Last night we had plans to go out in the world where people are - both being somewhat homebodies (me more than him) we dont always do that - so a quick, light dinner was called for. With this being "meat week" I had to do a non-veg pizza, so I settled on a Cheeseburger Pizza I saw on Culinary in the Desert. Bo isnt nearly as enamored with pizza as I am, so I try to make those that he will like (read: have meat).
I made a whole wheat crust. I usually make the 16 oz version, then use half, freezing the other half for next week. We like it thin and crisp, so I roll it out as thin as I can. I spread my favorite marinara on top (Thanks Alysha!) then sprinkled on the browned ground beef. A thin layer of shredded cheese followed (did I mention Bo isnt a huge cheese fan!!!!). I mixed a smoked mozarella with a sharp cheddar. The pizza was slid into a 500 degree oven onto our stone for a 9 minute bake.
I am having oven issues right now: the temp isnt calibrated correctly and I have to preheat down 5-10 degrees each time. I have three (yes, THREE) oven thermometers inside right now trying to discover the correct temp adjustment but at this time they are NEVER in sync with each other, so frustration runs rampant when I am baking. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I forgot to adjust the temp the obligatory 5-10 degrees and the pizza got a touch crispier then I would like, but it is probably nothing anyone else would notice. In fact tonight's comment was "we should never eat pizza out again!" Pretty good for a guy who "doesnt like pizza!"
A slice with a small salad and we were out the door to a Blues Club for the evening!Just for fun, I added a pic of this morning's breakfast. Sometimes I get inspired by leftovers - they scream to me: "ADD ME TO EGGS!!!" This morning I obeyed. One half of a crab cake and a few stalks of asparagus from Thursday nights dinner were chopped up and tossed into a frying pan. A sprinkling of pancetta crumbs was added along with some Black and Red Spice mix from Penzeys. The eggs were beaten with a touch of crumbled feta, then added to the hot pan until just cooked and soft. I served breakfast with muffins from the freezer.
Cheeseburger Pizza (Adapted from Canadian Living and Culinary in the Desert)
***NOTE: Since I made a smaller pizza, I used only half the porportions of all ingredients!***
8 ounces ground sirloin
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
1/4 cup marinara sauce
3 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
3 ounces shredded white Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone placed on the lowest rack.
In a medium skillet, add beef, onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper - cook over medium-high heat, stirring often to crumble the meat, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain off fat, if necessary, and set aside.
Stretch and roll out pizza dough to a rough 12" circle on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle enough cornmeal to lightly cover a pizza peel and transfer the dough on top.
Spread sauce over dough - scatter the top evenly with the cooked beef mixture. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake until the cheese has melted and the crust is golden, about 10 minutes. Remove and transfer pizza to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Makes about 4 servings.
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