entertain-tip #11: pizza party

inspired by the march 2012 issue of bon appetit, with dough-god jim lahey's no-knead pizza on the cover, we decided to have a few friends over for a pizza party that included a little friendly competition...


rules were... 

• keith and i would provide dough and pizza staples like olive oil, san marzano tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil & oregano.
• each couple/team was in charge of concocting their pie and bringing their ingredients
• upon arrival, each team was given an apron and prepared for had their turn in the kitchen... assembling, baking and serving their competition pie. 
• when a pizza came out from the oven, the entire group would sit down together, dive in, discuss the deliciousness, chat a bit, sip wine a lot, and then tag the next team into the kitchen.
• at the end of night, one team walked away with a fun little prize for their extra-ordinary pizza perfection!

it was super easy, a great way to spend an evening among friends, and a really nice way to enjoy a meal.


for those foodies out there... lahey's dough DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. you need to start the night before, but his no-knead process is incredibly simple with top-notch results.  because dough is essential in creating an amazing pizza, i tied in the prize by giving the winning team a copy of my bread.  this book, btw, is incredible...i may have also bought myself a copy because his process is fool-proof and too good for even non-carb eating fools to resist!!!


hope this inspires a pizza party in your home soon!!!