Homemade pizza

One of my goals for the new year is to be better about cooking and not eating out so much. I love to cook but living on my own I can get really lazy about taking the time.  Sometimes it doesn't seem like it is worth the effort to make all those dishes (blast I have no dishwasher!!) when it is just me.  So I slipped in to a nasty habit of eating out all the time or eating junk.  I have been working to stock my freezer with yumminess.  Last week I made a big batch of chili and froze half of it.  I also made eggplant parm that I froze half of.  And tonight I am making pizza!  

I love pizza but the very best is when you make it at home.  My Aunt Barbie taught me this joy.  Whenever we would go to visit she would always have a pizza night.  There is something so fun about rolling out the dough and putting all your favorite toppings on.  Each person would make up a pizza and we would all share our creations. When I was in college I lived walking distance to Aunt Barbie and she would call me up on pizza night.  I would drop everything and make my way to her house and the nice warm kitchen filled with the smell of pizzas cooking.  I miss making pizzas by her side now that I have moved far away...but part of my love from cooking stems from hanging out at her house.  

Since my mom published Aunt Barbie's recipe in the church cookbook I don't feel bad about passing it on...and well it is yummy and easy to make.  

1 1/4 cup hot water 

1 heaping T. yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

3-5 cups flour

dash of salt

Mix water, yeast and sugar.  Let sit a minute to activate yeast.  Mix in flour and salt.  (I use my hand to do this but you can start with a spoon and then switch to your hands)  You might need to add more flour or water to get your dough to a good consistency. This recipe makes 2 medium to large sized pizzas.  

Top it with whatever your heart desires and then bake it at 425 Degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.  

one of my favorite picture of me with Aunt Barbie