This past month Andrew and I gave up eating out with the exception of one date night. I really didn’t mind not eating out and it encouraged us to be a bit more creative with our daily meals and to make our other date nights more fun than our usual dinners at home.

Last year for Andrew’s birthday I got him all the essentials for making pizza at home: A pizza stone, peel, cutter, recipe book, etc. I was nervous about the gift because I always tend to give him something that revolves around cooking, but it’s the one thing he truly enjoys doing outside of work. Now he loves making pizza at home and requests it all the time.Pizza night may not seem like anything special, but for us there is always something more enjoyable about making something yourself. Plus, having a homemade pizza night can make a traditional indulgence a bit healthier when using the right ingredients. We make everything from scratch from the dough to the pizza sauce itself and use fresh ingredients for the toppings.Our favorite pizza to make is the simple Margherita Pizza. We use a light layer of the homemade pizza sauce, followed by thinly sliced tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, and basil.It is the perfect combination. Light, fresh and delicious!
For our second pizza that night we opted for something a bit more indulgent and let me just say it was so worth it. Andrew picked out a pancetta and caramelized onion pizza. This may be a new favorite.

Here’s what you need to create your perfect pizza at home:

• Pizza Stones: here and here and a deep dish stone here
• Pizza Peels: here and here
• Pizza Cutters: here, here and here
• Recipe Books : Pizza Night