The Pizza I Can't Stop Thinking About

I'm going to make a bold statement here and say "there's nothing more fun to bake from scratch than pizza." Am I right? It's so versatile, a great outlet for kitchen creativity. And you can be confident that, no matter what, it's going to be tasty. You really can't go wrong when pairing melted cheese, crunchy bread, and other delicious goodnesses, can you?
Last night was pizza night at our house. We haven't made it an official tradition as of yet, but I'm hoping to start. At least once a month. Preferably more. Everyone's invited.

Now, the key to making great pizza is the dough. It must be home made. MUST!
Dooooon't worry. It's so easy! No really. A cinch.


You can follow any pizza dough recipe. I've used this one before with great results. I always (always!) double the recipe. Even if you aren't feeding that many people tonight, you can throw the 2nd half of the dough in a plastic bag and toss it in the freezer. That way you'll have some soft and tender dough you can thaw out any time you get a craving.
For those of you who eat the center of your pizza and leave the crust teetering on the edge of your plate with little teeth marks in it (for shame!), here's a secret to making it more mouthwatering and undeniably very edible:
During the mixing process, add a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary (or your herb of preference) and a handful of gorgonzola. The cheese becomes completely incorporated and adds a lot of depth to a crust that can sometimes be a bit bland or dull.

Once you have your crust made, go hog wild! Honestly, you'll probably feel a little pig-ish by the time you're done.
I made 2 pizzas for 4 people. We nearly finished them off. What? It's hard to stop eating sometimes.

The first: A simple one.

I made a nice red sauce by combining Muir Glen's Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with some spices and a touch of brown sugar. I cooked it down to thicken it and reduce the chance of ending up with a soggy pizza. Nobody likes a wet, floppy crust.
I topped it with baby mozzerella balls, pitted kalamata olives, sliced fresh tomatoes, a dash of dried basil, and a sprinkling of parmesan. Et voila! Pizza perfection.

The second: Oh My God Pizza.

Here's where I branched out a bit, and thankfully I did. So worth it. I spread some of my roommates homemade pesto on the naked crust first. Then I sliced up some seasonal pear and salty proscuitto and delicately placed that on top. I added some more crumbles of gorgonzola, of course, and tossed it into the oven at 375 degrees. 30 minutes later, the house was filled with the overpowering smell of melted cheese, and the crust was browned and slightly crispy.
To add some freshness and pep, I dropped some arugula on the finished product. This is the BEST pizza I have ever made. Maybe even the best I've ever sunk my teeth into.

A jar of wine, friends and gourmet food. Does life get any better than this?

Here's something I'm working on...

I'm all jazzed about designing my own garments and accessories. Problem is, I don't really know how. I'm fudging my way through this, knitting squares and ripping it out. I have a real appreciation for people who are accomplished knitwear designers. I aspire to be like that someday. I'm starting slow. Wish me luck. Hopefully I'll have an update soon. Tweet