Margherita Pizza

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather. :)  Hooray for the Bengals win yesterday, putting them on a 5-game winning streak with a 6-2 record.  The last time the Bengals had a winning streak this long was the year I was born - 1988.  Looks like they are doing something right with the additions of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green.  My dad was so fed up with the Bengals franchise after last season he actually gave up his season tickets for the first time since he moved to Cincinnati back in the 80's.  Funny thing is, he just purchased tickets for the rest of the home games this season two weeks ago - don't worry everyone, I made sure to call him a bandwagon fan, to which he just laughed.  Unfortunately, the Browns aren't doing so well and lost yet again yesterday. :(  

 To celebrate the Bengals victory, I made my favorite kind of pizza for dinner Sunday night - Margherita!  This recipe is simple and it turned out delicious!  


Recipe: 

12 inch pizza crust (I used Boboli original crust)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 -4 large basil leaves, cut into strips
2 small tomatoes, cut thinly (I used Roma tomatoes)
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Drizzle the olive oil over the pizza dough. Use a brush to spread it around and make sure to get the crust!
3. Next, spread the finely chopped garlic evenly over the entire pizza.
4.  Spread the mozzarella cheese throughout the top

5. Place the thinly sliced tomatoes across the entire pizza.
6. Lightly salt and pepper the tomatoes
7. Spread the fresh basil leaves, making sure to get some on tomatoes and on just the cheese itself.
8. Cook the pizza in the oven for about 9-10 minutes, or until sufficiently crispy and melted to your liking.
9.  Add a little Parmesan cheese ( I added a little before baking and a little after) and enjoy!

End Result: