Before we left St. Louis for the farm this past weekend, my daughter stopped at DiGregorio’s on The Hill and got some of their pizza sauce, dough, and Mozzarella. My grandson, Austin, is a pizza purist and makes everything from scratch, but he wasn’t along and we were in a hurry. Besides, DiGregorio’s pizza makings are quite good. With the addition of chopped peppers, mushrooms, caramelized onions, pepperoni and sausage, we had the makings of some fine pizzas.
The weekend was perfect for outdoor cooking. I couldn’t believe it was mid-January and we were firing up the outdoor pizza oven, the one we rebuilt last fall that I told you about earlier. Our pizza project had great appeal to my three-year-old granddaughter: it was messy, colorful and edible. You can see by the hand action and facial expression that she takes cooking very seriously. As she stood on a step stool next to me, I explained about the flour—the importance of putting it on the board, rolling pin and dough without putting it on herself and the floor.
Robin embellished a crust by giving it a few flings in the air. When she nearly missed catching it, I thought of what Julia Child once said. “Always remember: If you’re alone in the kitchen and drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know?” We were far from alone in the kitchen, so when the dough was airborne, there was no margin for error. Our pizza oven door is small, so an oblong pie is easier to get in and out. The heart-shaped pizza was a concession to creativity and one we might have to recreate for Valentine’s day. 
Tah-dah! A three-generational masterpiece! A pizza pie prepared together and enjoyed together.
Hi Jean,
I always wondered why pizza dough was “frizbed” into the air and assumed it was to thin the crust. Is that right?
Enjoy these not so wintery days! Jim
To thin the crust is what I’ve been told, too. Or maybe just another chance to play with our food like we did when we were kids.