In honor of Father’s Day, I’m sharing my simply satisfying recipe for Make-Your-Own Pizzas with Homemade Pizza Sauce. Customized pizzas topped with a sweet and savory pizza sauce and your choice of toppings, made in the comfort of your own home. It’s not delivery, it’s DIY Pizza Time!

I Like Pizza, Steve

My dad and I have bonded over our affinity for pizza for as long as I can remember. To this day, we often spend the first 15 minutes of each and every phone conversation comparing and contrasting the various varieties of pizzas. What kind of pizza(s) we’ve eaten lately, going over the pros and cons of each pizza chain and local pizza joint. I could talk about pizza (or anything else) with my dad, for hours.

What can I say? We love pizza. Growing up, Friday nights were almost always pizza nights in our household. I’d wait with anticipation for the sound of the doorbell ringing, an indicator that The Pizza Is Here! Promptly proceeded by stuffing my face with pepperoni and cheese while watching the TGIF lineup on TV.

Pizza, Pizza

I can’t pass a Little Caesar’s Pizza without thinking of the time in grade school, when I called my dad from the nurse’s office, and told him I was sick. (I wasn’t really sick-sick, it was more of a … I just don’t feel great and I want to go home kinda feeling.) I am not sure if my dad suspected this, but he picked me up from school, regardless, and took me to get my very own pizza at Little Caesars. To my 6-year-old self, it was the best day ever. To this day, I crave Little Caesar’s whenever I’m sick, or just feeling blah.

One of my favorite childhood memories is waking up (in what felt like the middle of the night to my child brain, but was probably only 9:00 PM), and tiptoeing downstairs. There, I found my dad eating Pagliai’s pizza (our favorite hometown pizza place) and watching some movie starring Bruce Willis, or Sylvester Stallone, or Jean-Claude Van Damme. (I can’t remember which, and yes, I realize that none of those actors resemble one another in the slightest.)

I told my dad I couldn’t sleep, and instead of being irritated or instructing me to go back to bed, my dad invited me to join him. I can still feel that feeling, that thrill of breaking the rules of bedtime. I felt so special, like we had our own little secret, pigging out on Pag’s together and watching a movie (that was probably a bit violent for my age, but hey, I turned out okay), while the rest of the house slept.

Take Care of Your Equipment, It’ll Take Care of You

Most dads are known for their fatherly advice, and mine is no exception. He has many sayings (or, “Kevonisms,” as his partner, Bonnie, refers to them as) that I often think of in my day-to-day life. I have included many of the “Kevonisms,” (Kevin is my father’s name, in case you didn’t pick up on that), as the Headings in this blog post for your reading pleasure.

My dad has taught me many things, and his lessons ring true. I’ve soaked up nearly every word said, every piece of advice, and every catchphrase. For instance, he always taught me that as long as you change the oil in your vehicle on time, and never let your gas gauge go below 1/4 tank, your vehicle will run forever. Which may hold true, as he has had the same big, red Chevrolet truck (lovingly referred to as: “Clifford”) for as long as I can remember.

Math is Your Friend

My dad often helped me with my homework, even if it meant calling him several states away. Dialing his number on the wall phone in our kitchen, stretching the long cord to the kitchen table where my books and pencils lay.

He encouraged my love for reading, simply by example. I still have dreams about the bookshelf in his hallway, lined with books for me to choose from. We’d spend summers at his Virginia home, and I’d stand and stare at the colored spines of each novel on display, careful to choose the right one from Dean Koontz, Larry McMurtry, Michael Crichton, John Grisham, or Stephen King.

Slicker Than Cat Snot on a Doorknob

He was (and continues to be), the “cool,” dad, and made me feel cool (ish) by extension. I’ll never forget the morning he picked me up from a sleepover on his Harley, rocking a leather jacket and shades.

As kids, my dad often spoiled us and made life more fun. By setting up “quicksand,” (a combination of baby powder and water, I believe?) in our bathroom sink for our little green army men to traverse. Allowing us to play with his rubber worm fishing lures (no hooks included) in the bathtub. Or, that Christmas morning, when he bought us all (including himself) a variety of Nerf guns, which led to the Great Nerf War of 1993. Foam projectiles rained throughout the house for hours that day. It was awesome.

Ain’t It Funny How a Melody, Can Bring Back a Memory…

It’s hard to choose a song for this week’s Kitchen Playlist. I have so many memories of cross-country trips in my dad’s red Chevy truck. These treks were scored by a multitude of great tunes. He’d pick us up, and take us to his home (first, in Camargo, later in North Carolina, and then, Virginia), where we’d spend our Spring Breaks, Christmas Vacations, and summers.

On those trips, we’d take turns riding up front. While I was riding shotgun, I was tasked with the important duty of: Navigator (even though I’m pretty sure he already knew the way). My dad taught me how to read a map. That’s right, kids. A physical, paper map, full of roads (ro-aads, roods), state lines, rivers, interstates, and exit signs. He taught me that exits were numbered based on mile markers. For example, if you’re looking for Exit 53, and you’re currently passing Mile Marker 43, you have 10 miles to go. I was not aware of that.

Take You to Another Place in Time. Completely Change Your State of Mind.

My dad also taught me that even-numbered interstates run east to west. Whereas, routes with odd-numbers run in a north-south direction. This was all long before the days of Ways, Google Maps, and even TomToms or Mapquest.

I look back on those road trips fondly. Tucked safely in the front seat of my dad’s truck, the high-beams piercing through the dark night that surrounded us, being lulled into a sleepy, contented state by the sound of the tires rolling down the highway. Listening to music and talking quietly with my dad while my little sister slept in the backseat, the cab of the truck lit solely by the electric green of the dashboard lights. I can still feel the buttons of his truck radio under my fingertips. A satisfying, tactile memory, long before the invention of touch screens.

Cowgirl Up

We’d listen to cowboy songs by Marty Robbins, Chris LeDoux, and, of course, George Strait. The 90s-00s were an awesome time for country music. We’d sing along to all of our favorite country artists of the day: George and Chris, Brooks ‘n Dunn, Mark Chesnutt, Doug Stone, Aaron Tippin, Garth, Clint Black, and too many more to list. My dad would always make us laugh by mimicking the harmonica intro to Clint Black’s: “State of Mind.”

But we also listened to the classics: Bob Seger, The Eagles, Marshall Tucker Band, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and more. To this day, when an MTB song comes on, I think of my dad telling me that you can always tell it’s Marshall Tucker Band playing–because they’re one of the few bands who include a flute in nearly every tune.

I Ain’t Got a Dime, But What I Got Is Mine

George Strait was a near-constant in my dad’s truck. I think of him every time I hear George sing. From the “Pure Country” soundtrack, to “Carrying Your Love With Me,” to the “Strait Out of the Box,” boxset, King George always reigns supreme. That’s why I’m featuring: “Amarillo By Morning,” on tonight’s Kitchen Playlist. My dad taught me how to two-step to this song, and it remains one of my favorites of George’s (it’s hard to pick just one). When you hear that lonesome fiddle start to play, you can’t help but be transported to the front seat of a pickup truck, on a deserted highway that’s rodeo-bound. Whenever I hear, “Amarillo By Morning,” I can’t help but do a little two-step in the kitchen, and think of my dad and smile.

Get Sauced

Two of my favorite things in this world are wine and pizza. It’s a perfect combination. That being said, I’m not one of those snobby sticklers for wine pairings that thinks you can only pair red meat with red wine, or fish/poultry with white. With all of the wine varietals available to us today, there’s a lot of wiggle room. I’m a firm believer in the fact that all that really matters is that you enjoy what you eat and drink. When it comes to pairing wine and pizza, it’s all about the toppings and The Sauce (just like it is here on Sauced).

For my go-to, a pepperoni and cheese pizza with a traditional red sauce, you’ll want to choose a stronger wine with more intense flavors. Pepperoni is a powerful meat, with lots of seasoning and spices. Therefore, you need a heavier bodied wine to counterbalance this flavorful topping. Try a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, or a Malbec.

If you’re more of a “just cheese, please” pizza person, you can pair your slice with a softer red, like Grenache, Sirah, Chianti, or Pinot Noir. These wines will enhance the flavor of the pizza sauce, without overpowering each bite of cheesy goodness. If red wines aren’t your thing, try a dry Rosé or Pinot Grigio with Kevin McCallister’s preferred pie.

And if red sauce isn’t your thing, I’d recommend a sparkling white wine or Rosé to pair with any white sauce pizza. The fizzy bubbles will help to cut through the heavy creaminess that can come with white sauce, allowing each bite to taste like your first.

For Veggie Lovers, you can’t go wrong with a crisp, chillable red wine such as Lambrusco or a bright white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, or Gewürztraminer. These lively fresh and fruity wines make a delightful combination when paired with fresh vegetables.

Get More Sauced

Looking for more pizza recipes with pizzazz? Check out my recipes for Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Peppers and Copycat Pizza Hut Breadsticks in the links below on Sauced. Or, simply visit: saucedblogger.com, choose the “Blog,” option, and search with the keyword: “Pizza.” For a full listing of all available recipes on Sauced, click the “Menu,” option on the homepage.