Build Your Own..., cont.

Okay, so another favorite in our house building on the "Build Your Own.." concept is Build Your Own Pizzas. My husband used to work as a multi-unit supervisor for a pizza franchise, and in my opinion, makes the most FABULOUS pizzas. He's our resident pizza expert, so we often give the job of making the dough to daddy.

Sometimes, though, when daddy's not home (or just doesn't feel like making the dough) we opt for something more easy. Who said that making a meal with kids needs to be tough? There are three options for your pizza dough at home, if you are not taking the homemade dough route. First, is the packaged dough shells. These tend to come in a plastic package, often in the deli/bakery section of your grocery store. Secondly, some grocery stores have pre-made dough patties in the bakery for purchase. They look like moist balls of dough in a bakery plastic bag. Lastly, in the refrigerated case at the grocery, near the canned biscuits, you can find cans of pizza dough.

For easy nights, we often go for option number three. We find it is best to parbake (partially bake) the dough before putting any toppings on it. Set your oven for the temperature on the package. After it has preheated, place your dough on a pan (we prefer stoneware for this), and place in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Keep an eye on the dough. You want it to be slightly hardened on the outside, and starting to become golden, but you do NOT want a fully baked crust. Use your judgement on this folks.

Assemble various pizza toppings. Be creative here. While you can definitely purchase pizza sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni, you can also branch out with various veggies and alternative sauces. Try an alfredo sauce as your base or cheddar instead of mozzarella. See what veggies or fruits your kids may want to try - or try your hand at a dessert pizza. The possibilities are endless.

Check back tonight, and I will post a pizza recipe to try out with your family. I'm going to check with our resident pizza expert for a creative recipe from his recipe box.

Until then, have fun cooking in the kitchen with your kids!!!

**UPDATE**
Sorry that it took so long to post this recipe. Apparently, I did not give our resident pizza expert enough notice regarding my need of a recipe. I promise to give him better notice in the future. In the mean time, I am sure you will not be disappointed. As promised, a creative pizza recipe straight from the mind of Master Pizza Maker, Mark.

Hawaiian Summer Dream Pizza

1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1 6oz tub of pineapple cream cheese
½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 bananas, chopped
1 small can of pineapple tidbits, drained (Reserve liquid.)
1/3 cup coconut flakes
2/3 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup chopped Macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to temperature indicated on pizza dough package baking instructions. Spray a 10x14 cookie sheet with cooking spray. Carefully stretch the dough to the length and width of the cookie sheet. (We sometimes use a small rolling pin for this, although Mark usually uses his hands.)

Bake the dough until lightly golden brown, approximately 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it. As we stated earlier, we don't want it to get overdone. (As this is a dessert pizza, we are baking the crust more thoroughly.)

Remove pizza from the oven and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy. Apply to pizza dough leaving a ½ inch border for your crust. Evenly sprinkle the following toppings (in order) on the pizza: bananas, pineapple tidbits, coconut flakes, and Macadamia nuts.

Combine brown sugar with 1 ½ tablespoons of reserved pineapple juice. With a spoon, drizzle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the pizza.

Place pizza back in the oven and bake an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

Build Your Own...

We've found in our home that sometimes the fun in the kitchen is unrelated to the process of cooking. Kids want to feel that they have a part in preparing the meal, but sometimes, they are happy to be part of the assembly process. One of our favorite Family Night dinners is Build Your Own Tacos & Burritos.

Mom or Dad brown a pound of extra lean ground beef with taco seasoning added. If you are feeling adventurous, you can let your child help with this, although I definitely caution you against leaving them unsupervised. The stove-top is can be a dangerous area of the kitchen when you are not watching your child at ALL times.

After the meat is ready, with help from the kids, we assemble bowls of various toppings. Ideas can be endless on this meal. Some of our standard toppings include lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, cheese, Lizano (a delicious sauce from Costa Rica), refried beans* (pinto or black), black beans*, spanish or white rice, etc. (*Hint: We season our beans with Goya seasoning packets, found in the ethnic aisle of your local grocery store.)

Once all of the toppings are selected, we warm some tortillas (flour or corn) and some taco shells. Everyone gets to build his or her own taco and burrito, and we head to the living room to watch a family-friendly movie. Be sure to pull out the picnic blanket to save your carpets!

Other variations of the Mexican Build Your Own... theme include Build Your Own Fajitas and (my favorite) Build Your Own Mexican Breakfast Burritos. Similar to the Build Your Own Tacos & Burritos, when making the breakfast burritos, replace the ground beef with chorizo, a mexican sausage you can buy at your local grocery store or Latino grocery. We also scramble some eggs, and include most of toppings in the original burrito meal. It is a delicious way to start your day!

Do you have a facorite Build Your Own... meal? Let us know! We'd love to hear your ideas!