Forget Pizza Hut: Make it yourself, easy as pie

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November 14, 2009

By Jennier Jacob Brown The Meridian Star Sat Nov 14, 2009, 10:56 PM CST

In today's world of widening waistlines and processed food health disasters, the pressure is mounting to eat simple, homemade meals. But at the same time, shrinking wallets and busy schedules make it harder than ever to eat healthy foods made in your own kitchen.

After a long, hard day at work, the temptation to just grab what my grandmother calls a "belly bomb" (fast food) is strong. Even though they're greasy, salty, and pricey, sometimes it seems easier to just order a pizza from a pizza delivery chain than to hit the kitchen and cook something.

But with a variety of ready-made pizza crusts now available in local grocery stores (thin, thick, wheat, white, great big, and teeny tiny crusts are all sold at the Winn Dixie on Hwy. 39), making your own pizza is now almost as easy as making a sandwich. Homemade pizza is more delicious, cheaper, quicker, and healthier (you control the nutritional content) than Pizza Hut, and you get to customize it according to your preferences. Don't like much sauce? Don't use much. Want extra cheese? Sprinkle to your heart's content.

Personally, my favorite pizza toppings — sauteed zucchini and creamy goat cheese — are a bit unusual and aren't available at pizza chains. My husband, on the other hand, likes plain old pepperoni and mushrooms. It's easy enough to resolve different tastes by putting different toppings on each side of the pizza - or even on each slice, if you're feeling creative. And there's no repeating "half pepperoni, half sausage" 27 times to a frazzled Pizza Hut employee over a fuzzy phone line only to have your order come out wrong.

Also, don't waste your money on that pre-made pizza sauce that comes in a jar - making it yourself is cheap and ridiculously easy. Just mix some salt and a whole bunch of pizza seasoning (dried oregano, basil, marjoram, and garlic powder) with a can of tomato sauce. That's all there is to it.

Of all the things I love about homemade pizza, the best part is the taste. It's absolutely mouthwatering, the flavor of the toppings infuse the whole pie, and the mozzarella comes out stringy and decadent like nothing you will ever see come out of a Pizza Hut box or a freezer.

Here's the recipe for my personal favorite, zucchini and goat cheese pizza. Try it yourself, substituting all of your favorite sauces, toppings, and cheeses:

1. Sautee one small zucchini, one-half small yellow onion, and a clove or two of garlic lightly in butter, salt, and pepper for about five minutes (you can do this several days ahead of time).

2. Prepare your crust - both the pre-cooked crusts and the ones that come in a can like biscuit dough work great. Brush the crust lightly with olive oil, and add a little salt and freshly ground pepper. I like to rub extra S&P; into the edge of the crust.

3. Spread with tomato or alfredo sauce to taste.

4. Sprinkle on grated mozzarella to taste.

5. Add the zucchini and spoon on big dollops of creamy goat cheese (available in log form from the fancy cheese section of the grocery store). If you can't find goat cheese, use feta crumbles (usually on the non-fancy cheese aisle).

6. Top it off with a bit more mozzarella.

7. Cook according to pizza crust package directions. If pizza is a little greasy (though it will be nothing compared to delivery pizza greasiness) pat with a paper towel, and enjoy!

E-mail Jennifer Jacob Brown at jbrown @themeridianstar.com

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