Saucy; Homemade pizza

Pardon the blur on this picture. Yesterday, I snapped a few pizza shots, before putting it on the table. Perhaps I should have tweaked it in Aperture 3.

Yesterday, was the day to satisfy my craving, and so homemade pizza(s) were on the menu.I made two; cheese and veggie with no cheese. Years ago, I stumbled upon a truly delightful cheese-less pizza. The vegetables included introduced a mild sweetness which worked wonderfully with the tangy pizza sauce. I fell in love with cheese-less pizzas, and immediately wanted to run home and try to duplicate it in my own kitchen.

Over the years, I’ve tested quite a few veggies on my cheese-less pizzas. My favorite ways to prepare them are with oven roasted vegetable; Sweet onions, oven roasted garlic, Red bell pepper, shitake mushrooms… Those vegetables work so well together, and make a pizza that’s bursting with flavor.

Pizza is normally made once per month in our household. Because I make a variety, my daughter gets to sample a lot of different pizzas, but I think her favorite is the cheese pizza. She still scarfs down the cheese-less pizzas too.

Bonding at mealtime

I’d put the pizzas in the oven about an hour before it was time to get my daughter,  so they were still hot when we arrived home from her school. Pizza smells greeted us, upon opening the house door. “Pizza!” was my daughters happy cry. She put her schoolbooks away, and quickly returned so we could eat our meal.

The kitchen is one of my places to get creative; mealtimes are a time for both of us to unplug.  She gets a break from the demands of school, and she has my full attention. She quickly filled me in on the days events at school, while she quickly demolished several pieces of both pizzas (cheese and veggie). That girl can eat! I guess she’s a lot like myself, her metabolism is high — so she can eat anything.

Colorful pizza crusts

We both like flavorful crusts, and I’ll add a variety of things (usually seasonings) to the crust. Nothing overpowering, more like a nice complement to the toppings on the pizza.

Occasionally, my daughter asks me to color the pizza crust. I’ll ‘dye’ the crusts with the appropriate colored vegetable juice. One time my daughter wanted an orange crust. I added a bit if carrot juice to the dough. Then she wanted a cranberry colored crust. I added beet juice. Green was another request, juiced greens were added. You get the picture… Although some of the ingredients might sound weird, and not too appealing at all (if you aren’t big on those vegetables) but the crusts are delicious. The flavor doesn’t overpower the pizza crust. Also, the seasonings added (to the crust) complement the pizza. )

These days, I rarely order a pizza, because my daughter is used to the freshness of our homemade pizzas, and it can be hard to find a restaurant that duplicates that.

Ok, so now my pizza craving has been satisfied but now I’m craving hummus with Creamy Dhal or a Dry Chana Masala.;)

Question: What are some foods you enjoy making?