Pizza Party

"Pizza, Pizza, ran, ran, ran!"

Tonight we made pepperoni and olive pizza, per the boys request

(Todd and I are not big fan's of pepperoni, so they rarely get it)

We also had barbecue chicken pizza.

We used my friend Mindy's famous pizza dough.

Pizza Crust

2 C warm water

1 Tbs. yeast

2 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. salt

5-6 c flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water (about 10 min.). Add salt and slowly add flour. The dough will be fairly stiff. Just add flour until it can be kneaded. Knead until smooth. This dough doesn't need to rise, but you may need to let it sit for 10 minutes or so if it is hard to roll out. I usually make 3 smaller pizzas, or you can make 2 large pizzas. I have found that it works best if I roll it out pretty thin... it raises in the oven, and can be doughy if you leave it too thick. Sometimes I use some of the dough to make breadsticks. Actually, sometimes I make this dough JUST for breadsticks. It's versatile. ;)

Spread sauce on crust. I just use spaghetti sauce. Add any toppings that you like (or can afford!) Sometimes I just make cheese pizza. This is also delicious with garden veggies, like tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc.

Bake in HOT oven... about 425-450 degrees until the crust is browned and cheese is bubbling. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

3 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed

1 cup hickory flavored barbecue sauce

1 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. molasses

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (we used dried cilantro)

1 cup smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (we used mozzarella, since our local store does not carry gouda)

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup julienned green pepper

In a sauce pan, over medium heat, combine chicken, barbecue sauce, honey, molasses, brown sugar and cilantro. Bring to a boil (or just nuke it).

Spread chicken mixture evenly over pizza crust, and top with cheese, onions, and green peppers. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.