The Saga Continues

By Jackie Michel

This week, I thought I’d make something that almost everyone enjoys- pizza! While pizza is something that is easy to order out, it can be expensive to do that all the time. Plus, sometimes a whole pizza is too much for one person. Making your own mini pizzas in the microwave, toaster oven, or convection oven is a fun activity to do with your family and friends, and a convenient way to control your portion size.

You need: Microwave safe plate (for microwave) or mini sheet pan (toaster oven) or sheet pan (convection oven), hot pads, a spoon, a knife, a cheese grater (optional), and a cutting board (optional).

Ingredients:

•  One jar of pizza sauce
• One package of English muffins
• Mozzarella cheese (in a block or pre-shredded)
• Parmesan or other cheese (optional)
• Toppings you put on your pizza (pepperonis, bell pepper, onions, sausage, etc)

How To Make:

1. Preheat your oven to broil (500 degrees) or toaster oven to as hot as it will go (usually 450 degrees) if this is the option you are using.
2. Use the knife to cut the English muffins in half, giving you two flat open insides to put your toppings on. Repeat for as many mini pizzas as you want, and set them on your sheet pan/mini sheet pan/microwave safe plate.
3. Open the jar of pizza sauce and spoon it out onto the open faces of the English muffins. Use the spoon or knife to spread the sauce.
4. Grate the mozzarella cheese onto the cutting board until shredded, if bought in a block. Once shredded, or if using pre-shredded cheese, sprinkle on desired amount of cheese on top of the sauce on the English muffins.
5. Prepare your toppings- cut your vegetables like onion or bell pepper, get out the pepperonis or sausage- and put on the desired amount of toppings on top of the cheese. Add Parmesan or other extra cheese if desired.
6. Put your mini pizzas in the oven or toaster oven for approximately 5 minutes, or until the edges get crispy and the cheese is bubbling. Make sure to keep an eye on them while they are cooking, because every appliance is different and cooking time will vary. If using the microwave, cook for two to three minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the sauce is hot. Again, cooking time may vary, so adjust as needed.
7. Let pizzas cool before enjoying!