A taste of Italy... and then some!

Armed with my new gluten-free flour, I decided to attempt a pizza!  The dough was simple enough to make, with some added Italian herbs from my stash. I looked around for toppings while the crust was resting before baking, and I came up with something pretty interesting...

Pepperoni (of course), the usual red sauce, Monterey Jack cheese (I cheated and substituted this for mozzarella), shredded Parmesan cheese, fresh white onions, etc. and this is where it got even more interesting: colossal Spanish Queen olives stuffed with pimientos, marinated artichoke hearts, and a drizzle of ranch dressing. I arranged these on my baked crust so that about 3/8 of it was mostly pepperoni, cheese and onions, and that the remainder of the pizza was dotted with my green ingredients (olives and artichoke hearts). I sprinkled cilantro and more onions over the whole thing before popping it into the oven to bake.

The most delicious smells came wafting up as the ingredients blended their flavors together. And finally, when my little pizza was done, it looked too good to eat! So I let it cool a bit on the counter and cut it with a roller when it was time for dinner, but not before snapping a picture. The crust came out delightfully moist and chewy, but not too dense. It was easy to cut and pleasant to eat, owing to the fact that it had substance, as well as to the wonderful flavor combination.

Next up... well, I can't decide! Perhaps I'll try my hand at pecan pie. The molasses in the cupboard is beckoning me, as well as that lovely bag of shelled pecans...
After all, life is too short to die. Gotta live a little!