West's Very Academic Easy Cheese Pizza

Good marnin'. It's good to be home. I missed you, bloggie buddies. I've been in beautiful Oregon visiting an Egg Farm. I had the best time and I learned a ton. And you know me; I'm going to be sharing all of it with you, down to the nitty gritty details like how I learned to make the perfect omelet, and how I stood in a room with seven thousand clucking hens without losing my cool, and how I looked awesome in a sanitary blue mesh jump suit and white hair net. All those details are coming as soon as I get my info and pics together. For now, I'm just saying, if you ever get invited to an egg farm in Oregon-pack your bags, my friends.

Last week, my West-y boy was doing some bubble in test practice for school. You know the drill-you read the non-fiction passage and then answer twenty multiple choice questions. He'd read about round dances around the world, which he found thoroughly booooring. He read about volcanoes in the Ring of Fire, which he found thoroughly engaging. And then, he flipped the page and read a recipe with instructions: Easy Pizza. I knew, I just knew, that he would answer every question correctly. This is my child, doggone it; he better know how to make cheese pizza even without even reading that passage. Listen to these questions:

What happens after you put the dough into a bowl and cover it with a towel?

a. The dough shrinks.

b. The dough separates.

c. The dough rises.

d. The dough changes color.

and

The pizza pans are most likely greased in order to-

a. make sure the dough won't stick

b. add a spicy flavor

c. help the cheese melt

d. make the dough rise

and

What will probably happen after the pizza is placed in the oven?

a. The water will boil.

b. The dough will rise.

c. The cheese will melt.

d. The dough will divide in half.

All right, so it' s not rocket science, but I'm still proud. He got all of 25 of them correct, that little son of a baker. (Which is more than I can say about the round dance questions.) And then of course we had to make the pizza. And it was easy, just like they promised, but it was also delicious. And very, very academic. We felt smarter with every bite we took, and you will too. Especially because you'll be saving money, you scholar, you.

Money Saving Tips:

It's usually cheaper to buy cheese in block, so shred your own. (It tastes better that way, too.) Buy the big blocks for the most savings. Wrap the unused portion in waxed paper and refrigerate. If you don't have tomato sauce on hand, blend up some diced tomatoes or use jarred marinara sauce.
Easy Pizza

recipe stole shamelessly from the Test Ready program

Estimated Cost: $5.00

1 cup warm water

1 package yeast (2 and 1/2 tsps)

1 teaspoon each salt and sugar

1 tablespoon oil

3 cups flour

1 small can tomato sauce (we also added crushed red pepper flakes, dried basil, and a pinch of sugar and salt)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast onto the water. Let sit for five minutes and then stir. Add salt, sugar, and oil to this mixture. Then add 1 and 1/2 cups flour. Stir until smooth. Add the rest of flour and mix until smooth. You may use your hands if needed.

2. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into tow balls. Place dough into a bowl and cover with a towel. Let dough rise 30 minutes in a warm place.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

4. Flatten each ball of dough with a rolling pin. Stretch dough onto two greased pizza pans or a cookie sheet.

5. Spread a small amount of oil on the dough. Spread tomato sauce on the dough. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Up Next:

Speedy Pan Quiche (Eggs, anyone?)

How to Stay out of Trouble (plus unbelievable pizza)

Something to read! It's mine, and nobody's gonna tell me not to dogear!

I love Cooking Light. I've been reading it cover to cover for more than a decade. I always learn something relating to health, like this. Sometimes I can't even get past the cover before I start drooling.

Look at this pizza!

I had to make it.

It's superb-smoky and herby and cheesy. It's called "Our All Time Favorite Herbed-Cheese Pizza," but you can make one for your kids sans herbs and with plain pepperoni. Or even one for your husband with half pepperoni. I took mine just like Cooking Light recommended and I wouldn't have changed a thing.

I'm planning to make it every Friday night for the rest of my time on earth.

Click here for the recipe or borrow a copy from a friend or the library. Or better yet, go ahead and subscribe to the magazine to procure all the pleasures of ownership. Borrowing can get you into trouble. If it's yours, you can write on it. You can slop a little sauce on it. Go ahead-even dogear it.
Up Next:

Supremely Yummy Apple Turnovers

Summer Vegetable Gratin Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

This summer, my friend Tanji sent me a recipe for a zucchini and squash gratin. I made it two nights in a row, sopping up all the garlicky juices with a multi grain baguette. It was fast, healthful, delicious and seemingly perfect in my book. Except for one thing. Nobody else in my family thought it qualified as dinner. "Is this it-what else are we having?" Now, for me the trick for converting a side dish into a main dish is just to eat more. But it's not that simple when you're dealing with strangers like your own husband and children. Still, my obsession with the squash gratin wasn't gong to die easy, so I compromised by putting the gratin on top of a whole wheat pizza crust. Same idea, basically same ingredients, only this time, it was deemed dinner by that tough crowd who matter most. Dinner accomplished.
Money Saving Tips:
Make your own crust to save money, or go ahead and purchase one if time is a greater issue. If you have your own garden, I'll bet you've still got loads of zukes and squash. If not hit up a neighbor or head to the farmer's market.
Summer Vegetable Gratin Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust
Estimated Cost: $$5.50
YIkes-I didn't meant to write $1.50 earlier. It's only $1.50 for the crust.
Notes: I don't proof the yeast since SAF is so reliable. If your yeast is iffy, combine it with some warm water and sugar in a small bowl and make sure it rises before adding it in.
3 teaspoons yeast (I use Saf)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
cornmeal for the pan
1/3 cup pizza sauce or plain tomato sauce
1 and 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 red tomato, thinly sliced
1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
Combine yeast, sugar, olive oil, salt, warm water, and whole wheat flour. Stir and knead in flour. Knead for 4 minutes. Cover and let rise for one hour. Punch it down and let it rest for five minutes. Lightly grease a baking sheet and coat with a bit of cornmeal. Roll out dough into 12 inch circle or press into rectangular cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread crust with pizza sauce. (Don't use much or you'll have a soggy pizza.) Sprinkle with mozzarella. Layer zucchini, squash and tomatoes in circles on pizza. Drizzle with olive oil, garlic, basil, and parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheeses are melted. If necessary, if the vegetables become too watery, heat the broiler and watching carefully, bake until the juices dry up a bit.
Coming Tomorrow:
Lemon Sour Cream Pasta and Peas

Stay Tuned for a Sneaky Give Away