Cleaning Out the Fridge-a-Tator

Well, it all started out with half a red pepper, some fresh('ish) mozarella, zucchini, and ricotta that was nearing the every end of it's consumable life.  I absolutely hate how much produce I end up throwing out because it went bad too fast.  It happens super duper fast (at least in my opinion) up here.  I guess the food takes a while to make it all the way up to AK?  Anyways, I had some frozen spinach I bought about a month ago with a spinach pizza dough in mind, which got the wheels spinning, and figured what a perfect way to make-do, in the spirit of Nathania & Sarah's Make-Do-March, by making do with whatever food (especially of the needs-to-be-eaten-asap) I had in my kitchen!

I took one picture [gasp!  how horribly un-Krista-like!] and it was an iphone picture.  Sorry...

For the dough, I used this recipe:

• 3 cups white flour
• 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 10 oz. Package frozen spinach, thawed
• ¼ cup warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil 

And did the following:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (I bet you could do hotter...)
• Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water and let sit for five minutes or until foaming.
• Using a blender or immersion blender, pulse the thawed spinach with juices until half-way pureed - except I got frustrated and said screw it, I [will] like chunky spinach in my dough...
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, salt, and sugar.
• Add pureed spinach and olive oil followed with the yeast/water mixture. Stir until fully incorporated and proceed to knead until mixture is elastic – about 10 minutes. - OR be like Krista: remember you have a food processor and make your life easier using the nifty little dough button.
• Cover dough and let sit for 20 minutes. (or closer to an hour while you go grocery shopping...)
• Roll dough out (or if you're feeling lazy and don't want to clean off and flour an area for the rolling pin, stretch it out pretending you're an Italian chef of sorts, but without the throwing of the dough, that could result in a sticky spinach doughy mess in locations other than your pizza stone...) and top with pizza toppings. Bake for 15-20 minutes in 400 degree oven. (it took me more like 25 min I think...  just look for that nice golden brown to show up on your cheese and peppers)

And this is what I put ON the pizza (in the order I put it on):

• Ricotta cheese (I think I had about a 1/2 cup left) with some black pepper ground in
• Crushed/minced garlic cloves (4 - but I like my garlic)
• Shredded zucchini (2 small) ala cheese grater
• Shredded mozarella  (approx. 1/2 c. that was left)
• A smattering of goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 Red pepper, cut up.
• I didn't add this, but I bet roasted garlic cloves would have been a nice addition...

That's it.  Super fancy?  No.  BUT it made use of the things that were beginning to waste away in the fridge.  So instead of making it into the trash in no less than two days... the on-it's-last-legs food made it into my stomach (and Kevin's, and a little in Rudder's) and I have plenty more for 3 servings of left overs.  The dough turned out kinda thick (perhaps this is why you should roll it), and I think could have maybe been a little less fluffy (not bad fluffy, but definitely not thin crispy!)

Ok, I'm procrastinating on report writing (I deplore having to do work at home past 10pm...) and just wanted to join Sew Dutch's Link Up Party.  :o)  Back to work...