Do you still call a big pizza chain to get your pizza?

Can I ask you why?

In this post I wanted to make a case as to why you should never; I mean NEVER, order pizza again:

1. Unless you live under a rock you have probably seen via YouTube what happens to food in these places. Not exactly appetizing….
2. You can make a pizza for about half of the cost.
3. Homemade pizza can be made in less time than it would take for them to deliver it to you! Especially on the weekend!

Still don’t believe me huh? Okay well I guess I will take a moment to show you how quick, easy, delicious, and fun this really can be!

First you need to roll out your pizza dough. Now you can make this from scratch if you would like and nothing truly compares to homemade pizza dough. However, seeing as how we are trying to save time, store bought dough will do just fine.

Next, add your pizza sauce. I personally make my pizza sauce by using some sicilian seasoning. It is quick and easy as well. Again, if you are trying to save some time and money you can find this at the local grocery store too.

This is where pizza making gets fun. Add whatever toppings you want. Be creative! Think of all the ingredients you wanted to have on your pizza but were told that they couldn’t do it! Keep this sane though; think of what each ingredient will bring to the table. Combining anchovies and pineapple might seem like a good idea at first but may be regretted later.
Seeing as how I am a long time fan of delicious meats I created a pizza that is literally mounded with meat. If you however, are more vegetable minded and don’t want to see the heaping pile of meat monstrosity I created, then click here.

For me my `meat lovers’ pizza starts out with some freshly grated mozzarella, provolone, romano, asiago, and parmesan cheeses! Then I top this will pepperoni, mushrooms, pancetta (try getting that added to your next chain ordered pizza), Italian sausage, oregano, parsley and finally some more asiago and mozzarella cheese! Now that is a hearty pizza. Just look how high that is stacked up!

Put your pizza in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes depending on how crispy you want your crust and you are done! Once your pizza comes out give it a few moments to cool and dig in.

Now if you are meat adverse there is always the vegetarian option. My wife went this route as she was not feeling the meaty heart attack I was soon to be facing. For her margarita style pizza she used some fresh sliced mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Put your pizza in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes depending on how crispy you want your crust and you are done! Once your pizza comes out give it a few moments to cool and dig in.

What’s that you ask? Where’s the photo of the finished margarita pizza you ask? Well let’s just say that someone (who will remain nameless) was so excited by their creation they didn’t wait for photos to be taken. I guess I could have taken a picture of the empty plate but unfortunately that would have been a little dull as the plate was licked clean.

I think that the best part of homemade pizzas come from the creativity that you can use when creating your own personal masterpiece. A while back we used this as a party concept where we had all of our guests create their own pizza. It was tons of fun and super easy to do! Simply put out all of the ingredients you think your guests might like to cover their pizza with and let them go at it. Since the pizzas only take a few minutes to cook everyone will have a completed personalized pizza to dine on all at the same time!

Ryan’s Meat Loving Homemade Pizza

Ingredients:
• ½ pizza dough (8 inch thin crust)
• 3oz pizza sauce
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup shredded provolone cheese
• ¼ cup shredded romano cheese
• ½ cup shredded asiago cheese
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 Italian sausage
• 25 pepperoni slices
• ¼ cup sliced mushrooms
• ½ cup diced pancetta

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll pizza dough into a thin circle.
3. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the surface of the dough leaving approximately ¼ inch outer ring.
4. Add remaining ingredients.
5. Cook approximately 10 -15 minutes.

Jessica’s Homemade Margarita Style Pizza

Ingredients:
• ½ pizza dough (8 inch thin crust)
• 3oz pizza sauce
• 4oz sliced mozzarella cheese
• ½ tomato sliced
• 2oz basil chopped

Directions:
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. Roll pizza dough into a thin circle.
8. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the surface of the dough leaving approximately ¼ inch outer ring.
9. Add remaining ingredients.
10. Cook approximately 10 -15 minutes.

Ever since I was a little kid I have always loved discovering those “whole in the wall” joints known for their great food! I have my grandfather to thank for this because he has always been a huge fan of “mom and pop” type shops. He always said that those places put a little more time and effort into the preparation of their food then that of your local super chain like Fridays (amazing what years of wisdom can do)!

So the other day I was flipping through the channels when I happened to stop on Food Network’s Guy Fieri’s show Diners Drive-ins and Dives (I must admit that I personally love this show). Each week Guy brings us to off-beat local eateries that are known for great food, enticing atmospheres and all the aspects of a home town feel (a great concept if you ask me).

For some reason every time I watch one of Guys episodes I get jealous wishing he would do an episode that I didn’t need to plan a long weekend to go eat at. I don’t know if it’s because of his crazy hair or big personality, but he makes these places seem like diamonds in the rough that you just HAVE to visit and if you don’t you will have lead a completely insignificant and wasted life.

So imagine my excitement as I discovered that the show was showcasing restaurants here in the Dallas area! I finally have a chance to live a life worth living (at least for a little while)! After watching the show the one place that I found myself literally salivating over was Louie’s. I called up some friends and made plans to visit Louie’s that very next night!

As we pulled up we began to wonder if the small dilapidated white building with a faded sign outside that read “Louie’s” (which has seen better days) could really be our destination. I must admit I was a bit hesitant to go in as a whirl wind of thoughts began to race though my head. I pondered the possibility of Guy not really having a freakn’ clue of what the hell he is talking about and that I might have wasted hours upon hours of my life watching a show that is completely off the mark. If you don’t know where this place is located then there is a good chance you might just miss it. It is definitely the definition of “hole in the wall”. Louie’s might be a small white building on the outside, but it opens into a small town bar (one with pictures on the wall of past and present patrons) that makes the place feel warm and friendly. It’s a place that you could see yourself coming to for years.

Louie’s is a bar/restaurant that has been serving up some of Dallas’s best pizza and drinks for quite some time. The “lounge” as they call it; was started by two brothers (Louie and Chris), from Chicago, who really know how to make a great pie! To start their masterpiece they begin with a thin crust (which is the only way a truly great pizza can be made) then top it fresh tomato sauce and all the ingredients you can handle. The pizza is then masterfully baked to perfection with a crispy crust and warm gooey toppings that melt in your mouth! I choose to top my masterpiece pizza with onion, black olives, fresh tomato, Italian sausage and pepperoni (I highly suggest you do the same). It’s somewhat obvious that this pizza was delicious as my friends and I couldn’t even keep our fingers off it long enough to take that photo (note the missing slices)!

In all, I feel this is definitely not the place for you to go if you are looking for that world class dining atmosphere. However, if you are looking for one of Dallas’s best pizza joints to visit with some friends to have a beer and a great pizza (or even catch a game) then I highly recommend you stop in when you get the chance!

Maybe Grandpa and Guy really do know what they are talking about after all! “Phew”