Mini Bacon Ranch and Pico de Gallo Pizzas

Sunday was my 38th birthday. Traditionally, I would have prepared a couple of dishes and have a mini gathering at home. Not this year, though. I didn’t even cook pancit guisado, which is customarily served on birthdays to signify a long, healthy life. I suppose these past four months of juggling a full-time job, nursing school and household maintenance has taken a toll on my old soul and beat-up body. All I wanted was the gift of ME-time. So on the day of my birthday, I was first in line at my favorite salon for a pedicure and (ouch!) waxing. I then spent the rest of the morning window shopping at the Cerritos Mall. Wow! I can’t believe how resting and calming it was to just walk aimlessly, to walk without a purpose.

At around 2 PM, my daughter asked if she could invite a few of her classmates over. For a good minute, I considered preparing my special pancit guisado for them. Nope. This is ME-day. I need this day to be able to meet the other days.

Actually, my forgoing the noodle dish resulted to more fun for the girls. They had a blast rolling, cutting and assembling the pizzas! If you want a good reminder of aging, surround yourself with five giggling girls. How I envy the optimism of youth! How I yearn for their ability to chow on mini pizzas, to chug on Diet Coke and to live in the simple moment of that bite and drink. How I miss the times when all I had to lose sleep on was the red pimple on my nose!

Pizza Crust

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water in a large bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

Onto a clean, well floured surface, turn out dough and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth.

Let the dough rise until double; around 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball.
Let the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Roll with a rolling pin or knead with hands into a flattened disk. Using a round lid or cookie cutter, cut into small dough disks. Continue to roll and cut until all dough scraps are used.

Pico de Gallo Mini Pizzas

pizza dough
cooked chicken breast, shaved or shredded (I used leftovers from my roasted onion chicken)
tomatoes, diced
cilantro, finely chopped
jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
white onions, peeled and finely chopped
pepper jack cheese, shredded
cheddar cheese, shredded
asiago cheese, grated
parmesan cheese, grated
romano cheese, grated

Bacon and Ranch Mini Pizzas

Pizza dough
cooked chicken breast, shaved or shredded
crisp bacon, crumbled
ranch dressing
red onion, peeled and finely chopped
mozzarella cheese, shredded
asiago cheese, grated
parmesan cheese, grated
romano cheese, grated

Prepare pizza dough as directed.

Dust a wide working surface with flour or cornmeal. With a rolling pin, roll dough as thinly as possible. Use a jar lid or a cookie cutter to cut dough into small rounds.

Arrange pizza rounds on a baking sheet. Using tines of a fork, lightly prick surface of dough.

Sprinkle asiago, parmesan and romano cheeses on crust. Assemble toppings. Drizzle ranch dressing on bacon-ranch mini pizzas. Top dough rounds with the remaining cheeses, mozzarella or pepper jack and cheddar. Sprinkle more asiago, parmesan and romano cheeses on top.

Bake in a preheated 375 F oven until cheese is melted, around 10 to 15 minutes.

 

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