Monday, October 13, 2014

Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza

Hi everyone! Not much to post since nearly 2 weeks of absence. Although, I did post my Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza photo on facebook...which I have also been absent from for 3 months now. Wasn't a smart thing to post the pizza photos, since I didn't have it on my blog and it made it look like I just posted a 'random' store bought pizza.
I don't know about you, and how you feel about the 'follow' part on facebook...seems like I follow a lot of people, especially family relatives...ie. cousins, and close friends, but what I have discovered lately...duhh! (dummy me)...pondering over the fact that I have not gotten any feedback of my postings from any, or most of these close friends and relatives...I mean...what gives? I never stopped getting their latest 'tid-bits', photos of their kids mostly...their latest trips, etc. and I have always commented and 'liked'...so when I finally found out that they are NOT following me...I stopped following them...but not un-friending them, and at that point I gave up my interest in viewing what's going on out there. I discovered a totally new 'meaning' to my facebook page; just view what is being sent to my 'timeline' and keep 'liking' and commenting back to friends' that took the time to see my posts as well! So, that's that...getting back to my pizza!
It is really so easy to make your own fresh pizza dough by mixing the dough in a sturdy Kitchen-Aid mixer with a dough hook, or place the ingredients in a Bread Machine, and let it do its work. Just let the dough rise in a large oiled bowl, and the rest is so easy! I seem to be boring, but my favorite pizza topping is pepperoni, mushroom, and onions...although you can't see it all in the photo...it's in there!

MARTHA STEWART
Quick Basic Pizza Dough


  • 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

COOK'S NOTE

To freeze, you can wrap the dough in plastic and freeze it in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for half a batch, divide it before freezing.

Note: This pizza is from half a batch...divide the dough in half, and wrap the other half in plastic wrap...freeze for another use, or make 2 pizzas with the recipe!

DIRECTIONS

  1. STEP 1

    Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. STEP 2

    Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.

After kneading the dough once or twice, let the dough rest on the floured board...and if you're not a practice 'pizza thrower'...just get a rolling pin and roll into a circle from each direction as dough gets more elastic and your can fit it onto the pizza pan.








As you carefully fit it into the pizza pan, you can brush olive oil, and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (I also used hot chili pepper flakes). Let the dough rise a little longer, and you can form nice shapely rims around the edges.








Next, I saute my sliced mushroom, and onions just slightly. (nothing worse than topping pizza with raw sliced mushroom, and raw sliced onions)...and paying $18.99 for a large pizza...horrific idea!








Here's a little secret...I pre-bake my dough at 450 degrees F. for 7 minutes, (this assures you not getting a soggy finish) ...next, I spoon my tomato sauce, and topping on it.









I make my own sauce...no pre-cooking needed, just add the entire 28 oz can of your favorite sauce into a medium bowl, add some extra virgin olive oil, abt. 1/4 cup, salt, and pepper, a few fresh torn basil leaves. Now, you are ready to top the pre-baked dough...(seen in the above photo)







Bake for about 10 more minutes, and at the last process, add more cheese and top with pepperoni slices.










Pre-sliced pepperoni comes in a convenient plastic bag, sliced 'paper thin'...so you really just add them at the few remaining minutes of baking time, on top of the shredded mozzarella cheese.










Now, you are ready to finish baking with the pepperoni topping, for an additional 5 more minutes. Total baking time abt. 22-25 minutes, at 450 degrees F.







The finished product! Perfect pizza,
not overflowing with extra cheese, but you can add more for the last baking process if you like. Just the right amount of sauce and topping...enjoy!












...and some other photos to share!

My newest little friend, who lives with his family in our courtyard...in the coconut palm trees...comes to visit me every morning on my balcony, for his peanuts; I named him Alvin!
Caught a glimpse of the lunar eclipse on the following morning...at 7:15 AM...missed it at night, on Oct. 8 before; too many clouds at night~ photo taken on our private beach, in Palm Beach, FL.
Notice the white streak in the sky? An airplane flying through the sky...how awesome is that?!
Finally, at 7:40 AM...this is how the sky and the ocean appeared!
Wherever one is at any given moment...we are seeking connection with the Divine~

29 comments:

Patty Magyar said...

I love the photos,,,especially the sky ones...and we went crazy when we saw that pizza on FB...now to People and comments and FB...it's just the way people are...some people are kind and considerate and really do think of others...some people only think of themselves...

We love you always! Love your new buddy, too!

~~louise~~ said...

I don't do the FB thing Elisabeth. I've got all to do to keep up now. I'd much rather visit my food blogging pals and do a little pinning, lol...As a matter of fact, October is National Pizza Month so, I'll be pinning this pizza for sure!!!

Thank you so much for sharing, Elisabeth...GREAT shots! Ah to visit Palm Beach, sooooooon...Or, I'll just dig out my Palm Beach Cookook, lol...

Emma said...

Oh social networking is high maintenance in so many ways, I avoid FB, Instagram, Twitter etc, I do loving blogging and Flickr though so I'm not completely out of it!

I love that little squirrel, how cute and fluffy he looks and your beach photos are so beautiful!

And I'm afraid your delicious pizza is not helping my diet (just wanting to lose a few kilos after winter), that crust looks so wonderful.

http://www.asplashofvanilla.com/

Joyful said...

Hi Elizabeth, it was nice to read you again :-) I am not on FB so when people spend a lot of time over there I have no idea what they are doing or sharing! Now I've read that FB will start charging for their services so my guess is that a lot of people will leave there once they actually have to start paying. Even though virtually everyone is on FB I just decided long ago that I cannot be everywhere at once. I started off with blogging and eventually joined Twitter also which I enjoyed for a time. But truly I only really have time for blogging which involves sharing and also reading and commenting on other's blog posts. I too discovered that so many people 'follow' me but never visit or comment. I think it is just a way for some people to get others to go to their own blogs. I find it useful to follow new people that way myself but no longer visit or comment on blogs where I never see the blogger come by and visit. Most of the fun of blogging in my view is getting to know a bit about people and caring about them and what they are writing about. Just my little thoughts :-) I like your pizza and I too like to make home made which I only started doing within the last year or two. Your scenery is lovely too. We've had a fabulous summer and Fall. Today we are getting a lot of rain. Hugs. xx

Angie Schneider said...

I can't keep up with all the social media things...and am totally overwhelmed. Though I still love Pinterest.
Those clicks of sky and your private beach are breathtakingly beautiful, Elisabeth.
The pizza looks so inviting!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Thank you, Patty! I wasn't going to post the pizza on my blog...I'm my own worst 'food critique'...no natural light to take photo by the time I finished it got dark! As for FB it's quite irritating to know you're following people and commenting on their 'feed'...and realizing that they don't follow you back, so that means they never receive your posts when you send it...no wonder they never comment on anything you post (and these are your cousins and close friends?) Oh, well, can't take it too seriously!
Love you guys, as well...and re: the little squirrel, hope the 'condo commandos' don't get feedback on it! Re: the sky photos, I was hoping to see the eclipse sunrise...but it turned out even prettier!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

One good thing about FB...you really get to see a lot of interesting things from your blog friends, but don't count on relatives or close friends...for some reason mine are avoiding me! Some friends that I used to know ages ago are on FB...not having anything more in common with!

I, for one...would love to see autumn, up north, and seeing the leaves in their splendid beautiful colors!

Phong Hong said...

Hi Elisabeth! You are back with a fabulous pizza! Never mind that the topping is just pepperoni, mushrooms and onions. I bet it was delicious and it is best to keep it simple. I love pizza but have stayed away from it due to my weight. I can eat a regular pizza all by myself and that's what gets me into trouble ha..ha... Well, one day I'll eat pizza again and I must attempt making my own! By the way, that little squirrel is so cute. Looks like he is your pet now :)

Ola said...

That is why I do not use FB for my personal needs, just for work. I have not time to 'like' someone else's life, I much prefere sth more creative like blogging:)

Joyce said...

LOVE YOUR RECIPE, and can't wait to try it. HATE FB..........Love you on the Net!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Hi Phong Hong, I'm not much of an adventerous pizza topping person; at least I use 3 toppings, when most people just enjoy plain with just cheese! I only have one slice (large, of course) and share the rest. Speaking of the little squirrel, he was at my door this morning calling me with his little (squirrel sounds)...so cute, just a 'little guy'! I love little animals of nature...they need to be free out on their own!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Thank you Joyce, the recipe for the pizza dough is quite easy, and the best part is the you can make 2 pizzas out of the recipe, or freeze one ball of dough for later. I hear you about FB...still trying to 'weed out' all the incoming stuff on my timeline, from advertisers, now!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Angie...that reminds me; which, I shared your recent post on my facebook page, and it looks beautiful. They certainly made some improvements when people promote photos! You're right, it really is overwhelming. Thank you for your sweet comment, and you're welcome, I always share your posts on Google +!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Hi Penny, I've been slacking off with comments, and FB visits; first time I'm hearing about the charge for services. Well it will not affect me, because I'm not really active on there on a daily basis. I took a 3 months absence...literally, only to find so many advertisements that I never had before. You are so right about people following your blog but never commenting. I have a lot of those myself...the worst part of it is; when you actually comment on theirs, and they just clearly 'ignore' you! I love to stay in touch with friends that I regularly keep up with on their blogs as well. You are truly a beautiful person, caring, and kind, and I do appreciate your friendship! xo

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Thanks for your valuable comment, Ola! You are so right, blogging is more creative and brings more enjoyment than FB!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Emma, social networking is high maintenance. I avoid Instagram, and Twitter, as well for the most part. I also love blogging, and should get involved with Flickr.
The little squirrel is so cute and totally harmless, he just wants a few peanuts, but is totally independent.
The beach photos are always so different...the water and the sky always changes. Believe me, I don't make pizza often, and it disappears right away, mainly because the crust and the topping is so fresh, and done right! Thanks for your sweet comment!

Liz Berg said...

Oh, you live in such a beautiful place! Gorgeous photos. And your pizza looks magnificent. I'd double the mushrooms on my side and leave them off of Bill's...heavenly!!!

scrambledhenfruit said...

Those are my very most favorite pizza toppings! :) Looks delicious, and I wish I had one right now. I tried Twitter, but couldn't keep up, and I use FB mainly to keep up with my own kids. Those views of yours are spectacular! :)

lena said...

hi elisabeth, i hardly post anything on facebook, only sometimes where im taking part in a blogging event, where we asked to post on that event page, i wil do it. other than that, hardly.But i do log on occasionally to check on my friend's postings. Other than that, not active in other social medias and i do noticed that you have liked several posting of mine in google plus, thanks so much!! on the pizza, it is not boring at all, at times we dont need a whole bunch of ingredients to make a good pizza. Pepperoni and mushroom sounds wonderful! I missed the eclipse too, actually only aware of it after 8th oct!

Dawn Yucuis said...

Hi Elisabeth, I love your pizza. Homemade pizza is always the best. You have a cute new friend. I like that you named him Alvin.

Joyful said...

Aw, Elizabeth, your kinds words really touch me. Thanks for coming to visit me whenever you do. I know that people are pretty busy in general so when they take a moment to read and comment, it means a lot. Big hugs. xx

Joyful said...

Hi Elizabeth, just back to let you know that the info I posted above about FB beginning to charge users turns out to be a hoax. I guess this hoax has been around for a few years and comes up every now and then. I may have been away of the hoax if I was a FB user. Hope you're enjoying your week. xx

dentistvschef said...

Damn delicious mushroomy pepperroni pizza!
your photograph is awesome, tickle my taste buds for sure....

Daiana Molineris said...

Ciaooo carissima!!!! :-)))
How are you??
Pizza is wonderful,beauty color..:-PP foto amazing,fantastic and sweet squirrel!!! <3
Big kiss and hug

Daiana

Kathy said...

Wow Elizabeth, great looking pizza! Totally craving a slice! I would love to be eating it right now for my dinner! Gorgeous photos of the lunar eclipse.!! Hugs!!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Hi Betty...you and a few others like this topping. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. As for Twitter, I still have my account but not active at all...I could not keep up with it either. As for FB my kids avoid me on there (I see them in person almost every day)
Yes, me and my views...seems I have a lot of those lately, or just merely 'ranting'!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Lizzy, you've seen where we live, and we had such a nice time meeting up. Thanks for your sweet compliments. The photos turned out better than I expected. The sky and the ocean always looks different each and every time. I should have used more mushroom, as well. I love mushrooms! xo

Amy said...

Homemade pizza is such a great treat - so much better than take-out or frozen! Yours looks terrific!

Amelia said...

Hi Elisabeth, wow... that's a very delicious pizza. Love the topping ingredients with lots of cheese. Wish I can have some now for breakfast. LOL Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe.

Beautiful scenery and excellent click. The beach is so beautiful, nice place to stay, Love your Alvin, he is so cute. :))

Have a lovely week ahead,regards. With hugs and kisses to you.