Make-It Monday: Pizza Night Kit

Welcome back to "Make-It" Monday - the place to get some ideas for homemade (or semi-homemade) gifts! If you have a great homemade gift idea, be sure to leave it in the comments section.

Now, if you've been following "Make-It Monday", you'll know that I am a big fan of "kits". I've talked about a Playdough Kit for kids, a Morning Out Kit for the ladies and a Romance Kit for their men. Today, I'm going to share an idea for a Family Pizza Night Kit.

In our house, Friday is usually Pizza night. We love pizza but eating out (or getting delivery) is just not budget-friendly. So, over the years, I've learned to make pizza. If you have a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook, it's a cinch to make the dough. A tasty homemade sauce takes just 10 minutes to make. And as for the assembly, kids really enjoy helping out with that. It can be a fun family activity.

A basic Pizza Night Kit would include:

• A quart-sized jar filled with the ingredients for the dough (flour, packet of yeast, salt, and cornmeal).
• Ingredients to make the sauce (can of tomatoes & tomato paste, spices).
• Pizza Recipe - dough, sauce & baking instructions
• Pizza pan(s) - our local Ace Hardware had some great individual sized ones for just $3.99 for a set of two (GS EZ-Baker Heavyweight Steel Bakeware Pizza Pans).

Of course, you're gift recipient will need to provide some of the ingredients like oil, etc. Just be sure to specify in your recipe what they need to provide.

A more deluxe Pizza Night Kit might include:

• Pizza Cutter Wheel
• A Board Game (make it a Family Pizza & Game Night Kit) OR
• A DVD (make it a Dinner & A Movie Night Kit)

Not sure how to make pizza? I'm sure there are other recipes out there on the internet that you can use, but this is what I do:

Homemade Pizza

Homemade Pizza Dough

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 (8 ounce) package fancy shredded mozzarella cheese

toppings of your choice (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, etc)

1 Tablespoon cornmeal

Divide pizza dough into four sections (if making individual-sized pizzas) or two sections (if making two 10-inch pizzas). On a lightly floured surface, turn each portion into a dough ball and then flatten out to make a round dough. Grease your pizza pan or baking sheet with oil and dust with cornmeal. Place your dough on the pizza pan and top with sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Homemade Pizza Dough

1 package (or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

1 1/4 cup warm water

dollop of honey (optional)

3 - 3 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Place the dough hook attachment on your KitchenAid mixer. In a warmed mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water along with a dollop of honey (if using). Allow to proof. Stir in remaining water, 3 cups flour, salt and olive oil. Mix well for about 5 minutes. If dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour. Place in a greased bowl, turn to coat with oil and cover. Set in a warm, draft-free area and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. When dough has risen, punch down and let rest for 10 minutes more.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press

1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch pepper

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

In a saucepan, cook garlic in olive oil over medium heat, stirring for 1 - 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes (with juice) and spices. Reduce heat and cook, stirring frequently until juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.

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For other food gift ideas, be sure to check out Ultimate Recipe Swap on Thursday at Life as Mom.