Pizza: The food that sustains families on the go

I make ALOT of pizza. Which I guess, translated, means that I eat a lot of pizza. Which means I have to keep that running thing up.

This summer, I've made a bit of a science out of homemade pizza. It's now gotten to the point where I refuse, absolutely refuse, to give Pizza Hut or the PaPa any more of my dough (ha ha ha ha!).

There are several approaches to making homemade pizza. There's the bread machine theory, wherein you throw all of the ingredients into a bread machine, let it knead it and rise it, then pull the mess out and throw on the toppings. But what's the point of making homemade dough if you can't be the one kneading it. I think I need to knead (OK enough with the pizza puns, now, please!).

There's the old-fashioned approach featured in The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook. This pizza doesn't even contain cheese(!) something I immediately amended.

Then there's Betty Crocker. Haven't I told you that my absolute favorite cookbook (aside from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, of course) is the 1960's "Mad Men" era Betty Crocker cookbook my mom passed down to me? Its binding is held together with packing tape and I love it. The first time I took the notion to make a recipe, it was to conquer that book's galaxy cookies. I was about 10 years old. Of course, the whole thing ended with me in a puddle of tears and my dad patiently remaking the dough so I could form the cookies. Which, by the way, were absolutely horrible and looked nothing like the beautiful photo on page 146. But I digress.

Betty Crocker's pizza is perfect for those times when you're really running late and don't have time to let the dough rise. Throw in some baking powder and voila! You've got dough. It's somewhat like eating a biscuit topped with tomato sauce. But that can be really delectable.

Betty Crocker Pizza Dough (from vintage "Betty Crocker's Cookbook")

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup salad oil (Olive oil is healthier)
2 tablespoons oil to put on the crust before you put your toppings there...or you can put pesto on the bottom of the sauce. That is something close to heaven.

Blend it all in a bowl
Form a ball
Roll out the ball or just press it into a pan
Let the dough bake in a 425 degree oven for a few minutes
Add toppings
Bake for another 20-25 mins.

On to the gnoshing!