MINI HA-HA PIZZAS

Did you know that we eat about 90 acres of pizza a day -- not just me, but all of us together?  That's a lot of crust.  Pizza has become a very American thing -- I'm surprised we haven't seen a McPizza yet.  My pizzas here are small ones -- they're so cute and happy-looking, they'll make you smile.  Have a couple of these, along with a green salad (easy on the dressing), and you've got lunch.

MINI HA-HA PIZZAS
Makes 32 appetizer servings

Prep:  20 minutes
Bake:  500* for 8 minutes per baking sheet

8 pieces (1 ounce each) frozen bread roll dough or bread dough, thawed
All-purpose flour for rolling
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
1/2 cup pasta-ready tomato sauce
2 ounces turkey link sausage, frozen and partially thawed
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion or green onion (white and green parts)
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 500*.  Shape thawed bread dough into balls.  On floured board, using rolling pin, roll ou to 3- or 4-inch circles, or pat out with your hands.  Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.  Place 4 circles of dough on each sheet.  Spread each circle with 1 tablespoon sauce.

2.  With sharp knife, slice partially thawed sausage into very thin slices.  Divide sausage slices, sliced mushrooms, and chopped onion equally over dough circles.  Sprinkle with cheese.

3.  Bake, one tray at a time, about 8 minutes or until crusts are browned and cheese is melted.  Let cool slightly.  Remove to wooden board.  Slice each pizza into 4 wedges. 

NUTRIENT VALUE PER SERVING 
27 calories
2 g protein
1 g fat (27% fat)
4 g carbohydrate
76 mg sodium
2 mg cholesterol

TOPS AND BOTTOMS
We've com a long way since that first tomato pizza in Naples.  Use this topping just as a starting point.  Other variations include a single sliced tomato with shredded part-slim mozzarella and fresh basil leaves to  a more fancy artichoke heart and sun-dried tomato.  The sky really is the limit.  Try a ham pizza with pineapple rings on top -- the perfect luau pizza.  Just be careful you don't load up on toppings that mean fat:  pepperoni, vegetables drenched in oil, or a half-pound of shredded full-fat cheese.

And for the bottoms, feel free to stray in other directions.  Frozen pizza dough is an obvious choice, but there's also pita bread, flour or corn tortillas, English muffins, or even matzoh for a very crispy no-bake crust.