Gourmet Pizza, Part 1

As you all know, I'm a pizza addict. With the economy in its current state, my husband and I have been reluctant to engage in our weekly "order in pizza" night. When did the price of pizza go up so much? On the east coast I used order a large pizza for around $10 or less. Something is going on out here, because it's much more expensive now. I think the only place I can find a $10 is at Costco.

Anyway, we still decided to have pizza night last weekend, except I was in the kitchen making the pizza! The advantage of making pizza for pizza night is that you can make a variety of smaller pizzas. We had three different kinds: BBQ pizza, Spicy Corn pizza, and Tomato-Basil pizza.

When it comes to the crust, there are a couple of things you can do:

1) Go to your local pizzeria and offer to buy some pizza dough directly from them.

2) Buy frozen dough from the grocery store.

3) Purchase a ready-made crust from the grocery store.

For my BBQ pizza, I chose option 3.

Ingredients

Ready-made Pizza Crust

Cheese - any variety you like (I used mild, white Cheddar)

1/4 Red Onion, sliced in rings

1 - 2 tomatoes, sliced

BBQ Sauce (any variety you prefer)

Pizza / Marinara Sauce

Grilled chicken (optional)

Grilled Tofu (optional)

Cilantro

Salt / Pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven according to directions of the ready-made pizza crust.

2) Mix 1 part BBQ sauce to 2 parts Pizza Sauce. This is important! If you use only BBQ sauce, the pizza will be extremely salty and unpalatable. Pre-warm crust for about 2 to 3 minutes in warm oven. Spread this sauce onto a pre-warmed crust.

3) Top with cheese, as desired. Top with red onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. If desired, add grilled chicken or grilled tofu.

4) Cook in oven according to directions on ready made crust package.

5) Remove from oven. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6) Slice with pizza cutter and serve!