Thank You Jamie Oliver

From mid-May until the start of school we can usually count on having a yard full of kids pretty much every day of the week. Our front lawn is commonly strewn with bicycles, scooters, skipping ropes and flip flops. Could be that we're the house on the corner, which makes ours a natural gathering spot. Could be the freezer full of popsicles (and the suspicion that we've earned a reputation as easy marks). But really I don't think we'd have it any other way. I like getting to know our kids' friends as much as I enjoy watching my own at play. But I also think, frankly, that having people over makes a better cook. It's a modest dinner for sure, but I was quite proud of how these pizzas made on the BBQ turned out. I've never had much success with homemade pizzas; they are one of those frustratingly simple things that never works for me, like pie crust. My pizzas are usually burned and yet doughy. The toppings too crisp, the crust unsatisfactory. But I will heartily thank Jamie Oliver for last night's feast. The secret, I believe, is preheating the pizza stone so that when you slap on the dough there is a fantastic sizzling and searing. The other tip is to roll out the dough a good 30 minutes before you add the toppings. I don't know why that should make a difference, but I swear it did.

The dough is supermarket, but the basil and cherry tomatoes (which are so good they'd bring a tear to your eye) are from my garden. Yummy!