Easy Guide to Food And Drinks

There is more to making pizza than choosing a good pizza dough recipe or making the right pizza sauce to go with the toppings. The most important thing about making perfect pizzas is to let your imagination have a free reign. Be as creative as you like, experimenting with different dough, sauce and topping recipes and you are sure to come up with a winning combination.

Many people assume that pizza is something you get delivered for the lazy evenings when you cannot be bothered to cook but this is totally untrue. First of all, gourmet pizza recipes can be just as elaborate as any other gourmet dish and, secondly, the sheer versatility of this wonderful dish means you can tailor it to the occasion perfectly, whether you are feeding hungry toddlers, picky teenagers, dinner party guests or a mixed group.

Making Healthy Pizza that Kids Will Love

Pizza does not have to be “junk food.” It does not have to be piled high with cheese, fatty meat or other unhealthy toppings. Children are fond of pizza and many list it as one of their favorite foods so, armed with this information, you can make something that your child will find appetizing. Fruit pizzas are a good option if you want to make a nutritious dessert. Any kind of crust can be topped with yogurt and fresh fruit to make a fruit pizza for children.

You can use a whole wheat pizza dough recipe to make a more traditional type of pizza for the kids and top it with a homemade tomato sauce recipe. Do not use a store-bought sauce because these are often packed with sugar and chemicals. Use lean meat such as chicken on top, as well as colorful vegetables. This is sure to thrill the children and you will know that they are enjoying something nutritious.

What About Gourmet Pizzas?

You might never have considered serving pizza at a dinner party but why not? A gourmet pizza is very different to the inferior delivered pizzas or frozen pizzas you might be familiar with and the sky is the limit when it comes to the crust, sauce, and toppings.

Imagine a thin and crispy gourmet crust, topped with a garlic and cream pizza sauce recipe and fine seafood toppings. You can use truffles, caviar, lobster, crab, or any other sophisticated ingredients to make a pizza, which really has the wow factor.

Switch the sauce for an Italian style tomato mixture and use your favorite meat on top to make another kind of gourmet pizza. Lamb, feta and mint would be amazing, as would roast beef and mushrooms or another mouthwatering combination.

More Kinds of Pizza

It does not matter whether you have to feed kids, adults or a mixture, or whether you are catering for a birthday party or a buffet; there are hundreds, if not thousands, of pizza recipes you can choose from. As you get more used to working with the dough, sauce and toppings, you will be able to get really imaginative with your homemade pizza recipes and discover even more tasty combinations.

Whenever you are stuck for ideas, let pizza come to the rescue. You might be looking for something child-friendly, gourmet, gluten free, healthy, or unusual and this is no problem because there is a pizza recipe for every occasion.

It’s pizza night, and everyone is asking for their favorite. Unfortunately, no one agrees on a single recipe. How can you please everyone when they all want something different? With pizza, it’s easy. Make individual pizzas. Everyone can pick their own toppings and be pleased with their meal.

By making individual pizzas, you can easily cater to everyone’s tastes. That 4 year old that only eats cheese on their pizza is just as happy as the teenager that won’t eat anything but pepperoni. Meanwhile, you can enjoy a more sophisticated pizza that you wouldn’t get to enjoy if you were simply catering to the kids.

Have you even considered what you may want on a pizza if you had the chance? You could try mixing prosciutto with parmesan cheese and arugula or perhaps a simple Margarita pizza. Either way, once you start making individual pizzas, you’ll find it doesn’t take any longer than making larger pizzas, but you get to indulge your own tastes.

Before you have your family come into the kitchen to pile on their favorite toppings, have everything ready. Roll out all the crusts so there is no waiting. Prepare the toppings and set them out on the table so everyone can reach them easily without making a mess.

Everyone can follow their own pizza recipes or just play it by ear. If they like lots of cheese, they can put it on. If they prefer all meat or all veggie, let them go for it. Prepare by making a list of the toppings they want ahead of time so you can have them available. You don’t want to guess and waste money on items they won’t use.

It’s true that you can use store bought crusts or flat bread to make a quick pizza, but why would you? They are full of preservatives in order to keep them fresh. Many stores now sell fresh dough or you could actually make it yourself. Just pick a simple pizza dough recipe and go for it. It really is easier than driving to the store, plus it tastes great and there are no preservatives. Make extra to freeze for your next pizza night.

A delicious pizza sauce recipe can beat a jar of spaghetti sauce any day, but store sauce will do in a pinch. You can quickly make a good sauce with a few tomatoes, some herbs, and a few minutes on the stove. Remember that not every pizza sauce has to be tomato-based… you can branch out and try simple olive oil, a white sauce or even a sauce-less pizza. Don’t be afraid to explore a little. It’s your pizza; you don’t have to share with anyone.

On your next pizza night, try some individual pizzas. You may find out this is the best way to make pizza for your family. You save a lot of money compared to going to a pizza restaurant, and everyone, including you, gets what they want. Everybody wins! Clean up is easy. Leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated the next day. You’ll find that everyone loved their individual pizza and they can’t wait to have another pizza night.

One of the best things about making your own pizza is choosing the toppings. You can go for a traditional pizza like cheese or pepperoni, or you can go completely wild and try something you’ve never put on a pizza before.  

Imagine all the different toppings you could put on a vegetarian pizza, for instance. Sure, you can use the typical zucchini, olives, mushrooms and onions, but why not try something a little different? Add some sliced beets, spring peas or small cubes of yellow squash. Roasted sweet potato might go well with some mushrooms and roasted garlic. Dare to be different!

With all the different types of pizza you can make, your choice of toppings is unlimited. Obviously a thin crust pizza would need toppings that are not in danger of sliding off, while a thick deep dish pizza could handle a wider variety of flavorful additions.

When you study history of pizza, you will see they started with a few of their favorite toppings. One of the first pizzas ever made featured basil, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Known as Pizza Marghareta, it was named in honor of Italian royalty. The ingredients were specially chosen because they had the same colors as the Italian flag. Pick a theme if you wish to make your next pizza.

Cheese lets you truly create a masterpiece. Don’t settle for a single variety. Mix many different cheeses to add depth as they melt together. For example, for a traditional pizza, you may enjoy the flavors of mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and smoked gouda. If you want to broaden your horizons, think about goat cheese or adding the unique flavor of a blue cheese like Gorgonzola or Stilton. Cheese will set off the flavors of other ingredients.

Why not try some nuts on your pizza? Crunchy almonds, peanuts, cashews and pine nuts can all add a new dimension to your average, everyday pizza. Think about the ingredients you’ve already chosen and choose nuts that complement them. For example, pecans may go well with a gourmet pizza featuring flavors from the American South.

Have you heard of dessert pizza? You can easily make a fruit pizza recipe using baked cookie dough for the crust. Top with cream cheese and your favorite fruit to make a delicious, refreshing summer treat. You can also add fruit to a traditional pizza. Pineapple, apple slices, peaches and many other fruits that bake well are excellent choices.

Meats and seafood also give you more leeway than you may think. Beyond pepperoni and sausage you can find a whole new world of turkey, venison, and duck. Borrow from another recipe and use buffalo chicken or chicken marsala to the top of your pizza. Try adding some tuna or oysters to a seafood pizza. Lobster, Cajun prawns or smoked salmon can also make an unusual choice for toppings. Pair them up with a compatible sauce or just drizzle a little olive oil or cheese on the crust. Don’t feel like you must follow all the traditional rules when you make a homemade pizza.