Friday, February 18, 2011

Valentine's Day Cheeseburger Pizza


Yes, I know.  It's well past Valentine's Day.  I just couldn't help but share with you guys what I made for Andy on Valentine's Day.

And some of you may turn your nose up to some of the ingredients... well, one in particular - Velveeta.  Yes, I know, it's not real cheese.  But to Andy.  It is real cheese.  In fact, he thinks it's the best cheese.  While we don't obviously share the same opinion regarding this, Valentine's Day is a day of love.  And because I love that man, regardless of his food and cheese preferences, I set my food snobbishness (or well, real sensibility, hehe) aside, and made this heart-shaped pizza for him using one of his favorite things... Velveeta.

Hope you guys have a great weekend, and I promise to post those Nutella cupcakes next week!



Ingredients:
Adapted from a Taste of Home recipe


2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 & 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. meatballs, about 10-15 (you can use homemade or frozen - just make sure to defrost them a little if they're frozen), chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated
1/2 cup homemade tomato soup, or sauce (I made a tomato soup recently that had a pizza sauce taste, so I used that)
1/2 onion, sliced
4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup Velveeta cheese, chopped
1/2 cup pepperjack cheese, shredded

Start by making the crust. In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Add the warm water and oil.  Mix until the dough is smooth.  Add additional flour if dough is still sticky.

Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes or until dough becomes elastic and smooth.  Cover with a warm damp towel and let rise for about 10-15 minutes.

In a large skillet, cook the chopped meatballs and garlic.  Season with salt and peppper, if desired.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a large circle, about 1/4 inch thick.  Or if you like a thicker crust, you can always make a smaller circle.  If you want to be cutesy like me, you can make the circle into a heart shape, but it's not necessary.

Roll the edges slightly to form a thicker outer edge.  Poke the dough with a fork. 

Place crust on a greased baking stone or baking sheet.  Bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until crust is slightly browned. 

Sprinkle the crust with the pecorino cheese and top with tomato sauce/soup.  Add meatball/garlic mixture, onion, chopped bacon, and Velveeta and pepperjack. 


Bake the pizza for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.  Slice and serve.

Seriously.  This was a 'man' pizza.  Andy said he liked it a lot.  I could give or take on it.  We both agreed that the crust was different and unusual.  Not something you associate a pizza crust with being, but it was pretty tasty.  The toppings, of course, could be alternated to suit your tastes.  This was a winner in Andy's book, and seriously, that's all that mattered to me. =) 

So have a great weekend guys and I'll see you back on Monday!

25 comments:

  1. I wouldn't dare turn my nose up at these ingredients. Then I would miss out! This looks (and sounds) really good! I'm glad you had a good Valentine's Day. At the risk of sounding cheesy (get it??) I think that we can do things like this all year round. I hope you are having a good Friday!

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  2. I am worried about putting weight, but this pizza makes me forget that for some time. Love that pizza.

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  3. The heart shaped pizza is looking so good... so cheesy and colourful too.

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  4. I would love to try this, velveeta has it's place and it looks tasty here.

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  5. How sweet of you to do this for your man!!! I love it! My son would really, really love this! Will bookmark this for sure! It looks good and I am sure your husband absolutely loved this! You're awesome!

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  6. I would never have thought of making a pizza heartshaped, brilliant idea. It looks delicious as well. Diane

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  7. I love it!!! And a great sounding recipe.

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  8. Sometimes, love is best proven by using fake cheese instead of real cheese, and that's just fine, haha. Regardless, your pizza looks great and I'm sure he just loved it!!

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  9. Velveeta makes the best queso, and I bet this is pretty tasty!

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  10. Haha - it is Valentine's Day so he deserves what makes him happy!

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  11. It looks delish! Have a pleasant weekend too :)

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  12. You definitely know the way to a man's heart...and to mine apparently. What a delicious pizza!

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  13. It does sound pretty darn good---I probably couldn't do the velveeta now, but man, I used to love some melted V on stuff! I know some guys in my life who would scarf this right up!

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  14. This looks great! I love, not only the shape of the pizza dough (so cute) but how rustic and delicious it looks - I'm picky with pizza bases.

    And I'm pretty sure a certain boy in my life would love this topping ;)

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  15. I have no idea what velveeta is, but whatever plastic cheesiness it entails, kudos to you for making that sacrifice for your Valentine. Looks like a super-yummy pizza.

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  16. This post made me smile :) so sweet. I secretly love velveeta. My Aunt Carolyn made the best cheesy potatoes with velveeta. Come to think of it I should call her up for the recipe!

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  17. What a cute pizza! We're actually making pizza for dinner tonight. I'll have to borrow your heart idea ;)

    Quick question! I noticed that you have Foodbuzz ads. Mind if I ask how you like the program? I've been approved but have read mixed reviews. Thanks!

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  18. You are a sweetheart. I was once a big fan of Velveeta, but I haven't tried it in years. And your heart shaped pizza? Adorable! Ryan and I tried to do this for V-day, but we gave up and went square. Thanks for sharing!

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  19. Love this heart-shaped pizza! Happy belated Valentine's Day. I made a lot of dishes with heart-shape on that evening too :)

    Awesome recipe!

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  20. Aww, heart pizza :) Great looking recipe, wonder if I can use turkey meatballs?

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  21. That's so sweet. He is very thoughtful in making this pizza.

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