Fall in Love with Pineapple Pizza

Pineapple and Duck Prosciutto Pizza

A whole pineapple was thoughtlessly purchased without a clue of what to do with it. Although, it’s a bit complicated to chop up, it’s a juicy snack or a nice garnish for a rum drink. Chunks of it always sweeten a mean, green stir-fry. When it’s pureed, it sweetens most dessert (try it in Hummingbird Cake with Mascarpone Frosting). After some thought, I decided to challenge myself by making a savory pineapple pizza.

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Parade Magazine: Roast Sweet Pepper Pizza

Roast Red Pepper Pizza

Now that cooler nights are here, I can turn on the oven to it’s highest temperature to make pizza. This pizza has a mild spicy cornmeal crust that most kids will love. It’s topped with homemade roast peppers with a smoky and candy sweet taste sans the spice. The peppers are layered over a herbal ricotta cheese and baby spinach leaves. Balancing the sweetness of the pizza, salty kalamata olives gently top the roast peppers with a handful of shredded parmesan cheese (try it with asiago, too). The result: A pizza that warms your family’s soul into the first few days of autumn.  Read more

Eggplant Tomato Pizza with Cornmeal Crust

Eggplant Tomato Pizza with Cornmeal Crust

Congress did kids a favor a few weeks ago by declaring pizza as a vegetable because of the tomato paste … um … sauce. Meanwhile, health food advocates and families gasped in horror at the news. Usually made with processed and poor quality ingredients, pizza is the symbol of unhealthy cafeteria school lunches. What’s a health advocate to do when the government demonstrates it doesn’t care about kid’s diets? Read more

Sweet Potato, Caramelized Shallots, Smoked Mozzarella Pizza with Wilted Arugula

Sweet Potato, Caramelized Shallots, Smoked Mozzarella Pizza with Wilted Arugula

How was your Turkey Day? Did you cook? Were you a guest? Do you have plenty of leftovers? For the last few years, I’ve contributed nothing to my family’s Thanksgiving table. As a passionate cook, I actually look forward to not seeing my kitchen for few days. Cooking is a tedious labor of love, and I deserve a break. Read more

Zucchini Tomato Ricotta Pizza

Zucchini Tomato Ricotta Pizza

Since moving to New York, Dad calls to brag about his homemade pizza with vegetables from his garden every summer. I always beg him to freeze a pie and overnight it on dry ice. He laughs. I naively wait.

While waiting, I’ve tried various restaurant-style regional pizzas. My favorite style is Chicago’s thick cornmeal crust. Each slice is the equivalent to one meal. As for New York’s thin-crust pizza, I initially didn’t like it. New Yorkers brag about it being the best, and they often take out-of-town guests to their favorite pizza place. It’s definitely a ‘place’, because it’s really a fast food version of hamburgers. The ingredients are canned tomato sauce, dry cheese and flavorless dough. It’s doesn’t taste special. A New York restaurant-style pizza specializing in fresh ingredients, especially with homemade mozzarella cheese, is a true delight. However, one slice is a snack compared to Chicago’s hearty version. In recent years, as the food movement as spread, more New York restaurants are making pizza with fresh ingredients. Read more