A Slice of Heaven

Andouille Sausage, Banana Pepper, Kalamata Olive, Mozzarella and Shaved Parm Pizza

"A slice of heaven" said a wise young boy named Zachary Siwiec after taking a bite of his pizza! That bite just happened to be from the homemade pizza I made tonight! Nothing made this italian mamma more proud after hearing that comment. Pizza is one of my family's all time favorite foods.  If given the choice we would eat pizza every night of the week. My gosh, who wouldn't? Pizza is sooo heavenly. Dr. Oz may not agree but I would even go so far as to say that pizza is a "superfood." Why? Because there are endless possibilities when it comes to making pizza and choosing toppings. Pizza can be topped with just about anything and become a different and unique meal each time.  Anything goes...add chicken, shrimp, sausage, steak, goat cheese, ricotta cheese, fontina cheese, gorgonzola cheese, peppers, olives, anchovies, artichokes, spinach or arugula. Heck, if you add some nuts, berries and eggs you'd surely make Dr. Oz happy!

I also love making pizza as much as I love eating it. Making pizza is like having a party because everyone wants to be involved. My boys, including Dave, get so excited about choosing their own toppings and creating their own masterpiece. Tonight we made 2 delicious pizzas that satisfied all of our appetites. The first pizza was "Andouille Sausage with Banana Peppers, Kalamata Olives, Mozzarella and shaved Parm Cheese" and the second pizza was "Mushroom, Mozzarella and shaved Parm Cheese." Both tasted sooo heavenly!  Salute to making your slice of heaven!

Mushroom, Mozzarella and Shaved Parm Pizza

• Many local pizzerias will sell balls of their dough for a nominal charge.

Ingredients for andouille sausage pizza:

1 ball of your favorite pizza dough    

1 jar of tomato sauce

1 cup sliced andouille sausage

1/4 cup kalamata olives

1/4 cup jarred banana pepper rings (I used mild)

2 cups of mozzarella cheese

shaved parm cheese

olive oil

salt n pepper

Ingredients for mushroom pizza:

1 ball of pizza dough

1 jar of tomato sauce

4 oz of sliced mushrooms (I used canned)

2 cups mozzarella cheese

parm cheese

1 tb fresh basil chopped

olive oil

salt n pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Sprinkle corn meal on 2 baking sheet, either round or rectangular and spread the dough out evenly on the pans.  Bake dough in oven for 10 minutes.  **I pre-bake my dough so all of the ingredients ook evenly. Take the dough out of the oven and add the sauce and then the mozzarella cheese.  Then add other ingredients.  Add salt n pepper and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Bake for 15 minutes until toppings and cheese are golden.  Take pizza out and let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Food Impressions: 

Zachary:  "This tastes like a slice of heaven."  (The inspiration for my post title)

Tyler:  "Thick and spicy."

Nate: "Super duper yummy"

Dave: "The andouille pizza is like taking a mediterranean cruise...every bite reminds me of flavors from Greece, Spain and Italy."  "Best pizza you've made." (He was so complimentary I began to wonder what he did wrong!) 

Andrea (me): Both pizzas were delicious but I especially liked the andouille sausage pizza. It was mildly spicy and the banana peppers added a punch of flavor.