Monday Night Pizza...Quick, Easy & Pretty!

Tonight I got home late from work and decided to make it a "pizza night".  I used Publix's fresh pizza dough that they make fresh daily in their bakery.  Tonight, the only thing I really did differently was try to work the dough out with my hands (pizzeria style).  Previously, I've always rolled it out with a rolling pin.  If you've ever worked with fresh pizza dough...you know that the one really annoying thing about it is that it keeps shrinking back over and over again.  It's a battle to finally get it rolled out to the size you want it to be.  I know that pizzerias stretch it out by hand, using their knuckles and backs of their hands to stretch it out as they go around and around in a circular pattern.  So...I decided that tonight, regardless of how it might turn out or how I might mess it up...that I was going to do it the way THEY (pizzerias) do it. 

I must say with a rather shocked and puzzled look on my face....it turned out absolutely fabulous!  I couldn't believe it....and then suddenly, I realized what a dork I was standing there in my kitchen so excited that I was able to stretch it out the way you are supposed to.  It made the pizza much bigger around and the dough/crust thinner (which I like).  Maybe next time I will actually toss it up in the air....hahaha!  If I made it any larger, it wouldn't fit on my already ginormous pizza stone.  This pizza is obscenely huge!

I put our usual favorite toppings on it -- his was turkey pepperoni, Kalamata olives and artichoke hearts...mine was a trio of colorful peppers and onions.  I just ran and took a peek at it baking in the oven...I must say it is absolutely gorgeous.  I think it is one of the prettiest pizzas I have ever made!!!  Of course, I've snapped a few photos to share with you below.  It looks like a masterpiece to me!  Abbondanza!  ;-) 

The beginnings of something good to come!

Ready to pop this big boy into the oven (if it was any bigger I'd need a forklift to move it to the oven)!

His side (pre-baked)

My side (pre-baked) -- much prettier!

One last glimpse before it goes into the oven!

The baking begins

Fresh out of the even...25 minutes later

Another glimpse

Looking down on dinner...yummy!

My pizza masterpiece...Abbondanza!

BOOM!

Mine

His

Well...I have to tell you that it tasted as good as it looked.  We both have plenty of pizza left for tomorrow too, which makes it taste even better!