pizza pizza

last night i was in the mood for pizza.  homemade, yummy pizza.  my mom had just given craig & me a jar of homemade basil & pine nut pesto, so i was anxious to put it to good use : )

mid-afternoon, i mixed up some super-easy no-knead dough (recipe {here}) to use for the pizza crust.  a little bit of prep and forethought, but it's totally worth it.

pizza pizza

i preheated the oven to 400 degrees and then spread the dough on our pizza stone that i had sprinkled with cornmeal.  (i regular baking tray will do the trick too.) 

then i topped 1/2 with:

mom's pesto
muenster cheese
chopped kalamata olives

and the other 1/2 with:

vodka sauce
mozzarella
turkey pepperoni

bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.  while baking, make yourself a faux cosmo : )

1.5 oz vodka
2 oz cranberry
squeeze of fresh citrus (i like lime)
top it off with seltzer or diet 7up or sprite

sit back and enjoy your drink.  and enjoy the delicious smell eminating from your oven.  when the pizza's done baking, let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and enjoying!  mangia : )

mmm...pizza.....

{heart} day menu for two: pizza & wine

picture credit {here}



this valentine’s craig and i are staying in. we celebrated with an evening on the town this past saturday.  cocktails at left bank libations.  sushi dinner at our favorite japanese place, ota-ya.  after-dinner drinks at marsha brown’s upstairs bar.  so tonight, we’re keeping it low-key.  but low-key does not have to mean boring or not special…

ever since we started dating, our “date-night-in” default has been pizza & wine.  it’s become such a tradition that craig and i have developed pizza & wine telepathy.  we can just glance in each other’s direction, and we’ll simultaneously blurt out “pizza and wine tonight?”.  we sometimes go for gourmet, homemade pies…sometimes for papa john’s.  either way, it’s the perfect date-night-in menu.  so when it came to our february 14th meal, i couldn’t think of anything more us.  i mean really, what could be better than a homemade (possibly heart-shaped) pizza and a bottle of red, white, rosé or bubbly (whatever your preference) to make it extra special?!

picture credit {here}
dinner – homemade pizza for two
use ¼ of bread dough recipe or buy prepared pizza crust or dough at your grocery store or from your local pizza place
my toppings of choice: caramelized onions, sautéed red peppers, mozzarella, provolone & parmesan, any fresh herbs on hand, good red sauce (but really, top it with anything you love)
the essentials: salt, pepper, olive oil

preheat oven to 425
place dough on oiled (and “cornmealed”, optional) baking sheet or pizza stone and spread to desired thickness/shape
arrange toppings (the more, the better : )
drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle with salt and pepper.
bake for 20 or minutes until golden brown and bubbly
sprinkle with fresh herbs
allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting (or eating!)

dessert – chocolate-covered strawberries
melt chocolate over double-boiler (i.e. a glass or ceramic bowl over a pot ½ full of slow boiling water)
dip fresh strawberries (cover generously : ) you can also dip banana chucks, apples, pineapple, marshmallows, graham crackers, cookies, brownies, rice krispies treats, spoons, fingers
place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper
allow to cool in fridge for an hour or so (make no more than 2-3 days in advance)

picture credit {here}

drink – red wine
buy
chill for just 20 min prior to drinking to bring down temp slightly
uncork
drink

and remember, don’t worry if your pizza’s not perfect. ugly pizza tastes just as good : ) happy {heart} day!

so, are you red, white, rosé or bubbly?

and congratulations to karina cifuentes!!! the winner of the raymer’s gourmet chocolate giveaway! <3

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