"....That's Amore"

I've loved Dean Martin since I was a little girl. My mom introduced me to his music and we used to sing his songs together on long road trips.

I like his style,

I like his music,

I LOVE his voice!

Did you know....
While living among fellow stars in Hollywood, Dean and his wife used to throw big parties for all their fancy-pants celebrity friends at their house.

Dean liked to go to bed early, though. He would leave the party and go into his house to get ready for bed. Around the time that he was ready to go to sleep, if the party was still going on and people were still there, Dean would call the police.

"Hi Officer, Dean Martin is throwing another one of those parties of his and it's really loud...people are trying to sleep here!"

Then, the police would come to his house and break up his party for him (not knowing HE was the one who made the call)!

Now THAT'S funny!

...but what a great idea!

I thought of Dean, sang his songs, and twirled around the kitchen in my apron as I made dinner last night.

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...."

What was for dinner?

Homemade Hand-Tossed Pizzas:
(...one of my favorite things to make.)

*Potato, Alfredo, Rosemary Chicken Pizza
*Jack Daniels BBQ Chicken Pizza
*Grilled Vegetable and Cheese Pizza

I make my crust from scratch and hand toss it myself because it tastes better. It's my favorite crust and I can't get it anywhere else, so I have to make it. I bake the crust on a CLAY STONE and make it super thin (more like how pizza is actually served in Italy).

If you would like more information (and the recipe) for the crust, let me know. BUT, you can also buy prepared pizza crust at the grocery store. For instructions on how to "hand toss" a pizza, click HERE.

I thought I would pass along the TOPPINGS I used on these tastey pizzas, in case you would like some ideas on what to make for dinner....

Potato, Alfredo, and Rosemary Chicken Pizza
Sauce: Alfredo
Meat: Grilled Chicken
Toppings: Thin-sliced Potatoes, Rosemary (fresh or dried)
You can also add sliced Tomatoes, which is really good and makes a pizza with a funny name: "Tomato, Potato, Alfredo"
Cheese: Fresh Grated Paresan Cheese
Note: You may want to steam or boil the potato slices first to make sure they are cooked all the way.



Jack Daniels BBQ Grilled Chicken Pizza
Sauce: Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce
Meat: Shredded or sliced Grilled Chicken
Toppings: Thinly-slice Onion
Cheese: Shredded Mozarella OR Cheddar



Grilled Vegetable and Cheese Pizza
Sauce: Marinara OR Pesto (my favorite)
Toppings: Grill Veggies (Zuccini, Summer Squash, Potatoes, Onion, etc)
Cheese: Shredded Mozarella, Grated Parmesan AND Crumbled Feta

Notes: Remember to cook the pizza until the cheese on top browns. I usually cook them at 400-450 degrees-ish. The good news is that pizza is something you can play around with...it's hard to mess-up a Pizza!

When I was in college, my roommies came up with "Trash Pizza" (you know who you are). They added left-overs and veggies that needed to be eaten before needing to go into the trash. We ate everything on our pizza from beans to broccoli. "Just add cheese." They were actually REALLY good!

Enjoy!

Funny Story: I was going to make a crust and (instead of toppings) add butter, cinnamon, and sugar. While hand-tossing it and throwing it into the air, I dropped it. (Oops!) That one went into the trash.