dough must be formed by hand, be no more than an eighth of an inch thick, and should be cooked for approximately 90 seconds at temperatures over 800 degrees Fahrenheit. (SOURCE: suite101.com)

Asparagus Flat Bread Pizza and a Thank You

I know, I know...it's not rocket science and frankly I was debating even posting this Asparagus Flat Bread Pizza - but it was so delicious - I thought if anything it might lend inspiration. After all, isn't that what food blogging is all about? Exploring, inspiring, possibly jogging a reader's memory to an equally delicious meal they had in their past. That's why I read your food blog...it's not so much for the recipes (though I've made many), than it is for that energy, spark, and adrenalin rush I get from viewing your beautiful photos and reading your thoughtfully penned, skillfully crafted words.

Like a triple shot Italian espresso, your sentence's rush through my veins and catapult me to my kitchen - usually resulting in a montage of dishes representative of my favorite posts from the day. So...I probably don't say it enough but, "thank you." Thank you for all the time you spend sharing your stories and all the hard work you put into making your blog one worthy of reading. You leave me yearning to be a better cook, a better writer, a better photographer...a better blogger... and though I may not know you personally, I can't help but feel a deep connection... to each and every one of you!

Asparagus Flat Bread Pizza
1 lb Asparagus, rinsed and chopped into approx. 1 inch pieces
2+ tablespoon olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
goat cheese
shredded mozzarella
S&P to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Saute olive oil and garlic in a pan over medium
heat until garlic sizzles. Add asparagus and cook approx 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat & cover for 10 minutes. Take a food brush and brush some of the oil in the pan onto prepared flat bread. Top with Parmesan. Top with asparagus. Top with desired amount of goat cheese and mozzarella. Drizzle with more oil from the pan. Cook in oven approx 5-8 minutes until crisp on the edges and cheese is melted and bubbly. Perfect appetizer hot out of the oven or sitting on a tray at room temp. A simple crowd pleaser.