Sometimes You Just Need A Pizza.

After several unfortunate and ill-conceived meals, I wanted something comforting and familiar. (AACCKKK. I'm frustrated with the way these links work. Just scroll down past the above post to get to where I wanted to link to.) Pizza seemed to be calling me.

I sprinkled one package of yeast over about 1/2 cup water, then sprinkled sugar over top of the yeast.

Left it to "proof," so you know the yeast is active.

Then I added a bit of olive oil - maybe 2 tablespoons.

One egg went in.

Then I started adding flour and a teaspoon of salt.

Enough flour until the ball starts pulling away from the side.

Plop the shaggy mess on a floured board and start kneading.

Until you get a nice smooth elastic dough.

Roll the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and put in a warm place to rise. Meanwhile, we started on the sauce.

First, I chopped an onion and a few cloves of garlic and picked a handful of basil.

Then I sauted the onions in a bit of oil, and added a can of chopped tomatoes.

Garlic went in next.

Then the basil went in.

I found some dehydrated mushrooms in the back of the fridge, so those went in, and Mr. Hawthorne decided to slice some jalapenos into the mix.

About an hour and a half of rising, and wallah.

My favorite part - the punch down.

Knead a bit more.

Then I sliced the dough in half.

One half, I wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for later use.

The other half I slathered with pesto.

I kneaded the dough to evenly distribute the pesto.

The secret to spreading out pizza dough is to take your time. Spread a little bit, starting from the center, then let the dough rest a while.

Spread and rest.

And the dough is ready for browning.

Just slightly brown the crust.

Next, Mr. Hawthorne likes to grate a layer of cheese over top of the crust.

Then the sauce went on.

Peppers next.

Sliced black olives.

Onions.

Cheese on top.

Oregano.

Heat through.

And it's done.

I needed this pizza. Really needed this pizza. Especially after the two disappointing meals I could barely swallow. And the pesto was a really nice addition to the crust. I'm thinking pesto breadsticks would be really nice too. I still have the other half of dough in the fridge, so I may go in that direction. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.