Meat Lovers Pizza with Mushrooms and Black Olives

As I’ve stated before, I grew up in an impoverished family in little towns all over East and Southeast Texas. Going out to dinner was something we rarely could afford and when we did, we dined at the cheapest places available. Pizza Hut was among one of the more upscale restaurants my family dined in and I remember being so excited, like Christmas morning excited, when my parents took us to Pizza Hut. Not only did Pizza Hut have a jukebox, but they also had arcade games I could play for a few quarters if I was lucky. Seeing that red roof popping up in the distance ahead of us, steadily getting closer and closer used to send my heart into a race and have me bouncing around in my seat like a Jack Russel Terrier. Sometimes Pizza Hut even had special toys that came with the pizzas and I think I had most of The Land Before Time puppets and some Beauty and the Beast toys at one point. Oh, and I almost forgot about the Book It program Pizza Hut had. You finished a book, got a sticker, and once you had enough stickers you got your own personal-sized pizza. I loved to read and I think I went through quite a few free personal pizzas back in the 90’s.

Inside Pizza Hut wasn’t like other fast food chains either, as there were booths, decorations, and mood lighting. I always begged my parents to order a thin-crust meat lovers pizza with a salad bar add-on. Of course, I don’t think it was technically a salad that I built for myself; it was more like a bowl of ranch dressing garnished with peas, croutons, cheese, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, and a small tong full of iceberg lettuce. When they’d deliver our pizza to the table I couldn’t wait to shower my slice with the red pepper flakes they set out at every booth along with the little glass jar of grated Parmesan. Every memory I have of eating there was as much fun for me as being at an amusement park. It seems that the most positive memories I have of my family are of us out at a restaurant together. Maybe that’s why I’m such a foodie today. Although I can’t remember the last time I ate a Pizza Hut pizza, the cravings are still there. So, I got the hankering for one and decided to build a healthier version for myself but no matter how unhealthy I think their pizzas are today, I will always hold the memories of dining under that red roof with my family very dear to my heart.

Meat Lovers Pizza with Mushrooms and Black Olives 

Homemade or fresh pizza dough

1 pkg Detwiler’s Hot Italian Pork Sausage

1/4 pkg good quality Pepperoni, such as Applegate, or whatever is available

1/2 pkg Sargento Shredded Mozzarella & Smoked Provolone cheese

about a 1/4 cup of Trader Joe’s Pizza sauce

about 1/2 cup sliced Button Mushrooms

few tablespoons of finely ground Cornmeal

1 tablespoon coarse-ground Cornmeal

1/4 cup sliced Black Olives

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to at least 475 degrees. In a cast iron skillet or saute pan, cook the sausage until all the pink is gone. Turn off the heat and set aside. Roll out the dough with the finely ground cornmeal (or flour) until it is large enough to cover your pizza pan. If using a cast iron pizza pan, pre-heat your pan for at least 1o minutes. Sprinkle the bottom of the pizza pan with the course cornmeal and carefully lay the rolled dough on the pan. Flash-bake the dough for about 10 minutes. Remove the dough from the oven and top with the pizza sauce, cheese, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives. You can top the pizza in whatever order you like best. Bake the pizza in the oven for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the crust is crisp and the cheese is golden and bubbling. Allow the pizza to rest for a few minutes before slicing it. Top with red pepper flakes, if using.

Note: I dip my pizza in ranch dressing…this is totally optional