Buffalo Ranch Chicken Calzones

I love buffalo chicken anything but I also need to be healthy so I usually forgo wings or anything like that when I'm out because I know they'll be fried and oh so bad for me. I do like to make buffalo-flavored dishes at home though because I'm in control of how they are made. So instead of pizza the other night, I decided to do a calzone. These were made easy by using a rotisserie chicken and shredded it--something I actually do quite a bit to save time. These were great and of course, we had leftovers the next day for lunch!

1 small can tomato sauce
3 TBSP Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1/4 cup light ranch
1 TBSP butter
Whole wheat pizza dough
4 oz. Shredded mozzarella cheese
12 oz. shredded chicken
1 egg, beaten

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the other 3 ingredients and bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Mix the chicken in the sauce well to thoroughly coat. Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal portions and roll out into a circle. Equally divide the chicken mixture among the 4 circles. Top with mozzarella cheese. Fold the dough over and pinch closed. Brush with the egg to brown the dough. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Pepperoni and Cheese Calzones

I am now into making my own whole wheat pizza dough so I used some that I had thawed for our calzones tonight. I split a ball into thirds and stuffed them with a blend of ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I layered pepperoni in them and baked them at 400 for 15 minutes. Perfect!

Goat Cheese and Artichoke Pizza

I really enjoy making pizza at home and topping it with different things. Last night was one of these nights. The flavors of the goat cheese and artichokes went together so nicely. Instead of a sauce, I combine garlic and EVOO in a bowl and brushed it onto the crust, drizzling the remainder over the dressed pizza. Adding in the spinach for some color made it even better. I definitely recommend this combination

1 ball of prepared whole wheat dough
1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and coarsely chopped
4 oz. goat cheese
1 bunch of fresh spinach, chopped
5 oz. shredded low fat mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves chopped garlic

Roll out the dough, using whole wheat flour to fit onto your pan. Bake for 5 minutes on 400. Remove the dough from the oven. Combine the olive oil and garlic in a bowl with a small whisk. Brush on the pizza dough and then top with the artichokes, spinach and cheeses. Pour the remaining olive oil mixture over the top of the pizza. Bake for another 10 minutes in the 400 degree oven.

Spinach and Artichoke White Pizza

On Friday at work, I was trying to think of ideas for homemade pizza. I knew I had ricotta that needed to be used and I thought hey, white pizza goes great with spinach and of course, artichokes go with everything for me so voila. Spinach and artichoke white pizza. When I posted about it on my cooking board, people suggested I add sundried tomatoes and some red pepper flakes. It turned out great. I don't have exact measurements but here's some good estimates.

olive oil
1 ball store bought whole wheat pizza dough
1/2 container part skim ricotta cheese (about 7 oz)
5 oz. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
8 artichoke hearts, chopped
6 sundried tomatoes, chopped
5 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Roll out the pizza dough and brush with the olive oil. Dot the dough with the spinach and ricotta. Spread the chopped artichokes and sundried tomatoes over the top. Top with the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Shake on some red pepper flakes and oregano to taste. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 12 minutes or until the crust is cooked through.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Today was an easy dinner night since we spent the majority of our weekend repainting our kitchen. We got everything back in order just in time to make a quick dinner and relax, so Buffalo Chicken Pizza it was. We've made this a few times before but it's always a house favorite. Here's a picture of our new kitchen color too--it's Benjamin Moore Provence Cream.

4-5 oz. chicken breast, diced and cooked
1 small can of tomato sauce
2-3 TBSP hot sauce
2 TBSP Worcester sauce
1 TBSP I can't believe it's not butter light
1 pizza crust (we buy the pizza dough at the grocery store)
6 oz. cup light mozz or other italian cheese
1/4 cup parm cheese.
Heat the oven to 425. If using a pizza stone, make sure to put in the oven as it preheats to get it hot. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, then add the sauces and combine. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken. Spread the chicken mixture over the pizza crust, then top with the cheeses and bake for 10 minutes.

Pizza!!!

Emma and I made a pizza together this week. It was nothing too exciting but we really had a great time making it together. Emma layered the pepperoni on 1/2 the pie and we left the other side just cheese. It was a lot of fun and made for a very yummy dinner.

Pizza with Buffalo Sauce, Turkey Sausage and Onions

I'm not a big sausage person. To be honest, it's not the taste, it's the piggy thing. So in my house, pork is off limits. So we are a turkey sausage house. (Poor DH!!) Anyway, I really wanted buffalo sauce tonight but really wasn't into the buffalo chicken. Hence, buffalo turkey sausage! And why not throw some carmelized onions on there too! Dinner was born and my husband was happy. I did use premade dough (I'm not very good at the dough-making).

I used the same sauce mix as in my previous buffalo chicken pizzas. I won't bore you with the details but here's a pic of our awesome and easy dinner.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza... again!

I just wanted to repost this because we made it again last night and again I still think it's better than the restaurant version, even with a premade crust. So here's the link to the original recipe. We are time savers during the week so premade crust is the only way for me to go. Last night we had trim to paint in our bedroom and it was a perfect, quick dinner. This time though we used a Pillsbury crust and prebaked it for 5 minutes. We also sprinkled fresh oregano and basil on top. Music to my mouth!

Pizza Casserole

Thank you Brooke from ...and a cookie for dessert! This was a huge hit in my house and my awesome stepdaughter Emma even got to help me make it. That's how easy. Here's the original recipe but with some substitutions I made. This one is definitely going into the weeknight rotation.

1 lb of extra lean ground turkey

1 shallot, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce - we used chunky tomato and mushroom

Spray of Pam

1 10 oz can refrigerated pizza dough

6 oz of part skim mozzarella cheese, divided- we used 3 oz. of cheddar and 3 oz. of mozz

Preheat oven to 425. In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook onion, garlic until softened, add ground turkey stirring until it's browned. Drain and return to skillet. Add tomato sauce and cook until heated through. While meat cooks, coat a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza crust dough, and press into bottom and halfway up sides of the baking dish. Pre-bake in the oven for 5 minutes.Remove from oven, then add a layer of cheese, then a layer of the meat mixture, then top with a layer of cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 12 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese melts. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I was a little afraid of the spice but it actually was perfect. Not too hot, not too mild. This one was a WINNER!

3 chicken breast halves, cubed
1/2 palmful Monterey chicken seasoning or 2 TBSP crushed red pepper
1 small can of tomato sauce
2-3 TBSP hot sauce
2 TBSP Worcester sauce
2 TBSP I can't believe it's not butter light
1 Boboli whole wheat pizza crust
1 cup light mozz or other italian cheese
1/4 cup parm cheese

Heat the oven to 425. Cook the cubed chicken in the seasoning in a pan. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, then add the sauces and combine. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken. Spread the chicken mixture over the pizza crust, then top with the cheeses and bake for 10 minutes.

It's so easy for a weeknight, enjoy!