In the Kitchen: PIZZA!

Pizza time! Note the sauce-less corner for Big Girl.

I make homemade pizza often. It's easy, it's cheap, and everyone will eat it.

I don't make my own dough; for just over $2, I can get a 3 lb.-bag of dough that makes two sheet pizzas. That's right -- no round pizza in this house -- we make large pizzas on cookie sheets and I cut square pieces. It's easy, and simple.

Basically, I leave the dough out for the afternoon in the bag so it will rise... When I'm ready to make the pizza, I heat up the oven to 450 degrees, divide the dough in half and stretch it out over two cookie sheets -- I rub a litttle oil on them and sprinkle white cornmeal on the pans.

After the dough is stretched out, I brush olive oil over it. Then I add sauce (a half-jar covers both pizzas; some herbs like oregano, basil, salt & pepper; some grated Parmesan; and then I add toppings -- kids love to help with this part. For toppings, I just check out the fridge to see what I can use. I like peppers and onions; sometimes I add crumbled bacon; we always seem to have pepperoni slices on hand; fresh tomatoes sliced thin can be good too, etc. I even leave a slice or two without sauce since Big Girl does not like sauce on her pizza. (One of her favorite foods is the humble tomato, yet she doesn't really like sauce on her pizza or pasta...)

Toppings, toppings... my fave is on the left: roasted peppers and onions.

Then put a bunch of shredded mozzarella on top and bake away. (Sliced fresh mozzarella is awesome too!) It takes about 20 minutes to get the crust cooked and the cheese melted, but cooking times vary depending on the toppings.

And... done!!! The best part about pizza night is that we almost always have a few pieces leftover for a quick lunch. And no, we don't only make our own pizza -- we still order pizza out, and I'm not shy about buying a take-and-bake pizza from a store either. But there is nothing like homemade pizza and a salad for a weekend dinner that will appeal to everyone, and it's very affordable too!