A Love of Affair Through the Years…

I have a secret love affair.

It’s somewhat scandalous, as it actually tore a relationship apart in my past.

Do I have your interested yet?

Seriously though, I LOVE… pizza. It is one of the things I just can’t live without and my passion for pizza was one of the reasons I gave up my vegan life (yes, I consider veganism a relationship). I was having dreams about it. Now, while you can make a yummy pizza without dairy (and I still do to this day), it’s that beautiful balance of cheese and bread that I adore.

So my relationship with pizza has been going strong since we first met when I was a child. My taste back then was… less sophisticated to say the least (I was drawn to the frozen square pizzas for years), but things have matured over the years. We’re both more dynamic, more complex.

One of my favorite parts about pizza, however, is something I haven’t really done in years. The two of us haven’t connected in that way for a long time, because I don’t make pizza from scratch anymore. The act of actually taking the raw dough and building my dream “pie” from an assortment of favorite toppings, was the equivalent of creating the perfect man (well, maybe not exactly back then, but it was awfully satisfying).

Sure I buy a Naan or store-bought pizza crust and toss some ingredients on top from time to time, but it’s just not the same.

Well, it’s never too late to rekindle the flame!

Thanks to Jenna, over at Eat, Live Run, I grabbed her recipe for The Best Pizza Dough and attempted for the first time in… well, ever actually (we always bought the dough read-made from the grocery store when I was a kid now that I think of it).

Kneading dough may not sounds like fun to you, but it brought back happy memories of playing with the extra scraps of dough and enjoying their elastic-like qualities. Plus, I have to admit that I’m completely fascinated by the power of yeast. One minute your dough is gooey and tough, an hour later it’s twice the size and nice and smooth. It’s kitchen magic.

What you do with that dough from there is a very personal decision. Do you like cheese, vegetables, Italian sausage or do you want to go the white pizza route?

Pizza doesn’t have to be unhealthy either. It’s as versatile as you!

I started with carmelized onions with garlic sautéed baby-bello mushrooms, mozzarella and goat cheese (sprinkle the top of your pizza with garlic powder if you are a big garlic lover).

So roll up your sleeves, dive and knead away, because making a glorious cheesy, bubbly, gold-brown, sauce dripping pizza pie bring a lot of joy. Not to mention it adds that special spark back in a relationship that has lasted years.

Have you made pizza from scratch? What is your favorite topping combination?