The Budget Casa

Whether you are having people over tonight to watch “Lost� or throwing a big Friday night bash, pizza is a fabulous perennial party food. But with rising food and fuel costs, getting pizza isn’t always the deal it’s cracked up to be and don’t even get us started on those nasty frozen pizzas (that includes you, Digiorno).

You can save some dough by making your own dough and having your friends bring cheese and there favorite toppings. Prepare the dough in advance and when your guests arrive have them help you build their own pizzas. It is a fun way to save money and eat some delicious pizza. In fact, we love making our own pizza so much, it has become a Friday night tradition and we’ve tried every topping from eggplant to bacon on ours.



Make it and Bake it

Use Jay’s signature pizza crust recipe from AllRecipes.com for a no-fail dough.

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
5. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

This recipe makes a lot of dough. Divide the dough and roll it out for 2 cookie sheets for thinner crusts. Double the recipe for four pizzas. Also, before your guests arrive, prebake the dough for 6-8 minutes in the oven. This will ensure that your dough is ready to be topped and baked.

Sauces
Normal Ragu makes a tasty and cheap pizza sauce, but if you don’t have any in your house you can make your own for less. It is very easy and you probably have the ingredients in your cupboards.

Here is our favorite pizza sauce recipe; a friend copied it for us from a cookbook called The Farm Cookbook.
Red Sauce

1 small onion

3 Tbsp oil

4 oz of tomato paste

1 cup of water

¾ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tsp of chili powder

2 pinches of allspice

1 pinch of black pepper

½ tsp of basil

Small pinch of cayenne

½ tsp of salt

5 tsp of sugar

Directions
Mince the onion and then fry it in the oil until transparent. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes. Makes one cookie sheet sized pizza.

White Sauce

Pizza’s with white sauce are a delicious variation on a classic. Crush up oregano and mix it in olive oil for a simple oil-based sauce for a delicious pizza topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.

Or you can make an Alfredo sauce and top your pizza with chicken, spinach, tomatoes and artichokes. A recipe for a delicious no-fail alfredo is below. It is creamy and delicious and doesn’t require you to go out and buy a quart of cream. Feel free to use margarine and low-fat cream cheese for a more diet-friendly version. This recipe is also from AllRecipes.com.

Alfredo sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 cups milk

6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long.

Pizza ideas
When you are making your own pizza, sky’s the limit. Try different cheeses and toppings, mix and match. Below are some ideas:

Barbeque pizza—use your favorite barbeque sauce, top with chicken, tomatoes, and gouda cheese.

Cheeseburger pizza—use a red sauce, top with cooked ground hamburger, pieces of cooked bacon, and cheddar cheese.

What is your favorite way to make pizza? Let us know!