Pizza

This past Saturday, Mountain Man and I had our families over for dinner - one aunt's birthday and an early 4th of July celebration. We had 16 people in our little house, and everyone was talking over everyone else and having a grand old time.

We made:

• Pizza (recipe below)
• Ribs (with our favorite Santa Maria dry rub)
• Steak (with our own sweet and spicy dry rub. Let me know if you want some - I have a ton in little bags to share and it works on all meat!)
• Chicken, marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and paprika
• Pasta salad
• Green salad
• Peach cobbler

People brought:

• Beans in root beer and molasses (thanks to my sister)
• Potato salad with goat cheese, shallots, and parsley (thanks to my mom)
• Chicken salad with celery, pecans, and raisins (thanks to MM's mom)
• Sauteed dandelion greens (thanks to my aunt)
• A ton of delicious fruit (thanks to my other aunt)

My mom and my two aunts are the traditional party-throwers in our family, but my sister and I have been doing our share since we are now married, home-owning women. All of us pitch in at everyone else's parties, but the woman throwing the party is always the one who gets asked what goes where and which platter is for which dish and which glasses go in the dishwasher and which don't. The woman throwing the party, as my aunt noted, never gets to sit down! At the end of a party, I always feel like I've run a mile - the exhaustion, of course, but also, that feeling of accomplishment that you've thrown a good party.

The great thing about these parties is that everyone brings something, and it gives people a chance to try out new recipes and new ideas. My sister and mom both found the recipes for the dishes they made in magazines. They both enjoy trying new recipes - whereas I find recipes I love and make them again and again. I beg my sister to make the mac-n-cheese she made for a party 3 years ago, but she's moved on to other dishes. Whereas I make the same pizza and peach cobbler twice in one weekend for two separate parties. Which, when you're providing food for two parties, and the first party is exhausting and requires a long soak in the hot tub afterwards, isn't such a bad idea.


Spinach and Artichoke Pizza


First, a couple of notes: My aunt raved about a new pizza at CPK that had spinach, artichokes, 5 different kinds of cheeses, and a garlic creme fraiche sauce. I thought it sounded great, but wasn't about to invest in 5 different kinds of cheeses for one (or rather two) pizzas. So I pared down the ingredients and still got rave reviews.

Also, I used Trader Joe's pizza dough, since I didn't have the time to make my own. It worked out quite well, which is why I've indicated that you could do the same to get this on the table quickly. However, if you have the time, I strongly suggest making your own pizza dough, which isn't difficult and makes your kitchen smell like delicious bready goodness.

And finally, many thanks to Mona and Dan for the great pizza stone - amazing results both times!

Ingredients:

• One package Trader Joe's pizza dough
• 4-5 artichoke hearts, cut into big chunks
• 8 oz (about one bag or one bunch) baby spinach
• One ball mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400.

Follow the directions on the bag for the pizza dough, letting it rest for about 20 minutes on a lightly floured surface.

While you're waiting on the dough, wilt the spinach in a lightly oiled saute pan. You'll want to see it starting to turn darker and shrink a bit, but turn off the heat before it's completely mushy.

Once the dough has "rested", move it to a lightly oiled pizza stone or baking sheet, and stretch it out to about a 12-inch diameter using your hands (TJ's recommends a rolling pin, but I found it got sticky quickly).

Top the dough with the artichoke hearts, spinach, mozzarella, and parmesan.

Bake the pizza for about 20 minutes, until the crust begins to brown and the cheese has melted.

Eat and enjoy!