Pizza.. My favorite!

I love pizza. Thick, crunchy crust, gooey cheese, crisp veggies.. mmm. And Im not talking pepperoni and cheese. No way. I actually cant remember the last time I ate a pepperoni pizza. And I definitely prefer homemade to one of the big box places. Have you ever made your own pizza before? This recipe is great, because, well, you can put whatever you want on it! We love it on those nights we work late, and throw it together with the ingredients we already have.

pizza

INGREDIENTS
crust
sauce
cheeses (mozzarella and parmesan)
veggies (bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, olives, hot peppers... really whatever you can think of!)
fresh basil

For my crust, we usually buy the active yeast that is labeled for pizza crust, and follow their directions (no rise time!)

The sauce I make from either fresh tomatoes, or whole canned tomatoes (usually just whatever's handy!) Start by heating olive oil over medium, add fresh, chopped garlic and saute for a minute in a sauce pan. Then add chopped onion and red bell pepper. Let these saute for about 5 minutes. Next, I chop up the tomatoes and add them to the mix. Let these all simmer for another 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Now I add a dash of S&P, a few red pepper flakes, and a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar and cook about 2-3 minutes longer. The final step is to pour the sauce into a food processor to make it nice and smooth.

Roll the crust out onto a baking sheet (I use a Slipmat-- it helps the crust get browned all the way. If you dont have one, just blind bake a few minutes prior to adding the goodies!) For whatever reason we are obsessed with parmesan cheese. Dont ask. So, we put a nice layer on the bottom first, then add the sauce, then all your veggies. Top with fresh mozz and torn basil. Bake at 450 for about 12 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted and the crust is brown.