**PIZZA**

Pizza is a baked pie of Italian origin consisting of a shallow bread-like crust covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cheese, and often other toppings such as sausage or olive. The word pizza is believed to be from an Old Italian word meaning "a point," which in turn became the Italian word "pizzicare," which means "to pinch" or "pluck."

The pizza could have been invented by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, Romans, or anyone who learned the secret of mixing flour with water and heating it on a hot stone.

In one of its many forms, pizza has been a basic part of the Italian diet since the Stone Age. This earliest form of pizza was a crude bread that was baked beneath the stones of the fire. After cooking, it was seasoned with a variety of different toppings and used instead of plates and utensils to sop up broth or gravies. It is said that the idea of using bread as a plate came from the Greeks who ate flat round bread (plankuntos) baked with an assortment of toppings. It was eaten by the working man and his family because it was a thrifty and convenient food. 

*No-Knead Pizza Dough*

2 oz whole wheat flour
16 oz all-purpose flour
*about 4 cups total
1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsps olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water, if possible, use bottled water as chlorinated water can retard the yeast growth
cornmeal as needed
Note: Rising times will vary based on the temperature. It should probably go at least 14 hours to develop enough gluten, but could take as long as 24 hours to double in size.

*Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza*

Chicago-style pizza is a deep-dish pizza style developed in Chicago. Chicago-style pizza has a buttery crust up to three inches tall at the edge, slightly higher than the large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce, acting as a large bowl. The term also refers to "stuffed" pizza, another Chicago style. While in Chicago most pizzerias serve thin-crust pizza, generally in a style characteristic to the city, the term Chicago-style pizza is used to describe this deep-dish style of pizza.

*Buffalo-Style Chicken Pizza*

Ingredients

• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cooked and cubed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (2 ounce) bottle hot sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle blue cheese salad dressing
• 1 (16 inch) prepared pizza crust
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl combine the cubed chicken, melted butter and hot sauce. Mix well. Spread whole bottle of salad dressing over crust, then top with chicken mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
3. Bake in preheated oven until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let set a few minutes before slicing, and serve.               

*California-Style BBQ Chicken Pizza*

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• Note: For a quick alternative to the cooked fresh chicken, use chopped chicken from a rotisserie chicken purchased at your local supermarket. Add to pizza along with the cooked vegetables and cheese before baking as directed.                               
• 1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup thin red onion slices
• 1 (12 inch) ready-to-use baked pizza crust
• 1/3 cup Barbecue Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cook and stir chicken and vegetables in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 4 to 5 min. or until chicken is done.
3. Spread pizza crust with barbecue sauce; top with chicken mixture and cheese. Place crust directly on middle oven rack.
4. Bake 15 to 18 min. or until cheese is melted.              
   *Mexican Pizza*

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef or ground pork
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 16 oz. can refried beans
• 18 oz. jar taco sauce
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 4 oz. can green chilies, drained
• 2 large Boboli® pizza crusts or Scratch Crust Recipe
• 4 cups shredded Cojack cheese

Preparation:

In skillet, cook ground beef with onion and garlic in olive oil until the beef is browned, stirring to break up with fork. Drain if necessary. Add beans, taco sauce, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Stir well, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in drained green chilies.Spread sauce evenly over both pizza crusts. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted, bubbly, and begins to brown, reversing pans and racks once during cooking time.
For Scratch Pizza Crust, after the crusts are pre-baked, top and bake as directed above.
You can make this pizza vegetarian by eliminating the meat and adding a can of rinsed and drained kidney beans to the refried bean mixture. Just saute the onions and garlic in olive oil. Or you can add 2 cups of soy protein crumbles along with the refried beans in place of the meat.

*Greek Pizza*

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package al fresco® All Natural Sun Dried Tomato with Basil Chicken Sausage
• 1 (14 ounce) package baked pizza crust (such as Boboli)
• 2 tablespoons garlic flavored olive oil
• 2/3 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend, reduced fat
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese with basil and tomato
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

       Directions

1. Preheat grill on medium setting.
2. Place sausages on an oiled grill rack, set 4 to 5 inches over heat. Grill, using the direct grill method, turning links with tongs, until cooked throughout, about 7 to 9 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Cool slightly and cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices.
3. Brush both sides of pizza crust with olive oil. Gently place pizza crust, top-side down on grill rack. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes until crust is warm. Turn crust over.
4. Quickly spread pizza sauce on cooked side of pizza crust, then arrange sliced sausage on top of crust. Sprinkle with cheese and oregano. Grill over direct medium heat. Cover with grill lid or tent with foil.
5. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes or until toppings are warm and cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and serve.               

*Potato-Pesto-Feta Pizza*

Ingredients in order of appearance:
cornmeal on pan
stretch pizza dough to cover
pesto sauce to cover
4 roasted gold potatoes, sliced
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
parmesan to cover
6 oz fontina cheese
1/2 sliced red onion
more pesto dripped on top
4 oz feta cheese crumbled on top

*Pepperoni Pizza*

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup tomato, pasta, or pizza sauce
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Boboli® pizza crust
• 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
• 1-1/4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In small bowl, combine tomato sauce and mustard and mix well. Spread evenly over Boboli® crust. Top with pepperoni in a single layer, then with cheese.Bake on a heated pizza stone, or directly on the oven rack, for 8-11 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbling, and beginning to brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then slice to serve. Serves 3-4

*Meatloaf French Bread Pizza*

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf French bread, sliced lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups crumbled leftover meatloaf
• 1-1/4 cups pizza sauce
• 2 cups shredded CoJack cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Hollow out the French bread slices, leaving about 1/2" shell. Freeze the removed bread to use for bread crumbs. Brush the hollowed-out loaves with olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes until just starting to toast. Remove from oven and set aside.In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 4 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook 4-5 minutes longer. Add meatloaf; stir gently, and heat through.
Spread pizza sauce over the toasted bread halves. Pile meatloaf mixture onto the bread and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5-9 minutes until bread is crisp, pizzas are hot, and cheese is melted and just starts to brown.