Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville..

Once upon a time, I hosted a tropical staycation night at our local bar. To create such an event, there is one truly necessary item... Drink Umbrellas. Luckily for me and many others, I purchased a 300 pack of small drink umbrellas that have turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving. These umbrellas not only made the tropical staycation a night to remember but also inspired a Luau Themed Party at work last week. When charged with making food for a luau that needed to serve many people, be available for hours and be easy to eat, I thought PIZZA! Traditionally Hawaiian pizza has ham and pineapple so I twisted this variety and tried another variety new and fresh.. The result... pizzas eaten up, multiple compliments and one marriage proposal.

Hawaiian Pizza Two Ways
Crust... Now you can buy your own pizza crust or make one. For the first time ever, I tried Fleishman's new pizza yeast and let's say it was AMAZING!! So easy and delish. Use the recipe on the package, you don't even need to let it rise and bam delicious crust.
I baked my crust till slightly browned before adding toppings at 350 for about 15 on my awesome pizza stone. I rubbed the crust with garlic and olive oil before hand.

For the Ham/Pineapple variety.
Chop half a red onion and saute in olive oil for a few minutes. Add a 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro and 2 green peppers. Cook for about 2 minutes. Spread over pizza. Add chopped ham and pineapple and top with a whole lot of mozzarella. Bake until browned and bubbly.

For the Ginger/Chicken variety...(this will blow your mind)
Marinade 3 chicken breasts in 1/4 cup of oil, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 TBl of brown sugar, 1 Tbl. of chili powder, splash of cayenne.
Simmer chicken breast in large skillet with marinade for about 10 minutes. Cut in slices and simmer until cooked.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring to simmer juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon, 1 Tbl of orange zest and 2 Tbl of freshly grated ginger (so necessary). Cook for about 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp of cornstarch. Stir and heat until thickened into yummy sauce. Spread of pizza crust. Top with red onion, chopped chicken and cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese melts and bubbles.

Pour yourself a cocktail with a drink umbrella, don a lei, crank the Buffett and chow down... If you close your eyes, you may even be able to convince yourself that you are in Hawaii!