Never Enough Pizza...

I love pizza. Occasionally I do get tired of it when I end up eating it every day for over a week (ahem, Christmas break), but overall I'm basically up for pizza at any time. My favorite guilty-pleasure pizza: Little Caesar's, affectionately referred to in my apartment as "Lil' C's". I know it's gross when I'm eating it, but I just don't care. 

However, as much as I love pizza, I know it's not the best food to eat as an entire meal considering the fact that It's basically just bread with some oil on it. And so I make my own so I can justify eating it anyway.

Homemade Marinara:

It is not hard to do. It's fast, easy, and it tastes better than the store-bought stuff. This recipe makes enough for one pizza, but feel free to double it for use on pasta, mozzarella sticks, or more pizza.

1 1/2 tsp olive oil 
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste (optional, but it creates more depth)
1 - 2 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil over medium heat and chuck in the garlic and red pepper until fragrant (about 30 sec). DO NOT let the garlic brown or it will be nasty and you'll have to start over.
2. Add the assorted tomato products, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring your tasty concoction to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Pretty simple, huh?

The unfinished product

Pizza Crust:


I've been buying pre-made pizza dough for a few years now, but this stuff is cheaper. It just takes some foresight since the dough needs to rise. For the flours, feel free to use all-purpose or bread flour. Bread flour just creates a more...familiar texture. 

1 c bread flour
1/2 - 1 c whole wheat flour (start on the low side and add more later if needed)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup warm water*
1 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Combine whatever flour you're using with the salt
2. Combine water, yeast, and sugar in a cup or bowl. Let stand for a few minutes until it's frothy on top
3. Add oil to yeast mixture
4. Mix the water into the flour, adding more flour as needed until the dough forms something resembling a ball.
5. Throw the dough on a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, and then form it into a ball
6. Grease a bowl with cooking spray, chuck the dough ball in it, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place** for 1 hour or until doubled in size
7. Plop the monstrosity onto a pan, form it into a pizza shape, and you're good to go

*It's technically supposed to be 110 degrees, but basically all that means is hot, but not scalding. 
 **I like to turn the oven on warm and set the [glass] bowl on the stove. It just rises better.

Pizza:

I always do half-and-half with toppings when I make pizza. This time I decided to do half a standard pizza with red sauce, mozzarella, onion, and red pepper. The other half was olive oil, fresh mozzarella, two cloves of minced garlic, and a chopped tomato.

Basically, put on whatever you want and bake it at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or so (just keep a close eye on it) and you've got yourself a pizza.

Visually unimpressive, but tasty

 
Love life and eat pizza.