Homemade Pizza

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If you think Homemade Pizza is strictly for cold weather, think again. Summer is actually the best time for homemade pizza because of all the fresh produce, including vine-ripened tomatoes for the tastiest, no-cook – let’s repeat, no-cook pizza sauce. While this pizza is amazingly delicious, cleanup is. . .less than amazing. A layer of flour along with some olive oil cover the counter and stovetop and I don’t even twirl my pizza dough ~ though I aspire to one day. It’s even on the floor. Let’s face it. Life is messy, but unlike the Bradys of Brady Bunch fame, I don’t have an Alice. I don’t even have a Rosie, the robotic maid from the Jetsons and friends, I surely don’t have a Tony from Who’s the Boss. What’s a girl to do? I’m sharing my not-so-secret cleanup tip today ~ ocelo™ No-Scratch Scrub Sponges, which are not only pretty, but you may even say they make cleaning up as easy as (pizza) pie!

Does your family like the same kind of pizza? Mine doesn’t. Today my daughter was over so we waged a little friendly Olympic style competition. Best looking pizza makes the blog. My husband went with his favorite cheese and pepperoni. I couldn’t wait to eat the wild mushrooms I bought the day before from the Farmer’s Market so mine included the mushrooms, along with sauce and hand torn fresh mozzarella. My daughter made a margarita pizza like you may find in Italy that was almost too pretty to eat ~ almost. . .she won. But because I write the blog, I’m showing the ‘honorable mentions’ too.

Obviously I love cooking and creating delicious meals, but cleanup ~ugh~ not so much at all. The mess today thanks to the fun we were having was a bit excessive. ocelo™ No-Scratch Scrub Sponges made cleanup fast and really easy. They’re soft on one side with a no-scratch surface on the other that together cleans even the worst mess without scratching the surface, including glassware, stainless steel and non-stick cookware.

 I don’t want to discourage you from making Homemade Pizza or having your own family competitions, but unless you have an Alice or Rosie or you live on a soap opera where for some reason no one ever does dishes — cleanup is inevitable and sponges are something we all need. I found these easily at Target in packs of 3 or 6.

Hmmm. . .so why  ocelo™ No-Scratch Scrub Sponges?

• The little curve in the middle of the sponges gives a better grip when you’re scrubbing or wiping.
• ocelo™ no-scratch scrub sponges are strong enough to make cleaning easy, but the no-scratch feature won’t scratch even delicate surfaces. 
• The fun, colorful patterns don’t mean they clean better ~ please ~ but they just look so pretty and cheery that it makes you want to use it.
• In a totally unscientific test ocelo™ no-scratch scrub sponges cleaned the flour, corn meal, olive oil pizza mess off my counter and floor better than the other brand I had at home.

Here’s a coupon to save $0.50 off one ocelo Scrub Sponge Multi-pack before heading to Target.

NO COOK PIZZA SAUCE

• 2 ½ – 3 cups of tomatoes, rough chopped (a mixed variety is fine)
• 6-8 basil leaves
• 2 – cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 – teaspoon of oregano
• 2 – tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 – tablespoon of honey
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 – tablespoon of olive oil

Add all ingredients except the salt and pepper to a blender or food processor. Blend then add sea salt and pepper according to your taste.

PIZZA CRUST

• 1 package of yeast
• 2/3 cup of very warm water
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 3/4 to 2 cups of all-purpose flour + more to dust the counter with
• 2-3 tablespoons of cornmeal for the pizza stone

1. Blend the yeast and warm water. Stir thoroughly to dissolve the yeast,  then let it sit about 5 minutes.
2. Fold in the sea salt and honey. 
3. Add 1 3/4 cups of the flour, combining. If it’s sticky, add the remaining flour.
4. When the dough is combined, knead by hand about 4-5 minutes.
5. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a clean dish towel and let it sit 10-15 minutes on top of the stove.

Place the pizza stone on the lowest rack of the oven and begin preheating to 500 degrees. Yes, 500° ~ that’s not a typo. Before I used a pizza stone, I didn’t even know my oven got that hot! It does!

BACK TO THE DOUGH. . .

Generously sprinkle flour onto your countertop so the dough won’t stick. This is where the ocelo™ no-scratch scrub sponges come in handy. Divide the dough in half, then roll it to your desired thickness. Take the stone out of the oven and scatter 2-3 tablespoons of cornmeal onto the top of it to keep the pizza from sticking and give you a perfect crispy crust. Lay the crust on the stone and top it with sauce ⇑ and whatever toppings will make this your most delicious pizza ever!

Have you ever frozen pizza dough? Just wrap any unused dough tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer bag for another day.

Baking times will vary depending upon the thickness of your crust, but approximately 8-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden. While the pizza baked, I cleaned!

Okay ~ pizza is baked ~ wish you could smell it! Kitchen is c.l.e.a.n. ~ let’s eat!

These sponges  can be cleaned in the top rack of your dishwasher along with the rest of your normal load. They come clean and ready for more action!

The kitchen isn’t the only room for ocelo™ no-scratch scrub sponges. I use a dry, mineral-type makeup that no matter how careful I am, leaves a fine talc on the bathroom counter. ocelo™ no-scratch scrub sponges are handy for cleaning up when I’m finished. 

Where will you use ocelo™ no-scratch scrub sponges?

 

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