Although I’m a fan of celebrating the little things any day of the year you want, I gotta admit that there’s something about Valentines Day, the pink and sugar-coated holiday that makes me feel extra festive! I love showing the people closest to me just how much I love them, and, of course, I love celebrating Galentines Day with a few gal pals.
This year, we got together to make delicious (and oh-so-cute) handmade pizzas – the perfect recipe for a Valentines date-night-in or a Galentines Day soiree!
The Outfit
One of the coolest things about clothes is that you can dress to reflect how you feel, a special celebration, or what you love. To me, Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, and the way it makes you feel.
When I think about how love makes me feel, my mind goes straight to comfort, softness, and warmth. So, for this day I wanted my outward style to reflect that!
These adorable Brodie sweaters we’re wearing are the perfect touch of fun, and are incredibly soft! We got them from an amazing new Nashville boutique called Duet.
No matter how you spend your Valentine’s Day, I hope you remember to celebrate all kinds, shapes, and sizes of pure LOVE! It’s the best thing we get to experience in this life, so it certainly deserves a day of celebration!
Shop the Look!
The Recipes
For this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share one of my favorite year-round easy galentine’s day entertaining ideas: homemade, individual pizzas!
Sidenote: I try to stick to the 80/20 rule. I try to be kind to my body and only give it healthy, clean, nutrient-dense foods, but I do love practicing balance, and I think a cheat day here or there is key to helping me stay on a healthy track for a lifetime! With that said, I still strive to use the highest quality and organic ingredients while cooking. I think if you’re going to feed people you love, you should only give them ingredients you love.
Homemade pizza night is something I love to do with my family, for a low-key date night, and of course, my favorite girls’ night. It’s something that always pleases a big crowd, makes kids want to get in the kitchen, and is a fun time to try new flavors with your special someone. Whoever you want to roll out some dough with, I can promise you it’s simple and delicious!
So here’s the part where I should say “you can go buy store-bought dough if you don’t want to make your own”, and that is very true. BUT the thing is, it’s so easy, cheap, fun, and way more tasty to make your own!
I made the dough for this Galantine’s Day the morning of, and even had time to clean the kitchen! So I encourage you to give it a shot!
I’ll be honest- I’ve tried a bunch of different variations of pizza dough recipes. Some with beer, some with honey, some with bread flour, some with herbs, and so on. And I must say, there’s a lot of good recipes out there on the good ole internet, and I still love trying new versions. But if you want a super simple, no-fail pizza dough recipe, my go-to is this one from Mr. Bobby Flay himself. (It even comes with a video, people!)
When I’m feelin’ fancy, I like to add a few shakes of dried herbs (like rosemary, oregano, and basil) or Italian seasoning into the dough for a little extra flavor! Plus it makes the dough a little prettier.
Making the dough takes all of ten minutes, so I like to make several batches in advance so when it’s time to get cooking, it’s all ready to go.
Now, the fun part: toppings and combinations! Of course, this is where you can let your creative juices and taste buds take the lead. If you’re looking for a little inspiration, I’m going to share some of my favorite combinations that I’ve tried over the years:
My Mom’s Favorite: a thin layer of fig jam as the base, mozzarella, prosciutto, and topped with arugula after it comes out of the oven. Sweet and salty perfection!
Bison & Mushroom (my Dad’s favorite): pizza sauce as the base, ground bison (browned in a skillet with garlic and onion), sautéed mushrooms (I like to sauté mine with shallots, butter, and splash of white wine), and a good aged cheddar. A meaty, but not greasy, pizza!
Meatlovers (my boyfriends favorite): I have a lot of large men in my family. If I had a pizza night without a meat lovers, I would be in trouble. I like the combo of sausage (browned in a skillet), pepperoni, and prosciutto. Use pizza sauce for the base, and any blend of cheeses you like! Asiago or cheddar are good options.
Pesto & Sundried Tomato: thin layer of pesto as the base (store bought or homemade), goat cheese, sundried tomatoes (cut them into strips and let him rehydrate in warm water for a least a hour first- keeps them from burning in the oven). Top with toasted pine nuts and basil after it comes out of the oven for some extra crunch! Great summer pizza when basil is in season!
Calzones: Turn your favorite pizza into a calzone! After you’ve stretched out the dough, layer your toppings and cheese on one side of the dough, then just fold the other side over the top (just like a turnover or hand pie). Roll the edges together to seal them, brush the outside with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder!
Pro tip: if you go the calzone route, swap the tomato sauce for tomato paste (it won’t get as runny on the inside).
My Favorite Pizza (Buffalo Brown Sugar): Okay, this is going to sound like a weird combo, but I promise it’s SO GOOD! I got the inspiration for this pizza from a brewery I visited in Philadelphia called The Vault. They had incredible pizzas there, and when I saw this “Buffalo and Brown Sugar” pizza on the menu, I knew I had to try it! The base sauce is simply a spread made of cream cheese and hot sauce (it’s the orange stuff in the mason jar you see in the photos). Top that with mozzarella, prosciutto, and just a sprinkle of brown sugar over the top. It’s spicy and sweet- the perfect V-day bite!
Whatever flavor combination you decide to try, enjoy it, have fun, and be present! Oh, I almost forgot- pizza pairs perfectly with something light and refreshing, like a brut rose’!
