When Mum Felt Guilty...

My son love Pizzas, i think most kids do, don't they?  It has been awhile since we last had homemade ones and i blame Mr. D for that.  He was always late when delivering our pizzas.  We ended up having Free Pizza vouchers one after another.  Sometimes, i wonder if it is just a gimmick.  Boy was i glad when he arrived early one day, no more excuse for son to ask for Mr. D's pizzas :)

And since we have not had pizzas for awhile (so long that i can't remember which recipe i used for the crust), i thought i would surprise him with one to make him happy and to motivate him as he was having his year end exams.  When he got home, he was so happy when he knew it was pizza that was baking in the oven.   "Is it done yet, is it done yet, is it done yet....?", that was what all that i heard for awhile.

When i gave him  this, he looked at me and i read this on his face "ok, this doesn't look like the one i have in mind  but i will eat it since mum made them".  I love this boy for how he would willingly try out anything that i make and how he's not too fussy about food.  But i had a feeling it was not going to be easy this time and true enough, this is what i got from him after awhile "mum, can i remove the toppings, i don't like the avocados and the mangoes, they taste weird with the pizza...."  But i tested my luck and pushed on "No, they are good for you and it's not good to waste food" and guess what he finished it although i knew he wasn't too happy about it  (Wicked smile on mum's face!)

On the other hand, I quite like it though, i thought it complemented the taste of the cajun chicken pretty well. Spicy chicken with a creamy, sweet and tangy topping. And i love the bread too, i made it herby by doubling the amount of Italian herbs in it, you will notice it if you look closely.  One man's meat is another poison, i guess.  I also got a 'Ewww' from someone just by telling her about it, she didn't taste it though.  

Meat or poison, you decide...

After the victory (of successfully 'forcing' my son to finish cajun pizza as it is) sank in,  it hit a soft spot. I wondered if i had been mean for dashing his hopes when the whole intention of making pizza was to make him happy but instead of making his favorite flavor i used it as an opportunity to try something new which i knew he would not be receptive to.

So, the guilty mum made it up to him the day after by making what he claimed to be a 'real' pizza this time!  Glad to put him  back on cloud nine with his favorite Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza!

Recipe

For Pizza Base
Adapted from:  Baking Diary (Jeannie) who adapted from Her Frozen Wings (Lena) 

Ingredients

• 110gm plain flour (I reduced it to 100 to get a thinner crust for Hawaiian Pizza)
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp italian herbs (Original recipe used 1/2 tsp)
• 1tbsp of olive oil 
• 5 tbsp water  (adjust accordingly to hydrate the dough to produce a soft dough)

Steps

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Make a well for adding in water and oil mixture.
2. Mix oil with water then add it into the dry mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir to form a moist but unsticky dough and transfer to a floured surface.  Once dough is roughly formed, pour onto the counter table and knead until a smooth dough is formed. Leave it covered for 40 minutes to proof.  The dough should be soft and easily stretchable after proofing.
3. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin into a pizza pan (i used a 8 inch).  

Cajun Chicken Pizza
Adapted from : taste.com.au

Ingredients

• 1 chicken thighs (skinned, deboned and cubed)
• 2 tbsp cajun seasoning
• 1 medium size mango (skinned and cubed)
• 1 avocado (skinned and cubed)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 150g coarsely grated mozzarella
• Romaine lettuce (or baby rocket leaves) to serve

Steps

1. Combine chicken with cajun seasoning.  Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a shallow frying pan. 
3. Add in chicken, stirring occasionally until chicken is cook and lightly brown (it will further cook in the oven).
4. Sprinkle prepared pizza base with half the amount of mozarella followed by chicken and finish off with the remaining mozarella.
5. Baked at 200C for 20 minutes.
6. While pizza is baking, combine mango and avocado with lemon juice.
7. When pizza is ready, top it with mango salsa and vegetables before serving.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 chicken thigh (skinned, deboned and cubed)
• 2 tbsp of teriyaki sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp vinaigrette 
• 2 chicken sausages (thinly sliced)
• 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce (I used Prego's spaghetti sauce Traditional flavour)
• 1 small can of pineapple cubes (I used Ayam brand 280g)
• 150g coarsely grated mozzarella

Steps

1. I made a simple bbq sauce by combining teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and vinaigrette.  You can use store bought ones or use your own recipe.
2. Season chicken with a dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Mix in bbq sauce and leave it to marinade for 15 minutes.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a shallow frying pan.  
4. Add in chicken, stirring occasionally until chicken is cook and lightly brown (it will further cook in the oven).
5. Spread tomato sauce on prepared pizza base.  
6. Sprinkle half the amount of mozarella followed by chicken, sausages and pineapple cubes.  Finish off  by topping the pizza with the remaining mozarella.
7. Baked at 200C for 20 minutes.