Recipes & Food Styling

Pizza Party!

I was walking through the produce aisle, and a bright bunch of vine-ripened tomatoes screamed: “Pizza party!” to me.

I absolutely LOVE pizza! I inherited my obsession from my pizza-obsessed dad! I’d give anything for just one more late-night  pizza with him. Especially when school was out – usually in the summer – he’d pop a Jack’s frozen pizza in the oven, Even after the 10 p.m. news was over. Those all-too-rare nights were such fun!

When he swore off pork, Sam’s Pizza became his favorite because they have a Kosher salami pizza, which was the only one we knew of in the Wausau, Wisconsin area.

When he was 63 and newly retired, we found out that he had brain cancer. Instead of those fun parties, there were battles to get him to wait to bite into a piece until the fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza cooled down enough. Each time he triumphed over me, and packed his cheeks full. He must have ended up with a mouth full of blisters. At least, at that point, he couldn’t feel the  pain.

Dad would be so disappointed by the quality of pizzas today – both frozen and fresh. So, I have been trying different pizza doughs to make myself. I finally landed on one – Mama Mia Pizza Beer Company!  No beer needed; you can use water! This crust is definetly worthy of my homemade tomato sauce! Dad would have loved the pizza that I made with it today!

Pizza Margarita

1 package pizza dough

1 cup cold water

10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (4 for crust; 6 for tomato sauce)

1 container fresh mozzarella balls

8 to 10 vine-ripened or Roma tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

2 cups Parmesan cheese

Make dough, following the recipe on the package. Press it out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cut tomatoes into 1-inch pieces. Place on baking sheet, and drizzle with oil, sprinkle with garlic pieces, oregano and salt and pepper.

Roast tomatoes in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Place tomato sauce on crust; followed by slices of mozzarella and sprinkles of the Parmesan.

Bake pizza in 420 degree oven until bubbly and golden brown on top and crust is baked all the way through.