It's a Pizza Party!

You can do so much with a pizza to have something that appeals to everyone.  I like to vary the doughs, toppings, and sauces.  I did work at a pizza shop so I have a few tricks up my sleeve but I definitely cannot toss the dough.  I chose to make a Buffalo Chicken Wing Pizza, Traditional Italian Tomato Pie, Bruschetta Pizza, and Margherita Pizza (recipe can be found under "My Favorites" link on the side of the blog).  I use the Margherita Pizza dough recipe when making homemade dough, it's delicious and relatively easy.  Instead of trying to stretch the dough, dropping it on the floor, and having my chocolate lab steal it (which has happened before), I roll it out on a lightly floured silicon pastry mat.  To avoid large bubbles in the dough and even baking you can prick it repeatedly with a fork.  I tried to bake three pizzas at once and I don't recommend it, one pizza was a little too browned on the bottom. 

One pizza that I usually make but didn't was a garlic pizza with lots of veggies on top.  To make a garlic pizza: mix up olive oil, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, dried oregano, pepper, salt and spread over the crust to top with cheese and desired toppings.

My husband and I love to have pizza/calzone Fridays and have fun making our own pizzas together and enjoying a good beverage.  Why eat out when you can have family time at home making delicious personalized pizzas! (A typical pizza with 3-4 toppings out costs around $20-25, making one at home only $8-12 depending on ingredient choices).

Chicken Wing Pizza
I modify the recipe by using raw dough and cooking it for double the time.  I also mix together the hot sauce, only 1 tbsp butter, pinch of dried oregano, pinch of garlic powder, salt and pepper to toss the chicken in.  Depending on your pallet you can use more or less hot sauce ( I use a little more but I use a milder buffalo sauce).

Chicken Wing Pizza Recipe



Bruschetta Pizza

A great mixture of meats and fresh tomato/basil topping.  The topping isn't added until after the pizza has been cooked so you could serve it as a side for guests to add as desired.  

Bruschetta Pizza Recipe

Traditional Tomato Pie

I like to use Wegman's white pizza dough for this one because it's more like a thicker bread dough which is great for tomato pie.  For everyone who likes leftover cold pizza, this is your pizza!  It's actually meant to be served cold.

Tomato Pie Recipe
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 28-to-32-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. pizza dough
3 tbsp. grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Preheat oven to 450°F. Stretch the pizza dough to cover a greased cookie sheet. Dough should be fairly thick (about 3/4 inch). Allow the dough to rise a bit while the sauce is cooking. Heat a saucepan on medium, add the olive oil and garlic, and sauté until the garlic is just golden. Add crushed tomatoes and oregano. Cook until the sauce is thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Cool the sauce to room temperature. Top the pizza dough with the sauce and then bake in 450°F oven for about 15-20 minutes. After removing the pie from the oven, sprinkle with the cheese. Let the pie cool to room temperature before eating.



Margherita Pizza