CEiMB: Arugula, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

I am a slacker. I made this recipe last Wednesday so I could post on Thursday (and actually follow the rules of CEiMB for once), but I just never got around to it. So, sorry to my other group members – and here it is!

The recipe for this week was Arugula, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza chosen by Maria of Half Meatball/Half Matzoh Ball. I was actually looking forward to this one because I love goat cheese.

The only changes I made to this recipe were to use actual pizza crust rather than whole wheat tortillas (I have several batches of whole wheat pizza dough in my freezer that I made a couple weeks ago) and to put the arugula on top of the pizza fresh rather than wilting it into the onions (so I could split the onions between two pizzas, this recipe and one for Scott).

I really enjoyed the caramelized onions. I have never tried to make them before this recipe and found that it really isn’t that difficult. They were very soft and sweet and gave a nice contrast to the tang of the goat cheese.

If anyone decides to try this recipe with pizza dough, I will let you know I baked my crust completely before adding the toppings. I was afraid everything else would burn in the time that it took the dough to bake, so I just added them at the end and returned the pizza to the oven so the toppings could heat through.

I think if I make this recipe again, I will use spinach rather than arugula. After making two recipes with it, I have decided I just don’t like it, which is great since I now have a huge tub of it in my refrigerator. Guess we’ll be eating lots of salads this week!

Overall, this one was so-so. It is something I would make again if I had all of the ingredients on hand, but not a recipe that I would add to my regular rotation.

Thanks to Maria for hosting this week!

Rachel’s Girl Scout Cooking School

One of my best friends, Karen, has three children and two of them are Girl Scouts. They have been working hard to earn their various badges, and Karen’s older daughter decided she wanted to get her cooking badge. Unfortunately, the group leader did not want to conduct a cooking class for the whole group, so Karen asked me if I would help out. Since I love to cook and firmly believe that children should be welcomed in the kitchen, of course I said yes!

After a conversation or two with Karen about her children’s eating preferences, we decided to have Pizza Day at my house. What kid wouldn’t be happy with that? I gathered recipes for homemade crust and sauce and Karen brought over all of the supplies.

I set up two stations at my dining room table so both girls would have a place to work. We also allowed them to each make a full recipe – that way we could all have an individual sized pizza for lunch and they would still have leftovers to take home. I think their father and brother were happy with that part!

Measuring the flour:


Stirring all of the dry ingredients:

After mixing the dough, giving it time to rise, and playing several rounds of Guitar Hero, we made the sauce. Then we shaped our pizzas on parchment paper and baked them off just in time to enjoy a delicious lunch.

Traditional cheese pizza:


and heart-shaped for special occasions (or just because you’re a little girl):

The aftermath - obviously making pizzas is hard work. Or maybe we were all suffering from carb overload. I think it was a little of both.

Overall, this was a successful day. The girls got to make something that they really enjoy completely from scratch, and they learned not only how easy it is, but how much better it tastes. Plus, they were very proud of their efforts and earned a new Girl Scout badge! The adults learned not only how easy it is, but how budget friendly and healthful it is as well.

Parents, it is uncomplicated and FUN to get your children involved in the kitchen and make your favorite meals!