Deep Dish Pizza

Pizza is one of my favorite foods. I like all kinds. I like going to CiCi's Pizza buffet so I can try out new variations. I enjoy their alfredo and spinach pizza, taco pizza, and especially their BBQ chicken pizza. Unfortunately my family prefers regular pizza, you know the kind with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Sometimes they'll eat sausage or bacon instead of pepperoni, but it's all the same style of pizza. That means I don't fix the unusual variations at home, because they just won't get eaten except by me. And I really, really don't need to eat an entire pizza by myself.

Then there's the Princess, the youngest member of the family. She no longer likes pizza. Several months ago, she had pizza over at a friend's house while Charles and I went out to eat for my birthday. Later that night she got sick and threw up. Guess what she threw up? Pizza. Now she won't eat it. She blames the pizza for making her sick, and since it made her sick once, it will always make her sick. No amount of reasoning will persuade her otherwise. Of course, this is also the child who won't eat sauce on her spaghetti, gravy on her mashed potatoes, and butter on her toast.

Can I just say that not eating pizza makes usual childhood activities a little harder for us? You know what is served at the majority of children's birthday parties? What do you think the children's clubs at church serve for fellowships? And when she's old enough for the youth group, how many gatherings include pizza? She's definitely going to stand out in the crowd! Ha ha!

Here's a recipe for deep dish pizza. It's the one kind of "unusal" pizza that Charles and Mr. Lego really enjoy. And of course, I love it too. I make breadsticks for the Princess. Plain, of course.

Deep Dish Pizza

1 loaf frozen bread dough (or your favorite pizza crust recipe, enough for one pizza)
1/2 lb bulk sausage, browned and drained
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 can Italian style diced tomatoes
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Grease a 9x13 pan. Stretch the dough to fit the pan, pressing up the sides a little to form a rim. Sprinkle the sausage over the dough, pressing down a little as you go. Cover with cheese. Sprinkle the tomatoes over the cheese. I go easy on Mr. Lego's portion because he doesn't care for a lot of tomatoes. Then sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the dough is baked through.

Yes, there is no sauce on this pizza. The tomatoes provide the sauce flavor. The crust is thick and chewy. Delicious! And different.