College Football is Back:: Party Ideas & Pizza Crust Recipe

Hi Everyone! I'm Nicole, Annette's web-manager and friend, and I am back this week to bring you the very best in planning for upcoming sports' parties. This weekend officially kicks-off the 2015 college football season. With hours of football planned on television networks across the country, this weekend is just the beginning of several months of tailgating, rivalries, and more. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but football in the south is HUGE. While I didn't go to a school that had a college football team (blasphemy, I know), my husband's family is very much a part of the college football scene, and I can wear my orange and navy with the best of them (War Eagle!). There are oodles of recipes and party plans on the web, but I don't have to look any further than Annette's book, Picture Perfect Parties Rizzoli NY, to find a great party fit for a crowd and this weekend's games. In the last chapter of the book, you'll find an entire section devoted to a Game Day Pizza Party. And this isn't just any pizza party. It's a make your own pizza party! Who doesn't love getting their hands in a bevy of sauces, cheeses, veggies, and other toppings? Even as adults, this party will definitely be a hit. Plan to set-out everything ahead of time in small dishes on your workspace; the sky is the limit! From herbs to jalapenos and from tomatoes to mushrooms, no topping should be left out of the mix. Let guests be creative and have fun with their food. They'll enjoy creating their own pizzas and taste-testing everyone else's. Plus, if you have kids in attendance, they'll be thrilled with this concept.Now, for each and every delectable recipe for hosting your own Game Day Pizza Party, including two delicious dessert pizzas, you'll have to get a copy of Picture Perfect Parties of your own, but I thought I'd share Annette's recipe for her Super Pizza Crust with you today. It is an easy pizza crust recipe using common ingredients and the end result is absolutely delicious. And the best part is that this same crust is used for Annette's dessert calzones and pizzas. A double duty recipe? Touchdown!

Super Pizza Crustmakes 6 to 8 (12-inch) pizza crusts

You will need:

- 1 cup warm water- 2 packages active dry yeast- 6 cups all-purpose flour- 1 cup olive oil, plus extra for oiling the bowl- 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt

To prepare:

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the 1 cup warm water and the yeast on low speed for 30 seconds. Allow the yeast to proof, or sit, for 10 minutes. Add the flour, oil, and salt and blend on low speed for 2 minutes. Add more warm water if the dough is dry and won't hold together. *

Note: You can also mix the dry dough by hand. Following the recipe directions, this technique will take about 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic to the touch.

Transfer the dough to a large oiled mixing bowl and knead it for 10 to 20 seconds, then form it into a ball. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 1 hour on the kitchen counter.

When it has risen, punch the dough down with your fist, cover again with plastic wrap, and allow it o rise for another hour. At this point it can sit out safely at room temperature for 2 more hours.

Once dough has risen, divide it into 3-inch individual balls and allow guests to roll out their own dough to make individual pizzas.

Cook each pizza at 500 degrees for 5 minutes or until the crust begins to brown.

xo, Nicole

Photo Credit : Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn