Pizza is one of those things…when it’s good…it’s really good…and when it’s bad…it’s still kinda good.  I’m no pizza snob, I’ve been known to devour an entire Totino’s…but I love a good pie (to use one of the tolerable yankee slangs).  My all-time favorite place for pizza is Mellow Mushroom…heavenly goodness!  And their Greek dressing…to die for!  There was this spot in the PHX called Nello’s that filled the void Mellow Mushroom left when we moved from the ATL…then, of course, right before we moved out of PHX…the ‘Shroom moved in *sigh*.  Anyhoo…Nello’s had very creative combinations of toppings AND they made a whole wheat dough…perfect for the South Beach diet days (well, perfect for my version anyway…more like the Redneck Riviera diet).  My favorite pizza at Nello’s was the Murphy…bacon & onions…YUM!  I’m carmelizing my onions with some garlic & I’ll be adding some blue cheese crumbles…and if I’m feeling all spicy, maybe some jalapenos…double YUM!

I thought that the kids would have fun if we made our own pizzas…dough & all.  Now, tonight I am defiling myself with regular flour, but I have done this with whole wheat before…pretty darn good.  I use a recipe from the October 1997 issue of Martha Stewart Living.  Can I tell you what a kick it was to peruse that magazine today, before the boys got home?  Martha with ‘french cuffed’ jeans (we knew them as ‘pegged’ back in the day)…LOL!  The ‘cutting edge’ appliance ads…it was fun.  Lots of the decor and tips were surprisingly relevant…Martha has that timeless style (except with the jeans).  Does anyone find it odd that I have the whole magazine?  I mentioned that I’m really quirky about paper…books & magazines are no exception.  I did fold the page with the pizza method in half…not dog-eared…that is a pet peeve of mine…I can’t help it!  I’m weird, I know.  There are tons of dough recipes, but what can I say…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  The whole point for me was to prepare a dinner that the kids could have a big hand in :).

October 1997…I love that garland :).

The boys…see why I wonder when 7 became the new 13?  Ethan perked up & had fun…eventually.  I can’t keep a shirt on Luke.

Owen…’welcome to my cookin’ show CHEF COOKS & we are makin’ pizza!’…he is such a crack-up.  When we were ready to start, he RAN upstairs to get his chef hat :).

She really had fun!  Kinda glad she took off the black outfit LOL.

Move over…I can’t see…MOM!  Ahhhhh, brotherly love.

He’s so proud of his creation…it even put a smile on his face :).

My pizza masterpiece…I wasn’t feeling the jalapenos tonight, but when I got a bite that had the bacon, onion & blue cheese all at once…YUMMMMMMMMMM!

Today’s secret revealed…maybe it isn’t that big of a secret, but most pizza places will sell you dough balls for pretty cheap…great if you’re having, say a build your own pizza party.

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