Homemade Pizza Supreme -- The Quiet Last Night of 2022

Between Christmas and New Year. Gayle went home Tuesday — she wanted to — and I drove her there with a box of leftovers and started a small fire in her woodstove. I checked her back three times that day. She was fine. She was tired. She said, "Brenda. Go home." I went home.

Amber, Eli, Tyler, Justin, and Josie all at the house. The kitchen never stopped moving. I made soup and sandwiches and scrambled eggs and reheated ham in every form. Amber and Eli watched every episode of a British cooking show together. Tyler and Dave worked on the Taurus (which is now technically Amber's, but Dave still maintains it) in the garage. Justin ran outside in single-digit temperatures and came back glowing, a word I never thought I would use about Justin. Josie played her new keyboard so much that by Wednesday evening I had to gently ask her to take a break.

I did not drive this week. The yard was closed Monday and Tuesday. I took Wednesday through Friday off on purpose. I wrote in the sunroom at 5 a.m. and slept on the couch in the afternoon. I felt like a writer. I felt like a mother. I felt like a sister and a daughter and a wife. All of these identities, in an old pair of slippers, at the end of 2022.

New Year's Eve: we did East Coast midnight again. Ate pizza. Watched a movie. Gayle was at home (she insisted; I called her at ten; she was fine). The dog barked at midnight because somebody on the block did fireworks. I held Dave's hand. I said, "2023." He said, "2023." We went to bed.

My 2023 intentions, written down because I believe in writing things down: 1. Drive less. 2. Write the second book steadily. 3. Feed Gayle every day. 4. Watch Dave's back. 5. Go to Justin's games. 6. Visit Amber at UNK at least once a month. 7. Josie is turning 13. Be present for it. 8. Open a different conversation with myself about 55 and the diner. Look at maps. The last one is the new one. The diner is taking shape in my head more than ever.

New Year’s Eve pizza has become its own quiet tradition in this house — not because we planned it that way, but because somewhere along the line we stopped pretending we wanted to go anywhere. This Homemade Pizza Supreme is what I made that night: loaded, warm, completely unpretentious, the kind of food that asks nothing of you except to sit down. Dave ate two slices. I ate two slices. The dog got nothing, despite his best efforts.

Homemade Pizza Supreme

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 18 min | Total Time: 43 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb store-bought or homemade pizza dough
• 2/3 cup pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
• 1/2 lb Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup pepperoni slices
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Cornmeal or flour for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 475°F. Allow at least 20 minutes for the surface to get fully hot.
2. Prep the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the pizza dough into a 12–14 inch round. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal.
3. Sauce it. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edge. Brush the border lightly with olive oil.
4. Layer the cheese. Scatter the mozzarella and provolone evenly over the sauce.
5. Add the toppings. Distribute the cooked sausage, pepperoni, green pepper, red onion, olives, and mushrooms evenly across the surface.
6. Season. Sprinkle dried oregano and crushed red pepper flakes over the top.
7. Bake. Carefully slide the pizza (on the parchment) onto the hot stone or baking sheet. Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown at the edges.
8. Rest and slice. Remove from the oven and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces and serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 21g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 870mg