Recipe of the Week..."Home-made Pizza"

I just love making home-made pizza! For me, there's something therapeutic in kneading pizza dough, chopping veggies, and creating a pizza sauce from scratch! Mike and I like lots of veggies on our pizza, but Justin likes very few veggies and more meat and cheese on his pizza. As you can see in the photo above, since this pizza is loaded with veggies it was just for Mike and me!! Here's how I make a pizza:

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:
(For a LARGE pizza...if a smaller pizza is desired, use half of the sauce ingredients)

• 16 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine ingredients together in glass mixing bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour or two to allow flavors to marry.

Pizza ingredients:

• Pizza crust mix...I like to use "Jiffy" pizza crust mix, and I use two boxes to make a large pizza
• Chopped veggies of your choice...I like to use green peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, etc.
•  Cooked meat(s) of your choice...I like to use pepperoni, pork sausage, bacon, ham, and hamburger
• Shredded cheeses...I like to use a pizza blend or a 4-cheese blend
• Sauce from recipe given above

How to make the pizza:

Following directions on pizza mix box, preheat oven and make the pizza crust. While crust is rising, cook meats and chop veggies. Pour about a Tablespoon, (or maybe a smidge more), of extra virgin olive oil on the baking stone or pizza pan and using your hands coat the entire stone or pan with oil. Knead pizza crust, and place on stone or in pan and pat it out to the edges. Form a lip around the outer edge of the crust to keep the sauce from running over the sides. Add sauce and toppings as desired. Bake pizza according to pizza crust mix instructions. Remove from oven and allow to sit for a few minutes before cutting. DIVE IN AND ENJOY!!

This is a fun meal to get the whole family involved in preparing! Kids love to knead the dough and, if they're old enough to handle a knife, they enjoy chopping the veggies.

Have a blessed day!