Pizza Night!

It's Friday, which means it's pizza night here in the Ham house. We try to spend Friday nights at home as a family. Brooke and I make homemade pizzas, Maddux mixes up a salad and Daddy gets Ellie Grace ready for bed early. When dinner is ready, we all pile on the couch and pop in a movie (tonight its "The Grinch"). Yes, this is a tradition I hope we keep for years and years to come! We make our pizzas from scratch for 2 reasons, 1) it's cheaper and 2) it tastes better. I am aways on the look out for new topping combinations, but we have been stuck on this "White Pizza" for a while now. I initially looked up a recipe for it, but now we just wing it. (hmm, just made me think... maybe we should try a take on hot wing pizza next week). Focus Kelli! Anyway, here is my recipe.



Loaded down with chicken, spinach and cheese... it's a hearty meal without being too heavy.



White Pizza

2 to 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks

1 large white onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves minced garlic

EVOO

white cheese ( I use a mixture of mozzarella and Monterrey jack cheese)

bunch of fresh spinach or small package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

salt and pepper to taste

homemade pizza dough (below)

Over medium-high heat, drizzle a large skillet with olive oil and add onion and garlic. Saute until onions become translucent (3-5 minutes). Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook the chicken through (10-15 minutes), remove from heat. Spread olive oil over the dough, add the chicken mixture. Top with a few handfuls of spinach and then cheese. If you really want to kick it up a notch you can also sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Pop it in a preheated (350 degrees) oven for 20 minutes. The last two minutes or so, I like to turn the oven on broil to get a nice golden hue to the cheese and crust.

Pizza Dough

3 cups All-Purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup  hot, tap water

1 package active dry yeast

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl or cup, dissolve yeast in hot water for about a minute. Add yeast mixture and oil to the flour and mix (don't be afraid to get your hands in there and get dirty!). On a floured surface, knead dough slightly, then roll or press dough into a pizza pan or shallow cookie sheet. Top as desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. No rising needed!

There you have it, easy as pizza pie!

Do have any weekly traditions or rituals with your family? I would love to here from you!