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I greatly admire the talented and ambitious home cooks who make pizza dough from scratch and create restaurant-quality pies in their own kitchens. Homemade pizza dough is something I've never attempted and it's on my list of experiences to have sooner rather than later.

Until then, there are several other options for semi-homemade pizza at home, and one of them is the canned, refrigerated dough such as Pillsbury. The folks over at Pillsbury have actually put out an entire cookbook full of pizza recipes for use with their dough. Of course, you could always use a store brand of refrigerated dough or adapt some of the recipes to go with a Boboli crust or your own homemade crust.

What's nice about this book is that it also provides alternative ideas for the dough, as well, such as breadsticks, calzones, appetizers and desserts. Since many of us have a whole three-day weekend to play in the kitchen (and might be tired of cookout season's last hurrah by the end of it) I thought I'd share a few of these recipes.

Have a GREAT and SAFE holiday weekend!!

Country French Herb Flatbread
Makes about 20 appetizers

1 can Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust
4 1/2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. herbes de Provence (available in your grocery spice aisle or online spice sites such as Penzey's)
5 to 6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/3 cup goat cheese, softened
2 eggs
Dash pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray. Unroll dough and place in pan. Starting at the center, press out dough to edge of pan. With fingers, make indentations over the surface of the dough. Brush with 3 tsp. of the oil. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the herbes de Provence. Top with sun-dried tomatoes.

2. In a medium bowl, mix cheese, eggs, remaining 1 1/2 tsp. oil and remaining 1 tsp. of herbes de Provence, using a wire whisk. Pour evenly over tomatoes and spread carefully.

3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Sprinkle with pepper. If necessary, loosen sides of pizza from pan. Cut into squares.

Chicken and Spinach Dip Pizza
Serves 8

Cornmeal
1 can Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust
1 container refrigerated spinach dip
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle cornmeal on a 12-inch pizza stone or pizza pan. Unroll dough and place on pizza stone or pan. Starting at the center, press out dough into 12-inch round or to edge of pan, forming a 1/2-inch rim. Bake for 8 minutes.

2. Spread spinach dip over partially baked pizza crust. Top with chicken, tomato and mushrooms. Sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Deep Dish Pizza Pie Bundle
Serves 4

1 can Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)
1/3 cup pizza sauce
25 slices of pepperoni (from a 3.5 oz. package)
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Unroll dough, place on work surface. Starting at center, press out dough to form a 14-by-10-inch rectangle. Place in pan with sides of dough extending evenly over sides of pan. Lightly press dough in bottom and up sides of pan.

2. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the dough. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the cheese. Top with pepperoni and remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.

3. With scissors, make a 2-inch cut into each corner of dough. Bring all ends of dough together at the center and twist to secure at the top of the pizza. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.