Another delicious pizza I made a long time ago and haven't found a chance to blog. This is a great pizza to make with summer veggies, but it's good any time of year. The freshness of the basil goes so well with the goat cheese, and the crunch of the veggies is a great contrast to the doughy crust. 

Pizza with Veggies and Goat Cheese
Modified from A Couple Cooks

1-lb ball pizza dough
1/2 cup pizza sauce (see below)
8oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 yellow or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
10-12 grape tomatoes, halved
8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, minced
4 ounces soft goat cheese
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat a pizza stone in a 500-degree oven for at least an hour while you assemble your ingredients. 

Lay a piece of parchment paper the size of the pizza stone on a work surface. Dust lightly with flour and roll out the pizza dough into a 14-inch circle. Drizzle some olive oil on the dough and rub around so all the dough is lightly coated.

Top with the pizza sauce, then the mozzarella cheese, then the veggies (peppers, onion and tomatoes). Sprinkle the basil and dollop the goat cheese evenly on top. Season lightly with salt and pepper

Transfer the pizza on the parchment paper to the pizza stone. Bake for 15 minutes, checking often to make sure there are no bubbles forming. I keep a poking fork handy to pop them during the first 5 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, then slice.

This pizza is one of our favorites. I'm not sure I've ever seen it actually called "The Works" on a pizzeria menu, but it always reminds me of a pizza I used to love at Pizza Hut, back when I'd get the Book It rewards and go there for dinner with my dad. 

The Works contains pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onion, green pepper and black olives. Use as much or as little of each as you want. In case you're new here, I like to load up our pizzas with toppings. 

The Works Pizza

1-lb ball homemade pizza dough
1/2 cup pizza sauce (recipe below)
8oz shredded mozzarella cheese
sliced pepperoni, to taste
2 links of cooked Italian sausage (see note)
4 white button mushrooms, cleaned and cut into chunks
1/4 of a small white onion, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 of a green bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 cup canned black olives, sliced
dried oregano
garlic salt

Place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Lay a piece of parchment paper the size of the pizza stone on a work surface. Dust lightly with flour and roll out the pizza dough into a 14-inch circle. Spread the pizza sauce in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a half-inch margin around the outer edges. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top, then add the pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and olives. Dust with some oregano and garlic salt, to taste.

Transfer the pizza on the parchment paper to the pizza stone. Bake for 15 minutes, checking often to make sure there are no bubbles forming. I keep a poking fork handy to pop them during the first 5 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil/1 teaspoon dried basil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix everything together in a bowl. I like to use a 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes and make multiple portions of sauce at once, then store it in 1-cup measurements for future pizzas.  

NOTE: To cook the Italian sausage, first remove the outer casing and discard. Break the sausage meat into bite-size pieces, or crumble it. It's up to you what texture you like. Heat a small skillet with about a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until it's no longer pink.

Hello there, friends! Long time no see. I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted a new recipe here on the ol' blog. Sadly, this space has become more of a recipe archive these last few years for a variety of reasons. But, for now, I'm back. I have a stockpile of photos and draft posts I never published so prepare yourselves for the onslaught.

We all love the iconic sausage, peppers and onions, so when I saw Nicole's recipe for Sweet Pepper Pasta with Sausage over on PreventionRD, I knew I could make it my own with a few tweaks. We loved this and I made it quite often this summer.



Sausage, Pepper and Onion Pasta
Modified from PreventionRD

1lb short-cut pasta (I used rotini)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
19.5 oz hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb multicolored sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any big pieces, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced peppers and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the vinegar and garlic; cook 1 minute.

Add the cooked pasta and toss everything together. Stir in some of the cooking water, a little at a time, until the sauce is smooth and coats the pasta. Stir in the oregano. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper, if needed.

Add in the grated cheese and basil and toss again. Serve.

SP had a work event recently, which meant he wouldn't be home for dinner. When I'm on my own I like to make things he doesn't like so I can enjoy them without feeling guilty that he's only tolerating his dinner. This Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta was right up my alley - creamy goat cheese, roasted red peppers and artichokes combine to make a luscious sauce for fettuccine.


This did not disappoint and as an added bonus it was ready in mere minutes. The pasta water hadn't even come to a boil and the sauce was already done. I love easy weeknight meals like this - too bad SP wouldn't have been a fan. Baby Girl, on the other hand, yummed it up. Score one for the ladies in the house.

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta
Marcus Samuelsson

1/2 lb pasta (I used fettuccine)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 cup half and half
4 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
3 roasted red bell peppers , coarsely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 handful basil
8 oz artichoke hearts, cut into quarters

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve.

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Add the half and half, goat cheese, Parmesan and roasted red peppers and simmer until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and add the basil. Puree with an immersion blender or food processor. Add in the chopped artichoke hearts.

Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve immediately.

I'm sure this recipe for Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro would have been better with shrimp but we haven't been splurging on shrimp lately so I subbed in chicken:


I love the smell of coconut milk...mmmmm. This was a good recipe but it felt like it needed something. Maybe the shrimp would have been the right pairing, or maybe it needed some curry flavor (as was suggested by someone before I made it).

The last time I made this recipe for Chicken Spaghetti SP wasn't a fan. I made a few modifications and I think we're almost there.


This recipe made a ton of food so I froze half of it for a night when we need a quick dinner. Here's the recipe below with the modifications I've made and what I'll do differently next time (mainly add a 1/2 cup of wine for some kick).

Chicken Spaghetti
Modified from Pioneer Woman

4 chicken breasts, poached and shredded
1 lb spaghetti
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
12 ounces mushrooms, cut into chunks
1/2 cup white wine
1 jar pimentos, drained and diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup additional grated cheddar cheese
4-5 pieces of white bread, torn
butter

Cook chicken breasts and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. While spaghetti cooks, saute green pepper, onion and mushrooms in a little butter or oil until soft. Deglaze pan with white wine, then add chicken to heat through. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Pulse torn bread and butter in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly and the breadcrumbs are toasted.

We went next door for the Super Bowl to hang out with our neighbors. SP wanted to make something fun so he made a huge pot of his delectable sauce for sausage, peppers and onions.


After the sauce cooked for awhile he added cut sausage and sliced green and red peppers and sweet onions to cook. It was absolutely fantastic on soft, pillowy rolls.

When SP grilled the chicken for dinner on Wednesday he also grilled up some chicken for dinner on Thursday. I rubbed it with a Mexican spice rub I got during another gift exchange and we had it with stuffed poblanos:


Sometimes I have an idea that seems great in my mind, but doesn't work out so well in practice. I bought some poblano peppers at the farmer's market with the intention of making Spanish rice and stuffing the rice inside the pepper, topping the peppers with cheese and baking them for a Mexican version of stuffed peppers. The only problem was that I didn't realize I needed to cook the peppers before stuffing them, so they were pretty raw and crunchy. The sour cream and guacamole went a long way to cooling down our mouths from the spiciness, but the next day the peppers were pretty much inedible. At least the rice was good.

I also failed to take into account how spicy the peppers were when I was processing them. I removed the ribs and seeds with my bare hands, not really thinking it through, and after we ate I noticed the backs of my hands were on fire, kind of like what this guy is dealing with. I think when I washed my hands I redistributed the oil from the peppers to the backs of my hands since my palms and fingers were fine. Taking out my contacts was interesting (as was putting them back in the next morning) and no amount of soaking my hands in milk or baking soda water helped. Fortunately we had some aloe lotion that I slathered on my hands before I went to bed. It allowed me to sleep, thankfully, but I won't be making that mistake again.