Grilled eggplant and olive oil pizza. Photo: Smitten Kitchen.

A slew of youngsters are heading back to school this week, lugging backpacks, breaking in new shoes, sharpening pencils and, if they're lucky (at least a few days out of the year), forgoing the brown-bag lunch in favor of a pizza party. It's enough to make us nearly jealous, except that one of the many joys of adulthood is that we can have pizza whenever we please -- and booze to wash it down with -- no matter the circumstances (or caloric consequences).

For example, when Deb from Smitten Kitchen was craving grilled pizza and the weather didn't agree with her plans for dinner al fresco, she still found a way to make it happen, "Weather be damned!" She busted out a cast-iron panini pan, doused the dough with garlicky extra-virgin olive oil, and piled on the grilled eggplant, olives and provolone. The result, reports the cook, was "hearty, smoky and delicious."

So how'd she get those beautiful cheesy bubbles with her indoor "grill?" Well, since she was "grilling" inside anyway, she put it in the oven for a few minutes. They don't teach that in school.

[Via Smitten Kitchen]

Gena's grilled pizza. Photo: Erica George Dines Photography

My husband and I grill out pretty often through out the summer, but after a while I just get bored with the traditional meat or fish on the grill and the various side dishes that go along with it. That's why I love grilled pizza.

We spent last weekend at a friend's lake house in north Georgia, and I served "make your own"-style pizzas. You'd be surprised at how much fun the adults had making and grilling their own.

I opted to spread out various toppings in small bowls and made an easy dough, pre-grilling the pizzas for everyone. All they had to do was top the pizzas with their own signature toppings and finish them off on the grill.

Get my pizza dough and pizza sauce recipes after the jump.

Bowl of ramen. Photo: irrational_cat, Flickr

• Instead of hitting the spaghetti aisle, the Courant suggests browsing the shelves of Asian noodles.
• Connecticut enters the grilled pizza craze.
• As part of the Taste of Hartford restaurant week, you can find many dishes for 2009 ... or rather, $20.09.
• Almost anything from a fast food place will pack on the pounds, but this handy gallery features the worst offenders. ...
• ... and one more handy gallery, this time rife with commentary, for tasty cocktails in the Hartford area.
• When picking up summer beers, Newport Storm Summer Ale, Saranac Summer Brew and more will do the trick.
• Recipes: Greek Yogurt with Apricot Compote and Pistachios and Grilled Sausage and Peppers.

Barbecuing pizza seems to be all the rage these days, but that's nothing compared to this video! Sleek grills and homey comforts seem like child's play compared to one backpacker making pizza on a camp stove in the wilderness.

Sure, Backpacker Magazine Associate Editor Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan is cooking during a snowy winter (!), but the idea definitely works now as we head into the heart of prime camping season. What's truly impressive about this recipe is that the whole dish is made from scratch. She didn't even lug along a pre-made crust, but whipped one up with Bisquick and water!

A sizzling pizza pie in the heart of the forest in five to eight minutes? S'mores might finally have a little outdoor comfort food competition.

Sliced Mango Photo: Hojusaram/Flickr

• Did you know that June is National Mango Month? The Statesman takes part in the fruity celebrations with a bunch of mango-centric recipes, plus a dairy-free ice cream.
  
• A local cancer survivor shares a bean-free recipe for Chicken and Rice.
• Grilled pizzas are definitely the new fad. Now Austin jumps on the bandwagon.
• Annie's Cafe and Bar gets a makeover, moving from boxed lunches to catering and breakfast, lunch and dinner, farm-to-table-style.
• Recipes: Golden Summer Corn Soup and Creamy Mexican Cheese Dip.
• News bites from Nawlins grains to Father's Day dining, plus everything from Rockstar Bagels to burger recipes.

Lemonade with Lots of Ice Photo: HBuzacott/Flickr

• Sassing up a summer classic, the Plain Dealer merges lemon and orange-blossom honey for a rather tasty-looking Orange Blossom Lemonade.
• A look at grilled pizzas and the phenomenon of the portable pizza oven comes with tips on pies for any occasion.
• Its diverse menu and great patio make Vine & Bean Cafe one of Cleveland's brunch hotspots.
  
• Two boozy bottle picks for summer shenanigans: Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy Weiss Beer is pretty good for a lemonade brew, while Woodchuck Draft Cider Dark & Dry is smooth and refreshing.
• The latest Wine of the Week is Wine by Joe, a supple 2007 Oregon Pinot Noir.
• Food happenings around Cleveland and June wine tastings.

• Why settle for the usual burgers and franks at the grill when you could spice things up with a grilled pizza instead?
  
• Five prime eateries perfect for sunny outdoor dining in Minneapolis: Cafe Barbette, Meritage, Sanctuary, Walker Art Center and Tavern on France (which gets another look here).
• The Minnesota State Fair will host a slew of foodie contests, from cookies for kids to a salad challenge for olive zealots.
  
• Arrivederci! The 22-year-old fine dining restaurant D'Amico Cucina will serve its last customers on June 27.
• Laurie Pyle's baked goods are a hot commodity at local farmers' markets, where customers go wild for treats like cherry-almond scones and buttercream cupcakes.
• Author Joyce White gushes over the myriad of possibilities awaiting adventurous salad makers, from fancy vinegars to slivers of anchovies.
• A Consumer Reports survey shows that readers are none too happy with Minnesota-based restaurant chains, although Famous Dave's BBQ got lots of reader love in the barbecue category.
• In the wake of three restaurant closings six months ago, the Lyn-Lake intersection is showing signs of life.
  
• Washington State is an emerging wine region that boasts high quality under the radar.
• This week's wine pick goes green -- literally -- with Vinho Verde, while the restaurant deal of the week is Oceanaire Seafood Room, where you can get a three-course meal for $20.10.
  

And to blog about it. And to share it with your friends. Don't believe me? Check out these recent items from around the interweb. As I said: All the cool kids are doing it.

Grilled pizza...

With caramelized fennel and olives from 101 Cookbooks

Margarita from Mario Batali on the Food Network. It's also in his new book, Mario Batali: Italian Grill

With minimal toppings from the Washington Post and toppings of your choice from the Boston Globe

Tips from Serious Eats

With bacon, brie, garlic and arugula from House Spouse, a blog I recently discovered

Without sauce (White) from Andrea's Recipes, another blog I recently discovered

With herbed mascarpone, asparagus, and smoked salmon from Napa Style

The Book: Grilled Pizza and Piadinas by Craig Priebe

You're cool too? Share your grilled pizza recipe with us!

If you read Jeffrey Steingarten's It must have been something I ate, you'll not only know that the best way to make a pizza is in a very, very hot wood-burning (or coal-burning) oven, but that it is likely to be nearly impossible to find one to use, let alone one to use on a regular basis. Jeffrey spent months trying to achieve the perfect pizza, getting grills up to temperatures in excess of 650F - at which point he decided that, with the addition of wood chips and extra coals, he could make a reasonably good pizza.

Instead of going to all that trouble, you can use VillaWare's Grill-Top Pizza Stone. It was created to take advantage of the high heat a gas grill can generate to produce a great crust. The stone itself is set on a rack above the grates of the grill, because it gets better heat exposure there. Personally, I'm a fan of grilled pizza, but this sounds like a fantastic idea. Maybe your grill won't get up as high as Jeffrey's modified one, but this sounds (to put it mildly) significantly safer. I know Mother's Day isn't past us (in the US) yet, but I think I'm getting a good idea of a Father's Day gift already....