Last week a lone tweet went out, and it filled me with excitement. Girl-school giddiness in fact. Rob Smart, an amazing Pro Food advocate wondered aloud if people would embrace a No Fast Food Friday pledge the same way millions have thrown support, one meal at a time, behind the Meatless Monday movement. The idea being small changes by many people can have a big impact on the planet and how our food is produced.
Fast food is not a regular part of my family’s eating routines. I often pack the Mr.’s lunch so he can enjoy homecooking in the midst of insanity during the workday. Our mainstay Friday meals have been homemade pizza for years.
Yet, I got exactly the point Rob was making.
Growing up convenience was king, and if it was a good pay week for my dad, that meant a treat like Burger King come Friday night. Yes, me, the modern-day Martha Stewart, has put away a few Whoppers in her lifetime—just pickles and ketchup for me, please. After a long week of work for my father, and countless cleaning of dishes and rearing two children for my mother, Friday was a day to chill, and the less thought about cooking, the better I suppose was the sentiment.
I’m betting we weren’t alone. In fact, I’m sure the same holds true for many families today.
So why do I go to the effort to make pizza every Friday instead of just dialing the local pizza joint? My love for cooking may seem obvious, but the other motivating factor that drives me to cook most every meal, seven days a week is quality control and cost.
I live across the street from one of the most written about pizza places in Brooklyn. The line starts forming at 5:30, rain or shine, and Lucali’s doesn’t even open until 6:00pm. The pies are pretty excellent too, but for the price of admission—$24 a pie, without toppings, I can make three of them just a few doors down in my very own kitchen. The quality of ingredients in my homemade pizza are comparable, if not better too—local, organic flour, homemade sauce with organic tomatoes from Fishkill Farms, and hand-formed mozzarella from the local Italian market, Caputo’s.
The dough comes together in a snap, then rises all day in the fridge while I go about my work. I make a big pot of sauce at the start of each week, stretching the leftovers through to Friday with enough left for making the pizza.
And there’s the kids. They’d eat pizza everyday if I let them. While I’ll admit I’m no Kim in the kitchen, with them clinging and flinging dough, they love to help out too, scattering the cheese on top. Sometimes they set up chairs in front of the stove, and request I turn on the oven light so they can watch the Pizza Network.
While a few of us figure out how we can spread the word about No Fast Food Fridays, I figured there’s no time like the present to plant the seedlings. Here are some pizza recipes to get you excited about what to cook tomorrow.
Crisp Thin Crust Pizza — Simple Scratch Cooking
Spicy Pepperoni Pizza with Caramelized Onions — Two Peas and Their Pod
Spinach, Mushroom & Feta Whole Wheat Pizza — Recipe Girl
Chanterelle Mushroom & Kale Pizza — Savory Sweet Life
Breakfast Pizza — Smitten Kitchen
Broccoli Rabe, Ricotta & Mozzarella Pizza — In Jennie’s Kitchen
Pizza Three Ways — Healthy Green Kitchen
Naan Pizza — eat.live.travel.write
Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula —The Pioneer Woman
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What’s New at In Jennie’s Kitchen: French Onion Tart
Simple Scratch Cooking 