happy birthday my brother

today is a my brother's birthday......its time to celebrate!!




i miss you so much.

its all about the dough

Pizza is one of those foods that I think needs one good thing. You can dress it up all you want, but if the dough is not good "forget about it" (think De Niro). Using fresh dough is the way to go, but getting there can be a bit challenging. Its not hard to make pizza dough - you can go online and find lots and lots of recipes, you just have to be organized and make it early, let it rise and have it ready. I did the next best thing, I bought the dough at my local pizza joint. Yes...they sell freshly made pizza dough. It turned out so good that I'm not sure that I will be making it myself. Any way, here is my recipe for the sauce, toppings and cooking. Sauce - 14 oz can of whole tomatoes - blended 3 tbsp olive oil 1/2 onion - chopped 2 garlic cloves - minced 3 sprigs of fresh oregano - chopped/or 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp chili flakes (optional) Preheat oven to 450 degrees - nice and hot. Heat olive oil in sauce pan and saute onion, garlic and oregano until they are soft and smell great. Add blended tomatoes and let simmer. Reduce heat and let sauce thicken - about 10 minutes. Add chili flakes at the last minute. Once the sauce is nice and thick, turn off and let cool. Spread dough on cookie sheet. I use a pizza stone and would recommend you do the same. Spread sauce on dough starting in the middle and working your way out. Leave a 1 inch border. Add your favorite cheese and toppings. Its important to get your oven nice and hot. Carefully place pizza on top rack and let cook for 10-14 minutes. If your oven is convection, use the feature. You may have to adjust your cooking time, but leave the temperature the same. The trick is to cook it fast and furious. Bon Apetito!