Chicken Artichoke Pesto Calzones

We had these for dinner tonight and they were SO GOOD. This recipe is going on The List of Foods We Need to Eat Frequently.

Pizza dough (I used my favorite recipe and got 2 calzones out of it)
shredded mozzarella cheese
cooked chicken (I used leftover from this recipe)
pesto
chopped artichoke hearts (I used about half of one of the little jars from Frys)
olive oil (for brushing)

Preheat oven to 500. Put cookie sheet (or pizza stone, if you're fancy) in while it preheats. Divide pizza dough in half and roll into 7 or 8 inch circle. Spread each with pesto, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge. Add mozzarella, chicken and chopped artichoke hearts to one half. Fold other half over and fold edges over to seal. Transfer to hot cookie sheet, brush with oil, and bake for 13-15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from here by here.

Pizza Salad

Tomato-Basil Dressing:
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves (or dry basil to taste)

Mix tomatoes, oil and garlic in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to blender. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and basil. Pulse to blend and set aside.

Salad:1 Boboli crust(baked at 450 degrees for 8-10minutes and then cut into 2" squares)
3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. diced mozzarella cheese
6 cups green leaf lettuce pieces (I use romaine)
1/2 of 3.5 oz. package of pepperoni, cut in half
Combine all ingredients and add dressing.
Toss and serve. To die for!!

Gourmet Chicken Pizza

This is our favorite pizza--we make it often, probably at least once every other week. Admittedly, it takes some prep work, but I've made it so much I've gotten pretty fast. Cooking the meats ahead helps a lot.

Pizza dough for 1 pizza*
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
BBQ sauce
Ranch dressing
mozzarella cheese, shredded
cheddar cheeses, shredded
1 large chopped tomato
chopped mushrooms (optional)
1/2 pound bacon (optional)
chopped green onions (optional)

Cut chicken into small pieces. Saute in BBQ sauce over medium heat until cooked through. Set aside. Fry and crumble bacon. Set aside.

Preheat oven to temperature specified on your pizza dough mix or recipe. Lightly grease a pizza pan. Press pizza dough into pan.

Spread ranch dressing over dough. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Place tomatoes, chicken, onion, bacon, and mushrooms on top. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake for amount of time specified on your pizza dough recipe, or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.

*Notes:
For the pizza crust, I love this recipe from allrecipes.com. I just throw all the ingredients in the bread maker in the afternoon, and let it rise for a while. It makes about 2 pizzas worth of crust, so I usually make an extra one with half pepperoni or something, and half cheese (for Amelia).

Also, the toppings can be totally modified--use whatever you like that you think goes well with chicken. I usually omit the onions. I love it with bacon but sometimes I don't have time or bacon, and it's still fabulous without.

Mini Bagelizzas

8 miniature bagels, split
1 cup spaghetti sauce with miniature meatballs
23 slices pepperoni (or other desired toppings)
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups (8oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread the cut sides of bagels with spaghetti sauce.
Top each with two slices of pepperoni; sprinklewith garlic powder and cheese.
Place on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Yield 8 servings. (By Becky)