Every house and yard has them. Sometimes by design and sometimes by default. Friends and family drift to it; most likely because it is comfortable and where life is happening. In a house it is often the kitchen. Through the years I have noticed that it is never our formal dining room. I have to coax people to come eat a meal in the formal dining room, even when the table is set and the food is ready. People are drawn to relaxed, comfortable living, particularly where the pot is simmering, the dough is rising, or the fire is burning. I think that is why open living spaces are so popular. My next home will not have a formal dining room and it will have a big ole open kitchen/living area.

Several years ago we were invited to dinner at the home of a colleague of Mr. U. They had just built a pizza oven and wanted to invite people over to try it. It was a lovely evening on the back patio with soft music, bistro lights and the embers of the pizza oven glowing. We each made our own pizza and shared them with the group. That is what sparked the idea for us. Why not make a pizza oven? How hard can it be? In my defense, I did suggest we could buy one readymade, but Mr. U was confident we could make one that would be more unique and less expensive. He was right on one count.

Mr. U immediately got busy drawing up plans and googling everything he could find on building a pizza oven. The following summer, he got his tractor fired up and started moving dirt around in an area off to the side of the yard that was pretty plain and ugly. How big are you going to make it I asked innocently. He grunted something and just kept moving dirt and bringing in cinder blocks. This did not look like a pizza oven to me.

I suspiciously noticed that our kids were not stopping by as much as they used to. Hum. I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that Mr. U would suggest they give him a hand with just a few things on the pizza oven every time they would pull up the driveway. You know, pouring cement or lifting cinder blocks. Nothing much.

To his credit, Mr. U stuck with it and worked diligently with a dream in mind. Two summers later, the pizza oven was complete. That evening I made up some pizza dough and Mr. U gingerly put a fire in it. We sipped a glass of wine while we waited for the oven to heat up. And the thing actually worked! Loooveleee!

Since the first night we made pizzas I have tried several pizza sauce recipes. I finally found my absolute favorite. Unfortunately, I do not remember where I found it so I cannot credit the author. This sauce is so quick, easy and delicious. It also freezes well so I can make a huge batch and freeze it in smaller containers for later, impromptu gatherings. I think that my favorite pizza is the simple margherita pizza with the below sauce, fresh mozzarella and a sprinkling of dried Italian herbs. When it comes out of the oven, layer fresh basil on top….delish! (Do not put fresh basil on prior to cooking or it turns black and loses some of the flavor.) While you have the basil out, you might want to make some pesto. Here is a great recipe for it. I am still on the lookout for the perfect dough recipe. I have tried several and while they were O.K., they are not exactly what I want. Please let me know if you have a great dough recipe, as I would love to find one that can be my go-to pizza dough.

PIZZA SAUCE RECIPE

• 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 – 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbs. dried basil
• 1 Tbs. dried oregano
• 2 Tbs. sugar (white or brown)
• salt & pepper to taste

Sauté garlic in olive oil. Add the rest and summer uncovered for 20 minutes. (I prefer to simmer it for about an hour.) Best to let sit for 24 hours. Freezes well.

Of course, it is not all fun and games. As with anything worthwhile, it comes with some extra work. The most difficult thing about making pizza, aside from building the oven (duh), is chopping all of the ingredients. Think onion, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, etc. If people offer to bring something, I usually ask for help with the ingredients that need to be diced. There are also a lot of dirty dishes, pizza paddles, etc. to clean up afterwards. Worthwhile tradeoffs, but just keeping it real.

One of the things I particularly like about the pizza oven is that it is a wonderful way to entertain and enjoy a casual meal. And everyone is able to participate, from my grandkids to my dad. We usually have everyone make a pizza or two and we set them all out to share, buffet style. It is fun to see what unique pizzas people come up with. No need to worry about food preferences or allergies, because people can make it the way they want. We try to save some dough at the end to make dessert pizza. To do this, make a sauce of melted butter, a little sugar and cinnamon and spread that over the pizza dough. Then add a thin layer of homemade huckleberry sauce. Once that comes out of the oven, let it sit for a few minutes, then spray some canned whip cream on the top. So yummy!

Fire up the pizza oven, put the corn hole game out in the yard and it is a perfect, casual way to get together with family and friends. It has turned into our outdoor gathering spot. Now if I could just get people to come eat as easily in my formal dining room!