Pizza Night

The simplest meals– Ah, how delightful.

Pizza night is a wondrous thing. I would recommend that you use any and all delicious ingredients you have on hand. However, I always find myself buying ingredients excitedly for Pizza Night. Feta! Tomatoes! Kalamata olives! Spinach! Fresh mozzarella! Artichoke hearts! Mushrooms! Garlic!

Pizza Night

1/2 pound fresh pizza dough (You can pick these up at most local pizzatariums and a lot of grocery stores have started selling them! I only use half a round at a time, because there are only three of us.)
1 small clove of garlic
Marinara sauce or simmered down pasta sauce (Homemade or store-bought is fine.)
1 handful of spinach
1 medium-sized tomato
8 oz fresh mozzarella
2 artichoke hearts
4 kalamata olives
5 button (or cremini) mushrooms

Allow your 1/2 ball of dough to lose it refrigerator chill. Just sit it on the counter while you assemble your ingredients. But don’t let it to sit too long. You don’t want it to be stick-meister, clinger extraordinaire. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Stretch and form the dough into a pizza dough shape. Yep, we’re real professional around here. I don’t toss the pizza dough (anymore), but I do take a nod from the professionals: I stretch my pizza dough-draped arms gently away from each other then turn the dough 90 degrees, stretch again. Then 45 degrees. Stretch. 90 degrees. Stretch. So I’m evenly distributing the stretch.

Place on round pan or a cookie sheet big enough to accomodate your pizza needs or a pizza stone. Mince garlic and spread on dough.