Everything Bagel Breakfast Pizza
This week has left me in need of a full reset because this commute to work has left me feeling so drained, and (at the risk of sound melodramatic) a tad homesick. It's crazy and sounds so overdramatic, but its the kind of exhaustion that when I get home I almost feel too tired to do anything - watch a show, make dinner, do a little ab workout. All the fun shit I like to do is out the window because I get home only to enter total veg mode. & then I'm sad about not having the time & energy for my hobbies, which makes me even more upset, and those emotions really do not align with my no. 1 goal of putting out positive vibes. Let me tell you - nothing but a vicious cycle, and I entered this weekend sincerely focused on letting it go, embracing the end of another work-week, and soaking up all the seconds of a weekend at home.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, being grateful is very on trend - literally bracing myself for all the thankful & blessed posts that are about to hit my Instagram feed. But in all seriousness & setting my snarky-ness aside, I'm making a big effort to focus on being grateful this weekend, especially for the small moments of my day. Getting in a good workout, time to watch Housewives, or when I manage to put a good outfit together. & then there are the more meaningful things - the love from Jordan and the pups when I get home, & just being able to come home to a home that I love! Countless small moments that bring a smile to my face and make me so stinking happy, and my flaw has been not experiencing those happy moments because I am tired from work. & that's terrible! I'm embarrassed to say this, and even just re-reading those words I can acknowledge that I sound spoiled rotten. I am shining my own light on the fact that feeling sad & resentful in response to my current work life balance is my own self sabotage to my goals of making the most out of each day and focusing on gratitude. Those negative emotions are only compounded when I feel like I’m not living my best life & adhering to said goals. People just like me have families & hobbies, & they go to work (like me), and they probably have a dozen other things they'd rather be doing too, & I am just being my own sounding board to acknowledge that it's a tough balance. I'm honestly trying to figure out how to make it work and enjoy my life - even while I hate my day-job. I really have this will to be in my moment, and just be grateful. When I lose sight of that focus I turn into a sad little bitch. & I don't want to be a sad little bitch! But this week tested my own limits - I had my moments where my energy could have been better, & I'm coming to terms that I was not putting out the energy I want in return. & I'm choosing to do better- going into the weekend I was committed to do better! As well as just anxious to get my weekend on.
So with my new vigor for the weekend, cooking in the kitchen together sounds like a perfect Friday Night. Records on in the background, dance breaks in between chopping vegetables, and all the best cocktails. Literally the perfect evening at home no matter what is on the menu, and it's the atmosphere & vibe that makes life worth living. Tonight's theme - pizza party. Jordan loves pizza, and he is quite the pizza cook too. Homeboy commits to his craft - we've got to have the right tools, the right ingredients, the right dough. Personally - I'm on the wavelength of throw a pan in the oven, put some dough on it, and let's go. But thanks to my pizza connoisseur husband, we've got the pizza stone, pizza peel, and always make the time to do it right. & it's so fun everytime we do it. But tonight was special because I took advantage of my husband's pizza knowledge got my very own pizza lesson from my live-in connoisseur.
I was stoked on the newly gained pizza knowledge passed on to me. I formed the dough, gently formed it into the perfect disk between my fingers, & even did my very own full fledged pizza toss above my head - a mild flour shower included. & it was fun for my husband to teach me something in the kitchen opposed to letting him take 100% ownership on pizza night, which I usually do. I was so inspired that I kept the pizza fire alive & made breakfast pizza. Combining my new found appreciation for pizza & craving for a bagel to make Everything Bagel Breakfast Pizza. & let me just say this is the perfect use of ready made pizza dough and everything bagel seasoning from TJs.
This pizza not only has the salty notes of a typical breakfast pizza, but a velvety, rich filling thanks to a combo of ricotta cheese & parmesan. No sauce needed - the ricotta is hearty and tasty enough on it’s own paired with the everything bagel seasoning that it can truly speak for itself on top of perfectly crisped up pizza dough.
We used this breakfast pizza as the foundation for the rest of our breakfast, and served it alongside two breakfast classic - eggs & bacon. This pizza topped with a piece of bacon and a spoonful of scrambled eggs just took our breakfast pizza to the next level, and turned our pizza into the perfect vessel to enjoy all of our breakfast faves. It was like the bread to make our own version of openfaced breakfast sandwiches, and it was perfect. Finished with a drizzle of sriracha was just total perfection. But don’t get it twisted - we definitely devoured a couple pieces of the breakfast pizza all by itself, and it was divine. Delicious in all forms.
Brunch is always a treat in our house. It’s something we don’t have often at our house, and it feels special when we do. This breakfast pizza was just a little something to keep the pizza love flowing at our house, & to thank my husband for a pizza making lesson that I’m sure will benefit both of us for many meals to come. In this instance, it's been a weekend that has left me feeling re-charged & thankful for the time I do get to spend at home with my sweet family, and I am choosing to focus on gratitude this week. Specifically extreme thankfulness for the time when we do get to step aside from the hustle of jobs and meetings and a family business to just be.
For the Pizza
1 package of refrigerated pizza dough (about 1 pound)
1 tbsp EVOO
1 bottle of Everything Bagel seasoning from TJs
3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 c. ricotta
1/4 c. parmesan
Start by preheating your oven to 375, placing a pizza stone in the oven to get nice and hot. If you don’t have a pizza stone, use a baking sheet in its place. Let the stone or baking sheet heat up for 15 minutes.
As the oven is going, form your pizza dough into a large disk. If you have a full pound of dough, you can cut the dough in half to make two smaller pizzas. One pound makes one big ass pizza! Start by patting it flat into a large disk, then spreading the dough even more by draping the disk over your knuckles, gently stretching the dough into a larger disk. Next, hold the edges with you fingertips, moving around the disk and all of the edges to make the disk even larger. If you feel ready, give it a toss. & if you’re still really unclear about this process or don’t have your own means for stretching pizza dough, watch a Youtube video.
Once the dough is prepared, you’ll want to do a short pre-bake. Rest the dough on the hot pizza stone and place it back in the oven for 3-4 minutes. It should be moderately crisp on the bottom without being blackened. Just crisped up enough to hold its shape in the oven.
As the dough cooks, stir together the ricotta, garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
Once the dough has gone through its first bake, remove it from the oven and start putting on your toppings. Dollop & lightly spread the ricotta mixture in the center of the pizza. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese all over the top. Drizzle the edges of the pizza with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with the everything bagel seasoning. Heavy handed sprinkle so there’s a coating of the seasoning across the entire crust. Place the pizza back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
Keep an eye on the pizza, removing it when the topping is browned and cheese is bubbling. Serve it alongside some crispy bacon and scrambled eggs for an extra perfect breakfast. Sriracha & fresh arugula also recommended.
