Pizza Night is a Friday night ritual in our household that is practically religious at this point. It began more than 10 years ago as a cheap date night at home for the whole family. It was a way to unwind after the work week for us but it was fun for the whole family too. And it didn’t break the bank paying for a babysitter. After all, by 3 1/2 years ago it was costing us between $40 and $50 or more just for the babysitter on a Friday night and we hadn’t even done anything yet! The whole family looks forward to this night all week. We take turns picking a movie (usually Disney) and we have a picnic around the living room (another novelty). Plus a special gallon of chocolate milk is usually purchased to go along with this FUN meal.
I have the “best pizza sauce in the world” so my children tell me. After more than 1,000 pizzas over the years, a good percentage of them have been home made. And necessity is the mother of invention.
Last summer Rick and I chose to pay our exterminator with our grocery money to reduce the amount of debt we were going to go into and this expense ended up going on for months. So we relied almost entirely on foods that we already had in our pantry once our second round of meals being brought over by some very wonderful and understanding friends came to an end when our kitchen was put back together and we were on our feet with a brand new baby who was only a couple weeks old, baby #5 at that! Previous to now I had been purchasing pizza sauce by the gallon since that is the cheapest way to buy it. I simply froze the sauce in mason jars in increments that I used weekly and took the jars out to thaw two days in advance. But eventually we ran out of pizza sauce… what to do??? Well, over the years I have discovered that I can pretty much make anything I want to out of almost nothing. I can feed the entire family with two pieces of chicken for 2 meals and still have a little left! And it’s delicious! No one is hungry. For years we lived out of our pantry each summer as we only received paychecks 9 months out of the year. (12 months a year is much nicer). So I just look at this as another challenge. This challenge stuck and we now do it out of choice.
To start, I use a basic pizza crust which is just a little yeast in warm water combined with salt, flour and a bit of oil. Once that is rolled out in corn meal (or flour if you don’t have any) I brush the crust with a thin layer of olive oil. I open an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce per number of pizzas I am making (can be purchased for a couple of dimes a piece) and mix in a teaspoon of minced garlic in each. Then I pour it out onto the crust and spread it over the oil. I pepper the whole thing, sprinkle a little parmesan over that followed by oregano or Italian seasoning. Then you dress your pizza as you wish. It won’t need as much mozzarella since it already has parmesan. Toss on the traditional pepperoni and cheese or a slice of leftover ham from lunches during the week or even a piece of frozen cooked bacon left from making beans or quiche. Leftover fresh vegies from lunchtime cuts such as fresh peppers or mushrooms can go on or frozen pre-sliced onion lessen the pizza prep time. These pizzas are also less salty, which I like, because you control the ingredients completely. This sauce is delicious, simple and inexpensive! Give it a try. My children are happier with this pizza than any other kind.
Why are circular pizzas better tasting than rectangle ones??? It’s kind of like bathroom water tastes better than kitchen water! Why IS that?
I think the secret is in the pan…because secretly I agree with the kids. I FINALLY purchased a second pizza pan, probably just in time to need a third one which no doubt is on the horizon.
Can’t wait for pizza night again!
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