Although we've turned the corner as far as winter is concerned, who knows if that pesky little rodent "Wiarton Willie" was correct in his prediction of an early spring. 

On that note, a "pizza and games night" was planned to celebrate "groundhog day" and 10 of us joined together for what turned out to be a fun-filled evening.

Our hosts greeted us at the door and once the coats and boots were put aside, we were given a glass of champagne to honour "Wiarton Willie." That done, each of us received a handout with information about groundhogs in general and what was about to take place. 

In honour of the various groundhogs throughout North America, we were going to be divided into teams and make our own pizzas.  Names were drawn from a hat and the teams formed as follows:

Team #1 was assigned to make Brie's Smoked Rocklyn Creek Fish honouring Scheunacadie Sam (from Nova Scotia)

Team #2 was assigned the Pinwheels honouring "Buckeye Chuck (from Ohio)

Team #3 members were designated the "salad course" and would be making "Spring Ground Cover" in honour of "Punxsatawney Phil (from Pennsylvania)

Team #4 would make "Ground Chuck with Onions & Peppers" in honour of our own Wiarton Willy

Team #5 members were assigned the Country Rustic in honour of "Sir Walter Wally" of North Carolina.

I should mention that just before we set out to the kitchen (our team was first), we were also told that there would be prizes!   That certainly brought out the competitive spirit in my partner and he exclaimed: "Now that is a horse of a different colour!" 

And so, we donned our aprons and proceeded to make our pizza.  Our hosts were very organized and had all the necessary ingredients close at hand with the recipe beside them.  

For the appetizer course, we used PC smoked salmon, but for those of you who are fishing enthusiasts, if you want to go out and catch your own trout in the Rocklyn Creek, be my guest!

Brie's Smoked Rocklyn Creek Fish
Roll out and stretch two canisters of Pillsbury dough.  Using a cookie cutter, cut into 24 rounds.  Place on greased cookie sheets and bake at 425 for about 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and place the ingredients on top in order given (we changed the order slightly). 

Dress with small pieces of smoked salmon, then a slice of Brie, then some minced onion and one caper.  Return to oven for a few minutes longer - watch closely.  Remove from oven and garnish with fresh dill.

Ours was a very tasty pizza although some of the edges did get a bit charred - we decided that if we wanted to be in the running for prizes, we'd better chock up some extra brownie points, and so we went the extra mile and tidied up the kitchen before the next team started!

For the next appetizer course.

Pinwheel Spins
Using Pillsbury dough once again, the dough was rolled out and stretched over a cutting board, making two pizza flats each about 8 x 12".  Each was brushed on one side with olive oil, leaving 1/2" border all round the pizza flats. 

Each was dressed with 1/4 cup tomato pulp, 1/4 cup tapenade and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. 

The pizza flats were then rolled quite tightly into 12" long rolls.  The rolls were placed seam-side down on the cookie sheet and baked in a 425 oven for 10-12 minutes.  They were then removed from the oven and cooled for 5 minutes. 

They were brushed lightly with a little olive oil, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and sliced into bite size pieces.  I do recall that this particular team encountered some difficulty forming the pizzas into rolls and at one point, one of the team members hollered out from the kitchen: "Is there any duct tape in the house?!"

On to the next pizza course - salad!

Spring Ground Cover
These pizzas were made with flat breads (this team got off easy, don't you think)?!
Place on cookie sheets and brush one side with a small amount of olive oil.  Bake at 425 for 7 minutes. 

Remove and dress with tomato pulp, mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper and chile flakes to taste.  Bake at 425 for another 7-9 minutes, remove from oven, transfer to cutting board and let stand for 2 minutes.  Slice into 10 pieces and cover each piece with arugula and mixed greens, pieces of prosciutto, a sprinkle of parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.  As well, and because we were in a competition, this team put an initial (using pretzels) for each guest.  Talk about brownie points!

On to the next course ... Members of Team #4 were on deck for the next pizza.

Ground Chuck with Onions & Pepper
Place 2-3 pita crusts on cookie sheets and bake at 425 for 7 minutes.  Remove and brush one side all over with a little olive oil.  Dress with mozzarella cheese and distribute meatballs (which had already been prepared) onto the crusts.  Cover with tomato pulp, pepper and onion.  A little parsley was also added.  Bake for an additional 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 

Let stand for 2 minutes; slice and serve.

The last couple tried to get out of baking the Country Rustic pizzas, saying they were sure we were all full by now.  We weren't going to let them off that easy and so they marched into the kitchen to make the last course.

Country Rustic

Using 2-3 pita crusts, place on cookie sheets; brush one side of each with a little olive oil and bake at 425 for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and dress with tomato sauce, mixed cheese (already shredded) and then a variety of toppings: peppers, onions, mushrooms, pepperoni, salami & prosciutto and a little chopped parsley.  Bake at 425 for another 7-9 minutes; remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Divide into 10 slices before serving.

I should mention that there was a little wine and beer to help the pizza go down.  As for the games, there was an assortment set around the room but I believe the only one played was cribbage.  We were handed out pencils and voting slips and Team #3 placed first, with Team #1 coming in second.  

Having our fill of pizza by now, we all saved a bit of room for dessert.  In honour of "Bethesda Billie" we enjoyed the following chocolate brownies, an assortment of cookies and some fresh fruit served with Amaretto dip.

Southern Pecan Chocolate Brownies
1 frozen pecan pie, thawed at room temperature
1 3/4 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
11/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Cut the pie into cubes and set aside.  In a glass bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter and microwave at high for 1 minute.  Stir and microwave another minute; stir until smooth.  Beat chocolate mixture with sugar, eggs, milk, and half of the pie cubes at low speed on an electric mixer. 

Fold in flour and baking powder and then stir in remaining pie cubes.  Coat a 9 x 13" baking pan with cooking spray and spoon the mixture into prepared pan.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 50 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack before cutting into small squares.  Delish!

Amaretto Dip
1 pkg of instant vanilla pudding
1 envelope of dream whip
11/2 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup amaretto
In a small bowl, stir 1 cup of milk into the instant pudding until thickened.  Set aside.  Meanwhile, beat 1/2 cup of milk into the dream whip until whipped.  Combine the pudding with the dream whip and fold in the amaretto.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving time.

Whether the ground hog was right or not, getting together for a pizza and games night is a great idea and helps to break up the winter.  So, a toast to all the groundhogs in North America - may they be correct in their prediction of an early spring!