No Meat Fridays

Growing up, this time of the year meant the fresh smell of grass, new flowers blossoming out of the dirt, the sound of lawnmowers, Cadbury Eggs and Yellow Peeps, and...no eating meat on Fridays.

So, most of my Fridays were spent either waiting forever for a pizza to be delivered, because I'm pretty sure this is the busiest time of the year for them (Fridays during Lent) or eating what my Mom would call "Poor Man's Supper".

Poor Man's Supper is so easy and so simple and it has become a real comfort food for me over the years. Spaghetti, Olive Oil, and Garlic. That's it. If you wanted to, you can sprinkle some grated parm cheese in there too. So simple. So cheap. So good.

I have carried on the tradition of serving Poor Man's Supper on Fridays during Lent, but last week, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do Pizza. But I didn't want to wait forever to have one delivered. And the truth is...I enjoy making my own Pizza Pies.

I started off by putting my oven on at 500 degrees. The hotter the oven, the better the crust cooks. If you are afraid of a really hot oven or your oven doesn't go that high for whatever reason, then partially bake the crust first to firm it up. It'll help from getting a soggy crust.

Then, I made the kid's Pizza:


Easy peasy. Pizza Dough, stretched out. Some jarred sauce. Some sliced Mozzarella cheese. And we are done. If it wasn't Friday, I would have plopped some pepperoni on it too. But...that would have been a sin.


Then, I wanted to make a "Grown Up Pizza" for me and Hubby.

Pizza Dough. Always get the real thing. Not the stuff that comes in a can. Most stores carry real Pizza Dough now. And they freeze pretty well.


I brushed the dough with a mixture of Olive Oil and some Minced Garlic.


Then topped with with thinly sliced Tomatoes.


Then nice, big slices of Mozzarella Cheese. And a Sprinkling of Chopped Basil.


Baked at that high temp for about 15 minutes. I love when the cheese gets a little burnt. That's the best part.


Mmmmm.....soooooo good!!! This is great for those who used to live in New York or the surrounding areas and miss that good ole' New York Style Pizza. I highly recommend investing in a Pizza Stone to bake it on. It makes a WORLD of a Difference in the crust. So close to a Pizzeria.