I learned creative cooking from my mother. Or maybe I should say, I often observed my mother cooking creatively. I don’t think it is something that can be taught; one has to have a natural ability to be able to do so. There are some people who should just follow a recipe and be done with it.
My high school home economics teacher showed our class how to make homemade pizza. For the crust, she used a boxed hot roll mix. I wanted to try it at home, but we didn’t have a hot roll mix. Undiscouraged, I found a recipe for rolls in a cookbook and used it instead. We had no mozzarella cheese, either, so I sprinkled Parmesan over the toppings. It wasn’t the same as what I had in class; my family enjoyed it anyway.
Bob, my late husband, used to tell others, “My wife takes a recipe and departs therefrom.” He sometimes questioned why I couldn’t seem to leave well enough alone. The ingredient list and amounts seemed fine to him; however, I often had other ideas: a little less of this, more of that, omit this all together, and add that. It seems like my instincts are quite often correct, as the times he talked me into making a recipe as written often left us wishing I had followed my own impulses.
I will confess that there have been times my trial-and-error cooking methods have ended up to be just that. They were a trial to eat (like humble pie), and I had to admit the errors I committed. Sometimes it was a failure to read the recipe ingredients correctly or getting the step-by-step directions out of order. But for the most part, I manage to have good results.
Some years after I was married, my mother came up with an idea she called a “pleazza” (short for “pleasing pizza”). First, she patted out the pizza dough on a rimmed cookie sheet. Then she spread tomato sauce and toppings on one side; butter, cinnamon, and sugar went on the other side. “It’s dinner and dessert all on one pan,” she declared. The only time I observed her make this concoction, her topping of the day was oysters. Bob and I made an excuse to leave before dinner was ready since neither of us wanted to sample what looked like a culinary disaster.
All this talk about pizza was inspired by the knowledge that October is National Pizza Month. The recipes include a dessert pizza, but it is baked separately from the main dish variety!
Hawaiian French Bread Pizza
1 large loaf French bread
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
4 cups Mozzarella cheese, divided
1-1/2 cups ham, diced (or may use sliced ham cut into 1/2-inch strips)
Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the French bread into three equal sized pieces. Then cut those pieces in half lengthwise forming 6 total pieces.
Place the bread crust side down on a large baking sheet. Place in oven for about 5 minutes until bread just begins to toast.
Remove bread from oven and spread 1 or 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce on each piece. Top with 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup pineapple tidbits, and 1/4 cup diced ham. Lightly sprinkle the tops of each pizza with cinnamon and top off with 2 tablespoons cheese.
Place back in oven for 10–12 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Makes 6 servings.
Spaghetti Pizza
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 (32-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
2 to 4 cups mozzarella cheese
1 package pepperoni (optional)
Combine first 7 ingredients; blend well. Spread into greased pan (10-1/2-by-16-inch or 13-by-9-inch). Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Mix spaghetti sauce, hamburger, and oregano; spread over top of spaghetti. Sprinkle cheese and pepperoni over all. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
Cornbread Pizza
2-1/4 teaspoons yeast ( 1 package)
2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix (white or yellow)
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 cups water
Measure ingredients into bread machine in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select “dough” setting. After dough cycle is completed, dough may be used immediately or wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
(If dough has been refrigerated, allow dough to sit at room temperature 30 minutes.)
Lightly grease pizza pan or baking sheet with olive oil. Roll dough to fit pan or press dough into pan to make 2 (12-inch) thin crusts or one (16-inch) thick crust pizza.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let dough rise in warm place while preparing and preheating the oven, (at least 15 minutes). Top with desired ingredients. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown, (longer for thicker crust and less for thinner crusts).
Topping suggestion:
Taco Pizza
Shape dough into 2 (12-inch) crusts. Cover and allow dough to sit in warm place. Brown 1-1/2 pounds ground beef; mix in taco seasoning according to directions on package. Spread crust with taco sauce and 1/2 of meat mixture. Repeat with second crust. Bake until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven; sprinkle on 1 cup of cheddar cheese and various other toppings such as diced tomatoes, onions, peppers, black olives, jalapenos, black beans, sour cream, and salsa.
Cherry Cheese Pizza
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cold butter
2 tablespoons shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons water
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Topping:
4 cups fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries or 2 (15-ounce) cans tart cherries
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
6 to 8 drops red food coloring
Whipped cream
In large bowl, combine flour and baking powder; cut in butter and
shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add
water, tossing with fork until dough forms a ball.
Roll out into a 14-inch circle. Place on ungreased 12-inch pizza
pan. Flute edges to form rim; prick bottom of crust. Bake at
350 degrees for 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in
eggs and vanilla. Stir in nuts. Spread over crust. Bake 10 minutes
longer. Cool. Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Set cherries
and juice aside.
In large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in reserved
juice until smooth. Add cherries. Cook and stir over medium heat
until mixture comes to a boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes longer
Remove from heat; stir in butter, extract and food coloring.
Cool to room temperature; spread over cream cheese layer. Top with
whipped cream. Yield: 10-12 slices.