Dinner with Friends...PIZZA!

Last Friday we had our friends, Chris & Jessica, over for some homemade pizza! Mike and I can never find pizza in the South that is even remotely close to what we're used to in Chicago, so we started making our own!  I use PW's pizza dough recipe (from her cookbook) and make it a day or two ahead of time so it can rise in the fridge.  The recipe makes enough dough for two pretty large thin crust pizzas.  It was perfect for two couples, because we each got to top our own half of a pizza!

My pizza half contains things that Mike would never want on his half, including pesto sauce instead of tomato sauce, sliced tomatoes, and black olives.  How do to people get married and have such different pizza topping preferences?? (Let it be noted that when we order/go out for pizza I almost ALWAYS eat pepperoni pizza for Mike, whom I love dearly). And yes, Mike's half had regular tomato sauce and pepperoni...how dull! ;o)

Anyway, I had to purchase a topping that I knew Chris and Jessica would want on their pizza but that Mike and I, under NO circumstances, would ever knowingly eat: mushrooms. A digression: my mom and I often argue about who is pickier with food.  She likes to bring up my childhood when I wouldn't eat SO MANY things...but that's not fair. Eventually I grew out of it and now I eat things that she doesn't eat...like asparagus (my favorite green veggie).  And blue cheese (what good is a steak/salad without it?).  I don't think I'll ever like mushrooms though, so you've got me there, Mom.

I didn't take pictures of our pizza on this particular night, but I did take them a couple weeks ago when we made the same thing.  We. Love. Pizza.

Before baking...notice the delicious chunks of buffalo mozzarella and the colorful green pesto.  We all wondered on Friday night: why exactly is it called "buffalo" mozzarella?  It can't come from a buffalo...can it? Also, notice who gets the bigger "half" of the pizza.

 Close-up of my half:

 I believe that almost nothing is complete without black olives.

Mike's half:

Now some fun pics.  Friday night I made that weird beer-vodka-lemonade drink that I first tried when my cousin Jill made it several years ago.  It was a HIT

Chris decided to start experimenting and adding Fresca to it, which was a good call

Jessica and I tried several times to get a good photo, I don't know that we were successful but here's our best effort:

 

Don't worry, Mike was there too:

And our friend Mark stopped by:

 Saturday night we headed to our favorite chain around here, Smokey Bones, for dinner followed by a milkshake at Marble Slab. On Sunday we went golfing with Chris and Jessica.  Jess was nice enough to share her clubs with me since I don't have my own set.  It was a pretty, slightly windy and chilly day.  All in all, a great weekend with friends!

Love, Christine