Pizza My Heart

Pizza is like music. Transcending across the globe, it brings pure happiness to anyone caught in its path. That being said, I can't think of a better gift to make and give for Valentine's Day than a heart-shaped calzone. I don't care if you make this for your husband, boyfriend, that cute boy down the hall you've been eyeing, your family or friends - all of them will simply fall in love your cheesy heart when they see this.

You can even make a night of this for the big, romantic holiday. Instead of going out to a stuffy, crowded restaurant where the service will probably be rushed and suck anyway, grab a couple bottles of wine, put on some music and spend the night at home cooking with your Valentine. You'll bond over having fun as you make something together, plus save a ton of money on something that's just as delicious as any restaurant.  

Of course you could always buy a pizza crust from the store, but since it's Valentine's Day, let's go the extra mile and blow some minds by making our own. Don't be nervous, this recipe is pretty much foolproof. Anyone can do it and the results are amazing.  

You'll need: 
1 package active dry yeast (Fleischmann's yeast is perfect and can be found at any grocery store)
1 cup lukewarm water
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour + a handful for sprinkling
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white (for sealing the calzone)

Fill a cup with warm water and sprinkle your package of yeast on top. Stir in sugar and set it aside for about 10 minutes - enough time to work on the next step.

In a separate large bowl, dump your 2 ¼ cups of flour and teaspoon of salt. Pour in olive oil and yeast/water mixture. Stir until you have a big ball of sticky d'oh! - ahem, "dough" I mean. 

On a well-floured surface, give the dough a little massage. Kneading for roughly 5 minutes. Add flour to your hands if you need to, the dough should be extra sticky and stretchy when you're finished. 

Now it's time to give your little ball of joy a nap. Rub the bottom of that large bowl you used to mix the dough with a stick butter. Put the dough inside and turn it over a few times so that it's nice and coated. Cover bowl with a towel and put in a warm place for 30 minutes to let it rise and double in size. (My warm place was on top of the oven as it preheated to 425°.)

If your warm place is somewhere else, you'll still want to start preheating your oven to 425° now. 

After 30 minutes, you're ready to cut into heart shapes. I found a few heart-shaped cookie cutters at Target, but decided on this cute candy dish. Cookie cutter today, candy dish tomorrow - win win.

Fill with your favorite tasty guts, pinch along the edges with a fork, sealing by brushing egg whites along the seam. 

{Tomato sauce, cheddar, mozzarella and pepperoni for him + olive oil, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella for me. 

I Heart Cheese!}

Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes. Don't worry if your heart bursts a little while baking. I consider it a blessing if anything in life is bursting with cheese!

{Dip in some marinara for extra flavor and fun}

Finally, if you really want to knock their socks off, you'll probably have enough spare dough to make a dessert pizza. Get creative and stuff that crust with something sweet to seal the deal! I chose Nutella and strawberries, but you could also try bananas, honey, cinnamon and apples, oreos, caramel, dark chocolate...the sky's the limit! As long as it's made with love, anyone will be sure to appreciate your valiant efforts.

I know this may seem like a lot, but lately I've been wanting to incorporate music with my recipes. Here is a playlist to keep you swaying around the kitchen as you make another little pizza your heart.  

♥