Family gatherings over the holidays do not have to be big meal nightmares.   It is more important to have fun.  We have cookie baking time with grandpa and pizza making with grandmom.  Pizza making at home solves the nightmare of trying to please EVERY one with what they want on a pizza … and having enough.  It solves the, “I’m not ready to eat yet” and the “I can’t wait to eat.”  You can please everyone …. make them yourself.  When my daughters, son-in-laws and seven grands come we have a fun way to sate everyone’s pizza taste.  Homemade pizza made by everyone. It is a DIY party and great family camaraderie.   With an assembly line for production it is not as hard as you think.

Prior to family night keep an eye out for BOBOs on toppings.  Of course you can use fresh toppings but, with a large group having backups that you can quickly open is so much better than running out.  And, you are having a family fun time so while the fresh ingredients are great, the prepackaged and ready to go makes life so much easier.

By making them at home we avoid the thin, thick crust debate and can add gluten-free ones as well.  Having family from all over we have the cheese under or over or non debate, how much sauce, red or white or no sauce debate, and so on.  That is why we started the DIY pizza night.  So much fun for the kids.

I PREFER cheese as the last ingredient.  So that is the order of prep below.  But, it is DIY so have it your way.  If you have brushed the crust with olive oil and then added sauce the cheese will seal in and protect ingredients like mushrooms, spinach, etc. anyway.

INGREDIENTS:

• Pizza crusts: Mama Mary’s or Bobola are our favorites.  Get the size(s) you need from personal (toddlers can share one and kids can eat one or two) –  to full size (you know for the guy that keep a whole one?)  You can also buy gluten-free!  Stock up when they are on sale.

  

  Thin & Crispy

  

  Full size Thin Crust

  

  Gluten Free Personal

  
  

 

• Sauces – there are many on the market.  Use 1-2 tbsp for
  

  Prego Pizza Sauce

  personal and 3-4 for full.  I prefer Prego.

 

• Meats:  Pepperoni, ham, sausage, turkey, shrimp, Anchovies ….. have a bowl ready of all of them.  This is definitely where your BOGOs help.  (Yes I write the ‘use by date’ in sharpie so I do not have to read that small print every time.)

• Toppings:  You can put so much on a pizza.  My family’s biggest complaint with bought pizza is the skimping on the toppings.  I use frozen chopped onions, thawed and drained.  Allium allergies cause so much distress when onions are chopped fresh (even if they are just sensitive and not just a true allium sufferer.)

  

  Presliced Olives

  

  Organic mushrooms

  

  Julienne SunDried Tomatoes

  

  Frozen Onions

  

  Bean Sprouts

  
  

  

  Presliced Olives

  

  Organic chopped mushrooms

  

  Frozen Onions

  

  Julienne SunDried Tomatoes

  
  
• Cheese:  Straight Mozzarella or a combination.  I like 5 or 6  cheese blends.

Preparation:

• Preheat oven per instructions (note any ‘reduce heat’ instructions on some)
• Spray each pizza with Pam Olive oil or brush some olive oil on top of each pizza
• Add sauce
• Add meat
• Add toppings
• Add cheese
• “SIGN” each pizza – each person puts a piece of topping in the center of the pizza.  All pizza’s can look the same when you put cheese on last.  Trust me, this works.

BAKE: per instructions.

CUT: Make sure you have a sharp pizza cutter of knife so toppings are not pushed off the top as you cut.

Enjoy your family!