I was craving pizza last night,
but I’ve been away and haven’t had time for grocery shopping,
so I just used what I had in my fridge & pantry…
The result was an interesting (but tasty) combination
of some random items I normally would never consider putting on pizza.
I started out by making the dough for the crust.
I actually love this part.
Peeking inside the bowl…
I love the smell of dough, and when I let it rise
and come back, it’s amazing how it’s doubled it size!
I cover the bowl with a light-weight towel and forget about it for about an hour.
It’s pretty cool how it grows and becomes so soft.
I love this part, too… Now I get to play with the dough
and form the pizza crust.
It reminds me of playing with Play Dough! 🙂
When the dough has risen, I put a little bit of flour on the counter
and I either roll it out to the size I want, or I just plop it onto the greased
pizza pan (or cookie sheet, in this case).
I like this part, too! I use my fingers to softly spread the dough
over the cookie sheet.
Someday I’ll buy a pizza pan!
These are the simple ingredients I used on the curst.
First, I sprinkle garlic powder over the crust,
then I spread olive oil on that.
Then I pour some of the sauce…
Sometimes I make my own sauce, but this time I just decided to make things easy.
I use this cheese for sandwiches…
I’ve never used this one on pizza before, but it works well
if you like some heat.
I think it would’ve worked out fine…
…but I also put some hot chiles (in lieu of red/green peppers)…
In my defense, …I was tired, hungry, sleepy, exhausted,…
I wasn’t thinking.
…let’s just say the pizza was HOT!
But delicious.
These are the toppings I came up with in my limited pantry:
Corn (I know! I know! It’s not traditionally a pizza topping, but…
I was desperate,…what can I say?)
Black beans (same excuse as with the corn)
Chiles (I didn’t have any red or green peppers so I thought this was the next best thing)
Black olives
Meatballs (Leftover from last night’s dinner) Cut into quarters.
After the cheese, I put the meatballs…
Then the corn…
Black beans,…
Black olives, and green chiles…
I’m SO glad I had this cheese!!
I sprinkled it all over the pizza.
It actually looked pretty good.
I baked it for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees.
I was surprised at the flavor.
I didn’t expect it to be so spicy
—-(I’d forgotten about the cheese slices underneath everything)
I didn’t expect to like the mixture of the toppings as much as I did.
—-(maybe the fact that I was so hungry had something to do with it?)
The crust was crispy on the outside and soft on the center.
It was tasty and just what I was craving.
Not as good as the Pizzeria, but a little healthier. 🙂
It’s really not difficult to make pizza
and it’s fun!
Hope you’ll give it a try!
Daisy
RECIPE FOR PIZZA CRUST:
1 cup warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 Tb sugar
I warm the water in the microwave;
warm enough but not hot.
Then I add a tablespoon of sugar to the water,
add the yeast, and use a whisk to mix it well.
Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until bubbly.
While the yeast is working, I mix the dry ingredients:
3 cups bread flour
1 Tb sugar
2 Tb olive oil
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, until a dough begins to form.
Transfer to floured surface and knead until soft and smooth.
Place in greased (with olive oil) bowl, and let rise for one hour.
Remove from bowl and either roll dough or use fingers to desired
shape in pizza pan or cookie sheet.
Top crust with your favorite toppings and sauce.
Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees, in preheated oven.
Enjoy!
A Daisy Garden 
It looks delicious! When Abi made pizza at school they put corn on top 🙂 x
Years ago, I had a “taco pizza”. It even came with tortilla strips on top. It was delicious. Maybe next time I should try making that 🙂
Sounds great 🙂
Pizza is one of my favorite meals! The topping possibilities are endless. Yours looks yummy! 🙂
Thank you, Hannah! You’re right… There’s so many different kinds of toppings and ways we can have pizza — it never gets boring! 🙂
I love everything about making my own bread dough, too, Daisy! When I retire, bread-making will be one of the things that I will definitely get back to!
Pizza is very versatile!
Laura, so good to hear from you! I think it’s so relaxing, the whole process of making dough, especially if it’s a day off or if I’m making cinnamon rolls for a neighbor or a friend. I guess it’s because I feel like I’m being creative, watching a bowl of yeast & water be transformed into a beautiful/delicious roll or loaf. It kind of reminds me of sewing a bunch of scrap fabric together to make a quilt. Except the quilt lasts a lot longer 🙂
You did it again, blessed me and inspired me! This looked so good! And I liked the idea of just using things we have! What fun! Now I have what is probably a silly question . . . .is the bread flour pretty important over using all purpose flour? Thank you for sharing this!
Debbie, you’re always so encouraging. Thank you! I’ve used all-purpose flour many times before, but I did a little research online and found that most recipes ask for bread flour, so I bought some and have used it twice now. The dough is lighter and more bread-like, so I really like it. I think from now on, that’s what I’m going to be using for most of my “yeast” recipes.
Debbie, you’re always so encouraging! Thank you! I’ve used all-purpose flour many times, but I did a little research online and found that most recipes ask for bread flour. I bought some and have used it a few times already, and I really like the texture it gives the bread. I’ve made cinnamon rolls, bread, and pizza crust with it and I liked the lighter texture it provides.
This does look pretty mouth watering Daisy! I’m going to steal the idea of garlic powder on the crust! Sounds delish. And who says corn and black beans aren’t pizza perfect?? Plus I’ll eat anything with olives included. It all really does look just great! Wish I could have dropped in for a slice!
That would’ve been wonderful, Rhonda, visiting with you! I sprinkle garlic powder on the crust because I love garlic bread and I thought it would add a nice flavor. The corn and black beans were used out of necessity, but as the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention”. haha. I’m sure it won’t be the last time I use these toppings for pizza. 🙂
Daisy– I have a daughter who doesn’t like corn, except con-on-the-cob (weird?)– so no corn when she’s at the table. But I love it in everything- especially salads. It adds such a homey salty sweetness. Happy Autumn friend!
I love corn, too! 🙂
Now I’m craving pizza! This looks wonderful and I think corn would be a great topping, especially with the spicier ingredients, to tame them a little. Yum!
Yes, you’re right, the corn and black beans did go a long way in toning down the heat. I had to laugh, when I took that first bite and felt the heat, my eyes just got wider and then I realized what I had done. I like hot foods, (we lived in Texas for years, so I learned to love it), but I just wasn’t expecting it on the pizza. That’s what happens when you’re really tired and you’re not thinking about what you’re doing. ha!
Oh this looks so yummy – now I’m craving pizza… 😉
Thanks! and congratulations on your granddaughter! 🙂
MMmm, olives! You can’t beat home-made pizza.
This sounds wonderful.
It was surprisingly good 🙂