Making Pizza Outside in November

I love FALL! Cool, crisp air. The sound of dry leaves blowing down the sidewalk. Beautiful leaves turning amazing colors.

This year, November is even more special because we have a new addition to the patio (months and months in the making) — a wood-fired oven. We are having soooooo much fun with it. It’s a great way to bring friends together.

I love the way it looks! It blends well with the house and the rest of the patio. Here, I have it fired up. Michele is in town to work this week and Elaine and CC are coming for a working lunch.

Putting it all together was not an easy task. Underneath there is a metal framework, then special hardy backer board. The oven itself sits on a bed of 4 inches of concrete.

I think the guys were plotting to write their names in the concrete. Boys will be boys! The boards in the middle go away after it’s done so wood can be stored underneath.

Whether you’re making pizzas indoors or out, it really helps to do all your prep work early and have everything ready in little prep bowls. To transport it, I corraled everything in a tray. I’ve since realized I really need two trays. Oh, darn. I had to go shopping.

The nice thing about making tortilla pizzas is that they are so quick to cook. You can let each person make his/her own. I’ve found out the hard way that people can have some mighty strong feelings when it comes to liking — or not liking — certain ingredients. Oh, and a word to the wise — stock up on pepperoni. It seems to be the most requested ingredient of all!

You make your fire and let it burn down to coals, then push the coals back with a brush and bake the pizza on the hot hearth. You want it between 600 and 700 degrees. Watch carefully or it will burn!

A special metal pizza peel allows you to take the pizza out without getting burned. The handle is 5 feet long!

Pull it out, take a look. If it’s not done enough, shove it back in. We all took turns!

I love this gadget. It’s curved so it rocks back and forth to cut quickly and it’s easy to grasp.

Here’s a closeup. It usually cut it into four rows across, turn it, then cut four more rows. That way, I end up with little squares.

Little squares of yellow bell pepper, Italian sausage, melted cheese.

A little grated Asiago on top. These are best consumed while fresh out of the oven.

Thinly sliced fresh fig, thin slivers of prosciutto. When it comes out of the wood oven, we added a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese and scattered on a bit of fresh arugula. Heaven!

Recipes to try this month:
Breakfast:

• Cranberry Fizz
• Eggs
• Southern Sweet Potato Muffins
• Sweet Bacon with a Twist

Appetizers:

• Beau Monde Dip
• Caramelized Onion, Apple and Brie Pizza
• Cheesy Bacon Spread
• Falafel Balls with Spicy Hummus
• Four Bit Goodies
• Low Carb Crackers
• Mushroom Canapes
• Now You See ‘Em Spread
• Quick Party Spreads
• Smoked Turkey Spread

Snacks:

• Cranberry Jalapeño Spread
• Sweet Potato Chips

Salads:

• Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
• Cynthia’s Crunchy Pea Salad
• Edamame Salad
• Green Bean Salad with Bleu Cheese and Craisins

Side Dishes:

• Acorn Squash Circles
• Becky’s Deviled Eggs
• Green Beans with Shallots and Red Peppers
• Sublime Squash

Soups:

• Butternut Squash Soup
• Curried Pumpkin Carrot Soup
• Turkey Soup

Pasta:

• Penne with Caramelized Onion, Mushrooms and Chicken (or Turkey)

Main Dishes:

• Beef Stroganoff
• Dede’’s Barbecue Crockpot Chicken
• Easy Italian Beef
• Mama’’s Meaty Mambo
• Tilapia, Pan Fried
• Turkey Stack
• Turkey Time
• Zingy Turkey Tacos

Desserts:

• Cocoa Almond Cookies
  
• Cool and Quick Pumpkin Layers
• Mini-Cheesecakes
• Pineapple Sheet Cake
• MBG’s Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Sandwiches
• Pumpkin Layers Mini Desserts