I believe that every woman should have a signature dish or two; just a handful of recipes you can pull out for a variety of occasions that you know is going to kill every time. For barbecues my go to is a killer Italian potato bake, for super special moments I’ll pull out the steak with red wine sauce, when I know I’m having company I have an amazing pork roast–all of which I hope to share with you as this blog goes on.
Today, however, I want to tell you about the one dish I’m really, really proud of : my homemade pizza.
I believe we’ve covered my extraordinary love of pizza before. I’ve even told you about this wonder-food’s enormous role in my childhood. What I haven’t told you, is that I have big plans for me and pizza in the future.
One of my dreams is to own a bar and grill, where one of the menu items will obviously be pizza. More specifically, you’ll be able to order up my specialty pizza and naturally, it will be the best selling item. It will be raved about by all the food critics and people will come from miles around just to grab a slice. It will be heaven on a crust. In fact it will be:
Since perfection doesn’t happen overnight, I’ve been tinkering with my recipe over the years. I’ve still got to develop my own crust and sauce, but the basics are there. So, without further ado, I give to you the current incarnation of my world-famous pizza.
Ingredients:
- 2 packages of crust mix (yes, you will need two for one pizza, since this thing is loaded with toppings.)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning (divided)
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 6.5 oz. can of mushrooms
- 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce (I prefer the type with herbs included)
- 1 1/4 cup 5 Cheese Italian Blend (divided)
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (divided)
- 1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
- 1 6 oz package pepperoni
- 1 green pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- flour (for hands)
- cooking spray (for cookie sheet)
- 1 cup water (or as directed on your preferred brand of crust mix)
Tools:
- 15 X 10 cookie sheet
- Pastry brush
- Paper Towels
- large bowl (to mix crust)
- microwave safe bowl
How It’s Done:
1.) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, or as directed on your package of crust mix.
2.) While your oven is heating up, combine both packages of mix, garlic powder, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, and water (as directed by package).
3.) Cover with a damp paper towel (to prevent it from drying out) and let it stand for a minimum of 5 minutes. I usually place the bowl on top of the stove (between the burners to prevent any mishaps!).
4.) While your dough is rising, put the butter in a microwave safe bowl and add the minced garlic and remainder of the Italian seasoning. Melt it in the microwave (about 1 minute on high). If you haven’t already, use the remaining time to dice your green pepper, open your jars and packages, and grease your cookie sheet.
5.) With floured hands, press the dough into your cookie sheet, taking it all the way to the edges.
6.) Brush your garlic butter onto the crust, concentrating on the edges and then blending into the middle.
7.) Brush on your sauce, leaving about a half inch of buttered crust exposed around the edges. It is best to sort of dab it on and then smooth it out. It will blend with the butter and seem a little watery. This is normal.
8.) Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
Now it’s time for the toppings!
9.) Sprinkle about 1 cup of the 5-Cheese blend evenly over the sauce.
10.) Add your pepperoni in a single layer, leaving as little cheese exposed as possible.
11.) Sprinkle 1 cup of the Mozzarella cheese on top of the pepperoni.
12.) Add your mushrooms, spacing more or less evenly to cover the whole area.
13). Add your diced green pepper, again, trying to evenly cover the pizza.
14.) Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Mozzarella over the pizza.
15.) Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup 5 Cheese blend.
16.) Top it with the 1/2 cup of Cheddar cheese.
17.) Bake at 450 for 13-18 minutes (or as directed on package of crust mix). You will want to keep an eye on out as it bakes, to ensure that your crust does not burn.
18.) Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before you attempt to cut it, otherwise you risk losing your toppings.
19.) Enjoy!!
A word of caution: this is not a low carb food. Nor is is a low calorie food. This is pure indulgence. Deliciously fattening indulgence. Plan accordingly.