Pink Heart shaped Valentines pizza!

I don’t do a LOT for most holiday’s. But I grew up with colored food. Pink milk, eggs, etc… I already shared my pink scones and for dinner this weekend we decide to go with a pink heart shaped pizza for dinner!

I MEANT to dye the dough too, but forgot to add the red until it was too late. I LOVE my bread machine pizza dough recipe, it’s PERFECTION. The key to getting colored dough (which I’ve done for quite a few holiday’s including our green shamrock St Patrick day pizza a few years ago!)

Bread machine pizza dough
two 12 inch pizza
1 ¼ C water (add the dye to the water)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 C bread flour
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp bread machine fast rising yeast
Place in bread machine in order of manufacturer’s directions- liquid first or dry first. Start dough setting. Knock back dough, roll out. preheat the oven to 425 .

(you can use regular yeast, but add it to the water let it sit for 5 mins to poof up a bit, THEN add the rest of the ingredients and push start)

This is a soft thick crust and I LOVE it. I actually make a 1 1/2 batch so I get 3 pizzas instead of just 2. I don’t like my toppings dry and over cooked so I bake the crust (on a pizza stone) for 6-7 mins before adding anything else so it doesn’t have to cook as long once the toppings are on.

Alfredo
1/3 C butter
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
2 C heavy cream
1+ C Parmesan (more or less to taste)
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste- balances the parmesan)
1/4 tsp pepper
Melt butter, then add flour. Cook until bubbly, stirring constantly, approximately 1 minute. Gradually add milk while stirring, then add cream all at once. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened. Remove from heat and add Parmesan. Stir until it’s melted then add the salt and pepper.

I know this isn’t the most traditional Alfredo, but it’s quick and easy and we love it. You can of course use a store bought sauce instead. You can either dye the milk before adding it or dye the sauce once it’s finished.

Add the sauce to the half cooked crust, and remember it shouldn’t be too thick!

Then top with whatever you like! I saute chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic (we love garlic) and add that first. For the kids we add green onions and that’s mostly it. For us big kids we love artichoke hearts, spinach, green onions and mushrooms.

To bind it all together top it with grated mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese! Slide it back into the oven (onto the pizza stone) and bake another 5-6 mins until the edges start to brown. Let it cool a bit, cut and serve!

You could of course use a red based sauce and pepperoni and stuff for a valentines pizza, but we love our chicken alfredo pizza and the kids love helping me roll it out into fun holiday shapes! What do you make for holiday dinners?