Teak Dog Tuesday!

Grilled Pizza

I was so excited to find this recipe for grilled pizza.  We had never done anything like this before, but it turned out so good!  It wasn't too hard or complicated; it just takes some careful attention at the end.  We'll definitely do this again soon.


Here are some notes on the actual recipe: I'm not sure what the difference is in pizza crust yeast and regular yeast, but maybe the pizza crust yeast just works faster; I really don't know.  The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of oil, but it didn't say what kind, so I just used vegetable oil.  At the end, though, when it says to brush the dough with oil before putting it on the grill, I switched to olive oil for some reason; you can do whatever.  The recipe also said not to load the dough up too heavily with sauce and toppings, but we still had four toppings plus cheese, and it was fine.  The list of ingredients also calls for 3 cups of flour, but the first step says to mix just two cups in with other ingredients.  The remaining cup is to add to it when stirring and kneading, but I never measured it out.


The recipe makes eight individual pizzas, but if you're serving big eaters, allow two pizzas per person; leftovers never hurt anyone.  We could only fit two pizzas on the grill at a time, and we made four total.  The rest of the dough is in the fridge for later this week.


The grill is supposed to medium-hot, but we really weren't sure how to gauge that.  It took a trial run of one burned pizza, but the later ones turned out perfect.  You'll see if you need to adjust the heat of the grill or the time of cooking; our pizzas did better at 2-3 minutes instead of 3-4 minutes.  I'm sure you could do this on a grill pan too, especially if it's too cold to be outside.


You'll be so impressed with this!  You should try it!  Here are some pictures from start to finish.

Grilled Pizzas


3 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups very warm water (120-130 degrees F)
1/3 cup oil
Additional flour for kneading
Additional oil for grilling
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Other toppings as desired


Start charcoal or preheat gas grill to medium-high heat.  Combine two cups of flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Add water and oil, and mix until well blended, about 1 minute.  Gradually add enough flour to form a soft dough.  Dough should form a ball and be slightly sticky.  Knead on a floured surface, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic and not sticky, about 5 minutes.


Divide dough into 8 portions.  Pat or roll dough on a well-floured counter to about 8-inch circles.  Brush both sides of the crust with additional oil.  Using hands, lift each crust carefully and place on grill.  Cook for 3-4 minutes or until bottom is slightly browned and top looks set.  Using tongs, remove crust from grill, and place grilled-side-up on tray or baking sheet.  Lightly add sauce and toppings to the grilled side of the crust.  Carefully slide each pizza back onto the grill and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until bottom of the crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted.  Remove from grill and serve immediately.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone has a full day of family, friends, and food.  This is a wonderful day to thank the Lord for all of his many blessings!

Teak Dog Tuesday!

Here's Teak hanging out by his barrel in the backyard.  The cement blocks are around the perimeter so he won't dig out while we're at work.  He has a history of doing that.

Bacon Cheddar Pinwheels

I'm starting to believe that you can create anything with Pillsbury products.  We love their pizza crust and have experimented with different uses for it, and now here's yet another delicious way to use their cresent rolls.  This would be an excellent appetizer for any get-together, and it was really quick.  (Of course, I already had cheese, bacon, green onions, Ranch, and crescent rolls, so that made it even easier.)  The hard part is not eating all of them and thus making them into a meal.  Enjoy!

Bacon Cheddar Pinwheels

1 can crescent rolls
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup green onions, finely sliced
2 Tbsp Ranch dressing

Preheat oven to 350.  Unroll dough and separate into two triangles; pinch seams together.  Spread Ranch over each triangle to edges, and cover each with green onions, bacon, and cheese.  Starting with the short side, roll up each rectangle, and press edges to seal.  With a serrated knife, cut each roll into 8 slices.  Place cut-side-down on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-17 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.  Remove immediately from cookie sheet, and serve warm. 

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

These were good!  They were quick and easy, and I had all the ingredients without having to go to the store, which is always nice.   Next time I think I'll add white chocolate chips for even more flavor.  It's also great because of how well it freezes.  If you don't want to bake the cookies immediately, just roll the dough onto wax paper, roll it into the log, and stick it in the freezer. 

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 stick butter, slightly softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix dry ingredients together, and then stir in oats and set aside.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and scrape down the bowl.  Add honey and vanilla, and beat until well blended.  Stir in the cranberries and pecans.  Drop by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased sheet pans.  Bake for 9-11 minutes, and allow cookies to rest on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Teak Dog Tuesday!

Here's Teak, being a champion bumper-retriever.  Duck season starts Saturday, which will be a big day for Teak and Bizzuck alike.