The Pizza dough
3 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 1/4 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 water room temperature
3 tbsp butter melted
1 tsp + 3 tbsp olive oil
The Pizza Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 onion minced
1/4 tsp pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cloves garlic minced
1 can crushed tomatoes (no salt)
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp chopped basil
The Toppings
1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
The Pizza Dough
Use a mixer with a dough hook, combine flour, cornmeal, yeast, sugar and salt on low speed until blended. Add water and melted butter. Mix until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until well blended. Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is shiny and smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. About 4 to 5 minutes. Coat the sides and bottom of a large mixing bowl with 1 tsp of olive oil. Transfer pizza dough to the clean, oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let the rest at room temperature until nearly doubled in size. About 1 hour. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter top. Roll the dough into a 15 by 12 in rectangle. Using an off-set spatula, spread the softened butter over a dough leaving a 1/2 in border along the edges. Starting at the short end, tightly roll the dough into a cyclinder. With the seam-side down, flatten the dough into a 18 by 4 in rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half crosswise. Working with one half at a time, fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Pinch the seams together to form a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and transfer the balls to the oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 45-50 min.
While the dough rises, cook Italian sausage in non stick skillet. Break sausage up into chunks and saute until cooked well. Drain and set aside.
The Pizza Sauce
In the medium saucepan over medium heat, combine olive oil and butter. Add onion, crushed red peppers (optional), Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until onion is softened for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until frequent for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and sugar and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add basil and olive oil. Cover and set aside.
Coat 2 9inch cast iron skillets with 2 tbsp of olive oil each. On the clean counter top, roll one of the dough balls into a 13 in round disk about 1/4 in thick. Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and transfer to prepared skillet. Unroll the dough and lightly press into the pan, make sure you work it in the corners and 1 in up the sides. If the dough resists, allow it to rest for 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with the remaining dough ball. Sprinkle each pizza with shredded mozzarella. Divide the sauce between two pizzas, spreading with the back of the spoon until evenly distributed over the cheese layer. Divide the cooked sausage between two pizzas, scattering to cover the sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. If over-browning, tent the pizza with foil until cooked through. Remove pizza from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy
This weeks meal was a long process, but fun to make. George has been wanting to make a Chicago Style Pizza for quite a long time, so we are happy we finally had the chance.
Mom- George is also starting to come back to feeling like himself again. School is back so schedules are on routine again, the sun is out longer, and we are all looking forward to spring. All of these things help everyone’s mood, and especially help George get back on track. Although, we are still struggling with coming up with things to do. February is not a very exciting month, so we struggle with boredom.
George- That’s true. But, the Oscars are this Sunday, so that’s something to look forward to.
Mom- Yes. George LOVES the Oscars! He is our movie guy, so this is kind of his “Super Bowl”. That’s why working at the movie theater is so perfect for him. We know we are very lucky that this opportunity was available to him.
(Honestly, we are so happy that George is lucky enough to have a job. Any job. Even if it is just a couple of days a week. It makes him feel needed. And to be honest, most adults who are like George are not as lucky as he is. I can’t necessarily blame anyone for this. It is hard to find productive jobs for people who have a difficult time with focus, have sensory issues, and other complications that make our world difficult to navigate. It is not the employers fault (most of the time). it is not society’s fault. It is just the way the world is. Is it fair? No, but we all know that life isn’t fair. So, instead of complaining about it, we have to get creative. We have to create something out of nothing so that these individuals can find a purpose in their life, and feel successful in what they do. It really is easier said then done.)
George, do you like your job?
George- Yes, I do. My favorite part is listening to the end credits in the theaters as I clean. But I am hoping to get into the theater some day.
Mom- What do you want to do in the theater?
George- I like acting. I pace and talk a lot. I think the theater would be a good use of this.
Mom- Well, you know that acting takes a lot more then just pacing and talking.
George- Yeah, but it would be nice to try. I’m not going to lie, I have learned some acting from all of the movies I have seen.
Mom- But acting in the theater is a little different.
George- I know. But, but acting in a local theater might help me get to the movies.
Mom- So, your dream is to make it to the big screen.
George- Yeah. Not like an Oscar winning actor. That would be too much. If I get as famous as Brad Pitt, that would be too crazy. Being in a horror movie would be enough for me. Or on TV
Mom- But, we have talked about how nearly impossible that is for anyone.
George- Yeah, but as they say, “you don’t know unless you try”.
Mom- True. And I don’t want to be a “Debbie-Downer”, but right now we have to figure out how to get you into a local theater. One step at a time.
George- Yep. At the book fair this April, I am going to look for a play script, so I can practice.
Mom- That is a great idea!
Mom, here. These are the things that we talk about…a lot. George has high hopes for himself in the entertainment field. This is great, but a lot falls on us, the parents. Right now, we struggle with trying to figure out exactly how we would even get him to and from play practices, here in our area. And, we want to tell him to reach for the stars, just like we tell our other children, but there is just so much more to consider when it comes to George’s dream. So for now, we get creative. We work on what we can. And we pray for the best.
My Piece of the Puzzle 