I am quite determined to win Kelly’s apron. Even though I know that in the end, it’s sheer luck if she pulls out my name. But I’m going to give it my darnedest. So, even though I was in Washington D.C. on Monday, I’m going to jump in with a Blue Plate Friday.

Friday is my very favorite Blue Plate day. It seems like all the other days of the week can be so busy. But even if Friday has the same amount of busy-ness during the day, I’m somehow always more relaxed when it’s over. On Friday nights you can most likely find my family settled on couches, watching all the episodes of Bones and NCIS that we’ve taped during the week. (No of course, we’re not actually using VHS. Our TV magically records things, and I don’t really know how it works or what it’s called, so for me, it’s still “taping.”) And while we’re watching our taped shows, the food of choice on our not-usually-blue plates is homemade pizza.

As a sidenote, I am optimistic that nice weather will bring a change to our Friday night activities. It’s been years since I’ve watched this much TV. But it’s been cold and icky and forensic crime shows have been a welcome escape from the stress of unemployment and uncertainty.

But, back to the pizza … My mom used to make homemade pizza when I was a kid, and it was always one of our favorites. She usually made two rectangular pizzas and we would create many different personalized sections with various toppings. Mom even liked sauerkraut pizza, but that never really appealed to anyone else. At our house now we have such a wide range of tastes that it’s easiest, and least expensive, to just make cheese pizza. And the crust is so good that there are no complaints. Mom always made the crust with regular flour, vegetable oil, and sugar, but I’ve played with it a little and enjoy the following variation as well … (Prepare yourself for yet another of my rambling recipes. I really don’t know how to be succinct when explaining cooking.)

Honey-Wheat Crust Cheese Pizza

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Dissolve 1 pkg (2 1/4 t.) yeast in 1 c. warm water. Water should only be about 100 degrees or you’ll kill the yeast. When making dough of any kind, it’s apparently important for all the ingredients to be at least room temp. I have a real problem with this in the winter, so I’ve started putting the water in the large glass bowl I plan to use for mixing and putting the whole thing in the microwave for about 30 seconds. This helps to warm up the bowl, and it doesn’t take too long for the water to cool down again.

Once the yeast has dissolved, add 1/2 t. salt, 2 T. olive oil, and 1 generous T. of honey. I always do the oil first and then use the same measuring spoon for the honey because it slips right out instead of making a sticky mess. Stir until dissolved.

Slowly add 2 c. all-purpose unbleached flour, and 1 c. wheat flour. I prefer to mix the flours in another bowl first so that I’m always adding a consistent combination. Add about 1/4 c. at a time, and mix well. Sometimes it seems to take a little more flour and sometimes less. Today I wound up adding probably another 1/3 c., but it’s very humid today so maybe that has something to do with it? By the time you’re at the end, you’ll probably have to mix it in by hand, so give it a few good kneads in the bowl and then turn it out onto the counter.

Quickly rinse the bowl you just used for mixing and put a little oil in the bottom. Turn the smooth ball of dough in the oil a couple of times to gently coat it. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the oven. Turn the oven off. This keeps your dough in a warm, draft free place, which is also very important in the winter. This is a little trick I learned from America’s Test Kitchen. Allow dough to rise for at least 2 hours, which is the other reason it’s good to do this on Friday nights. I think Mom got hers to rise in 1 hour and I have to admit mine’s looking good after 40 minutes today, but it usually takes longer for me. Probably because it’s been so cold.

When risen, remove dough from oven and preheat oven to 450.

Divide dough in half and spread each half onto your baking materials of choice. Mom used to use shallow cookie sheets lined with oiled foil. I have used parchment paper and then transfered it to preheated baking stones. For the last several weeks I’ve been out of parchment paper and it’s very hard to transfer a floppy pizza anyway, so I’ve just been spreading the dough right on the stone (one rectangle, one round) and then switching the placement of stones in the oven every 5 minutes while cooking to ensure that both bottom crusts get crispy enough. The baking stones heat so evenly you can cook both pizzas at the same time, which is a great time saver.

Mix one 8 oz. can of tomato sauce with a little water. Mix in plenty of garlic and onion powders, oregano and basil. I don’t use any specific measurements here; just do it to taste for your family. Spread evenly across both doughs, leaving a little bare dough around the edge.

Sprinkle, generously at our house, with shredded cheese. We’ve decided we prefer the Italian cheese mix pre-shredded in the bag. There’s usually a pizza cheese option, but the Italian cheese has more variety and usually yeilds a better flavor.

Bake pizzas at 450 for 20 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.

We often have a simple green salad alongside this.