Saving for the Average Person {PIZZA Thursday!}

Today we are going to talk about my favorite way to save money! FOOD! But not just any food...PIZZA!

I have discovered since being a mom, that you can make pizza very cheaply and with what you have on hand. Sometimes coming up with some great concoctions that everyone wants seconds and thirds of! We call those "Garbage Pizzas."

I don't buy pre-made crusts as they are too expensive and I don't really like making stuff from pure scratch as I am no good at it. So I buy boxes of Jiffy pizza crust mix. All you need to do is:

Add a half cup hot tap water and mix! Let stand for 5 minutes in a warm place (sunny window will do) and then knead with some flour! So easy and cheap! A box is only .49 cents and makes a 12" pizza! I usually mix two boxes together to make a cookie sheet sized pizza crust.

TIP: line your cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with cooking spray or grease with Crisco or oil. Press your crust all over the cookie sheet right up to the edge and up a bit. Pre -bake in a 425 oven for 2-3 minutes.

Now the fun part...toppings! Last night I had left over lemon chicken breasts my husband had made on the grill 2 days before. I also had 1 onion left and a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce. A bag of mozzarella topped it all off.

Chop your chicken and onion into bite sized pieces. Lightly coat your crust with BBQ sauce(any kind will do.) Next comes cheese, and your chicken and onions. Add some more cheese to the top if you like.

The box says to bake for 18-20 minutes, but with the foil it needs 2-3 more minutes. When it is done remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes more. Then carefully slide the pizza, foil and all off the cookie sheet. Flip your cookie sheet over and put the pizza and foil on the back side. Now you can cut your pizza into squares easily and have a serve right from the cookie sheet!

Pizza ideas:

Bacon

Lunch meats cut up

No mozzarella around? Colby jack and Cheddar work too!

Peppers Onions

Left over ground beef

Left over steak

Left over chicken

Left over turkey

Left over pork

Left over ham

Left over taco meat

Left over anything!

Breakfast sausage

Tomatoes

Anchovies

Shrimp

White fish

Crab meat

Broccoli

And of course the standards:

Pepperoni, Italian sausage, Mushrooms etc.

Sauce does not have to be pizza sauce! You can use various salad dressings for a veggie pizza, BBQ sauce of course, regular tomato sauce or paste, pesto sauce, garlic sauce, white sauce...experiment and you will be pleasantly surprised!

Also you can use French bread, bagels or a thick hearty type bread to make individual pizzas if you have no crust mix around!

AND you can make theme pizzas:

Taco pizza: taco meat, crumbled taco chips, avocados and some salsa!

Cheese burger pizza: Chopped up burgers, cheddar cheese mixed with mozzarella or Colby and frozen fries on top! Bake until fries are crisp.

Sea food delight: One tray of imitation crab meat, mozzarella mixed with a little cottage cheese and green onions chopped. You can leave it sauce less or use something like a garlic white sauce!

Pizza really is very versatile and can be made for pennies or even free with stuff lurking in your fridge! Have fun making those pizzas everyone!

Mandi Gordon: Money Correspondent

Mandi's column, Saving for the Average Person, published every Thursday to Gather Essentials: Money...is the average persons guide to saving money on an average day.

Mandi lives in Northern Illinois with her husband Bill and daughter Beth. She enjoys saving money and sharing that knowledge with others.

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