Friday Night Pizza

I haven't had too many weird cravings since I've been pregnant, other than my sudden love for cereal and bananas. I never really liked either before. Anyway, tonight all of a sudden I wanted pizza (thanks to my friend Joni telling me she was making Calzones for dinner) and that's all I could think about. Sure I had left over curry in the fridge, home made bread, pasta galore, and a bunch of different meats in the freezer. But I wanted one thing and one thing only. Cheese Pizza. And I didn't want to spend money. So I looked up a recipe and made it! For the first time in my life! And I must admit it was amazing. The only thing I recommend with this recipe is that because the ingredients are so cheap, don't skimp on good cheese. Get the real deal. Don't do the "great value low fat part skim fancy shredded mozzarella" or "kraft parmesan". Do the real thing. Get fresh mozzarella and a real wedge of parmesan. Trust me, it's worth it. That was my only regret. I did the budget thing. And really, this pizza did not cost all that much so I should have done the real thing:(

Oh, and I made the dough according to the bread machine recipe, so either go to a local pizza place and buy pizza dough or find a good pizza dough recipe. If you have any suggestions, feel free to email me and I will give you a few that I've found that seem fairly easy and really good.

If you don't have a pizza stone, use a rimless or up-side-down cookie sheet in the oven instead.

Home made cheese pizza
serves 4-8 (depending on whether or not you want to eat like a pregnant woman or just a nice lunch)

sauce (SUUUUUUUPER easy and tasty!):
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves or garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

enough pizza dough for 2 pizzas

3 C grated fresh mozzarella cheese*
3 T grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese
3 T torn basil leaves or chopped parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Preheat the oven to 450° or whatever the dough recipe calls for. Place the pizza stone in the oven and make sure it bakes in there for at least 30 minutes before placing the pizza on it to bake. Make the pizza rounds and let them rise according to directions.
   
2. Heat olive oil and garlic in a saucepan until fragrant and sizzling a little. Add crushed tomatoes, heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
3. Spread about 1 C sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2 in border. Sprinkle half the amount of cheese on each round. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbling and crust is golden brown.
4. Sprinkle with herbs and go to town!