Question: Is there anything better than a homemade pizza and a salad?

Answer:

No, no there's not.

Yes, homemade bread.

Speaking of which, back in 15...

Actually, once after a particularly difficult deployment, Pizza, wings, salad, and beer made us all think we had died and gone to heaven.

I've yet to make a pizza at home that's anywhere close to restaurant/chain quality.

Little help?

Easy Pizza Dough
by Evan Kleiman
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You can make the dough a day or a couple of weeks ahead. Put the individual balls in zip-top bags and refrigerate overnight or freeze for longer.Yields four balls of dough for four individual 8-inch pizzas; 1-3/4 pounds total.
Test Kitchen Guaranteed

ingredient discovery
Ingredients active dry yeast olive oil all-purpose flour more more
1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) active-dry yeast
1-1/2 cups very warm water (110°F)
18 oz. (4 cups) all-purpose flour; more for dusting
1-1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. olive oil
Making and dividing the dough

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside (a Pyrex 2-cup measure makes for easy pouring; be sure the cup isn't cold). Meanwhile, put the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process briefly to mix. With the machine running, add the water-yeast mixture in a steady stream. Turn the processor off and add the oil. Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.

Scrape the soft dough out of the processor and onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, quickly knead the dough into a mass, incorporating any bits of flour or dough from the processor bowl that weren't mixed in. Cut the dough into four equal pieces with a knife or a dough scraper. Roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball, kneading to push the air out.
Rising and storing the dough

What you do next depends on whether you want to make pizza right way or at a later date.

If you want to bake the pizzas as soon as possible, put the dough balls on a lightly floured surface, cover them with a clean dishtowel, and let them rise until they almost double in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, turn your oven on, with the baking stone in it, to let the stone fully heat.
Easy Pizza Dough In just 45 minutes, the dough is proofed. These dough balls are ready to be shaped.

If you want to bake the pizzas tomorrow, line a baking sheet with a floured dishtowel, put the dough balls on it, and cover them with plastic wrap, giving them room to expand (they'll almost double in size), and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight.

To use dough that has been refrigerated overnight, simply pull it out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before shaping the dough into a pizza.

To freeze the dough balls, dust each one generously with flour as soon as you've made it, and put each one in a separate zip-top bag. Freeze for up to a month.

It's best to transfer frozen dough from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before (or 10 to 12 hours before) you want to use it. But I've found that dough balls pulled straight from the freezer and left to warm up on the counter will be completely defrosted in about 1-1/2 hours. The dough is practically indestructible.

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Homemade Pizza Sauce
Submitted By: Taste of Home Test Kitchen Cook Time: 35 Minutes Servings: 11
"Flavored with garlic, basil and Italian seasoning, this versatile sauce from our Test Kitchen staff will give Italian flair to all kinds of appetizing entrees. In fact, our home economists came up with the following two dishes that spotlight the zesty mixture."
Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 (29 ounce) can tomato puree
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, saute garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Use in Deep-Dish Sausage Pizza, Tomato Artichoke Chicken or any recipe that calls for pizza sauce. Sauce may be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Yes, homemade bread.

Speaking of which, back in 15...

Home brewed beer.

Dude, if I had room in my house....