Make-Your-Own Pizza

What’s the best thing to do when you are snowed in? Eat! So, that’s what we are doing. Last night Harper and I did make-your-own mini pizzas. I wasn’t sure how this would go because neither of our kids really likes pizza, but both of them ended up gobbling it up. Maybe it was just that good, or maybe they were starving and didn’t care. Who knows!

We made our own crust, but the only dry active yeast I had in the house expired in 2008, so it was a little bit more like pita bread. It still got the job done, but I would probably recommend either using store bought dough or making sure that your ingredients are fresh! I also couldn’t find my large biscuit cutter, so we used a plastic cup to make 4-inch-ish pizzas. They were a little rough around the edges, but it worked perfectly fine.

Harper made cheese pizzas for the kids using quattro formaggio and homemade marinara sauce. I LOVE Giada’s marinara sauce recipe and always have some in the freezer. It has a ton of veggies in it and it is super easy to make. The only change that we make to it is to add a few red pepper flakes because the Wills like it spicy, and I puree it in batches once it has cooled so that the veggie chunks are a little smaller. I make a huge batch of it every few months and store it in 2-ounce baby food freezer trays. They are the perfect portion size for a quick pasta lunch for the kids or for things like mini pizzas, and you can use as many portions as you need if you have an adult-size recipe.

For mommy and daddy, Harper made caramelized onion and goat cheese pizzas. It was definitely a fun activity for Harper and we will do it again soon… with non-expired ingredients this time!

Marinara Sauce (courtesy of Giada):
Follow this recipe adding a pinch of red pepper flakes with the tomatoes. Once it has cooked and cooled, remove bay leaves and pulse it in a blender for a few seconds until it is a little less chunky.

Caramelized onions:
1 large onion sliced vertically (thin slices)
2+ teaspoons sugar
1/2+ teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

Heat a little bit of olive oil over medium-low heat, add all ingredients and sauté for at least 40 minutes until golden brown. If you don’t have that kind of time, you can turn up the heat but they won’t end up as sweet. You can double or triple the recipe as needed, just don’t add as much salt each time – a teaspoon or so is enough for the entire batch! Same goes for the sugar and herbs.

Diligently watching the yeast to make sure it “puffed up:”