We are pizza people. When the kids were little, we had pizza every Wednesday night for dinner. Sometimes we ordered out, but usually, Peyton and Rhett stood on stools and spread the sauce and sprinkled cheese from the Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit. (That is actually really good, by the way.) As the kids grew, they helped me broaden my horizons, and we began to make homemade pizza. Honestly, it isn't hard and tastes so much better. It is also a fun family activity, so there's that!
In our search for the best homemade pizza recipe, we have tried several different pizza crusts and have finally settled on one we love. It is actually pizza dough already made from the store. It is in the refrigerated section with the pepperoni and things. It comes individually wrapped in bags; you simply allow it to come to room temperature before spreading it onto the pan. While that is happening, make your sauce. Sautee a few crushed garlic cloves in some olive oil over low heat. I like to use fresh garlic and press it with a garlic press, but minced garlic in the jar works too. Add a large can of crushed tomatoes and a tiny can of tomato paste. Then add some sugar, dried oregano, basil, and parsley. Just do this until it tastes good to you! You can also add some fresh ground pepper. Allow that to simmer for about thirty minutes. Your house will smell so good!
Once the sauce is done, you can make your pizzas! Rhett likes using fresh mozzarella slices, fresh basil, and olive oil. Soo good! I usually opt for a simple cheese pizza. I add freshly grated parmesan cheese first and then freshly shredded mozzarella. Honestly, I get the good stuff here. The Kraft pre-shredded is good for some things, but with pizza, I think it is worth it to pay a little extra for the real cheeses. You will taste the difference, I promise. Have some fun with the toppings! Pepperoni, tomatoes, pineapple, whatever you want! Then bake according to the directions on the crust package. Let it cool a bit before slicing if you can! And be careful not to try it too soon! You will burn your tongue. Ask me how I know.
Before I go, I must post the one photo I have scanned of our wedding day, a sweltering, sunny, magical day thirty-one years ago today! Thirty-one! Looking back, I remember so many things about that day and how wonderful it was. My favorite memory, however, was the feeling I had when Steve and I drove off together, knowing we were beginning the life we had dreamed of since the day we met...This wonderful, blessed life I would be writing about thirty-one years later, while curled up on the sofa in a house on a lake. We didn't know about the joys we would share, bringing four blessed babies home and watching each grow. We didn't know about the sorrows ahead, the sickness and death of our parents, or the pain of losing a baby before we had a chance to meet her. All that and so much more, the blessings, the laughter, the sadness, and the struggles, were out there, waiting. Those young people knew that they were very much in love. And they would tackle whatever came their way. Together.
Have a wonderful day, my friends!
Thanks for visiting!
Billie Jo
