P-P-Pizza - What better way to warm up?

I have been remiss. Nichole is COMPLETELY carrying the blog lately. But, I'm back! And, very excited to share my current cooking obsession: pizza.

While it's nowhere near as cold in California as it is in the 'burgh, I have had to break out the winter coats for those 38 degree beach mornings.

Nichole, you and J are total geniuses. Your pizza recipes have revolutionized my pizza making and made me, if not Italian, at least an honorary Italian. It turns out that the trick really is in the dough. You have to put in the work to make really kick-ass dough in order to have a great final product.

green peppers, red onions, gouda, and tomato garlic sauce

I've experimented a couple of different ways. I'm not as ambitious as Nichole, so I don't make my own pizza sauce. There's a great generic brand called Safeway that makes some amazing sauces. I really hate sauces that are labeled as "pizza" sauces, so I tend to stick to the regular pasta sauces. My favorite? Safeway's artichoke pesto, which is a red sauce with a delicious artichokey bite.

before the oven

Next step: the cheese. Nichole is right that fresh mozzarella is delicious. But, I am completely in love with gouda cheese. On a pizza, it is totally to die for. The trick is to put it on the pizza in the beginning and not wait until halfway through the baking process like you would with mozzarella. It gets bubbly and slightly burnt, which is perfect. Once, I also added some Jarlsberg. Jarlsberg melts really well in grilled cheese and melts just as well on a pizza.

red onions, basil, gouda, Jarlsberg, and artichoke pesto sauce

My can't-live-without-it topping is red onions. Onions are sort of a miracle food. They can make your eyes water but can also become perfectly sweet when baked or carmelized on the stovetop. They are incredibly amazing on pizza. Same goes for green peppers, which become a bit sweet. And basil gets crispy and delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Bon appetit!