Hawaiian Pull-apart & the Oscar goes to...

I fell asleep during the academy awards-- after J-Lo and Diaz. Did I miss anything awesome?

I mostly just wanted to see who won Best Visual Effects because Transformers was nominated. The studio that R works for did about 350 3D shots and some visual effects on Transformers: Dark of the Moon-- Needless to say, it was really exciting for R to say he has worked on an Oscar Nominated film. They were up against Hugo, and Scorsese is like, a movie God-- so it was really no surprise to anyone that Hugo actually won. But, I've never worked on an Oscar Nominated film before, so I thought it was pretty neat that R could add that to his portfolio.


(I am not going to lie, I have a huge soft spot for those Autobots!)

On Sunday I also made a pull-apart-pizza. I've been seeing them around the web for a few years now but always forgot about it when pizza time rolls around.

Since it was R's birthday we put all dietary restraints aside and went for it-- Cheese, Bacon, Bread, butter and all.

So SINFULLY GOOD.

Normally I avoid "pig" products like the plague because pigs are treated very poorly and pigs are smarter than their barn yard mates so they respond to stress poorly (and actually get depressed), which essentially makes their meat toxic, you then consume those toxins and it's just not good for anyone-- BUT, I am only human after all and from time to time the allure of bacon is just too much for me to resist.

SO, blogger, I have sinned.. I ate bacon TWICE this week.

ANYWAY.....

Here's how to make your very own Pull-apart pizza with a healthy side salad!

{Side note: I didn't take any pictures of the process, so if you are visual-- you can check out the link I provided in the beginning of the post for some step-by-stop pics.}

Ingredients for Hawaiian Pizza:

-Prosciutto, ham or bacon (I use the real-bacon pieces that you find in the Salad dressing Isle--less fat)
-Monterrey Jack cheese (blocks are easier, but I used shredded)
-Pineapple bits (in real pineapple juice, not syrup)
-Pizza Dough (you can get this at the grocery store sometimes, or at the local pizza shop)

You will also need a round 8 inch pie pan-- or something equivalent in size.

Prepare:

Start by melting 3 tbs of butter with 3 minced/crushed garlic cloves, pour the butter mixture into your pie-pan and pre-heat the oven to 400.

Make sure the butter is evenly distributed at the bottom of the pan.

TIP If you are using shredded cheese, mix the cheese and bacon pieces together in a bowl, and use a spoon to fill the dough.  If you are using block cheese, cut the block into 1/2 inch cubes.  If your pineapple bits are on the large side-- cut them in half. 

TIP You want to handle the dough as little as possible, so start by cutting it into the appropriate sizes and then lay a towel over the dough you are not working with so it doesn't dry out

Step 1: Cut your room temperature dough in half, cut the halves into quarters and the quarters into halves.

You should have about 16 dough sections.

Step 2: Flatten the dough sections into "mini pizzas" and fill the center with your ingredients. I used one spoonful of cheese/bacon pieces (that I mixed together before starting) and one bit of pineapple. This works best if you create a little cup in your hand with the dough.

Step 3: Then you will close the dough, creating a seam on one side. Then you will lay the filled dough ball into the pan--Seam side down. I staggered the balls so there were no gaps.

Once the pan is filled, brush the top with a little butter if you would like, and don't forget some seasonings.

I like to used a mix of salt-pepper-garlic powder and I topped it off with the extra shredded cheese and bacon I was using as filling.

The pizza should cook for about 20 mins @400 degrees, but I cooked my pizza in the toaster oven, so I had to lower the heat to 375 about half way through because it was getting a little too brown-- this also resulted in a slightly longer cook time. 

For good measure I also made a dipping sauce-- I roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic for about 30 mins at 400, then I blended the tomatoes and garlic with 1 can of tomato paste and 1 can of diced tomatoes until everything was pureed. After that I added the ingredients to a sauce pan, added a little olive oil, Italian seasonings, about 2 tbs of raw honey, one more can of diced tomatoes and some S&P. I let it simmer for a few mins-- and I used the leftovers on pasta for R's lunch.

THEN I made a mixed green salad with feta, strawberries and a lemon vinaigrette.

Lemon Vinaigrette

-1/4c Balsamic vinegar
-1/4c Olive Oil
-Lemon (1/2)
-1tbs Dijon Mustard

Mix together in a large salad bowl, add your toppings & greens and evenly distribute, plate the salad with a little feta on top and there ya go!

Lemme know if you try it!

Namaste!
r