Grilled Pizza

Unfortunately, our oven completely died this past week. I did go out and buy us a new one but unless it is an emergency (what really constitutes an oven emergency?) the oven would not be delivered until Saturday. On top of the dead oven, we ran out of propane halfway through grilling salmon for dinner... but luckily the previous owner had left behind her propane tank so we were in luck on that front.

The day before the oven died I had bought all the fixin's for a delicious pizza and the dough (I love making my own dough, but really, Trader Joe's is just as good when life gets busy) was set to expire this week. So... I decided to try out some grilled pizza. And y'all, it was really good! It baked up very quickly and Mr. E. and I nearly devoured all of the pizza. Yum!

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• box of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 8 oz. mozzarella, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat grill for high heat. Heat olive oil with garlic for 30 seconds in the microwave. Set aside. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Form each half into an oblong shape 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick.
2. Brush grill grate with garlic flavored olive oil. Carefully place one piece of dough on one side of hot grill and the other pizza half onto the other side of the grill. The dough will begin to puff almost immediately (like, within 15 seconds!). When the bottom crust has lightly browned, turn the dough over using two spatulas. Working quickly, brush oil over crust, and then brush with 2 tablespoons tomato sauce. Arrange vegetables over crust. Spread cheese on top. Close the lid, and cook until the cheese melts. Remove from grill, and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

*I sauteed the mushrooms and onions in advance because I didn't think they would have enough time to cook before the pizza was finished as the cook time is so quick.

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pizza-On-The-Grill-I/Detail.aspx

Pizza, Pizza!

Mr. E. and I had a tradition going where we made pizzas for dinner on Friday evenings and enjoyed some Great Lakes Beer--TGIF! However, the tradition went on the lam for a few months and then we received a pizza stone as a wedding gift. If you enjoy homemade pizza and you do not have a pizza stone... drop everything and run to your nearest Bed, Bath and Beyond or Williams-Sonoma to purchase one of these puppies... they will change your pizza making forever!
This evening I decided to make a fresh basil, caramelized onion, roasted garlic and mushroom with rounds of mozzarella cheese pizza. The pizza crust was homemade but unfortunately the limits of time forced me to buy a jar of Trader Joe's spaghetti sauce. However, as you can see from the photos the pizza was still heavenly. In addition, there was some leftover dough and toppings so I ended up making my first calzone stuffed with spinach, sausage, and Parmesan. Mmmmm...They tasted delicious even though the pizza could have been a bit more attractive....