for the love of pizza!!

i love pizza.. it might be bordering on obsession.. i could easily eat pizza once a week and never tire of it!! when i was a kid one of my all time favorite things was ordering pizza and having pizza nights, which i carried on with my children and family we loved to order pizza and get a movie and have a pizza movie night.. !! when i first got married i used to make pizza probably every other week because it was easy and cheap and we couldn't afford to order it out.. (back then i would use frozen bread dough thawed.. it never entered my mind to make my own..) over the years my tastes have changed.. from the mushroom only when i was a kid to the 80's when i had to have the deep dish from pizza hut with cheese only add extra cheese (the thought actually makes my stomach hurt).. to experimenting in the 90's and order things like anchovies (they were ok.. but then again i went through a smoked oyster phase in the 90's too, i probably ate a can of smoked oysters every other day for a year, oddly enough i haven't had then in years).. and now it's the thin crust!! can't get thin enough.. (remember the fig, prosciutto and goat cheese pizza i made here...) i now make it all the time it's so quick.. you just roll out the dough pretty thin throw on some olive oil (be careful when throwing the oil.. he he) prosciutto or bacon, onions, goat cheese, garlic and thyme.. a very quick simple meal..

i actually crave this "pizza" all the time.. 

just look how bubbly and thin the crust is *sigh*.. perfect!!

add a fresh salad and you have a very simple... slightly elegant.. sit on the back porch sipping a glass of wine (if I drank wine) kinda dinner..

shell likes hers a little thicker.. and of course with nothing i like on mine..

she wanted pesto on hers so i made a sun dried tomato pesto (recipe found here..) and topped it with mozzarella and tomatoes and once it was cooked tossed on a little basil.. she likes her crust a little thicker so i didn't roll it out as thin..

see how puffy it gets..it's so chewy and delightful...

of course pete wanted to be different and only wanted pepperoni (boring ha) and well i tried to make it look like a slice.. a very large slice.. but it was his own individual pizza.

another favorite of ours is whenever we have leftover bbq chicken.. make our dough.. slather on bbq sauce.. add cheddar and mozzarella cheese.. top with chopped left over bbq chicken, purple onion.. then when it comes out sprinkle with cilantro.. simply delish.

i like to add a little kick to my bbq chicken pizza and add a some cayenne to the sauce before putting it on the dough..

back in august we were in san diego and had what might have been the best pizza ever.. they topped our pizza with pineapple, pepperoni and jalapenos.. the sweet with the spicy.. seriously dreamy.. (i made this for valentines day he ha see the heart shaped pepperoni.. he he)

i thought i would post again on how i make my pizza.. it's so simple and yummy.. make some this weekend.. i know i will..

pizza dough (adapted from christine ferrare's big bowl of love) (or in a pinch the store bought pre made dough from vons/safeway's deli is actually really good.. they have a white wheat one that works out perfect)

1 package of active yeast
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 tbsp. of agave
1 tsp. of sea salt
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 up warm water, at 110 degrees (any less the yeast won't activate if gets hotter then 130 it will kill the yeast)

to make the dough.. in food processor bowl add yeast, warm water and agave.. allow mixture to activate.. it will get foamy takes about 3-5 minutes.. insert dough blade add flour and salt. pulse mixture once then add olive oil. pulse mixture until it forms a ball.. it will start to "clean" the side of the bowl, it only takes about 30 seconds to knead the dough.. the dough might be slightly sticky.. coat the dough lightly with olive oil and put in a large bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap. once its doubled in size, around 45 minutes or so you are ready to make your pizza.. cut into 4 equal parts for smaller individual pizzas or 2 for larger pizzas.. preheat your oven to 500 degrees (f) with your pizza stone in the oven.. roll out dough on a floured surface to the thickness your family likes.. slide the pizza dough on to a piece of parchment paper or foil brush dough with olive oil or add your favorite pizza sauce.. a very good one can be found here.... top with your favorite toppings.. pick up parchment and pizza and slide gently onto pizza stone, about 2 minutes into baking pull out parchment paper (it might catch fire if you don't).. continue baking until lightly brown and cheese is melted.. about 6-7 minutes total.. but keep an eye on it the thin pizza cooks up pretty fast..