Summer Squash, Tomato, Feta & Pesto Pizza

As you may know.....pizza is my favorite food. 

I could eat it everyday.

  At Christmas I got THIS pizza maker.

(It is also on sale HERE with an extra 20% off this weekend)

We have been making pizza for dinner a few times a month since we got it! 

I have been experimenting with different pizza toppings/recipes and there have been some REALLY good ones!

Once a month I am going to share a new pizza recipe with you.

You don't need the pizza maker (you can use your oven) but I am letting you know that using this pizza maker gives your pizza an authentic pizzeria taste! 

I am planning on sharing a new pizza recipe the last Friday of each month in honor of Friday Night Pizza Night that we have every Friday night at our house :)

 

Today I am excited to share my:

Summer Squash, Tomato, Feta & Pesto Pizza

The past few weeks the zucchini, squash & cherry tomatoes have been growing like CRAZY in my garden.
I thought it would be delicious to make a pizza that had some of these fresh vegetables on it. I decided to use pesto as the sauce because I love pesto and the basil in the pesto really enhances the flavors of the veggies.

Here is what you need:

- Pizza Dough (I use pre-made dough from Safeway or Trader Joes.  I like Safeway's better because it so much easier to work with & tastes better! You can make your own dough, but when the pre-made dough is only $1.50, this is a no brainer!

- Shredded Mozzarella cheese

- Zucchini

-Squash

- Cherry Tomatoes

- Pesto 

- Crumbled Feta cheese

Slice your zuchinni & squash thinly. Cut the tomatoes in half.

I use a variety of my cherry tomatoes...sun sugar & super sweet 100. These taste like candy, they are delicious!

Directions:

If using the Pizza maker, I split the dough in half and then roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface & then I put my dough on a piece of parchment paper.  

I cook it on the parchment paper for a few minutes because then I can slide the pizza off the parchment paper without messing up the crust or making all the toppings slide off. I like cooking it without the parchment paper because then it gives the crust a pizzeria taste! If I had a pizza peel, I wouldn't need to have the parchment paper because then I would have the pizza peel to transfer the pizza to and from the pizza cooker...but I don't have one of those yet.

Add some pesto to the crust:

Sprinkle on some shredded mozzarella cheese:

Add the thin slices of the summer squash:

Add the sliced tomatoes:

Sprinkle on the crumbled feta cheese:

Bake in your pizza oven (or regular oven at 450 degrees) for 8-10 minutes 

(I bake mine on parchment paper for 5 minutes & then slide it off the parchment paper & bake it on the pizza stone)

 

 

This pizza is very "light" compared to other pizzas because of the fresh veggies:

There is SO much flavor....the feta brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes.

It is perfect to make during the summer because of all the fresh summer flavors:

It's full of flavor & I love all the colors :)

You could also use larger tomatoes instead of a cherry variety, but I like using the smaller ones because they are sweeter.

Serve this along with a nice green salad & you have a perfect summer meal!

I hope you love this pizza as much as I do!

Enjoy!

In January I shared my BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe {HERE}

In February I shared my Fig, Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza {HERE}
In March I shared my my Pesto Chicken, Sundried Tomato & Artichoke Pizza {HERE}

In April, I shared a Sweet Italian Sausage, Pepperoni & Bell Pepper Pizza {HERE} 

In May I shared my Pepperoni, Pineapple & Jalapeño Pizza {HERE} 

In June, I shared my Margherita Pizza {HERE} 

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Happy Pizza Friday & I hope you have a great weekend!

What's Up Wednesday :: July 2016

It's the last Wednesday of the month, that means it's time for our What's Up Wednesday Link Up!

Link up with  me, Sheaffer & Shay the LAST Wednesday of each month so we can read about What's Up with YOU!

Here we go!

What We’re Eating this week..... 
Sunday - Pool Party in our backyard with neighbors, we made Montreal Tri Tip &  Caprese Orzo Salad  :

 Monday- Chicken Apple Sausages & Tortellini Salad

Tuesday - Dinner at the Giants Game...I had my favorite....Philly Cheesesteak!!!

 Wednesday - Out to dinner with friends to check out a new restaurant in town!

Thursday - Shrimp Orzo Salad

 Friday - Friday Night Pizza Night!
Saturday - Brother in Law's Birthday Party

 And, because it's summer & I'm not teaching, I am home in the mornings for breakfast & lunch.
Here is what I have been having for breakfast:
 Oatmeal & Fresh Berries:

 Ham & Egg Muffin Cups:

Lunch this week has been chicken salad sandwiches (with tomatoes from my garden)

And, of course...my summer obsession....It's 2 eggs, some grated zuchinni from my garden, tomatoes from my garden & a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Of course I add Chalula on top because it's my favorite! YUM!

I also like making fun desserts in the summer......These are SO good!

Recipe {HERE}

 Everything is better in a mason jar :)

Saw this & it's SO true!

What I'm Reminiscing about.....

I am  reminiscing about Luke. He turns 4 in less than 2 weeks!!!! What?!?!
These photos turned up in my timehop a few days ago.
I can't believe these were taken 4 years ago, when I was 8 months pregnant with Luke!
Can you believe there was a 9lb 6 oz baby in there?!? See more of the photos {HERE}
It seems like just yesterday he was born, but on the other hand, it feels like Luke has always been here.
I can't believe he is almost 4....Claire was 3 years 11 months when Luke was born, that seems crazy to me!

What I'm loving.....

Rodan + Fields announced an AMAZING special yesterday and I am LOVING it!
I love that I can offer you guys over $200 in FREE product!

 Christmas in July? I think so!

 For anyone who purchases a Redefine Amp It Up Special, you will receive an ENTIRE BOX of Acute Care ($220 value, overnight wrinkle-filler) to speed along those results!
Acute care fills wrinkles while you sleep...perfect for expression lines.

This is a CRAZY GOOD DEAL!!!
 This is for a limited time, but we all know that these specials go FAST!!!!

Redefine and AMP Roller Before & After: This offer is good for NEW and CURRENT Preferred Customers!  

Email me to get this amazing deal before it sells out!  

melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

Here are some of the items the Redefine AMP it up Special come with & this is the small amount you need to use each night....the products last 3-4 months. A little goes a LONG way!

All our products come with a 60 day empty bottle 100% money back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose for trying it out!

What We've been up to.....

July has been a fun & busy month including:
Going on my dad's boat for his birthday
4th of July
Waterskiing with friends
Performing Arts Camp for the girls
Swimming Lessons for Luke
Week long trip to Lake Tahoe
Giants Game

What I'm Dreading.....

That school starts in 2.5 weeks
UGGGGHHHHH!!!!

I could seriously cry.
This summer is going by WAY too quickly & Target has all the school supplies out.

 *SIGH*

What I'm Working On.....

Luke's 4th Birthday Party!

Here are his invites:

I LOVE how they came out! Luke is so excited for his "diggy" party.

I can't wait for his party....I love parties...here are some of his past birthday parties:
Luke's 1st Birthday was a Nautical Theme:

Luke's 2nd Birthday was a Train Theme:

 

Last year was a Firetruck Party:

I love throwing parties :)

What I'm Excited About.....

Going back to Tahoe in a few days for another week of fun....one last summer hurrah!

 If you haven't been to Lake Tahoe before....you need to go!

  Tahoe is my happy place :)

What I'm Watching........

The Bachelorette!

I think she is going to pick Jordan!

That is the only show I am watching this summer, because I am too busy reading!!

What I'm Reading.....

I have read A LOT of books this month. Almost an embarrassing amount.
I haven't been watching much TV & I was in Tahoe for a week & we don't really have internet there, so I was able to do a lot of reading at night when my kids were in bed.

At the end of June, I read 1st to Die by James Patterson.

I LOVED it & found out it was a series. There are actually 15 books in the series!
It's based in San Francisco and it's about 4 women who refer to themselves as "The Women's Murder Club" because they all work in similar professions...One is SFPD, another is the chief coroner, another is the Assistant DA and another is a crime reporter/writer for the SF Chronicle.

I LOVE the characters & I am totally hooked on the series.
I read 6 of them this month!!!! AHHHH!!!

2nd Chance:


3rd Degree:


4th of July:


5th Horseman:


6th Target:

I give this series a 5 out of 5. I can't wait to keep reading the rest!!!! SO good!

I took a break from the series to read a couple other books I had been wanting to read.
I loved Mary Kubica's other 2 books & was excited to read her newest one:
Don't You Cry:

 It wasn't as good as the other 2...I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars

Last month I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and loved it, so wanted to read more of her books. I devoured this book:
Firefly Lane:

4.5 out of 5 stars....SO good!

What I'm Listening to.....
I love listening to Pandora's Top Hits when I run.
These are 2 of my favorite songs currently:

 I love Stitches by Shawn Mendes & love this song also:

What I'm Wearing.....

Let's be honest....It's summer. I am ultimate lazy when it comes to my wardrobe in the summer.
I wear my bathing suit or yoga pants & a tank top or I wear shorts & a tank top.
I look like a ragamuffin in the summer! Hair in a top knot or a braid with a hat. Flip Flops everyday.

I am all about comfort in the summer! And, being lazy with my clothes!
Summer is when I am lazy with my clothes since I don't have to teach.
I am wearing a lot of this....Running clothes & running shoes:

If I'm not wearing running clothes, I am most likely wearing a bathing suit & a swim suit cover up.

For my birthday in May, I got a Nordstrom gift card & I used it to buy these flip flops. So comfy!

I did buy a couple rompers on sale & I LOVE them!
Here are the ones I have:
Love THIS one...so comfortable!

 You can't go wrong with a solid black romper like THIS one...it can be dressed up or down:

I also like THIS one because it has sleeves (it also comes in olive or rust)

Rompers are so comfy! All of the ones I posted aren't too short for me...I am 5'9 and the small & medium sizes fit!
What I’m doing this weekend.....

Saturday we are celebrating my brother in law & nieces birthday and then we are heading to Tahoe!

What I'm Looking Forward to next month.....

Next month I am looking forward to Luke's 4th Birthday!
I am also looking forward to our 14th wedding Anniversary on August 24th!
I am hoping we can go away for a night to celebrate.
I am NOT looking forward to school starting next month. UGH.

What else is new.....

In case you missed my home tour last week {HERE}
We recently gave Claire's room a re-do:

 See more photos {HERE}

We are also still working on our backyard re-do....the cement has been poured & we have new steps!
The next phase is the outdoor structure, new grass & then the outdoor kitchen.
It's coming along....slowly but surely :)

Question of the month is:
What was your favorite part about summer?
How do I narrow this down to one thing....
This has been a great summer...my favorite part might have been that we DIDN'T do Swim Team this summer! The past few summers we have done swim team & it takes up SO.MUCH.TIME
I love the social aspect of it because tons of our friends do swim team & I also love that the kids get good exercise 4-5 times a week, but I don't miss dragging my kids to swim practice each day & waking up early for meets.

I have loved that this summer has been pretty laid back & not too scheduled.
One of my favorite parts of summer would also be that Luke has learned to swim so we are one step closer to taking down the pool fence ;)

Going to Lake Tahoe is always my favorite part of summer. I grew up going to Lake Tahoe every summer when I was a kid and now that we have our own kids, I love doing that as well & making memories with them in Lake Tahoe.

 I think if you asked my kids, they would also say that going to Lake Tahoe is always one of their favorite things to do each summer :)

Of course, other favorite things about summer are also:
Slow mornings, living in pj's & bathing suits, swimming everyday, staying up late, all the fresh fruits & veggies that we eat, no homework, no grading, having all day to hang out with the kids.
 Sigh.....I love summer.

+++++++++++++

If you are new to my blog, thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to follow along! 

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I also have a $50 Kohl's Giftcard Giveaway on THIS post that ends August 1st.
Make sure and enter HERE if you haven't already!

Can't wait to read about What's up with all of YOU!