Let's have a pizza party this summer

Sometimes it is nice to have a pizza party and invite friends or family over to enjoy. This time of year, it may be too hot to cook outside, so making homemade pizza inside is a fun dinner option. Pizza is a fun and delicious food to share together, so today I am passing along a few recipes to get you started.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

You can adjust the flavors in this sauce by adding more garlic or adding red pepper flakes, which really boost the flavor of this rich pizza.

For the garlic butter:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Pinch dried rosemary
• Pinch of salt

For the Alfredo sauce:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash of ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated Romano cheese

For the remainder of the recipe:

• 1 or 2 loaves frozen bread dough; completely thaw and let rise
• 1 fully cooked Italian-seasoned or plain rotisserie chicken, meat removed from bone and chopped
• 2 cups torn fresh spinach leaves
• 1 1/2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 or 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups Italian cheese blend, shredded

Garlic butter: Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Blend in garlic, rosemary and salt. Set aside.

Pizza dough: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After dough has completely thawed and risen until doubled, turn it out on a greased pizza pan, spreading to edge. Poke dough repeatedly with a fork to get minimal rise. Spread garlic butter over crust with a pastry brush. Cook dough in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and pierce any air bubbles that rose while baking, flattening surface.

Alfredo sauce: Melt butter, salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Add flour, creating a roux. Whisk in milk and Romano cheese. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce and the chopped chicken. This helps keep the meat from drying out while cooking.

Assemble: Cover dough with Alfredo sauce, then add mozzarella cheese over sauce. Top with torn spinach, sliced mushrooms and cooked chicken. The last layer is an Italian pizza blend cheese (or additional mozzarella).

Bake: Put in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting.

Italian Stallion Pizza

• 25 slices pepperoni
• 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
• 1 teaspoon basil, dried
• 4 slices hard salami, sliced
• 4 slices capicola, deli sliced
• 4 slices prosciutto
• 1 cup cooked hamburger
• 1 loaf crusty Italian bread
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 pinches red pepper flakes
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 slices fresh mozzarella, diced into cubes
• 1/4 cup diced green peppers
• Olive oil, drizzled
• Salt and pepper to taste

Slice all meats (except for hamburger) into slivers and put into a frying pan and cook on medium to high heat. Cook until all meat is on the crispy side. Brown ground beef with salt and pepper, and dice up green peppers.

Cut 4 to 6 slices of fresh mozzarella, then cube up each slice and set aside. Grate or finely chop the 2 garlic cloves.

Using a large sheet pan, drizzle the pan with olive oil, then add salt and pepper. Cut the whole loaf of crusty Italian bread in half, put the cut side (where the inside of the loaf is exposed) down and rub the bread on the pan so the bread will absorb the olive oil and salt and pepper. Sauce both pieces of the bread. Use just a small pinch of red pepper flakes for each piece; sprinkle on the grated or finely chopped garlic and then sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese to cover the sauce. Pile on all the meat and green peppers, then add the cubed fresh mozzarella and sprinkle the dried oregano and dried basil on top.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Grilled Mexican Pizza

• Pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
• 1 pound grilled sirloin or skirt steak, sliced very thinly
• 1/2 cup roasted tomatillo sauce or store-bought salsa verde
• 6 ounces each cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 can fresh chopped or canned diced tomatoes, no salt added, drained well
• 1 small onion, sliced and grilled
• 1 small poblano or green bell pepper, sliced and grilled
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced and grilled
• Cilantro, fresh to garnish

If you have leftover grilled steak, use that. Otherwise, grill steak as you normally would. Let rest, slice very thinly. Grill onions, bell peppers and mushrooms in skillet.

Brush both sides of dough with olive oil. Place pizza dough on grill rack for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, top with tomatillo sauce, both kinds of cheese, steak, diced tomato and veggies. Place dough back on grill; close lid so cheese will melt.

Amazing Cauliflower Crust Pizza

For me, pizza could be its own food group. I have never met a pizza I didn't like. This cauliflower crust cuts way down on carbohydrates but still has a nice texture and crispness you might not expect. Make sure to press or wring out the moisture in the cauliflower very well.

• 1 cauliflower head
• 1/2 teaspoon pureed garlic paste or 5 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper paste
• 2 or 3 large/extra large egg whites
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan Reggiano cheese

For the pepper and onion saute:

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 drizzle olive oil, lightly

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rice cauliflower (this means put freshly washed cauliflower you have cut into florets into food processor). Pulse until it looks like a grain. Place in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 8 minutes. Spread it out on a dishtowel when it's done to cool, and then put it back into center and wring out the excess water. This really helps it become crusty.

Dice onions and peppers and saute with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Take cauliflower, egg whites, spices and cheeses and mix well with clean, dry hands. Take a sheet of parchment paper and turn over a baking sheet or chopping board. You want to be able to slide it onto the pizza stone. Lightly oil and sprinkle cornmeal.

With a big serving spoon, dump a little cauliflower at a time until you can press it into a circle. Push edges up until it resembles the crust of a pizza. It should be no more than 1/4 inch thick. Slide onto pizza stone. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place back on upside-down baking sheet or board.

Add onion and pepper mixture and spread out thinly. Top with more Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake another 10 minutes, until bubbly. Keep in mind that oven temperatures vary.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.