First Avenue: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY 2012! { heart-shaped pizza }

Tradition.
— n
the handing down from generation to generation of the same customs, beliefs, etc, esp by word of mouth

For those of you who have been a follower of my blogging over the course of the past three years have come accustom to seeing our Heart Shaped Pizza on the eve of Valentine's Day. This being one of the most viewed pages from our blog (thank you, thank you.) So, without further adieu & in a lot more pictures --- here is this years ♥

When making the crust of your pizza, be sure to follow the directions exactly. We always mix ours in a medium sized mixing bowl & cover it with a towel for the time suggested on the package. When they say cover, they don't necessarily mean you need it in an air tight container. Just cover it enough to trap the air inside to help the yeast in the bread begin doing it's thing. Whatever you do - DON'T SKIMP ON THE FLOUR. Load it up. Load the table, load your hands, load the dough, & load that rolling pin!! You can never have enough, & when forming it into a heart, you want it as easy & non-sticky as possible. I've learned in the past few years, when you roll the dough out; shape it like a triangle.

You can try to roll the dough out to form the heart, but I've found it easier to just roll the triangle shape & with a knife just slice out a small piece of dough. I never throw this piece out, I just mash it into a spot on the crust that perhaps I rolled out a little too thin.

Transfer the dough to a greased pizza or cookie sheet. If you have more than one set of hands available, I recommend asking for a little assistance. The dough is thin & floppy, so slide you hands underneath & try to lift all corners at the same time. Once placed on the pizza sheet, pinch the sides of the crust up. This will help keep your sauce in place & the pizza toppings from burning.

Be sure to perforate the crust slightly with a fork. This allows the crust to breath as it cooks.

My husband insists on spraying the dough with cooking spray, I however, do not. It's all your preference. I haven't really noticed a difference between the too - but I'm not a professional pizza buff like those guys down at the Pizza Hut. This is where you add the pizza sauce; we use a ladle to spread it. Anything with a nice round bottom makes this task easier.

At this point, it's time to load the pizza up with your favorite toppings! Have fun with! ♥ We added colored peppers to ours this year for a little color splash & a bit of crunch! Delicious!

Once you have the pizza created, pop it into the oven following the directions on the crust.

At our house, this is when the aroma circles the kitchen -- & that smell brings visitors from the other room. Ones with wide grins, & very hungry appetites!