Pizza Night at the Love Shack - the first post in a new series

As I have written many times before, both of my parents have passed away - my father when I was 5-years-old and my mother in 2000 when I was 27-years-old - 11 years ago, February 13th. Of course there are so many posts that could be made about these events in my life. For this post I want to focus on something I've learned that I DON'T want to do...I don't want to go on to the next life without leaving behind some specific information recorded and preserved for my children and those after them.

My mom wasn't the world's best cook (I am exactly like her in this respect). She wasn't bad, but cooking just wasn't her passion. There are a few meals, however, that she made of which I wish, wish, wish I could have a recipe. So many times, I have wished that I could just pick up the phone and say, "Mom, how did you make your beef stew?" or "Mom, my kids are sick and I remember how you would make chicken soup for us when we were sick. Can you give me the recipe?" etc. I also remember that my dad was a fabulous cook. Although I was young when he passed away, I can remember the roasts he would make on Sundays and other great meals. Oh how I wish I could have his recipes too.

Therefore, I'm going to begin creating posts with my family's favorite recipes. Like my mother, I don't have a ton of great, memorable meals that I make, but there are a handful. Troy is a fabulous cook (as was my own father) so I will be adding his great recipes on the blog as well. These recipes may seem ordinary or not that exciting to anyone else, but for us, the Love family, they are important as they bring peace, comfort, joy and fun into our home.

I'm going to begin with Lizzy's and Ben's favorite meal of all which also coincides with their favorite family activity of all - Friday night is Pizza and a Movie Night at the Love Shack. This is an established tradition in our home. Both Ben and Lizzy look forward to our Friday night all week long. When I pick Lizzy up from school on Fridays, she often exclaims, "It's time to get ready for pizza night!"

We have experimented with several different pizza doughs and we think we have found a fantastic recipe - at least for our tastes that is. We have also made our own pizza sauce but have discovered that, once again, according to our tastes, the store-bought is just as delicious.

So here is the process...if we are planning on eating the time Troy comes home from work at around 5:30, I make the pizza dough around 4pm.

In my Kitchen Aid mixer I pour
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
Mix these together and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Next add:
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour

With the dough hook, mix everything together until it doesn't stick to the sides or bottom of the bowl. If you need to add more flour, add small amounts at a time, just until it is all in a dough ball. Continue kneading the dough in the mixer for a few minutes. If you do not have a mixer and you must mix by hand, do not add too much more flour as the dough is better if it is somewhat sticky when you set it to rise.

Let the dough rise until it is doubled in size. (I'll have to add the doubled picture later. I forgot.)

About 20 minutes before you want to eat your pizza, turn your oven on to 450* or 475* - the hot, hot oven is a restaurant secret.  Take the risen dough out of the bowl and divide in half. Form one of the haves into a ball, place it on a well floured counter and sprinkle with more flour. With a rolling pin, also covered with flour, begin rolling dough into a circle. If you rotate the dough as you turn, you will have a better chance of creating a pizza circle. You can even be daring and try tossing the pizza dough into the air! (I'll have to add that picture later as well) We like to roll the dough somewhat thin. It is going to rise a tad more before you get it in the oven.

Place the rolled out pizza dough onto your pizza pan. A pizza pan with small holes on the bottom or a pizza stone makes a big difference in the success of your pizza. If you are using a pizza stone, put it in the oven WHEN YOU TURN ON THE OVEN. Take it out when you are ready to place your pizza round on the stone. Placing the pizza dough on the hot stone sears the bottom of the dough and aids in a crisper crust.

We like to put a small amount of olive oil on the dough and brush it over the dough with a pastry brush. We then sprinkle oregano and/or garlic salt on top of the olive oil. It just seems to add that extra tastiness!

Next, add the pizza sauce, making sure not to leave too much dough on the end without sauce, or then you have too much crust on the edges. Generously sprinkle mozzarella, or any other cheese you desire, over the pizza sauce and then add any other toppings you like. Troy, Lizzy and Ben just want pepperoni - and lots of it! I am much more adventurous with ham, pineapple, green peppers, mushrooms, olives and any thing else I can think of!

Bake the pizza, making sure the oven is completely heated, for 9-10 minutes. This one was left a little longer than 10 minutes and you can see the edges were already getting brown. Let sit for about 5 minutes before cutting so the cheese will not be too melty (is that a word?)

This recipe will make two pizzas. We often double or even triple the recipe when we have friends over, which we love to do on Pizza Nights.

 On these nights I do not fuss about sitting in front of the television while we eat. I try to offer fruits and veggies with the pizza but the pizza is the star for sure.

We love our Friday pizza night. If Troy and I go on a date, we always go on Saturdays because Friday is sacred, just like Monday Family Home Evening night.

Ben and Lizzy, I love our pizza nights. I love that you LOVE them and look forward to them all week long. I love sitting with you and daddy on the couch while we watch a movie and stuff our faces with pizza. I have no idea how long we'll be able to keep this up. If it were up to me, it would never end. I know you will be teenagers someday and things will change and maybe you won't think our pizza nights are as cool as you do now. I hope not. We'll adapt with the times and invite your friends over and play fun games and do all we can to keep it up.

This tradition makes me feel safe. Isn't that funny? I feel peace and safety and that all is well with the world on our pizza nights. I sense that the rest of my family feels the same. I think that is why we are encouraged to create family traditions...

"Family traditions are like spiritual and emotional cement in the foundation of a happy home. They create fond memories, and these memories bond us together as nothing else can."


Elder Richard L. Evans counseled, “Oh, parents, we would plead, give good and happy memories to your children—not pampering or overindulging, not satisfying everything they take a fancy to—but memories of love, encouragement, of peace and harmony and happiness at home—memories that will bless and lift their lives wherever they are, always and forever.” (Improvement Era, Dec. 1970, p. 128.)"Traditions Worth Keeping", Ensign, Mar. 1986, 37