Grilled Pizza with Homemade (DIY) Whole Wheat Semolina Crust

Years ago when we did our backyard my husband designed the ideal grilling island with visions of standing over his yard, tongs in hand and bringing one delight after another from his beloved grill.  However, when he actually took those tongs in hand he found he didn't really love the whole process as much as he loved the dream.

Cooking has always been my area in the house, and after trying out his awesome grill, I gently took the reins and proclaimed the grill to be mine.  Since then I've grilled everything from fillets to kale chips, and this grilled pizza has become a regular in our rotation.

With homemade dough you only need to plan a little bit ahead, and with the versatility that pizza brings, you can have a meal tailored to anyone's taste.

I'll admit that the first time we grilled the dough I had visions of melting dough slipping through the hot grates, but it never happened.  The rolled and pulled dough begins cooking immediately as it hits the hot grates, and a flip before "dressing" ensures the dough isn't "doughy" as you bite into your first piece of pie.

A year round favorite here in San Diego, grilled pizza takes the mess out of the kitchen and gets everyone involved.  Enjoy!

Blaze Pizza... A new favorite in Carlsbad, CA

Perfect pizza cooked to order in under 7 minutes from walk in to delivery... is it really possible??  Yes!  If you go to the right place.

Blaze Pizza, a new and extraordinarily popular fast/casual restaurant here in Carlsbad, CA, is taking the pizza world by storm and will have a pie of your creation on your table in as little as 5-7 minutes from start to finish.

Ordering at the counter one has the choice of a Blaze Signature Pizza, or if you so desire, a pizza of your own design.  For me, I began with the Signature Red Vine - Ovalini Mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, basil, red sauce and an olive oil drizzle.  Adding my own twist, I kicked up the sauce to the spicy red version and added a handful of shredded mozzarella in addition to red onions, mushrooms and extra cherry tomatoes.

How much extra did that cost me?  Not a dime.  For under $8 each, Blaze brings an 11-inch, thin crust, artisan style pizza with as many or as few toppings as your heart desires.

Once your pizza is perfected from the over 30 topping choices, it's "blazed" in a special 800º open hearth oven for a mere 180 seconds.  Smiling staff spins the pizza for perfect browning, and before you know it your creation is in your hands and blazed to perfection.

While pizza is the main attraction, Blaze offers a variety of salads, dessert (S'more Pie) and a tasty Blood Orange Lemonade (in addition to the "usual" soda, tea water, etc.) all in a bright, lively atmosphere perfect for a quick family dinner.

A new favorite restaurant in our household (we've been weekly for the last month...), Liv and her Broadcasting partner, Audrey, (part of the CHSTV Broadcasting program), eagerly did their latest story on the new restaurant.  Catch the latest A-OK production debut here on Liv Life!

Exceptionally good pizza, tons of toppings, one price for everything and a blazing fast delivery... Blaze Pizza is our new go-to restaurant.  With options for gluten-free crusts and vegan cheese toppings, Blaze fits nearly every lifestyle and with you in charge of your pizza design, you're sure to be happy.  What toppings would you Blaze??

 Blaze Pizza

Carlsbad Outlet Mall

5620 Paseo Del Norte

Carlsbad, CA  92008

 Blaze on Facebook

Liv Life Note:  Liv Life was not compensated to write this review.  All comments and opinions are strictly our own... I'm truly thrilled with Blaze and simply want to share the pizza love!

From the Blaze Menu:

The Story.  Our Profile.  The 411.  You get the idea.

OK, we're going to keep this quick, because exceptional quality at freakishly fast speed is what we're all about.  Fresh, house-made dough.  Prepared from scratch daily.  Artisanal ingredients.  Inventive to classic.  Customization encouraged.  You decide.  180 seconds in our blazing hot, open-flame oven for fast-fire'd perfection.  Sound good?

 

iPhone Photo Case Shutterfly Giveaway and a Review of Blue Ribbon Pizza (Encinitas, CA)

iPhone shots from Blue Ribbon Pizzeria - Encinitas, CA

It's not often that I'm the really cool girl in the room, however, last weekend I was all that and more.  Decked out in my dance mom best, my iPhone was thrust into my front hip pocket with just a portion of the back visible.  Less than five minutes after entering the dressing room, one of the girls pointed and said, "Wow!  What's on your phone?".

I had forgotten about my new Shutterfly iPhone Case featuring none other than myself... well, myself and my family.  Pulling my phone out of my pocket it was immediately grabbed and I didn't see it back for nearly half an hour as it was passed around the room filled with nearly 40 dance girls all donning makeup and costumes for their weekend competition.  Smiling, I have to admit I did enjoy the "Wow!  That is totally cool!",  "Whose phone is that?", and  "I've never seen anything like that!"  comments that were exclaimed over and over from the girls and moms alike.  I heard at least a dozen, "Mom... you HAVE to get me one of these!", and also had numerous queries from the moms as to where I had purchased my ultra cool cover.

Once again, Shutterfly (my favorite online photo spot - love the photo books and gifts) is on the cutting edge of coolness (just like me...) with this new iPhone Photo Case.  Customizable to feature up to three photos, background designs, words or a mixture of all of the above, you can have a case that is all you.  Literally... it can be all you on the back of your iPhone.

While I designed numerous cases before choosing my favorite family version, I'd really love to have different cases for different occasions.  Dance Mom mode?  I would need a cover filled with Liv's leaps and kicks.  Liv Life blog event?  I'd definitely need a case featuring photos from some of my best posts.  Vacation?  That one would be ideal to feature shots from my last trip.  And last but not least, I'd need a Maltese case to feature my spoiled little white fluffs when walking them along the beach.

Edited 12/10/12 - while we love the look of our iPhone case, I don't think I can vouch for iPhone protection.  The case is a hard shell and does indeed protect from scratches, however the first time our phone was dropped the glass shattered.  Great looking, but perhaps not the most protective in the case of durability...

As we are all positively attached to our phones and toting said phones to our each and every event, the improved quality of the iPhone photos has grown to be acceptable enough to catch what we would have missed without planning ahead to bring a camera.

The Blue Ribbon... Mozzarella, tomato sauce & Basil

For example... stopping in at Blue Ribbon Pizzaeria, in Encinitas, CA, just a few weeks ago I knew at first taste that this was a restaurant I needed share.  Unfortunately my camera was home, but my husband suggested using my phone.  Whipping it out I began shooting our food and low and behold the shots turned out darn well, especially considering my light was fairly low.

Located in coastal Encinitas, California, this small establishment makes pizza the way it should be made.  Featuring organic ingredients and supporting local farms, breweries and businesses, the restaurant not only serves fabulous fresh food, but does it in a way that they can be proud of.

With dough that undergoes a 3 day fermentation process, the pizza crust is thin and crisp, especially after baking in a true wood burning oven.  The mozzarella is hand stretched daily in house, and the sausage is house-made from sustainable Berkshire Pork.

Bruschetta... just like Italy!

A special treat, the Heirloom Seeded Black Seed Popcorn with Truffle Salt and Parmigiano Romano is absolutely irresistible.  My other favorite, the Rustic Bread Bruschetta with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Saba, reminds me of my days in Rome while dining below the Colosseum, and the BLT - Butter Lettuce Salad with Artisan Bacon, Bread Crumbs and Cherry Tomatoes has me craving my greens.

And then there is the pizza.  Whether your taste is plain cheese, all meat, or purely vegetarian, Blue Ribbon will make you happy.  While my favorite is simple cheese with cherry tomatoes, basil and a few sprigs of arugula, my father in law is partial to the "My Father" (Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Fennel Sausage, Pepperoni and Red Onion).  Looking for something a little different from the norm?  How about the Signature - EVOO, Fresh Mozzarella, Ricotta, Lemon Zest, Red Onion and Basil?

Eel River Porter

Which brings us to the beverage portion of the menu.  My dad always says, "You can't have good pizza without good beer", and at Blue Ribbon your choices are excellent.  Featuring local Southern California brewers such as Ballast Point, Stone Brewing and Eel River, your tastes are covered.   In addition, a wine list covering California as well as Italy, France and Argentinia is sure to pleasure your palate.

Last but not least, Blue Ribbon offers only one dessert, a decadent Butterscotch Pudding with a Caramel Sauce that is worth each and every calorie.  The Blue Ribbon staff has kindly posted the recipe on their web site and thankfully I've so far resisted making this heavenly concoction at home as I'm fairly certain I'd eat nearly the whole thing.

If you happen to find yourself in our coastal San Diego, make time for a stop at Blue Ribbon.  The ideal finale after a long day at Legoland or Sea World, Blue Ribbon will be the perfect finish to your day.

Butterscotch Pudding.  Yes, I ate the whole thing...

Shutterfly iPhone Case Giveaway
(Giveaway is closed....)

Liv Life is thrilled to be sponsored by Shutterfly to give two lucky winners customizable iPhone Photo Cases of their own (we have one more case to giveaway and will run another giveaway in a few weeks!).

Chosen at random from the responses below, you just might be the lucky winner who gets to choose what photos you will put on your case.  Will it be food?  Family?  Pets? or all of the above?

To Enter:

Up to 5 entries possible (Please leave an email address if you do not link to a blog) AND please leave a separate comment for EACH entry.

1.  Leave a comment telling us what photos you would feature on your Shutterfly iPhone Case.
2. Like Liv Life on Facebook and make a post about this giveaway.
3. Life Shutterfly on Facebook
4. Like Liv Life on Twitter (@livlifetoo) and tweet about this giveaway.
5. Pin any photo from this post to Pinterest (You can like us there too if you like!).

This Giveaway closes at 2 PM (PST) on Sunday, May 13, 2012.  The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond.  If we do not receive a response to our email within 48 hours another winner will be chosen.

After confirmation, Shutterly will credit your Shutterfly account with one iPhone Photo Case, the creation is up to you!  We will have two winners.

Thanks to Shutterfly for sponsoring our giveaway, and "May the odds ever be in your favor!"

Note... our winners are numbers 19 and 36!!

Grilled Pizza with our favorite Semolina Pizza Dough

Summer vacation... we've been waiting for weeks, literally counting down the days while eagerly awaiting it's arrival.  A time of leisurely mornings, no schedules and ultimately comments of "I'm bored... what should I do?"  Well, Mommy to the rescue!

With her family out of town, Liv's friend Celeste spent a few days with us as we began this year's summer school holiday.  Looking for a project, I set the girls to work making pizza dough, then topping and grilling their creations.  Our favorite Semolina Dough is a cinch when tossed into the bread machine on the dough cycle, but can just as easily be done in a stand mixer, or... even by hand.  Having a full day planned, we tossed our ingredients into the bread machine this time and the dough was ready when we were.

For years I've been "baking" our pizzas on our outside grill. Heating the grill to medium hot, the pizza dough is tossed directly onto the clean and oiled grates for a quick cook.  The heat is then turned down to low as the dough is removed, flipped over to the grilled side up and placed on a semolina dusted rimless cookie sheet (though someday I'm going to have a real Pizza Peel!) to be topped with your favorite toppings.

Once topped, a simple flick of the wrist will slide your dressed pizza back onto the grill for the final cooking.  My grill runs fairly hot, so I turn off the side where the pizza is cooking while keeping the other side at medium high, though for a crispier crust (my preference!) I leave the heat on for a minute or two before turning that side off.  5-8 minutes later you have an ideal, slightly crispy, cheesy and "oh so yummy" pizza ready for slicing.  The girls did a great job with the pies which were topped with cheese and pepperoni and settling themselves down onto beach towels in the sun summer vacation was here.

Grilled Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Mother's Day weekend 2011 will stick in our minds for years to come!  Heading out for another dance competition on Friday, Liv and I made our way to UCSD with my Dad in tow.  The weekend schedule had us at the campus not only Friday, but Saturday and Sunday (Mother's Day) as well. With a full schedule of dances, we met up with her team and got down to the business of dance.

Liv's Solo, "Shy"

First up - Junior solos, unfortunately Liv had woken up with a cold Friday morning and her energy was sorely lacking.  Having one of the longer solos (she dances to the song "Shy" from Once Upon a Mattress) at just over 3 minutes I knew it was going to take everything she had to keep her energy level optimum.  But she did!  

Bringing my dad to tears as she finished her performance and exited the stage we waited for the next part of the competition, the Title portion, where one of the girls participating in the solo section would be named "Junior Miss Spotlight".  After introducing themselves, doing a quick dance combo and answering a question, the girls (and one boy!) strutted their "stuff".  With six of our girls up there I was so proud of their confidence and poise, and each dance combo showed amazing talent and skill.

Small group jazz

With questions ranging from "What is your favorite planet?" to "Who is your favorite Super Hero?", Liv couldn't have been asked a better question than the one she received, "What is your favorite dessert and and why?"  A choco/sugar-aholic since birth this one was right up her alley!  She smiled and promptly answered, "That's an easy one.  I would choose Chocolate Fondu and have it piped throughout the house so I could just turn on a faucet and dip strawberries anywhere I went".  With a smile she moved on to her combination and then we waited.

Small Group Tap - see group below!

Tough competition abounding, we crossed our fingers as the judges began to read the Top 10, and when they reached 3rd and her name hadn't been called my dad leaned over and said "This is either really good or bad".  Holding our breath we then cheered heartily as they announced the 2nd place overall solo as "Shy" and Liv jumped up to receive her medal and plaque.  

Moving on to the Title portion, the contestants lined up on stage and looking at the talented girls in the line Liv was simply pleased to be a part of this amazing crowd.  The judges stated that they would then play the music from the solo contestant who was to be named "Junior Miss Spotlight" and a moment later the look of utter shock on Liv's face as they played her song, "Shy", was priceless!  She stood, mouth in a round "O" for a few seconds before her friend pushed her forward to receive the sash and award.  My dad and I fought to see through our tears, and my heart couldn't have been happier for my girl.

Junior Miss Spotlight and my Dad!

Over the next two days Liv and her friends had a fantastic weekend together and the team danced and scored exceptionally well.  For all of the moms and dads in the audience our hearts burst with pride and happiness watching our confident girls, making this one of the most memorable Mother's Day's ever.

Arriving home Sunday evening with a hungry family in tow, I racked my brain for something quick to make.  Remembering the bottle of K.C. Materpiece Hot Buffalo Marinade I had received from Foodbuzz as a part of the Tastemaker Program, I pulled out pizza dough and chicken.  A quick dip into the marinade had the chicken flavored and I tossed it onto the grill to cook.  Slicing a few onions and red peppers I grilled them until tender and then rolled out my pizza dough.

Place the dough directly on the hot grill grates

Loving my grill as I do, I usually grill my pizzas - "no muss, no fuss".  A quick rest on the hot grill grate gives one side of the dough a head start.  I take the dough off the grill, placing it onto a rimless cookie sheet sprinkled with semilina flour where I dress it with sauces and toppings.  This evening though, had me without any prepared sauce but with a bottle of the Hot Buffalo Marinade.  Hmmm... spreading a thin layer of the marinade over the dough I topped the pizza with shredded cheese and the recently grilled marinated chicken and veggies.  Returning the pizza to the grill, covering and lowering the heat we had a piping hot pizza in about 7 minutes!

Return "dressed" pizza to grill, lower heat and cover

Smiling eyes greeted me as I served up the pie.  With flavors reminiscent of buffalo wings, a slight spice cut by the melted cheese and a good amount of veggies, this pizza reminded me of a recent email from Foodbuzz asking featured publishers to enter baseball-themed recipes to Frigidaire and Jennifer Garner's efforts in the Save the Children program.  Save the Children’s Early Childhood Education, Literacy, and Physical Activity and Nutrition programs reached more than 50,000 children in the United States last year alone. Combined with their Emergency Response work, they reached more than 60,000 children.  Simply by entering this recipe Frigidaire will donate a dollar to the cause, and if you visit the Make Time for Change site and take a turn at virtual batting you can help too!


Our Buffalo Chicken Pizza seems to be the ideal tailgate food!  With a portable Smoky Joe at the field you could easily prepare this cheesy pizza for a pre-game snack.  Don't want to grill there??  The slightly spicy pizza is just as good snacked on when cold... and might I add it goes nicely with a cold beer.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza

I, for one, am refusing to accept the passing of summer.  Actually, with the gray, chilly weather we have been having here in coastal Carlsbad, we really didn't have summer, so it really can't pass!  On the flip side... our cooler than normal summer has put all of the summer fruits and vegetables a few weeks behind and we are still seeing the local markets with perfectly ripe fruits and vegies in abundance.  

With mild temps nearly all year round, the grill is my main cooking device, with the exception of those 14 or so days a year that it rains.

Dough par baking on the grill

Pizza on the grill often gets a raised eyebrow or two when I explain that I'm tossing the dough directly on to the grates.  The most frequent question is, "Won't it fall through?"   No, it' won't!  

The dough is rolled thin (or thick if you prefer) and placed on the hot grate for a few moments until the bottom of the dough is cooked.  Most recipes will have you flip it over and place the toppings on the dough while it is on the grill, however I've found that this is a perfect way for me to get overcooked (burned!) pizza.  After cooking one side of the dough I remove it from the grill and flip it onto a rimless baking sheet that has been sprinkled with semolina.  Quickly add the sauce and toppings.  Sliding the finished pie onto the grates is easily done with a slight shake of the pan and within minutes you have perfect, bubbling, cheesy pizza ready for a family dinner.

Par baked pizza with toppings... waiting for the cheese!

With the exception of making the dough (but you could use store bought!), the grilled pizza is done in a flash and ready for the table.  Our favorite is BBQ Chicken, but you could just as easily do a Pizza Margherita, plain cheese, or a pie with the works.  Perfect for an appetizer tray or a full meal.  The grill may not be the same as a wood fired kitchen oven, but it most certainly does the trick!

Grilled Pizza

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough, or store bought.

BBQ Sauce or pizza sauce

Chicken

onion

cilantro

cheese *

avocado

Semolina Flour for sprinkling on the pan

* (I use a blend of pre-shredded cheeses from Trader Joe's, Quattro Formaggio as well as a shredded blend of mozzarella, cheddar and jack.  For the BBQ Chicken pizza I add some of my own shredded smoked gouda - note that the gouda is not the best melting cheese and may not melt as quickly as the others, but adds a wonderful smoky flavor!)

Preheat grill, then roll pizza dough to desired thickness.  Have all topping ingredients ready to go by your grill.

Reduce grill heat to low and place rolled dough directly onto oiled grates.  Cover and cook for about 2 minutes, just until grill marks appear on bottom of dough.  The dough will begin to puff.  Remove dough to a rimless baking pan generously sprinkled with semolina flour or fine cornmeal, flipping it so that the cooked side is up.  

Working quickly, spread sauce over dough and top with your favorite toppings.  Slide prepared pizza onto grill over low heat and cover.  Cover and cook until bottom of pizza is slightly crispy and the cheese is melted.  Don't peek at the pizza too often as you will release the heat from the grill and the cheese will not melt as quickly...  However, do keep a watchful eye on the pizza as the bottom may burn easily if grill is too hot.  If the bottom begins to burn, slide the rimless pan under the pizza and remove from the grill, line the grates with foil and return the pizza to finish melting the cheese.  

When the pizza is done, remove from the grill and cool slightly before serving.  Top with extra Parmesan, crushed red peppers, cilantro, avocado or any of your favorite toppings.

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On a side note... we would like to introduce Elizabeth!!  Elizabeth is a new addition to our neighborhood (no... not my house!) and came into the world about 5 weeks ago.  She has 2 sisters and 1 brother who look just like her!  With her adorable face and eyes that melted my heart, I couldn't help but post a photo for everyone to see.  Weighing in at a whopping 2 lbs, she is the "big" one of the family.  She lives a few houses up from us and we have had the pleasure of watching the puppies grow from infants to toddlers so far.  Watching them get their balance and form their little personalities has been a joy!

Elizabeth

Pizza Pretzels

I've recently discovered that writing a food blog can lead to tighter jeans... either that or the heat on our dryer is definitely too high!  With my recent plethora of carb loaded recipes I decided that today was the day that I was going to go back to my low carb, lean protein diet for a few days, no cookies, no chocolate cakes and no breads.  However... Liv had other plans.

After her successful day at our local Junior Lifeguard Competition where she place 2nd in the Beach Flag event, she woke up this morning with aching heels and a craving for the Pizza Pretzels that we have been planning to make since school got out.  She and her dance friends frequently get pizza pretzels at our local smoothie shop, Beach City Smoothies, here in downtown Carlsbad and we thought we'd give them a try at home.

Shaping the pretzels seemed to be the most difficult part of this recipe for us, as making the dough and topping the formed pretzels is just like making a pizza.  Our recipe recommended making the dough the night before baking and giving it a good night's rest in the fridge.  Adding the spices directly to the dough gave the pretzels a full depth of flavor that we have found lacking in other pretzels that only have spices on top of a plain pretzel. 

The baking soda/water bath was a bit nerve wracking for us, but proved to be a piece of cake.  Placing the baking soda into the hot water and dissolving is recommended just before you dip your pretzels for a few seconds into the water bath.  The baking soda/water bath allows the pretzels to gain a shiny, brown crust with a light interior.  Unfortunately, I think our measurements were a bit off and we hadn't realized that the baking soda should be added to the bath and dissolved immediately before dipping.  As such, our pretzels were a bit more breadlike, but I can see how this will work for our future batches.