College kids love pizza....it's a proven fact. I don't know many kids who dont LOVE to have a hot, cheesy, greasy pizza delivered straight to their doorstep after a long night of shenanigans. It's so satisfying and really has been almost a tradition of college students (we can probably thank these habits for the "freshman 15"). As much as I love the Orono House of Pizza, there is something that I love even more: saving money, especially if that involves experimenting in the kitchen.
Homemade pizza is a really fun thing to make. It allows for so much creativity and really lets you make it exactly how you like it, and I promise it will come out delicious. In our poor excuse for a kitchen, we have no pizza stone or even a round pan and the oven is a P.O.S and the heat levels always fluctuate. We spread the dough out onto our old cookie sheets, and still managed to make it work. They came out sooo good and tasted just as good leftover. The cost of a pizza with the sort of toppings we used at the pizza place can get pretty pricey, especially with delivery charges. Being a poor college kid, saving money is very important....especially if it gives you a final product like this! Spend the extra money you saved on a nice drink to go with it ;) Who doesn't love pizza & beer?!
We also felt like making the meal extra yummy, and making a homemade caesar dressing for a salad. If you have never had or made a homemade caesar dressing....I'm begging you, please try it. You will never want to eat it from a bottle again. The flavors are way better, it's so much more fresh and not to mention it is super easy!!
The pizzas we made were a BBQ chicken pizza with caramelized onions and a jalapeno and pineapple pizza - my boyfriend and his friend's own invention....I had never tried it, and it sounds a little weird, but it was definitely a great combination of sweet and spicy! I think they're on to something ;) The dough used is by Portland Pie Co. out of Portland, Maine. I have used their dough on multiple occasions and it never fails to have a nice crunch but also rise nicely on the crust. I highly recommend using this brand! (I prefer the beer dough or the garlic dough)
The dough isn't perfectly shaped, but who cares?! It was gone too quick to even notice ;)
BBQ Chicken and Caramelized Onion Pizza
1 large sweet onion
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
salt & pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 pre-made pizza dough
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Mozzarella cheese
2 pieces of bacon cooked and chopped, optional
2 tbs cornmeal
Extra BBQ sauce for topping, optional
Directions:
To caramelize the onions, heat 2 tbs of oil and 1 tbs of butter in pan over medium-low heat. Slice onions and add to pan with salt and pepper, cooking and stirring until golden brown and caramelized- about 20 minutes. Cook cubed chicken over medium-high heat with 1/4 cup BBQ sauce until juices run clear.
(If you have a pizza stone, put it in the oven to get hot, but before you preheat the oven to avoid cracking- hot stone = better pizza)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Sprinkle cornmeal on pan, and stretch dough. Fit dough to pan and push fingers around edges to form a crust. Avoid holes in the dough.
Mix the pizza sauce and 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and spread onto dough. Top with mozzarella cheese, then follow with chicken, onions and bacon. Sprinkle more cheese and squeeze bbq sauce in a spiral pattern on top of the pizza. Bake until crust is golden and cheese has fully melted, about 15 minutes.
Here's a link to some good homemade pizza TIPS :)
Jalapeno Pineapple Pizza
Ingredients:
1 pre-made pizza dough
10 oz can pineapple
2 jalapenos, chopped
1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
2-3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
2 tbs cornmeal
Directions:
Prepare pan and dough as in BBQ chicken recipe above and preheat oven to 425.
Spread sauce onto dough, top with desired amount of cheese. Top with pineapple, jalapenos and bacon, distributed evenly. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
I know it's more work than just buying a bottle...but you have to believe me, it is so worth it! Absolutely DELICIOUS!
Homemade Caesar Dressing
4 whole anchovy fillets
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Put anchovies, dijon mustard, vinegar, worcestershire, garlic and lemon juice into food processor and blend until smooth. Add olive oil in slowly and mix until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate before serving, as it sits the flavors get better!
We tossed the dressing with some chopped romaine lettuce, fresh parmesan shavings and garlic croutons. TO DIE FOR!
(original recipe found at Foodnetwork.com)
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