Pizza
One of our favorite pizza places in Portsmouth, NH has our favorite Mexican pizza but we don’t always have time to go into Portsmouth so what’s a girl to do? Make my own version right? Well, this is not exactly like the restaurant version and it is definitely a little spicier, but the cool lettuce and tomato slaw on top cools it right down. You can also change the spice level by using mild salsa and leaving the jalapeño’s off. I made this one Saturday afternoon and shortly after I made it we had some neighbors pop over so I was thrilled to see how they liked it. I did not tell them it was my creation before they ate it so I was thrilled when they both cleaned their plates and said how much they liked it! I knew Jim and I liked it but it’s nice to have some additional feedback. I also made a gluten free version for Robby using gluten free crust and gluten free taco seasoning. Robby loved his pizza too! If you want to keep it dairy free, don’t use the sour cream and use dairy free cheese.
INGREDIENTS
Pizza crust of your choice, store bought, home made or dough from your favorite pizza place
1/2 pound ground beef
2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning, I use low sodium
3 Tablspoons water
1/2 cup of salsa, I used medium spice
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 – 1/2 cup jarred sliced pickled jalapeños, depending on how much you want
TOPPING ingredients
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup sour cream
FOR A GLUTEN FREE PIZZA – like this one
Use a gluten free crust and gluten free taco seasoning. To make this dairy free leave out the sour cream and use dairy free cheese.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray sheet pan with non-stick spray. Flatten the dough forming your crust. Prebake the crust for 3-4 minutes partially baking it. Remove from oven. In the meantime, heat a skillet to medium heat and add your ground beef. Cook ground beef breaking into crumbs as it cooks, drain excess liquid from the pan and add the taco seasoning and water, mix to combine and finish cooking. When cooked through, remove from heat.
To assemble, add your salsa to the top of your pizza crust and spread to about 1/4 of and inch to the edges, add the ground beef mixture and cover the salsa, add the cheeses spreading over the beef. If desired add the sliced jalapeños. Place back in the oven and bake an additional 8 minutes.
While the pizza is baking combine all of the topping ingredients together and set aside. When pizza is cooked through remove from oven, let rest for just a couple minutes, slice and add a spoonful or so of the topping. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
Where did the summer go? Kids are back in school and finding a new routine with school, sports, homework and family time. I have the perfect dinner solution for you on those nights that a home cooked meal is just not in the cards. Katz’s Deli & Market at 23 Ham street in Dover NH is your answer! Are you wondering why I am sending you to a neighborhood market? Well, not only do they have all the typical things your local convenience store does, they have lots of great foods that you can eat in or take out on your way to or from all of the kids activities!
There is alot to love about Katz’s Market & Deli. First, they are owned by a local family. They also have a pay it forward board where you can purchase an item in the store for someone else who might be in need and they can take that item with them! How great is that?! They also keep changing and coming up with new sub and pizza creations! Pretty good, right? That’s not all They also sharpen your knives! I LOVE that this service is offered. I know for as much cooking as I do I don’t sharpen my knives as often as I should, so this is a great local service that I know I will be using before the holidays!
Are you wondering how good the food really is? Well, Jim and I bought the meat lovers pizza and let me tell you there was no skimping on the toppings! This pizza was loaded with pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon and hamburger! Jim and I both differ on how we like our crust but this crust is a perfect middle ground for us. I like thin and crispy but Jim likes a thicker, doughy crust. The crust here is not too thick, but the edge of the dough is a little on the doughy side! Perfect for us!
They have lots of pizza and calzone choices. Not just your average pepperoni or cheese… they have a white pizza that is also a favorite of mine with garlic, mozzarella and ricotta. Maybe you would like a Big Mac pizza or a General T’so pizza. I can’t forget to mention the chicken cordon bleu pizza How good do those all sound?! If you don’t like those you can always choose your own toppings too!
It’s not just about the pizza at Katz’s they have chili, hot and cold subs and just like the pizza selection, the subs can hold their own in size and flavor! They have everything you would expect like steak and cheese, grilled chicken, buffalo chicken, Italian and BLT. But if you are really feeling hungry, the Belly Buster might be your choice! The Belly Buster is filled with roast beef, turkey, ham, Swiss and provolone! Oh yes, they have salads and chicken fingers too! Or maybe you want a hamburger. They have all of that too and not your average burgers or cheeseburgers, maybe you would like the Rodeo Burger with BBQ sauce, onion rings, bacon and swiss. Now that will surely cure your hunger!
You don’t think that’s all, do you? No way, this little market packs a punch! They serve breakfast sandwiches too so if your kids are hungry and you don’t want to sit in the drive through at a local big business get to Katz’s and get a breakfast sandwich to go with egg, cheese and your choice of sausage, ham or bacon on an English muffin or a bagel! But don’t forget the hash browns, they have those too, along with a great coffee bar!
So many great choices all at great prices, you will not be breaking the bank here, but you will be supporting a local small business that supports it’s community and for us that is an important factor in how and where we shop. Give Katz’s Deli and Market a try. You and your family will be happy you did! https://www.facebook.com/katzsdeliandmarketdovernh/
Enjoy!
It’s been all Greek to me this week! I’ll be honest I don’t eat a lot of Greek food so when I was asked to come up with some original recipes, I really had to do some research. I also wanted recipes that are simple and without a million ingredients, but still had lots of flavor. This recipe did take a little bit of time and the Tzadziki sauce needs some time to come together in the fridge. I started with the sauce first and everything comes together very simply after that. This was a fresh and flavorful recipe that we really enjoyed. It was definitely a little different from my usual recipes, but very tasty!!
INGREDIENTS
Pizza dough (your recipe or store bought)
1/2 pound ground lamb
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Greek seasoning (found in the spice aisle)
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 sun dried tomatoes, diced
12 large green olives, sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
One big handful of spinach/arugula mix
TZATZIKI SAUCE
1 cup plain Greek yogurt, drained
3 Tablespoons grated cucumber
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped dill
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Starting with the Tzatziki sauce, drain the yogurt. Once drained go ahead and add all of the other ingredients mix well and store in the fridge until ready to use.
For the lamb: in a large fry pan add the ground lamb breaking up as it cooks. When it’s about half way through cooking, drain the fat if needed and add minced garlic, lemon juice, Greek seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine and finish cooking through. Remove from heat.
Preheat your oven according to your pizza dough (mine baked at 425 degrees for 15 minutes). Spread out your pizza dough on a baking sheet or pizza pan.
In a medium bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, green olives, garlic, red onion, olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes if using. Mix well and spread over your pizza dough. Top with your ground lamb mixture covering your pizza, top with the feta cheese and bake through until your pizza dough is cooked through and everything is warmed through. Remove from oven top with the spinach arugula mix and drizzle with Tzatziki sauce and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
This was so simple and packed with flavor! I made this as an afternoon snack but this would be great as a game day or tailgating appetizer! This could very easily be done on the grill as well. We enjoyed this so much I made it twice in the same week!
INGREDIENTS
1 package Naan bread (contains 2 Naan breads)
2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 tomato, very thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 pound of ham (I used honey ham)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bread on a baking stone or baking sheet. Spread one Tablespoon of the Dijon mustard on each of the breads, top with the ham, dividing the ham between the breads. Top with the Swiss cheese, again dividing the cheese between the two breads. Top with three thinly sliced tomato slices on each bread.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Slice and serve warm!
Enjoy!
My favorite thing to make is appetizers, especially on the weekends where I might make two or three different things. This pizza was super quick and easy using Naan bread, rotisserie chicken and bacon I had already cooked for another recipe. I was slightly heavy on the buffalo sauce so I definitely recommend using it sparingly or to taste if you love the heat!
INGREDIENTS
1 Naan flat bread
3/4 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and or Monterey Jack
1/4 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
1/4 cup buffalo sauce such as Frank’s (or to taste)
3 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the Naan bread on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Spread the ranch dressing over the Naan. Top with half of the cheese, add bacon and chicken. Top with the remaining cheese and drizzle buffalo sauce over the pizza. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
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