Crazy Crust Pizza

My week with the kids. Five inches of snow Tuesday. The plant ran on time. The salt trucks were everywhere. Plant had a quality issue Wednesday. Caught it. Antoine and I rebuilt fourteen Jeeps in three hours. Earned the team a pizza party.

Pop's in the recliner. Tigers on. Sugar in range this week. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.

Beef stew Tuesday. Chuck roast cubed. Browned. Braised with carrots and potatoes and pearl onions. The kitchen smelled like winter.

Aiden's 10. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 8. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.

I called Mama Sunday night. She picked up on the second ring. She always picks up.

Mr. Williams across the street had a heart scare. He is okay. We are all watching each other now. I took him a plate of greens and chicken Wednesday. He said, "DeShawn. You're a good neighbor." I said, "We're even, Mr. Williams. You shoveled my walk in 2024." He laughed.

Truck needed an oil change Saturday. Did it myself in the driveway. Took an hour. The neighbor across the street gave me a thumbs-up from his porch. I gave him one back. Detroit men do not waste words on car maintenance.

I took a walk around the block Sunday morning. The neighborhood was quiet. The trees were the trees. The light was good. I waved at three porches. The porches waved back. Brookline holds.

Mama left me a voicemail Wednesday. She said, "DeShawn. Don't forget Sunday." I had not forgotten Sunday. I have not forgotten Sunday in twenty years. The reminder is the love. I called her back.

The Lions on TV Sunday. Lost on a missed field goal. Detroit. The neighborhood collectively groaned at the same moment. You could hear it through the windows.

I read for an hour Sunday night. A book about the auto industry. Half memoir, half history. Made me think about Pop and the line and the fragile contract that built the middle of this country. I underlined the parts that hit.

A song came on the radio Tuesday — old Stevie Wonder — and I had to sit in the truck for the rest of it before I went into the store. Some songs do that. Detroit is a city of songs that do that.

Plant ran clean this week. The line ran. The body held. The paycheck is the paycheck.

The custody calendar holds. Aiden and Zaria alternate weeks. Brianna and I co-parent without drama now. We do not always have to like each other to do this right.

The drive home Friday was the long way around. I took Outer Drive past the lake. The water was still. I do not always notice the water. I noticed Friday.

The kids next door knocked over my trash cans Tuesday night. Their dad made them help me clean up Wednesday morning. Good man. The kids apologized. I gave them each a Capri Sun. Cycle complete.

Stopped at Eastern Market Saturday. Got chicken thighs, bacon, a watermelon, and a pound of greens that I did not need but bought anyway. The vendors know me by name now. Three of them asked about the family.

I made grocery lists on the back of envelopes the way Mama did. The list this week was short — onions, garlic, half-and-half, cornmeal, a pound of bacon. The list is the recipe of the week before it happens.

A neighbor down the street gave me a tomato plant Saturday. He grows them on his porch. Said he had extra. I put it next to the back step where it gets the afternoon sun. Detroit gardens are improvised victories.

The pizza party at the plant was Antoine’s idea, but the one I make at home is mine — Crazy Crust Pizza, the kind where the dough bakes up around everything and Zaria stands on her step stool telling me I need more seasoning. After a week of snow, a quality catch on the line, and a neighborhood holding together the way it does, this is the recipe that lands on the table and says we did alright. Aiden asked for it by name. That’s the review that matters.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 lb Italian sausage or ground beef, browned and drained
1 cup sliced bell peppers and onions
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sliced black olives (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan or large cast-iron skillet with olive oil and set aside.
Make the batter crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Add eggs and milk and stir until a smooth, pourable batter forms.
Pour and top with meat. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan. Scatter the browned sausage or ground beef over the batter, then add bell peppers and onions.
Bake the base. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until the crust has set, puffed slightly around the edges, and turned light golden brown.
Add sauce and cheese. Remove from oven. Spread pizza sauce over the surface, then top evenly with mozzarella and olives if using.
Finish and slice. Return to oven and bake an additional 5—7 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling. Let rest 3 minutes before slicing into squares.

Nutrition (per serving)

Crazy Crust Pizza — The Pizza Party We Earned