Shrimp Flatbread Pizza!

Shrimp.  That one word is it's own sentence.  It's also it's very own food group.  (Not technically but who cares.)  Anything you cook will taste better with shrimp.  Seriously.  I can't think of a more enjoyable food.  I love shrimp.  It's amazing.  As far as I'm concerned, I could totally replace chicken in just about every meal with shrimp and it would be to die for.  Don't you think? 

Well. . .not everyone will agree with me, and by not everyone I mean my entire family.  Dave hates shrimp.  He just about gags at the thought of it.  Justin too.  Tessa won't even try it, and Ava will take a few bites as a "show of support" to me.  Needless to say, I went a long time not enjoying shrimp to the full extent that one should enjoy shrimp to.  UNTIL. . . I realized that I can sub shrimp in MY OWN meal and still let them eat their own boring version!  Genious!  So when I make a pasta dish with chicken, I'll saute a few shrimp and have that instead!  Or when I do fajitas, I'll do the steak and chicken for them, but again, saute up a few shrimp for my meal!  I am so smart. 

I have no idea when my love of shrimp started, but I DO remember my grandma taking me to Red Lobster on occasion as a child and indulging me in my tasty passion for seafood.  (FYI:  Red Lobster as an adult=not nearly as classy as you remember it being when you were a kid.)  I've come to realize that when it comes to ordering shrimp in a restaurant, I almost always end up disappointed.  It's either too salty, over cooked and rubbery, or served too cold.  I like my shrimp cooked just enough that it's warm, pink on the outside and "POPS!" when you bite into it!  WITH THE EXCEPTION of ordering shrimp in OCEANSIDE restaurants where it's their specialty!!!!!

Some of the tastiest shrimp dishes I've ever eaten have been on our vacations . . one of my favorite things about traveling to ocean destinations is the fresh seafood: 

Catch 31 in Virginia Beach, VA. . .BEST Coconut Shrimp EVER!
Chicks Oyster Bar in Virginia Beach, VA. . . mouthwatering Shrimp Taco Salad!
Frenchy's Rockaway Grill  in Clearwater, FL. . . SECOND best Coconut Shrimp!
Surf Rider  in Virginia Beach, VA. . . most amazing Seafood Alfredo you'll ever eat!
PInchers Crab Shack  in Naples, FL. . . a Shrimp PoBoy that will you fill you up, but leave you wanting more!
The Dock in Naples, FL. . . Shrimp. Nachos.  Need I say more?


Well, to finally wrap it up, tonight my family wanted to make flatbread pizzas. . .which did not sound good to me at all. . .theirs all looked like this:

Flatbread, sauce, pepperoni, cheese, blah blah blah.  Boring.  So while I was helping them prep their pizzas, my mind went to SHRIMP:

I like to keep a bag of UNCOOKED frozen shrimp on hand in the freezer for JUST these types of occasions!  They ate their boring pizza, and I THOROUGHLY enjoyed my special treat!

SHRIMP FLATBREAD PIZZA 

( I just made one pizza, but you can make many more if you'd like!)

1 piece of flatbread.  (Naan, or a similar brand.)

Garlic infused olive oil

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

8 large uncooked shrimp (thawed)

dab of butter

cracked black pepper

flat leaf parsley

1.  Put your piece of flatbread on a cookie sheet and brush lightly with Garlic Infused Olive Oil.

2.  I buy the fresh mozzarella that comes in a log, and just dice a little bit and toss it on top of the bread.  

3.  Toss in a preheated oven at 400 and let cook for about 10 minutes.

4.  In a small saute pan, melt a tiny bit of butter.  Once butter is melted, toss in your shrimp.  I buy the tail-on, uncooked, peeled, and devained shrimp.  Just tastes a bit fresher than the precooked stuff and that way I can be assured that it won't get that over cooked rubbery texture. 

5.  Cook until it looks just slightly pink and then turn over to finish cooking.  This takes just minutes, or less depending on how hot your pan is.  Once shrimp is cooked, remove from pan to prevent overcooking.

6.  At this time I pull the tails off, and chop the shrimp into bite size pieces.

7.  Take flatbread out of the oven, and top with shrimp and some chopped flat leaf parsley!

Fresh Fruit Pizza!

This is a summertime staple in our house. It's a cookie, topped with a homemade cream cheese fruit dip, and TONS of fresh fruit. I love it. My kids love it, and just about anyone else who's ever had it, loves it too. The cookie crust is the same recipe we use to make out cut out cookies at Christmas time. It's the best cookie dough ever. Not even kidding, before you pop this baby in the over, try the cookie dough. (Yes I know the whole "raw egg" thing is an issue for some, but this cookie dough is so good it's worth the special trip to get the pasteurized eggs.)

Fresh Fruit Pizza!

COOKIE CRUST:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup powder sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour

FRUIT DIP:
1 8oz brick cream cheese
1 small container of marshmallow creme
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Cream together butter and powder sugar.

2. Add in egg and beat until smooth and creamy.

3. Mix in baking soda, cream of tartar, vanilla, and almond extracts.

4. Press cookie dough into a bar pan, spreading evenly.

5. Bake at 375 for 10 to 13 minutes. Cool Completely.

6. Mix together all ingredients for the fruit dip.

7. Spread over the top of the cookie crust.

8. Top with assorted fresh fruit. (I always use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, mandarin oranges, and kiwi.)

Veggie Pizza

Veggie Pizza

2 pkgs. of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 8oz pkgs. cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
2 tsp dill
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Fresh Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots

1. Unroll and place crescents in a 10 x 15 pan. Press seams to seal.

2. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until slightly browned. Cool completely.

3. Mix together cream cheese, mayo, dill, and garlic powder.

4. Spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crescent rolls.

5. Chop fresh veggies, and top pizza with a thick layer of veggies.

Pizza Sandwich Sticks

Pizza Sandwich Sticks

8 slices of good bread
8 slices of smoked provolone cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 jar pizza sauce

1. Mix together butter, cheese, and garlic powder.

2. Spread mixture on to 4 slices of bread.

3. Put bread, butter side down, on grill pan.

4. Top each piece of bread with 2 pieces of provolone cheese.

5. Butter last 4 slices of bread.

6. Top cheese, with last slices of bread.

7. Cook like grilled cheese sandwiches.

8. When sandwiches are done, cut into sticks, and serve with pizza sauce.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Ok. . .not gonna lie to you. This is not the best pizza sauce ever. It's simply Ok when in a pinch. We made pizza last night, and thought we'd do the whole homemade sauce thing. This is a recipe I came across and the kids ate it and liked it. I didn't think it was fantastic. When I find a better one. . . I'll ditch this one. But you try it. See what you think. If you have a good one PLEAE email me or post it as a comment.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

one 6oz can of tomato paste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons dried Italian Spices

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix all together!

2. Spread on pizza dough and top as desired!

Baked Pepperoni PIzza Mac

Each year for Christmas, my Grandma Dorothy and Grandpa Dale get me a subscription to Taste of Home Magazine. I look forward, every month, to when that magazine comes in the mail. There's always something new to make. Even my husband pages through looking for something to challenge me with. This recipe, however, was no challenge at all. We love pasta, and the kids love pizza. This was pasta is quick, easy, made with ingredients we always have, and a real pleaser for everyone. As always, I did make a few changes to the recipe to better suit our tastes.

Baked Pepperoni Pizza Mac

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cups pizza sauce
4 cups mozzerella cheese
1 pkg. Hormel mini pepperoni
Chopped onion, green pepper, olives, or whatever pizza toppings you like

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain and set aside.

2. Mix together eggs, parmesan cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.

3. Mix together egg mixture with pasta and spread in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

4. Spead sauce on top of pasta.

5. Top with half of the cheese.

6. Sprinkle on the pepperoni, and top with remaining cheese.

7. Top with your additional pizza toppings and bake another 15 to 20 minutes.

8. Let set for about 15 minutes before cutting.