Grillin' & Chillin'

We finally broke down and bought us a new outdoor gas grill a couple of months ago, and we've already used it a ton! I love cooking on it because 1)I'm not heating up the house by using the oven, 2)cleanup is easy since there are no pots and/or pans, and 3)it tastes so delish and makes me excited to really cook again.

Tonight was my first attempt at grilled pizza. I used this recipe for the dough and wasn't disappointed. The recipe calls for kneading minced garlic and fresh chopped basil into the dough, which gave it an extra bit of flavor baked right in. I was a little rushed, so I didn't have the extra hour it says to let it rise again, so mine wasn't as tender or easy to roll out into a thin crust. But it turned out great.

The one on the left is a traditional margherita pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. I'd never tried the fresh mozzarella before, you know the kind in the fancy cheese case at the store in its own little container of water. After trying it tonight, I'm in serious trouble - that stuff is amazing and melts so incredibly creamy. The one on the right has an alfredo sauce with sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms and a little bit of chicken and topped with grated mozzarella cheese.

If you're new to this kind of cooking like I am, remember that most foods cook much quicker on the grill than in the oven or on the stove. When you make pizza, get all of the toppings ready before you even put the dough on the grill. I brought everything out on a cookie sheet. Don't even think about multi-tasking while the pizza's on, like thinking you'll grate the cheese while it cooks. Roll out the dough, brush with oil and place oil side down on the grill. It only takes about 4-5 minutes on the first side. Brush the top with oil and flip over. Add the toppings and close the lid so the cheese can melt, about 3-4 minutes. That's it!

Now for the chillin' part. I reserved a small section of dough and didn't mix in the garlic and basil. I rolled it out as usual and brushed it with a little butter on both sides and sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar and grilled as I did the other pizzas. Serve a wedge with some ice cream and bananas and you've got yourself a perfect finish to your grilled meal.

This is one of our favorites. What is your favorite grilled food?