Hungry? I was. While photographing the Hungry bars for OpenSky. Or maybe they just made me hungry. I had some peanut butter choco chip – yum!
Have a sweet craving?
We have lots of leftovers. Only 2 groups of trick or treaters came by. But when they did, it was VERY exciting!
We had a few friends over for a super casual pizza + candy dinner. Seems to be a new tradition.
Matt made the crust. A blend of 25% Great Harvest flour and white with herbs and olive oil
We made three flavors…the first featuring a Wisconsin Bleu Cheese I’m using for a recipe for them!
Can you guess the flavor?
The trick to our pizzas:
- 500* oven
- Pizza stone, already in there and hot
- Fresh dough, good ingredients
- Slide the whole thing on raw
- Cook for 10 minutes
- Perfect every time!
We resisted a pizza stone for a long time, but it really is the best trick ever.
Salad on the side
Pizza #2 came out next – chicken sausage, red pepper and lots of cheese
And last but not least – my favorite – the smoked mozzarella and mushroom oozy bonanza
Three pieces left me more than full, but we had a treat for dessert
Faith + Tate brought over some whipping cream and whipped it up with a whisk, a big bowl, a shot of bourbon and some honey
Served with fresh pear and ginger snaps Eileen brought! Triple Ginger from Trader Joe’s – loved them – especially dunked in the cream!
I really would have loved to eat some candy bars tonight because I swear they taste better on Halloween than any other day of the year, but this amazing dinner and dessert filled me to the brim.
{ 70 comments… read them below or add one }
Gaaaah! I love gingersnaps!! They pair so well with pears too LOL! That desert looks so scrumptious!!
Whipped by hand? Impressive!
The pizza looks delicious!
Yeah for Wisconsin cheese – lol!! And pizza is always a good dinner but especially around holidays
The pizza looks amazing!! Haha I have so much leftover candy too!!
I love those triple ginger cookies-yum
Happy Halloween! We got only 3 or 4 trick-or-treaters so we have TONS leftover. I may have to take some to school tomorrow…..
All of your food look amazing! I love making my own pizza-so cute and it taste great too!
I am totally with you on the pizza stone – it seemed silly at first but is something I use alllll the time! Not just for pizza, either.
That pizza looks FABULOUS. I love using a stone, it definitely makes a difference in the crust!
i first read oozy bonanza as “oozy BANANA” and was going to give you major props for being adventurous in the kitchen!!
i rarely eat candy, but, just like you, swear it tastes better on halloween!
that pizza looks so good! Ah I’ve been craving pizza for a while now!
I guess a pizza stone is the way to go. I try to keep my kitchen tools as minimal as possible, but there’s something to be said for a good crust.
Love the look of those bars!
I was just wanting pizza tonight! Ended up going with another fall favorite – grilled cheese and tomato soup. Really, isn’t that pizza in disguise anyway? haha
Love that Wisconsin blue cheese! And I think it’s a definite fact that candy tastes better around halloween than any other time of year – especially the fun sized ones!
Whipped cream…mmmm! For a while I was convinced I didn’t like whipped cream, luckily I got over that stage because it is delicious – especially flavoured and sweetened with a little something. I’ll have to try honey next time, that sounds yum!
The pizza’s look amazing!!! Sounds like I need to invest in a pizza stone.
I had pizza tonight! Am still handing out candy.
I love fresh whipped cream…nothing like it!
Hungry Bars on OpenSky?! Tell me more!
Pizza and desert looks amazing!
The pizzas look so delicious. Will Great Harvest ever branch into pizza making? (They could offer sandwiches AND pizza by the slice for lunch). The fresh flour must make the dough awesome.
Oh, and that was the perfect fall dessert. Simple, yet looks divine.
We have considered it, but it would be very hard to provide a hot slice. We turn off our ovens around 11am after the bread is finished. It would be a big cost in energy to keep them going, and I’m not sure the residual heat would head a slice up to customer satisfaction. And while our dough makes awesome pizza, we don’t want to veer too far from being a bakery into restaurant territory
Is your pizza dough soft and doughy or more crispy? Love the way it rises.
I think I first got the idea from your blog about using a pizza pan that had tiny holes in the bottom to keep the crust from sticking or getting too brown. Since then my pizzas never stick any more and come out a golden brown that is still soft!
Very doughy and soft! Crispy on the bottom
the pizza stone does make ALL the difference! That mushroom would have been my favorite too. Mushroom, mozz, and a little truffle oil is my ideal. You guys should have made a Halloween candy dessert pizza!!!
Healthy pizza!! I have actually been craving it this week and with olives, peppers and mushrooms just like this. Mmmmm! Getting the ingredients at the store tomorrow.
Ahhh whipped cream with booze is delish! Sounds like a fantastic Halloween dinner!
I think that is WHY I had to have some Snickers today–it isn’t that great, but it tastes oddly better on Halloween.haha
Love the pizzas-they look super delish!
Even though I do not have much of a sweet tooth at all–my husband makes up for my lack of sweet tooth–I think you are right… Halloween candy does taste better on trick-or-treat–but not much candy!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Sometime’s the simplest desserts are the best. I love fresh fruit and whipped cream.
Ive been meaning to try those TJ’s cookies…
We went trick or treating…the opposite problem here: everyone was OUT of candy. My 4 year old would have loved to see your full bowl
The smoked mozzarella pizza looks so good. Actually…they all look good! Great flavors!
Wisconsin lives up to the stereotype of being cheese lovers. My patients in Northern Illinois LIVE for cheese. Hope you enjoyed a bit of the Midwest on that pizza!
Bourbon honey whipped cream!?!? YUM.
I would LOVE to have a pizza stone, it really makes such a big difference. Glad you had a fun night Kath
Jealous!! Give me a pizza piled with cheese and mushrooms anytime and I’ll die a happy girl
These pizzas look unbuhhlievaable!
Delicious looking dinner! I haven’t made pizza in forever . . .
Delicious pizza’s! And what a great idea with whipped cream. Simple, delicious yet elegant
Happy Halloween!
What good-looking pizzas! Thick crust is so good…and those toppings sound awesome. I could go for that chicken sausage one!
MMM. PIZZA!
Happy Halloween!
This post does nothing for my pizza craving
I would love to try a piece of all 3 of those pizzas! But as I am trying to lose weight rather than maintain I must resist for now. But when I treat myself, I will get the stone out and make my own – so much better than shop bought.
I guess I am making pizza today….. yours made me want to reach through the screen and take a piece of mushroom. They all looked fabulous. Happy Halloween— don’t eat too much candy.
Seems like a great tradition! Pizza, beer and candy…definitely an adult’s idea of trick-or-treat.
Those pizzas DO look perfect! YUMMMMM!
Especially the last one! ….I like your casual tradition with friends, those kinds of nights are perfect!
I just started using my pizza stone this year. I was scared to use it at first (i.e., intimidated!) but you’re right..it’s one of the best secrets to a really great pizza.
Greg and I make pizza at home every single Friday night. We always bake it at 400 on a cookie sheet (we make 2 individual pizzas because our toppings preference is so different). If you say that 500 and a pizza stone makes all the difference, I guess I’ll have to try it out! It’s definitely worth shelling out money for something new if you’re going to use it every week!
You must!! We used to make them on baking sheets and they were always mediocre. I bet you can find a stone very cheap
Those pizzas look delicious! They look like they were professionally made! I love making pizzas at home. It’s so much healthier! You were lucky that you got some trick or treaters. We didn’t get any for the second year in a row. So sad!
Those pizzas all look incredible!
I had so much trouble cooking pizza over the summer that I just totally gave up on it! I actually made mine almost exactly like yours, except even after ample cooking time, the dough would always come out raw still!
Why do I never think to make my own whipped cream? (Especially just to add booze to it!)
Awesome dinner!
I also held off on buying a pizza stone, but when my husband and I moved into our last place, the old tenants left theirs and didn’t ever pick it up! It really does make a noticeable difference in creating a crunchy crust on the bottom.
The pizza looks wonderful! I recently got a brand new pizza stone at a rummage sale for $1!! I was so excited. I need to get working with it! Thanks for the toppings suggestions!
Those pizzas look delish… do you sell the crust at Great Harvest?
We have tons of leftover candy, too. The only kids we got at our house were kids that clearly didn’t know how to trick or treat…they tried to let themselves into our house and come in, and never said trick or treat! So bizarre.
We don’t but we should!
Too funny, we had pizza for dinner too (your recipie) and greens. Then we had leftover bday cake (not pumpkin, I wish) since my Husband’s bday was last Friday.
Dang man, I want to do Halloween at YOUR house!!
I love those Trader Joe’s cookies. I try and limit how often I buy them, but I think they’re delicious. And thanks for your pizza secrets. We’re still trying to perfect a homemade crust at our house, and this helps!
We had hundreds of trick or treaters! Ran out of candy and had to turn our porch light off at 7:30!
That pizza looks amazing! I could eat pizza every day. Love it.
Our friend shared his trick for a perfect pizza crust with us the other week. He just throws the dough right on to the oven rack (no pan or stone at all!). I was amazed. It was incredible.
Yummm, that pizza looks sooo good! I was so sad, we only had ONE trick-or-treater, and she didn’t even say “trick-or-treat” when I opened the door
I think 90% of people around here take their kids to the Lawn, maybe we’ll go there next year!
I use a lot of the same pizza tricks…but I’m curious…what part of the oven do you situate the rack for your pizzas? Also…..do you let the dough rise/rest after you top it? Or just stick it straight into the oven after shaping/topping?
thanks!
cathy b.
Our rack is just under the mid-point in the oven – closer to the bottom where the heat is. And we don’t let the dough rest or cook it halfway or anything. Just roll out, top and bake.
love, love, love the homemade pizza! We do it all the time
The blue cheese looks amazing on there!
The hungry bars look delicious! Love the tricks for making good pizza. Thanks for sharing.
WOW those pizzas look phenomenal!! And love the whipped cream idea.
We live a mile from a police precinct and a couple churches, that give out candy, so we never have trick or treaters
They always go there instead.
Can you share the recipe for the pizza crust again??? Is it the same one on the recipe page? I have a pizza stone and LOVE it–makes great bread.
Yes it’s the same one in the recipes – he just changes the flour proportions sometimes to more or less whole wheat. We think 50% whole wheat is the best
great pics, as usual. i love the earthy/fall colors of the pizza in these shots
Yummy! We adore pizza, especially when we put together our own combos like this…however my crust never looks as good as that! Ours is always a bit too thin, and doesn’t hold the toppings well, suggestions??
I have a pizza stone but I find it REALLY difficult to get the raw dough onto the hot pizza stone. I even try to sprinkle corn meal onto my counter as I roll out the dough and put on the toppings but It always sticks. What is your secret to doing this so beautifully and ending up with a round pizza?
You need a peel. This is a wooden slab with a handle that you sprinkle liberally with cornmeal. Then fully roll and stretch your dough out on a separate surface, pick it up, and put it on the peel. Then build the pizza while the dough is on the peel. The peel allows you to slide the dough onto the stone.
Or if you’re like me and have been too lazy to get a peel, you use a sheet of cardboard!