Oh, Christmas Tree!

It's December and I ain't mad at that! December means parties, food, my birthday, presents, food, friends, family, food, seeing my little brother, NYE, Christmas trees. Oh December, how I love you! We'll ignore the fact that how the hell is it already December and talk about what December has looked like thus far! :D

                

There is seriously nothing better than waking up or coming home to the smell of a Christmas tree. Eeeek!

                 

The girls threw a 'surprise' party for me and Malou. Kahlua got in on the action!

                        

December also means parties! We had our girl's dinner the other night and the theme was a Pizza Off! My first time making pizza :D I had seen this Blueberry Pizza recipe a while back and felt compelled to make it, this was my opportunity! YES! 

There was also a delicious pumpkin pizza with a naan crust, cauliflower pizza, a seed mix pizza crust and lots of other yumminess. Needless to say I'm convinced I gained 3 lbs that night. 

                        

The pizza was seriously YUM! I pretty much followed the recipe besides replacing the shallots with red onion. The caramelized onions were SO SO good!

How was your pre Christmas time? 

xx Sheens

Blueberry lemon ricotta pizza with CARAMELIZED ONIONS by Jessica @ How Sweet IT Is

YIELD: 1 PIZZA

TOTAL TIME: 2 HOURS

ingredients:

dough
1 1/8 cups warm water
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 shallots, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 lemons, zested (for a more savory pizza, I'd leave out the lemons)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

directions:

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 cups flour and salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work in the additional 2/3 cup flour, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.

While the dough is rising, heat a large skillet over low heat and add olive oil and butter. Add in the shallots and the salt and cover, cooking for 30 minutes and stirring occasionally and reducing the heat more if they begin to brown too much. Stir in the brown sugar and the garlic and cook for 5 more minutes. Set aside.

Add the ricotta to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add in the lemon zest and puree until combined. After the dough has risen, punch it down and place it back on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, form it into your desired shape (sometimes I use baking sheets and do rectangles or free form pizzas - this specific dough will yield one pizza large enough to feed about 3-4 people) and place on a baking sheet or pizza peel. Place the towel back over the dough and let sit in the warm place for 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (or if you're using a pizza stone or the skillet method, follow those directions). Spread the ricotta on the dough and cover it with half of the mozzarella. Add the shallots and the thyme, then cover it in the blueberries. Add the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Remove and serve with Parmesan on top.