Pizza with Pesto, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, & Mozzarella

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Individual-sized pizzas are one of my favorite things to make.  I always use Trader Joe’s fresh pizza dough as my base and then I have fun experimenting with different toppings.  You can take just about any ingredients that you’d put together on a sandwich or pasta dish and put them on a pizza for a delicious dinner.  I’m sure that I’ll end up writing about some of the interesting combinations but for today I’m going to describe how to make a pizza featuring the classic combo of tomato, basil, and mozzarella.

Homemade Pizza with Pesto, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, and Mozzarella
Pizza with Pesto, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, and Mozzarella
(makes two generous individual-sized pizzas)

You will need…
1 package of Trader Joe’s fresh pizza dough (a bag with a ball of dough in it, not the pre-cooked stuff)
4 heaping tablespoons of pesto
 2 teaspoons (approx.) Grated Parmesan/Romano Cheese
15 oz. can of Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes, drained (or normal tomatoes if you prefer)
12 Marinaded Mozzarella Balls (also from TJ’s; each ball is approx. 1″ in diameter)
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper to Taste

All ready to go into the oven

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425°.  Allow the pizza dough to sit out at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.  After it has warmed up, remove the pizza dough from the bag and split it into two balls.  If you want, you can lightly dust your hands and/or work surface with flour when working with the dough if you want to but it’s not a necessity.  Flatten one of the dough balls between your palms and then start to slowly stretch the dough out by squeezing the outside edges evenly.  Wehn you get the dough stretched out the size and shape that you like, place it onto a cookie sheet.  My cookie sheet has a non-stick surface so I don’t grease it at all — you may need to lightly grease a pan that doesn’t have a non-stick surface.  Repeat the stretching procedure with the other dough ball.

Hurray!  The hard part is over and now you get the fun of putting toppings on your pizzas.  Scoop two heaping spoonfuls of pesto onto each pizza and spread the pesto out with the back of the spoon.  Next, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese (about 1 teaspoon per pizza, or more if you want!) over the pesto topping.  Spoon the drained tomatoes onto each pizza and spread them out.  Slice up the 12 mozzarella balls and divide evenly between the pizzas.  Lightly dust the top of the pizza with garlic powder and add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the pizzas in an oven at 425° for 12-15 minutes.  The pizzas are ready when the cheese has melted and the crust is starting to brown.  Enjoy!

Okehocking Preserve

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I just realized that there’s another topic that I’d like to write about in addition to recipes and Bailey updates — places we like to Hike!

Okehocking Preserve in Willistown Township, PA

Matt, Bailey and I have explored parks and preserves all over Delaware and Chester County, often in pursuit of geocaches. We have several favorite places that we like to hike including Okehocking Preserve in Willistown Township, PA. Okehocking is bounded by West Chester Pike to the south and Delchester and Garrett Mill Roads to the east and west, respectively.  It’s full of rolling hills and mowed hiking trails and, best of all, it’s less than a mile from our house.  From the top of one of the hills you can actually see our house!

You can see our house from this hill at Okehocking (and no, it's not the stone one...)

In addition to the beautiful landscapes Okehocking also has an off-leash dog park.  Unfortunately for Miss Bailey the park is not fenced so she’s not going off-leash there anytime soon, but it is fun to watch the other dogs run around.  Last year we saw a female GSP at Okehocking and after a quick chat with her owner realized that she was Bailey’s sister!!!  Bailey was born in New Jersey so finding her littermate romping at a park a mile from home was pretty crazy.

We discovered Bailey's sister, Kona, playing in the off-leash park at Okehocking

Just in case it seems that we only visit Okehocking in the dreary winter months, here’s a photo from last fall.  Enjoy!

Did you know…?

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Bailey sleeps in a sleeping bag in the winter!  Here’s a photo of her “camping” sleeping bag that rolls up for easy transport.  She also has a “dog den” bed that has a fleece flap that she burrows under.

It’s Bailey!

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The Little GSP times three

Three of my favorite non-action photos of Bailey

This is our German Shorthaired Pointer, Bailey.  Bailey was born in May 2007 in Lambertville, NJ and we brought her home when she was 7 weeks old.  Bailey is full of energy and has an extra short tail “nub.”  She earned her nickname, “The Little GSP,” at the Dockdogs events that we compete in because she is very petite for a German Shorthair and she is usually much smaller than her Labrador, Chessie, and Malinois competitors on the dock.  Her favorite toys are her floppy disc frisbee, her red wubba, and her plush “migrator” ducks (she has a whole flock of them).  Bailey has very soft ears and loves to snuggle in the winter when it’s cold out.

Margaritas on the Rocks

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Here’s another delicious summer-inspired recipe: Margaritas!  I never liked tequila very much until our neighbors, Jack and Julie, invited us over for a BBQ last summer.  While we chatted Jack whipped (well, shook) up some wonderful margaritas and served them to us in salt-rimmed glasses.  What a great summer drink!  Afterwards we looked for our own margarita recipe and came up with these.  I can’t remember exactly where I found the recipe online but it may have been from the Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice web site…

Margaritas on the Rocks  (makes 2 drinks)

You will need…
5 oz. Silver Tequila
1.5 oz. Triple Sec
3.5 oz. Lime Juice (you can juice fresh limes or just use Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice)
3.5 oz. Simple Syrup (this is 1/2 part sugar and 1/2 part water; boil them together and allow to cool.  I keep a bottle of homemade SS in the fridge.)
Lime Wedge, to garnish
Salt for Glass Rims, if desired

Directions:
Pour the liquid ingredients in a shaker with a few ice cubes.  Shake thoroughly and pour into glasses filled with ice (and rimmed in salt if desired).  Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy!

Basil Pesto

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Last summer Matt and I grew basil in our vegetable garden.  We had six plants that completely took over the whole front of the garden and blocked the sunlight to the rest of the garden — this summer the basil will be going in the back!  I’m looking forward to planting basil again so that we can make homemade pesto whenever we want.  Here’s the recipe that we use (from Matt’s Mom’s recipe box).

Basil Pesto

You will need…
2 1/2 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan (or Parmesan/Romano) Cheese
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves of Garlic
1/2 cup Roasted Pine Nuts
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend!  Add more olive oil if the Pesto is too thick.

What can you do with Pesto?

  • Put Pesto on a Burger with some Mozzarella and a Slice of Tomato
  • Use Pesto instead of Tomato Sauce as your base for a Little Pizza
  • Make Pesto Pasta.  Yum!
  • Spread it on Rustic Italian Bread (as a snack or part of a sandwich)
  • Spoon it into an Ice Cube Tray and Freeze It to Use Later!  (you can bag the pesto cubes once they have frozen solid)