Pizza – Your Way or Mine?

in Pizza

When it comes to marriage, 1 + 1 is supposed to = a better, shinier, happier 1. I agree ’til it comes dinner time, then 1 + 1 = 2 very different ideas:

What I want to cook
vs.
What my husband will eat

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I’m not complaining – it is very fun cooking new things and slowly expanding the “What my husband will eat” list (aka, “Operation: Sneak Veggies Into His Food”) – but sometimes our tastes don’t quite line-up. He loves pizza, especially a particular brand of frozen pizza topped with pepperoni and sausage. I like a good slice, too, homemade and topped with leftovers or a whole bunch of green stuff from the veggie bin but I’d rather bust open a cookbook or a recent cooking mag and turn out something new. We usually end up with a common base dish but two different entrees.

I understand that pizza is his staple food, right behind pasta, and I would make pizza for him (us) waaaay more often if I could find a good pizza dough recipe. I have few requirements:

    It has to have good texture
    It has to have a simple flavor – the toppings should do the talkin’
    It can’t leave my fingers shiny (like Pizza Hut pizza crust)

I’ve made refrigerated doughs, pre-cooked doughs, just-add-water boxed doughs, and several different from-scratch recipes. Some recipes called for way too much olive oil and ended up a dense mess, some were completely flavorless, and some were too similar in texture and taste to pre-sliced white sandwich bread.

I was flipping through Everyday With Rachael Ray, one of three food mags I subscribe to, and ran across a delicious-looking pizza. I had none of the pizza toppings on hand but that didn’t matter – I already had inspiration for the top of the pizza, thanks to Kalyn’s Kitchen, but I needed the bottom of the pizza before I could get started.

I gave Rachael Ray’s pizza dough recipe a whirl – it makes enough dough for 3 baking-sheet sized pizzas or 6 individual pizzas. The pizza dough recipe was a winner – and a keeper! It not only got Foodie Bride approval, but it got Foodie Groom approval, too!

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Foodie Groom’s Manly-Man Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza
1/3 Rachael Ray’s pizza dough recipe
Olive oil
1 1/2 – 2 cups leftover Best Meat Sauce Ever
15-20 slices pepperoni
1 cup mozzarella, shredded

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Stretch the pizza crust onto a greased baking sheet, silpat mat, or pizza stone to desired thickness and brush crust with olive oil. Bake in oven for 5-7 minutes, just until crust begins to brown. While the crust is in the oven, heat leftover pasta sauce in a saucepan. Spread pasta sauce over crust, leaving an inch around the edges. Top with pepperoni and cheese and bake 5 more minutes until cheese has melted and crust is golden brown. Remove, cut into 8 squares, and enjoy!

Foodie Bride’s Pesto & Asparagus Pizza
1/3 Rachael Ray’s pizza dough recipe
4 Tbsp Pesto
6 Asparagus spears, cut into thirds
2 thinly sliced onion rounds (Texas 1015 is the house-fave)
1 handful baby arugula
1/4 cup Parmigiano-reggiano, grated
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Stretch the pizza crust onto a greased baking sheet, silpat mat, or pizza stone. Spread pesto over the crust, leaving an inch around the edges. Toss chopped asparagus and onion slices with enough pesto to coat and spread toppings evenly over the crust. Brush the edges of the crust with olive oil and place into oven for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Add arugula leaves and sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano and enjoy!

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9 comments… add one
  • Looks so good! My hubby and I often can agree on pizza, but our favorites are two completely opposite types of pizza.

    Here is a link to a good pizza crust recipe…
    http://dineanddish.squarespace.com/dine-and-dish-blog/2007/1/18/ask-and-you-shall-receive.html

    Claire’s recipe is easy and delicious!

  • You have totally inspired me to make pizza dough! I have never tried it, I always thought you needed to own a pizza stone…I am excited to see what happens with a baking sheet.

  • Loving the pizza recipes lately. You always seem to send my 3pm hunger pains over the edge.

  • I just love homemade pizza dough! But, I always laugh when you chat about getting your husband to expand is food interests. “Operation: Sneak Veggies Into His Food” makes me smile. Have a great weekend!

  • Trader Joe’s makes an awesome pizza dough for just 99 cents. If you’re looking for a good homemade recipe, try Alton Brown’s recipe. He’s got the science of dough down, I’ve always had success.

  • Too fun. I do love the idea of asparagus and pesto on pizza. So glad you liked the idea of that combination as much as I did.

  • This is the second blog I’ve read tonight about pizza and I have got to go fix myself one for supper! I love the ‘white’ pizza!

  • Shawnda, I couldn’t relate more to your post!

    I have the same dilemma with my husband – he’s so picky and I always want to try new recipes!

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