Family pizza night

There are plenty of other tasty toppings. Whether you like onions, sweet or hot peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, zucchini or mushrooms, be sure to slice or chop vegetables very thinly and use sparingly (remember the golden rule?).

Plenty of pantry staples are ideal, as they need only to be drained and chopped. Try marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, stuffed or pitted olives, hot banana peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and pineapple (it's especially tasty paired with ham and Canadian Monterey Jack with jalapenos.)
 
There are options galore for sauce, too. For convenience, use canned or jarred varieties, such as pizza sauce, basil or sun-dried tomato pesto, pasta sauce or salsa. Alternatively, brush your pizza base with olive oil – for extra zip, use one infused with chili or garlic. Whatever you choose, using a light hand will ensure your pizza will bake up perfectly crisp yet chewy.

Most importantly, be creative and think outside the pizza box. Let your individuality shine. After all, kids love picking out their own toppings, which helps ensure they will eat them. Have fun coming up with creative names, such as Saturday Night Family Pizza (pepperoni, green peppers and Canadian Mozzarella), Southwestern Pizza Heroes (salsa, black beans and Canadian Monterey Jack; sprinkle with cubed avocado after baking), Chicken Club 'Zas (bacon, chicken, tomatoes and Canadian Havarti; top with sliced lettuce after baking) or Cheeseburger Pizza (ground beef and onion cooked with barbecue sauce, Canadian Cheddar and hot banana peppers). The only dilemma with homemade pizza is that there are too many combinations to choose from (which, come to think of it, isn't much of a dilemma at all).

Buon appetito!

Page 2 of 2 – On page 1, discover what Canadian cheeses are perfect pizza toppers!