Quick Homemade Pizza

I had an entirely different meal slotted for tonight's dinner, but I decided I really, really, really, wanted something easier for Sunday night dinner. We had a big lunch earlier this afternoon, so my ambitious, labor-intensive, original dinner idea did not sound appealing. My plans really went out the window when I ended up being short on time. When I finally got around to cooking, it was already 5pm. At that point, I had to change my menu around because I had gotten such a late start. Luckily, I had emailed my friend Jen A. a few days ago, asking her for her pizza recipe. I was planning on making it later on in the week, but considering my time crunch, I decided to move it up to tonight's menu choice. I figured pizza is never a bad idea.

Since we have already eaten, I will just combine my review with my commentary.

Oh man, was this fan-freakin'-tastic! This delivered on both easy and delicious!!!

I made a couple changes by adding some spices to the dough. Also, I did not have any pizza sauce on hand, so I had to improvise my own. We were really slim on toppings, so we went the vegetarian route. The husband sauteed onions, mushrooms, and garlic with some red pepper flakes and oregano. Absolutely awesome!!! So, so, soooooooo yummy! I have a different whole wheat pizza dough recipe that is a lot more time consuming. I don't think I will mess with that one ever again! This recipe is so much easier, and I think the results are just as good...if not better. I amended the recipe to include my changes and my sauce concoction (which was also terrific, if I do say so myself). Again, the overall result was fan-freakin'-tastic! Thanks Jen A.!!!!

Quick Homemade Pizza

Ingredients:

For Dough:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups of flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of Italian Seasoning (optional)
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder (optional)

For Sauce:
½ can of diced tomatoes
½ can of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon of salt

My Favorite Topping Ideas:
Caramelized onions
Cheese
Sautéed mushrooms
Fresh tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves
Italian sausage
Prosciutto

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450. In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes).

2. Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes.

3. While dough is resting, combine all sauce ingredients in a food processor, and blend until smooth.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan dusted with corn meal. Spread evenly with sauce. Cover with toppings in an even layer.

5. Bake 15-20 min. Let cool 5 minutes. Cut and serve!