Today has been a day like any other, filled with cooking and baking and preparing dinner. It rained a little in the afternoon, so I know the special dinner will be much appreciated. As much as they enjoy it, however, nothing could compare to the reaction last year.

Pizza.

There is something about pizza that makes treeplanters go crazy. It’s not the most expensive meal we make, nor the most challenging, but for some reason pizza is akin to Manna after a 12 hour planting day. Last year as the trucks returned camp on Pizza Night, planters got weird. Overcome by the news that it was finally Pizza Night, they literally embraced each other, shouted for joy and one fell to his knees. It was like the World Cup Win of dinners. Which is very flattering as the cook, but honestly, it’s just pizza. 

Things That Are Not Going Well:

• I just missed out on a fantastic acting opportunity in Toronto. This is frustrating to no end. I’m out here to make money and write, but missing out on acting work is a harsh by-product. This is the second role I’ve lost from being out here, and it’s starting to get to me. 

Things That Are Going Well:

• In general, the actual cooking part of the job is going very smoothly, knock on wood.

• We had our “Planter Survey Reviews” filled out by all the planters on how we’re doing, that are all filtered through our head office. We haven’t gotten the final word yet, but I’m very confident that they were overwhelmingly positive. Score. 

A few years ago I worked part time at a cozy little pizza joint in the Village. Starving Actresses have got to make a living. I basically ate my weight in free pizza, was payed under the table and I’m pretty sure the restaurant was owned by the mob. It was awesome. I worked with a great group of guys who I miss and I also learned a lot about pizza making. 

I’ve been making pizza from scratch for years, but working at the restaurant really added to the caliber of my pies, with toppings such as Pesto Chicken, Roasted Garlic and Fresh Barbecue Sauce, and a variety of olive oil-based pizzas which are incredible. I’ve spent the last few years transitioning to a more plant-based diet, but if there’s one thing I really miss, it’s a spinach and ricotta pizza covered in mozzarella. Treeplanters burn a kajillion calories a day and are allowed to eat eight pieces of pizza every day if they want to. But even the healthiest city folk can enjoy a treat every so often. I understand ordering pizza for a convenient snack, but for a real meal, I insist on making your own pizza. I promise it will be worth it. 

Kristy’s Rules For Pizza

1.Make your own crust. It only takes a few minutes to prepare, then you can drink some wine and chat while you wait for it to rise. Fresh dough is better for you, tastier, and you can make it exactly the way you want it with whole wheat flour, or added herbs, thick or thin. Ask your Nonna for a recipe, or Google it, [http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_pizza/] we can’t all be Italian.

2. Pretend you’re Italian while preparing your pizza. It will make it more fun. Drink some more wine. preferably Italian wine.

3. Experiment, but make what you want. If you need pineapple on your pizza, go for it. If you must dip your crusts in some creamy sauce, that’s fine. It’s pizza, not a ricecake. Indulge a little.

4. If you’re looking for some new options, consider some vegetable-based pizzas. If you already love pizza with olives or onion or peppers, start from there, then think outside the box. Have fun substituting things like Tofu for Chicken, or Olive Oil for Tomato sauce.  

5. I know people love beer and pop with pizza, but as I may have mentioned before, Wine. I also am a big fan of fresh veggies with pizza. If you must have something crunchy, opt for something semi-nutritious like Mary’s Crackers or Snap Pea Crisps. 

6. SHARE! You can’t eat a whole pizza by yourself, and people will be very impressed you made it from scratch. Especially if they’ve been sharing the wine through this whole process. 

Three Veggie Pizzas

Dreamy Spinach Pizza

Olive Oil
Spinach
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Yellow Peppers
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella

Improved Garlic Bread Pizza

Olive Oil
Artichokes
Roasted Garlic
Feta
Parmesean
Mozzarella

Vegan Pesto Pizza

Pesto
Roasted Red Peppers
Sauteed Onions
Herbed or Plain Tofu
Daiya Dairy Free Cheese (Optional)

Of course we will serve the treeplanters Coke in place of Merlot, and we’ve made 12 massive pans of hot, gooey pizza. Let me know how your pizza turns out, or if you have recipes of your own you’d like to share. Bon Appetit! Or whatever the Italian version of that is. 

Ciao,
Kristy in the Kitchen (In The Forest)

~Kristy LaPointe is living in a forest but could not tell you the difference between a Black Bear and a Grizzly Bear, apparently that’s bad. She also acts, writes, sings, and has various other special skills according to her resume. You can follow her on twitter @kristylapointe, and enjoy the blog she co-writes at adeleandkristy.tumblr.com