Nothing goes better with Friday than pizza. Friday night pizza is a tradition that goes back longer than I can remember. Everyone has their favorite toppings, crust thicknesses, preferred sauce, and opinions on the best pizza joint in the country. Some concoctions range from bizarre to interesting, while others tip the scale at horrifyingly disgusting. I love watching people dig in and seeing the expressions their first bite of bliss evokes. It always makes me smile.

My tastes run towards the from-scratch, homemade and simple. Forget the bells and whistles, exotic ingredients, and anything other than a fresh tomato sauce. My dough is AP flour, a little yeast, a touch of sugar, a pinch of salt, a drizzle of EVOO, and water. The dough is mixed and pressed into a thin layer. The sauce of tomatoes, seasonings, and a gurgle of more olive oil, I puree in the blender and apply it judiciously to the crust. The next layer is fresh buffalo mozzarella. I add a generous handful of basil and pop it into a hot oven for a few blistering moments.

The house smells amazing, my stomach growls in anticipation, and I can’t wait for it to cool. I can’t see my expression when I can finally get a piece stuffed into my mouth, but I know I look ridiculous.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer