Have a Holiday "Make your own Pizza" Party!
Friday, December 11, 2009 at 9:40AM 
So what can you do when your little nieces and nephews come for a holiday visit and you have exhausted the board games to death and play time at the park isn't as fun as it use to be? Have a "make your own" pizza party!
Ingredients:
1) Making your own dough can be tough and time consuming, so we recommend buying it pre-made. At The Pizza Bakery you can purchase 28 oz. of dough (enough to make a 16" pizza or about 2 small individual 8" pizzas), marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese for about $12. Trader Joes also has a variety of pre-made dough from which to choose.
2) Choose your own toppings
The possibilities are endless: Popular veggie choices are tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, basil, bell peppers and onions. You can jazz it up a bit by adding fruit such as pineapple, grapes, raisins, pear or apples. Next, top off your work of art with some favorite meats: pepperoni, salami, ham/Canadian bcona, sausage, chicken/turkey, ground beef or chorizo.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Working one ball of dough at a time, take a ball and flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outward, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax five minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter – about 8" inches. Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. You can pinch the very edges if you want to form a lip.
Brush the top of the dough with olive oil (to prevent it from getting soggy from the toppings). Use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another five minutes.
Repeat with the second ball of dough.
Spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place your desired toppings on the pizza. Invite each of your young guests to personalize their creation with a special name.
Place pizzas on large baking sheet. Bake pizzas until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-15 minutes. If you want, toward the end of the cooking time you can sprinkle on a little more cheese. Let pizzas cool for a few minutes, slice and enjoy.
For the adults at the pizza party, we suggest pouring a light, spicy Oregon Pinot Noir: 2007 Chehalem 3 Vineyard.
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