Over the weekend we shared a lovely evening and a casual dinner with some friends…who happen to be hosting an exchange student from France! A perfect opportunity for trying some simple recipes from a favorite blogger, writer, and cook…the Pioneer Woman! I love her wonderfully casual recipes that are many times simple, quick and always tasty! Seriously, I want to be her when I grow up! So I’ve been wanting to create her individual pizzas with delicious toppings piled on some crusty French bread! Yum, right? And how fun to have my family and guests create their own mini pizzas…following the recipe or whipping up their own unique combos! We had a wonderful time, and even though communication with our young visitor from France was at times confusing…it made the evening even more special to have him with us! So today I’d like to share our simple fun…
building our own pizzas!
after looking at the different varieties of pizza recipes by The Pioneer Woman, i settled on four to work around…pepperoni jalepeno, tomato basil, taco, and greek salad! i used a simple chalk board lined with fairy lights for the menu and hung it from the knobs on the cabinet above my kitchen shelves! then i simply explained to everyone what ingredients were available for each pizza, and gave the go-ahead for everyone to get creative and make whatever their hearts desired! no rules!
i decided to set up the tiny island in my kitchen like a production line with all the goodies to layer on the bread…including toppings to pile on after those toasty breads come out of the oven!
and since it was a do-it-yourself situation, labeling the food was helpful. i made simple tags on the computer and glued them to tiny hors d’oeuvres forks–perfect to spear right into thick cucumber slices! i happened to have more than we could eat growing in the garden…so they made wonderful, organic, and cheap bases for the food labels!
French bread demi loaves are sliced & stacked in a mini crate…
and each guest can slather on their first layer…marinara, olive oil, or pesto!
a space to work…
at the corner of the island a large tray makes a great starting point for the production of pizza perfection….and also catches any drips from the sauces!
the “fixins’ & toppings” labels got special treatment–highlighted on vine tomatoes!
pile ’em on…
let’s build…
pop ’em in the oven…
once they’re out…it’s time to top them! the two with just cheese will get a healthy dollop of Greek salad!
mmmm…
ready to eat…
my outdoor table gets a simple runner of fresh flowers and bread sticks in ball jars…
easy way to label the bread…washi tape!
family, friends, good food…a fabulous evening!
seconds anyone?