Foodie Friday ~ Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

So a few weeks ago, I mentioned that we had given up pizza for Lent and since then, we have been getting really creative with our Friday Night Pizza Night! This "Easy Gourmet Pizza" is one of my favorites, but this Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza...I mean, what's not to love??!!!

We looked at so many different recipes for "Cheeseburger Pizza"--some were really authentic in keeping it like a real Cheeseburger (ketchup for the sauce, pickles and lettuce for the toppings) but we kinda just made ours up with what we thought would taste best....i wasn't sold on ketchup for sauce :)

This pizza is awesome! The only other thing that would make it great would be to swap out the marinara sauce for BBQ sauce! Bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce....ah......

Here's the Rooney version of Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza!

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

1 Boboli Thin Pizza Crust (my current fave)
1/2 of a 24oz jar of marinara sauce
1/2 lb lean ground beef
6-8 slices of bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 small onion, chopped
Scallions, chopped (optional)
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (optional)
Jarred pickled jalapenos (optional)
1-2 teaspoons of seasoning salt (or salt and pepper)

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. In a skillet with a little olive oil, brown ground beef. When almost done, add onions and cook for a few more minutes. Add marinara sauce and season with seasoning salt (or salt and pepper).

3.  Spread meat mixture evenly on pizza crust. Top with cheese, cooked bacon, tomatoes (optional) and jalapenos (optional).

4. Bake at 450 for 9-11 minutes or according to package directions.

5. Top with sliced scallions and enjoy a slice with your favorite frosty beverage!

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FOODIE FRIDAY ~ Perfectly Easy Gourmet Pizza

At our house, Friday is pizza night. It's a ritual around here! Typically, we get take out from a few favorite spots, but for Lent this year, we gave up takeout! This forced us to get really creative for pizza night! We tried all sorts of variations--different doughs, toppings, etc. Of course the kids always just wanted cheese and pepperoni!! Ha!

I needed a little more creativity though, and this little "recipe" below was by far my favorite version that we made throughout the 40 days and 40 nights of take-out pizza fasting! It's hardly a recipe--it's so darn easy!  Who knew you could buy balsamic glaze in the regular grocery store??? I found mine near the vinegar and where the regular balsamic is. You can use it for Caprese salad and a bunch of other things too! Just Google "recipes with balsamic glaze." Mine looks very similar to this one, except it's the store brand:

The combination of the sweet glaze, together with the fresh tomatoes is just heaven! Tastes gourmet, even though it uses very basic ingredients. I mean, Boboli pizza crust??! Really??! Trust me. It's awesome.

Perfectly Easy Gourmet Pizza

1 Boboli Thin Pizza Crust (I had my doubts, but after trying different crusts I REALLY like the Boboli Thin for this pizza!!)
1/2 to 1 cup (approx) of Marinara Sauce
2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
8 oz FRESH mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds (you can find fresh mozzarella in the specialty cheese case in the regular grocery store)
Big drizzle of balsamic glaze
Fresh basil leaves, torn

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Spread pizza crust with sauce. Top with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.

3. Bake at 450 for 9-11 minutes or according to package directions. I like my pizza crispy, so I typically leave it in a bit longer.

4. When the pizza comes out of the oven, let it cool for a few minutes. Then, drizzle with balsamic glaze and top fresh basil. Cut into wedges and voila! Gourmet pizza!!!

Today is Friday. And guess what I'm having for dinner....??

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Foodie Friday ~ Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas

Two of my favorite foods...pizza and quesadillas. I swear, you could put pretty much anything between two flour tortillas with cheese, grill it and I would eat it! My original version of quesadillas was a classic version, stuffed with chicken, cheese and bell peppers. SOOO yummy! This version combines everything on a pepperoni pizza, but grilled up between two crispy flour tortillas. Serious yumminess going on in this one, kids! I serve it up with a quick Caesar Salad (minus the chicken) and it's a dinner everyone LOVES!

Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas
Makes 3 large quesadillas (serves 3-6)

6 flour tortillas
2-3 cups of Monterey Jack and/or sharp cheddar cheese (i use both)
20-25 slices of pepperoni (i use turkey pepperoni)
3 tablespoons marinara or pizza sauce (of course I used Gino Rispoli)
Olives (optional)

1. Heat a large countertop griddle or skillet to medium high heat.

2. Lay out three tortillas. Spread each one with about 1 tablespoon (a LIGHT layer) of marinara sauce. Top the sauce with cheese, pepperoni and olives (optional)--just like a pizza!

3. Sprinkle a bit more cheese on the tortilla and top with the other tortilla.

4. Brush the top of the quesadillas with olive oil or cooking spray. Place oiled-side down on the griddle or skillet; brush the other side with olive oil or cooking spray.

5. Cook quesadillas until golden brown and the cheese is gooey and melted (approx. 3 minutes per side).

6. Cool for a few minutes and slice into wedges.

There you have it--Italian/Mexican Fusion!!!