Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

I saw a version of this on Tasty Kitchen and I made it a little simpler based on what I had on hand and what Jason and I both like. Turns out that this is a fantastic and really easy pizza. If you're pressed for time and are wanting something a little different try this, it's great!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

1 Pizza Crust (we use the Pillsbury Refrigerated Dough)
Olive Oil
Ranch Dressing
Pre-cooked chicken pieces/slices
Bacon (we use the ready made kind)
Mozzarella Cheese

- Spread dough out onto pan
- Spread olive oil on top of pizza dough
- Spread ranch dressing on top of dough until you have a thin layer
- Place chicken evenly on top of pizza
- Cover pizza with cheese
- Crumble/cut bacon on top of cheese

Bake at 400 degrees (or 425 based on your type of pan) for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown.

Calzones

Have you ever made calzone's before?  Until last week I hadn't, but one day I got the idea that if we could make a pizza surely we could make a calzone.  And with my addiction to bread the extra bread to sauce ratio was exquisite!  This is super easy and probably not new to most of you, but I'm trying to put together some simple, easy recipes for my newly graduated into the working world brother and this is a surefire winner!

Easy Calzone's

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (the calzone above is half of one calzone made with one tube of dough)
Marinara Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Toppings (i.e. pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, peppers...the possibilities are endless)
Olive Oil
Red Pepper Flakes

1. Lay pizza dough out on a cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Spread with fingers to cover most of the width of the pan.
2. Brush olive oil on dough (light brushing).
3. Put marinara sauce on half of the pizza dough spreading it fairly close to the edge of the calzone.
4. Place toppings on top of the marinara.
5. Spread cheese on top of the toppings.
6. Fol the other half of the pizza dough over the top of the side with toppings.  Press down the edges to seal with your fingers.
7. Brush top with olive oil and sprinkle red pepper flakes (if desired).
8. Bake at 350 for approximately 20-25 minutes or until top is turning golden brown and the bottom is not sticking to the cookie sheet.

Shrimp Pizza

I pulled this out of the September 2009 issue of Parents magazine from an article about making things that your kids will eat. (I couldn't find the recipe on their website.)  Kids, husbands, same thing right??? :)  I kid, Jason is a really good eater, but he loves shrimp so I thought that this recipe would be perfect for him and I like shrimp so good for me!  I made this on Monday night and it was fantastic!  It's more like an authentic pizza that you would get in Italy as opposed to something from a pizza delivery chain.  It was really good and I felt pretty healthy eating it since the recipe says that each slice only has 175 calories.  It was really easy to make and only took about 35-40 minutes from start of prep time until sitting at the table so that was great also.

Shrimp Pizza

1 14 oz can refrigerated pizza crust
2 T olive oil, divided
2 tsp minced garlic
1 lb Shrimp, peeled
5 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4" slices
1/4 c fresh basil, slivered
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepper to taste


1. Preheat oven to 425.  Roll out crust to fit a jelly roll pan or your pizza stone.  Brush crust with 1 T olive oil and sprinkle with garlic.  Top with shrimp and tomatoes; bake for 12 minutes.
2. Remove the pizza from the oven. Sprinkle it with basil and cheese.  Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.  Return to the oven just until cheese is melted, about 7 minutes (only took 5 in my oven).  Season with pepper and allow the pizza to cool slightly before serving.

Upside Down Pizza Casserole

This is a fantastic, easy recipe that I got from my friend Erin!  Jason and I both loved the recipe and I'm betting that kids will love it too!

Upside Down Pizza Casserole

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 15 oz. can Italian-style tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese (6 oz.)
1 10-oz. package refridgerated biscuits (10)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In large skillet cook beef until brown; drain off fat.  Stir in tomato sauce, heat through.  Transfer mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish (I use a 13x9 pan).  Sprinkle with cheese.  Flatten each biscuit with your hands; arrange the biscuits on top of cheese.  Bake about 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden.