Six on Sunday: My Pizza

I didn't make any recipes with 6 ingredients or less this week unfortunately. But I will be making this for my office's pot luck lunch on Wednesday. It was my entry in this year's Pillsbury Bake-Off. I still reminisce about how amazing the experience was. I can't wait to enter again next year for the 2010 Bake-off!

Blue Cheesy Prosciutto Appetizer Pizza
1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust
1/3 cup cream cheese (from 8-oz container or package)
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 oz)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
4 slices prosciutto (about 2 oz), cut into thin strips
1/3 cup SMUCKER'S® Apricot Preserves

Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray large cookie sheet with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Unroll pizza crust dough on cookie sheet; press dough into 15x12-inch rectangle. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave cream cheese and blue cheese uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until melted. Stir until well mixed. Spread mixture over partially baked crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; top with prosciutto.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave preserves uncovered on High about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth; drizzle over pizza.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and preserves in center of pizza start to bubble.

Taste Test Tuesday: Greek Sesame Pizza

I was really in the mood for pizza when I went grocery shopping the other day. I was meandering about in the frozen food aisle when this caught my attention, A.C. La Rocco Greek Sesame Pizza. The box looked great...plus it was made with whole grain and had a lot of fiber. It had some great toppings too...sun dried tomatoes and artichokes...yum!

Cost: 5.99
Serving Size: 1/3 of the pizza
Calories: 250
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 40g
Fiber: 9g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 12g
My Rating: 3 out of 5

I took the pizza out of the plastic wrap and was a little disappointed. The toppings looked scarce. Maybe all those yummy toppings were hidden under the cheese? I guess I'd have to wait to find out. Also, the pizza was a little smaller than I expected it to be. I thought I'd have to eat the whole thing...but I definitely didn't want to eat 3 servings! The pizza was ready and I sliced away. I guess the toppings weren't hidden under the cheese. The amount of cheese was adequate, but there were hardly any sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, or sesame seeds. I mean...isn't this called Greek Sesame Pizza? But I took a bite of the pizza and it was pretty good. The crust was hearty and tasted fiber packed. The sauce and cheese were a little above average a frozen pizza. The good part was that I was full after eating 2 servings. All that fiber really does fill you up! I would probably try another one of their other types of pizzas if it was on sale.

NYC: Pizza & Ethiopian

My 2nd day in New York City was here. What good things will I eat today? For lunch, I was definitely going to have pizza or hot dogs. For dinner, I wanted something really unique. I ended up making reservations for Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian Restaurant.

I was perusing our new Manhattan map, which was very helpful! It listed all the streets and subway stops. We were both starving and needed a quick fix for lunch. We discovered that the PATH train stopped right by one of the NYC pizza staples, Famous Ray's in Greenwich Village. It's a small, simple place. You order at the counter and hopefully find a place to sit. There are about 5 tables and counter space for about 15 people. The pizza was really delicious. The crust was super thin (of course). The sauce tasted fresh and light. It had the perfect amount of cheese. Too bad you can't get too many pizzas like that in Florida...I think it's the sauce. But it could be the NYC water, which a lot of people claim is the reason it's so good.



After a great day of window shopping and visiting Central Park, it was time to eat dinner. I was so excited to go to Queen of Sheba! I had never tried Ethiopian food before. All I kind of knew is that you ate with your hands, picking up some kind of stewed meat with the pancake-like "plate". We stepped into the restaurant and were quickly seated at a table. It's a small place, but it was very packed. The menu had a big selection of entrees that were all reasonably priced (from $14 - $17). But my eyes went to the entree, Taste of Sheba, which had a sampling of it's favorite dishes. Ten minutes after we ordered, the dish came out. It was huge! The pancake must have had a 20 inch diameter. On the pancake were all the samplings, seven to be exact. Five were beef, two were lamb. I enjoyed all of them, but there were a couple which were outstanding. My two favorite were the Mechet Abesh Wot (ground beef cooked in green pepper sauce with garlic and ginger) and the Bozena Shiro (finely diced beef simmered in chickpea gravy). They serve you pancakes to eat on the side as well. The texture was very similar to a crepe, with a tangy taste. You just tear a piece off, and use it to scoop up your meat. It was a little messy, but fun. If you're in NYC, definitely check this place out if you're feeling adventurous.

Tombstone Extra Cheese Pizza

While I was grocery shopping the other day, I was suddenly craving pizza and thought I'd give one of the frozen ones a try. Tombstone was one of the cheaper ones, plus, it said "extra cheese" so I thought it couldn't be too bad. Right when I got home I put in the oven, and about 20 minutes later it was ready for me. The crust was thin and very crispy. The sauce tasted like a basic manufactured tomato sauce, which was what I was expecting anyway. The best part was all that cheese! I thought "extra cheese" was kind of an oxymoron for a frozen pizza, but they do a good job of loading it on. Overall, the pizza was good in a pinch, but I'd definitely rather go to my local pizza shop and grab a pizza there.

North Palm Beach: Pronti's Italian Kitchen

I love Pronti's. I have great memories of it. It's where I enjoyed my first salad... their Gorgonzola salad when I was around 12 years old. That was about 15 years ago, and Pronti's used to be packed! We always had to wait on a Friday night. It's unfortunate now that it's not very crowded. We went there last Friday and it was about 1/3 full.

We always order the same thing every time we go. Gorgonzola Salad & Pizza. The salad is great, the contents are pretty basic, lettuce, carrots, olives and tomatoes. But the dressing is the kicker, it has tons of Gorgonzola cheese so you get plenty in every bite. I really enjoy the pizza there too. Make sure to order the "New York Pounded" crust. It's not on the menu, but I think it's the best crust they have. It's thin and slightly buttery, perfect for folding (like so many New Yorkers like to do). We ordered extra cheese as a topping, and we got it! There was plenty of oozy mozzarella cheese and a perfectly balanced tomato sauce. The service is always good there too. I hope I'll be enjoying Pronti's for at least another 15 years.

I'm in the Pillsbury Bake-Off

One thing I’m very excited about is competing in the Pillsbury Bake-Off this year. This was the 1st cooking contest I had ever submitted a recipe to, and I’m so lucky to have been chosen as one of the finalists! As a finalist, I’ll be competing with 99 others for the grand prize of $1,000,000 (plus GE appliances) in Dallas April 13 - 15.

My recipe is called Blue Cheesy Prosciutto Appetizer Pizza. It’s in the Entertaining Appetizer category. It’s tasty and very easy to make.

Please go to Pillsbury Bake-Off Site to view my recipe and make sure to vote for America’s Favorite Recipe!