Pizza Time...

We haven't cooked pizza in a while so David and I decided pizza night was long over due.
Once you have a homemade pizza like this you will not want to ever buy a frozen one again! I promise!

Before you go to the grocery store... decide on what type of sauce you want. Red (tomato) or Green (pesto... garlic/basil/nuts/olive oil)? David picked the sauce this time... green! So from there decide on what kind of toppings (don't get "set" on the toppings... you never know what will look more appealing/fresh at the store)... this was my job last night. Then together we picked out the cheese at the store... parm or moz.

Our Ingredients:
- Store Bought Pizza Dough... We got Italian 5 Grain. Not frozen... at Publix is over beside the bakery... beware there will be some amazing smells over there, be strong... or cave in like me :)
- Organic fresh spinach (we used about 4 cups)
- Red Bell Pepper (1 whole)
- Portabella Mushrooms (the small black container... we did 2 cups cut)
- Store bought pesto. We usually make our own but we couldn't find fresh basil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- EVOO (aka Olive Oil)
- Salt/Pepper
- Mozzarella (8 rectangle shaped slices... we bough the "hunk" and sliced it)
- Oregano

A bottle of red wine goes great with this

Steps to make your very own FRESH pizza

1. Put PIZZA STONE in oven and turn your temp to 425 degrees
2. Take some flour and put on your hands (don't forget this... the dough is SUPER sticky) then get the dough in your hands and just give it a LIGHT covering of flour. If you have room to do this on your counter, sweet action, but I do not so I got a cutting board out and put flour on it and then plopped the dough down there to hang out.
3. Prep all your veggies. 
• Wash them off then lay out your spinach on a towel to dry off. 
• Take your mushrooms and cut them in thin slices. 
• Now take your bell pepper and "gut it" then cut the "wedges" into long skinny pieces (like match sticks). 
• Garlic time... break the bulb of garlic and get out 4 cloves. Take clove and cut off both ends then peel off that paper like stuff. Now just thinly slice it up. Repeat for the rest of the garlic cloves.
• Go ahead and slice the cheese into rectangular shapes.. not too thick.
4. Now make your crust. I saw Claire Robinson doing it this way so I have done it her way ever sense. I take it and hold it up like I am holding a steering wheel and just drive it around (not literally... unless you feel the urge to make some driving noises) once it is pretty close to a circle, lay it over one of your fist and then put the other one under there (like it is a skirt for your fist). Now just work your fist up and down so the middle starts falling a little more... throw it in the air if you can and then put it on your cutting board to finish off your shape. (Sorta curl up the sides to make an edge)
5. Take out your pizza stone (it should be piping hot) and do some olive oil down on the bottom. Take your pizza crust and put it on there... careful this is a "hot" job. 
6. Spread your pesto
7. Put your spinach on then layer on the rest of the toppings (mushrooms, bell peppers, cheese slices)

You can see the layers pretty well here

    8. Drizzle some EVOO

Drizzle, drizzle, drizzle

   9. Dashes of pepper, salt, and oregano

Sea salt if you have it

   10. USE your oven mittens and place it back in the oven until the cheese is all melted and the crust is nice and golden on the edges... it took ours around 15 minutes.

YUM

   11. Slice it up and enjoy!

This will be your new addiction

Wine selection for this meal... we did a Cabernet Sauvignon. And this was actually our first time to try this one (we try to buy a different one every time.. been doing that for the past 2 years now). UNLESS we have some in the cabinet from our California trips :)

So... we bought Root: 1 (Colchagua Valley, Chile 2009). It is a "rich red wine with black currant, mocha, and cherry flavors." It was great... it is better if you go ahead and pour a glass and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes (it allows it to "open" up).

I sure hope you try making your own pizza... it is a fun date night and this will deliver some amazing flavors :)

Church was great this morning... we had fun in the Faith Factory for sure! We did one of my favorite songs this morning... Romans 16:19 Says:

Now I am officially attacking my "to-do list #2," school time!