Basil and Oregano

I had quite a bit of basil and oregano left from our first bushel; the only thing that came to mind to use it up was homemade pizza night! This of course is not a very original menu idea, especially for a Friday night but it's quick and easy!

Menu
Chicken Pesto Pizza
Italian Sausage and Fire Roasted Tomato Pizza

Chicken Pesto Pizza

To make the pesto sauce I followed the Barefoot Contessa's Pesto Recipe found on foodnetwork.com. This recipe yields 4 cups which is way more than you need for this so I cut the recipe in half.

Toppings

I used 1 large boneless chicken breast and seasoned it with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and some Montreal Steak seasoning.  I also chopped about a tablespoon of fresh oregano.  To prepare the chicken, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with 1/4 of diced red onion in a saute pan. (I would suggest increasing the red onion to 1/3 cup as I wasn't completely happy with the chicken to onion ratio).  Add the chicken to the same pan and brown on either side.  Remove onion and reserve once the they have softened. Continue to cook chicken until it is cooked thoroughly.  Once the chicken is done, dice into small bite size pieces and let cool.  I also sliced 3 roma tomatoes and had about 4oz of goat cheese and 2 tablespoons shredded of Parmigiano Reggiano on hand.

Preparing the Pizza
For the crust I used 365 Everyday Value Organic Pizza Crust from Whole Foods.  Cover the crust liberally with the prepared pesto sauce.  I used about half of the pesto sauce on this pizza (approximately 1 cup). Season with a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper.  Add the diced chicken and the cooked red onion.  The next layer is the slices of roma tomatoes. Crumble the goat cheese and sprinkle the shredded Parmigiano Reggiano.  Chop some fresh parsley and fresh oregano and sprinkle to the top of the pizza for color.  Cook at 400 degrees for approximately 12 minutes.

Italian Sausage and Fire-Roasted Tomato Pizza

The Italian sausage I used was something we purchased from Lemon Tree Grocer in Downers Grove. It's their Italian sausage with giardiniera and mozzarella. I removed the sausage from the casing and browned it.

I also used the 365 Everyday Value Organic Pizza Crust for this pizza.  Lightly coat the crust with a little olive oil and sprinkle with minced garlic (approximately 2 large cloves).  I also added a bit of the pesto sauce from prior recipe and spread it out on the crust.  I would say I only used about a tablespoon on this pizza.  Add a 14.5 oz can of Muir Glen Organic Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Be cautious with how much tomato juice gets on the crust as you don't want the crust to get soggy. The next layer should be the Italian Sausage.  Let it cool some before adding it so that you can crumble it into some smaller pieces as you are layering it onto the crust.  Sprinkle with some chopped oregano leaves and thyme leaves.  Add 1 1/4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese and a few small dollops of the pesto sauce to the top.  Finish the pizza with a couple leaves of chopped fresh basil and oregano.  This pizza also cooks at 400 degrees for approximately 12 minutes or until the cheese is browned.

My food critic rated the pizzas individually.

The Chicken Pesto Pizza was rated 3.5 asparagus spears

The Italian Sausage and Fire Roasted Tomato Pizza was rated 4 asparagus spears

Casual Dinner

We had a busy day today so tonight we had a very quick and easy meal. Plus I am saving my energy for tomorrow since I will be making Father's Day breakfast and dinner.

Menu

Ready to go in the oven

Bruschetta (trying to finish up the leftovers from earlier in the week)
Homemade pizza

Tonight I used a recipe that was recommended by my sister and her husband. We have made this pizza several times and it's delicious. The Triple Jump Pizza Recipe can be found on runnersworld.com

I was very excited to use some of our fresh spinach from the first bushel of veggies.  I don't follow this recipe exactly when I make this pizza.  For example, I used 3 garlic cloves and probably 2.5 cups of spinach.  As a result I end up using additional cheese, plus my husband LOVES cheese!

As far as the pizza crust goes I have been using the 365 Organic Original Pizza Crusts from Whole Foods. They come in a package of two and are really easy to use and quite tasty.  For the spicy sausage I have been using The Original Brat Hans Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage which is also from Whole Foods.

Yummy!

Using my husband's rating scale he said this was 4 asparagus spears. So give it a try!