Classic Margherita Pizza

Its 6:00 and you just got out of work. The kids are hungry but you don’t feel like cooking an extravagant meal. Order a pizza? No. Store bought is expensive, greasy (translation: unhealthy), loaded with artificial flavors (what exactly is the cheese on Cheetos), and when you drive home the cheese gets stuck to the box. Instead make a pizza! It’s a great way to make a delicious meal and get the kids involved in a family activity that can also show them that traditionally unhealthy food can actually be healthy. Pizza is the perfect food for creativity. You can literally try any kind of combination. I, for one, love the classic Italian Margherita pizza. It’s effortless and so simply scrumptious at the same time. Very low calorie and taking about 20 minutes all together; this is something the whole family will love.

Ingredients:

·         1  (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

·         Cooking spray

·         1  teaspoon  extra-virgin olive oil, divided

·         1  garlic clove (cut in half)

·         5  plum tomatoes (thinly sliced)

·         Fresh mozzarella cheese covering the entire pizza (I usually slice mine in circles but it's completely preference.)

·         1  teaspoon  balsamic vinegar

·         1/2  cup  thinly sliced fresh basil

·         Salt and black pepper to season

Unroll crust dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 13 x 11-inch rectangle. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Check this often because some ovens differ. I've burned countless crusts because my oven is so temperamental. Sometimes 6 minutes will be more than enough and sometimes I have to leave it in for 10. Remove crust from oven, and brush with ½ teaspoon oil. Rub crust with cut sides of garlic to give it an extra kick. Arrange tomato slices on crust, leaving a ½ inch border; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden. Combine ½ teaspoon oil and vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Sprinkle pizza evenly with sliced basil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the pizza. I generally cut the pizza into 8 slices but slice at your discretion. Enjoy!