For some reason, I’ve been on the bachelor/college student diet for the last couple of weeks. My fridge only has water, condiments, and beer. Oh, and tons of pizza and tex mex takout boxes. In an attempt to be healthier (is it really?) I’ve started to make my own pizza and tex mex with less grease/oil. I’m also positive that what I’m eating is actually meat/cheese when I put it on my pizza.

My friends and I have come to realize that making pizza is not only cheaper than buying it at our local place, it’s more fun. The only ingredients that we’ve tried so far have been various kinds of peppers, sausages, amd mushrooms. Basically, whatever is in the fridge, goes on the pizza.

I would have had an “after” picture for the pizza itself, but we accidentally folded it while taking it out of the oven. But the before picture is pretty right??

It was still delicious.

Ingredients:

1 pkg quick-rise yeast

1 cup warm water

2 cups flour

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

( via: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-dough-iii/detail.aspx)

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1chopped green bell pepper

1 chopped kielbasa sausage

1 sliced whole tomato

4 cups of mozzerella or white cheese

1 lemon

1/2 cup shredded thai basil

black pepper

1 tsp sugar

thyme

salt

2 tbsp grated garlic

Olive Oil

2 tbsp butter or rendered bacon fat

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Make dough according to the above recipe

3. In a medium saucepan, sautee garlic and basil until fragrant in olive oil

4. Add can of diced tomatoes to the mixture and let simmer until sweet. While simmering, add tsp of sugar, thyme, half of a squeezed lemon and grated lemon skin. Let cook for 20-40 minutes.

5. Spread out pizza dough on cookie sheet or large pizza pan

6. Melt butter or bacon fat and glaze the crust of the pizza

7. Spread tomato sauce on the dough. Don’t use too much or the dough will rip!

8. Add a layer of cheese, then as many peppers, sausage, and tomatoes as you wish

9. Add another layer of cheese and the rest of your toppings

10. Place in oven and bake until dough is cooked through and cheese is browned on the edges.

11. CAREFUL TAKING THIS BAD BOY OUT OF THE OVEN. My friend burned his hand and dropped the pizza in a way that it folded.

12. Let cool, and enjoy.

Did I get everything? Yeah.