Monday, July 13, 2015

Win with Family Pizza Night

Family Night - Pizza Dinner - 1

They say that good things come to those that wait. I’m pretty sure that whoever “they” are weren’t talking about me or my family pizza night but the statement is true all the same. After a year of hosting regular family pizza nights, I learned three things tonight; 1. I can make my own pizza dough, 2. You hardly need any “pizza ingredients” to make a pizza and 3. The Kids will eat all of their pizza if they get to make it themselves.

When I first started making my own pizza, I would buy frozen pizza dough (contents unknown) and then have to remember to take it out the night before or morning of to ensure that it was fully defrosted. Then I had kids so the only way we got pizza was by ordering in or getting one fully made out of the freezer. When I was ready to make my own again, the frozen pizza dough had gone up to over $2. I figured there had to be an easier, more affordable and healthier way.

Turns out that my friends can cook (“they” also say something about opposites attracting) so I got a really easy recipe from a friend with all but one ingredient* that I have on hand. That’s saying a lot considering I hardly ever bake or cook. If I can make it, so can you. Here’s how.

Family Night - Pizza Dinner - 2

Even with the help of The Kids, it rose within one hour just like it should. While we were waiting, I opened up the fridge in search of ingredients. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to find out that, we had no tomato sauce or tomatoes nor did we have any “pizza” cheese. No matter, I opened up the cupboards to find a gold mine; salsa, pickled mushrooms, spicy peppers, sun dried tomatoes and crushed garlic. Add that to the beet greens, spinach and swiss chard from the garden, broccoli, leftover chicken breast, onions, cheddar and kalamata olives. I cut up each of the ingredients into small pieces and separated them onto plates. Wouldn’t want any cross contamination of items before they all get married together on the pizza.**

I cut off portions of the dough for The Kids because for the first time, they were going to make their own pizzas all.by.themselves. I’m not sure which they enjoyed more, getting to throw on the flour, roll out the dough or add the garnishes. The highlight for me was that there was no complaining about what they did and didn’t like on their pizza and no pile of picked things left on the side. For the first time ever, they ate every.single.bite. I won’t go and ruin things by telling then that they put just about everything that I normally put on “our” pizza on theirs.

Family Night - Pizza Dinner - 3

(Max is about to eat a piece of pizza that Artemis is holding. No, the picture was not staged)

Not every family has time to make pizza but every family deserves to spend time together. So, four friends and I, Aneta at Home with Aneta, Christy at Christys Cozy Corners, Michele at Mikis Hope, and Karen at Family Travels on a Budget have gotten together to offer you a chance to WIN $25USD PayPal Cash! I hope that after you enter this giveaway, you’ll take the time to stop by their blogs and see all that they have to offer. Good Luck!

Have You Ever had a Family Pizza Night?


* The one ingredient that I didn’t have on hand was yeast but I’ve since bought a large jar and will be keeping it in the freezer so it lasts longer. Note that Fleishmanns currently has a 50 cent off coupon available right now too.
** Not sure if I should tell The Kids what happens when all the food gets into their stomach…

Besos, The Zoo

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118 thoughts on “Win with Family Pizza Night”

  1. Debbie S.

    I am from Alberta. We have lots of beautiful landscapes here, from the Rocky Mountains, fields of crops and let’s not forget the Badlands at Drumheller, and vast forestry and beautiful parks and lakes. We have West Edmonton Mall and a Bass Pro Shop down by Balzac (if you ever around Balzac stop into Bass Pro Shop-coolest store ever). There is so much more I could go on about. I love this province.

    Reply ↓
  2. Michele

    I have never attempted to make my own pizza. It could be because I grew up in a town that was 1/2 Italian and plenty of places to get delicious pizza–or that I live in New York and there is a Pizza Place or an Italian restaurant around every corner! It does sound pretty easy to make and I think I just might try to make a personal size pizza for me–of course if I blow it all I’ll have to do is walk down or up the street!
    Michele recently posted…$25 PayPal GA-US and Canada Only-Children’s Cook Book Review-Ends 8/3My Profile

    Reply ↓
  4. Clare Korth

    Ontario here.
    With 7 kids, it was always fun having personal pizza at home. They put on anything they liked. Then there were no complaints. 🙂
    Have a great day!!

    Reply ↓
  6. Aneta Alaei

    We did family pizza night few times but just couldn’t make the pizza dough not shrink back really small. I love that you eat beet greens, they are my favourite. I should try this with my kids. They eat weird food but only cheese pizza, so boring.

    Reply ↓
  9. Carla

    We love making pizza together – we get to be silly and funny, add just about anything on it. The kids love extra extra cheese! LOL! I am in Ontario and I love all the parks, museums 🙂

    Reply ↓
  16. Glogirl

    I’m from Ontario and live in the country but the population at least doubles in the summer here because of all the cottagers.

    Reply ↓
  23. Erika Letson

    I am located in Ontario and we live in southern Ontario within easy driving distance to all the Great Lakes. We have some fantastic beaches and great farmland!

    Reply ↓
  31. Carissa Joslyn

    I’m in Maine-USA! Winters are long and brutal here, but summers are amazing and beautiful , especially along the coast! I don’t really now whats special about it, but it sure is pretty! 🙂

    Reply ↓
  33. KD

    I live in Ontario, but lived for 2 years in northern Manitoba. The highways to get there are easy to drive…you just leave Winnipeg and go north! The highway is super straight, although there are very few places to stop along the way (so you have to plan ahead). Once we stopped at the side of the road for 5 minutes for a diaper change/leg stretch, and not another vehicle went by during that time. It was the middle of the day too. The bugs are bad, but the scenery is beautiful!

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  38. Karen Dawkins

    We love homemade pizza. Usually we cheat and buy the dough our grocery prepares and sells in the deli area. But, when we plan better, homemade is the best! We usually grill the crust, then top it with good stuff and put it back on the grill to melt together. Mmmmmm!
    Karen Dawkins recently posted…Lagniappe: Just a little extraMy Profile

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  39. Laurie P

    I’m located in ON, minutes from Niagara Falls……love all the scenic trails that we’ve come across while biking!

    Reply ↓
  41. Suzi

    I’m in Ontario and I have to say that no matter how hot and humid it gets outside, it is STILL so much better then the neverending winter we just had!*l*

    Reply ↓
  49. Caroline M.

    I live in British Columbia & boy are we ever having a hot summer. At least 35 degrees every night. It was 31 degrees in my bedroom at bedtime 2 nights ago.

    Reply ↓
  51. C McLaren

    I live in Ontario, but my heart is in Nova Scotia where I grew up. The ocean calls me home every summer.

    Reply ↓
  55. Debra S

    I live in MN. And wow, it’s our short summertime! Too hot to put on an oven. I complain about the heat far too much. We do not have A/C and I hate it when it get anywhere near 90. Pizza night??? Once, my husband said, oh gee we should make our own pizzas.. on our pizza night. BUT I pointed out… the pizza nights here are to give ME a break from the constant constant cooking and cleaning! If YOU want to do this, it’s YOUR night then to play wife, YOU cook, clean, etc, and we’ll make our own pizzas. Guess what? He ordered out too.

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  57. aketch

    We love homemade pizza and I make it often. I omit most of the salt and it does not seem to affect the recipe or the taste.

    Reply ↓
  61. Ty

    I live in Pennsylvania. Home of the Liberty Bell, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

    Reply ↓
  62. Tricia M.

    I am from Arizona, USA. It’s just too hot here in the summer. I mean I like hot but this is way HOT!!! I think I’ll have to move back to the east coast.

    Reply ↓
  65. Kelly Nicholson

    What State or Province are you located in? Anything special you want to share about it?

    north louisiana..nothing special except it freaking hot

    Reply ↓
  68. Kasey A

    I live in Alberta. It’s very much a working province, lots of jobs and opportunities which is nice. Things have slowed down a lot but personally, for myself and my family, it has given us a chance we wouldn’t have had elsewhere.

    Reply ↓
  69. Amie George

    I live in Washington State in the city Kurt Cobain was from and also Daniel Bryan from WWE. It is typically rainy and gloomy here but today was the first day we have had rain in a month and I am loving it.

    Reply ↓
  70. Stacy

    I live in Florida, and while most people know about Disney and Universal and to a lesser extent Sea World and Busch Gardens, I live close to a “hidden” gem, a throwback to old times, the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, home of the famous Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaids!

    Reply ↓
  72. Louanne Baelde

    We live in Cornwall, Ontario Canada located central to Ottawa and Montreal, only about one hour from each of these cities. We love this city as it is affordable with many things going on. It is also along the beautiful shoreline of the St. Lawrence River and is the border crossing for the United States, which is also very convenient.

    Reply ↓
  80. Peggy D

    I live in South Jersey. We are known for our beaches and boardwalks, that is what everyone comes to Jersey for the summer to do

    Reply ↓
  81. sheila ressel

    I’m here in sunny Tampa, FL (although not so sunny lately with all the rain). I haven’t had a pizza night – we usually order it in – but I would like to try making my own sometime. It looks really good!

    Reply ↓
  85. Becky

    Hello from NB. The land of ice and snow. Or that’s how this summer has felt with the exception of yesterday lol

    Reply ↓
  91. letessha

    I live in Lynchburg, Va. I hate it here. It is not a good place for kids or younger people for that matter. Saving up to move.

    Reply ↓
  95. Andrea Peregretti

    I live in Southern California. It was hot and sunny until from freak surpirse thunderstorms today!

    Reply ↓
  97. Sadie Terry

    I live in Ohio, vermilion, not even an hour away from Cleveland, right on Lake Erie, technically I only have to walk across the street and I’m off the United States (in Lake Erie) , lol. Very small town, more than half the people are really really rich mean people (obvi not me, unemployed and no income), and gated communities, with literally nothing here but boats. It’s mostly a place people from Florida and hot places come to live in their summer homes here.

    I hate where I live and the people here, but I LOVE Ohio, it literally is the heart of United States, it’s heart shaped and it’s right where the heart would be if America was a human lol

    Reply ↓
  107. Sabrina Tong

    I’m from BC and our license plates don’t say Beautiful British Columbia without a very good reason 😉

    Reply ↓
  114. Jesselyn A/Jesstinger

    We live in Illinois: the Land of Lincoln ~ and home of the world-famous Chicago-Style Pizza!

    Reply ↓

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