Homemade Pizza

Who loves a good pizza? Everyone! It's the perfect bang for your buck, great for lunch, dinner, a midnight snack, the morning after, AND believe it or not, if you make it yourself I think it tastes better than when ordered in, is far less greasy, and can arguably be healthier.

Let's say you're in a rush and/or you either don't want to deal with or don't have time to make the dough and allow it to rise. No sweat. Most grocery stores sell pizza dough balls. We get ours from Trader Joe's and I always go with two, not only because the leftovers are tasty but because two pizza dough balls are the perfect size to make a Sicilian pie on one of our 9x13 baking sheets.

Let the dough sit at room temperature for about twenty minutes before spreading it out and attacking it with your ingredients. This is a great time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees and get your toppings ready. Before rolling out your dough, toss a loose handful of flour across your workspace and spread it about. I like my dough a little thick so I don't use a rolling pin but rather stretch, toss, and spread it out with my hands (Don't get too excited; I look nothing like people in Italian commercials working with dough). I work each ball separately, pinching them together in the middle of the baking sheet and pinching a good size crust around the edges of what will be the pie.

Sauce. Any Marinara will do - homemade or otherwise. I use about 13 ounces, spread out not too thickly, not too thinly, but just right across the dough with the back of a spoon. Cheese. Mozzarella. Grated and sprinkled across the top. I use about 1 pound. Parmesan. Grated. Sprinkled around the edges and on the crust. Herbs. Oregano. A definite must have.

At this point you can add any other toppings you wish - fresh veggies, sausage, pepperoni, anchovies, whatever - and then pop it in the oven. Give it about 15-20 minutes, depending on how you like your crust. We like ours crispy, so I'll generally lower the oven to 350 degrees and cook it for about 20-25 minutes to ensure the crust is the way we like it and the pizza doesn't burn (Very Important. Burnt pizza is such a disappointment).

Let it sit for about 5-7 minutes before cutting it, either with a pizza slicer, medium sized non-serrated knife, or a good pair of kitchen scissors (I do not jest - scissors are great for pizza), serve, and buono apetite!