Why pizza? It's universally loved, it's flexible, it's cheap to make, and it makes lots of left-overs. Think about it - Ordering a pizza usually costs around $30 these days. Why spend that on one pizza when you could spend that on ingredients and make 10-20 pizzas at home, and take pride in knowing you did it yourself? Especially as a father, it doubles as a lesson to show and include my child. INGREDIENTS/SHOPPING LIST: (Based on California prices) - All-purpose flour (recommend 10 pound bag; won't use it all at once, but smarter to buy in bulk) Roughly costs $10-$15 (or a deal on Amazon for 3 5-pound bags for $15) - Tomato sauce or puree (8oz-12oz can), usually $3-$5 - Active dry yeast, usually $2-$3 - Granulated sugar (again, recommend buying in bulk), roughly $5 - Salt and pepper (ranges in price; as low as $3 for a small pack, or grinders and bulk pack for around $20-$30 but last around 3-6 months) - Italian seasoning (large 6oz container lasts a while), roughly $3-$5 at Chef Stores - Olive oil (32 fluid ounce bottles are usually $10 at Trader Joe's - pouring spout is a bonus) - Onion and Garlic powders (optional, usually $2-$5 each) - Honey - (optional) Varies. I use Montana Sweet Clover honey from Chicohoneyco.com, starts around $12 - Truffle oil - (Optional). Can buy various sizes off Amazon for around $10-$30 - Toppings (Aside from cheese, all optional): - Shredded mozzarella cheese (or other blend, family size), roughly $8-$10 - Pepperoni - Store brand is usually cheaper and just as good, and I recommend turkey pepperoni (roughly $5-$10 per bag) - Mushrooms - Portabella or White Button (roughly $5 per pack). Better to buy whole and slice yourself, roughly $3-$5 - Sliced olives - Roughly $3 per can RECIPE (Imperial units): YEAST MIX - Water - 2 cups - Yeast (active dry) - 2 tablespoons - Sugar - 1 teaspoon These are to make the yeast, which you'll add to the flour mixture. Heat the water to between 90F-110F (have a thermometer handy, such as an analog bi-metallic stem thermometer with adjustable wing nut, and be sure it's calibrated). While hot/cooling down, add the sugar and stir well.

I sent out skirt steak yesterday for dinner tonight. What I had on hand was onions and zucchini and spices. Skirt steak with caramelized onions and zucchini. It was good. Vegetables very tasty. Meat good flavor but a little tough. We rated vegetable as 9. Meat 7. Next time I am going to try it with chicken breast.

I often shop at Sam's Club. The membership is a lil pricey but worth it for my family. I go first thing every Wednesday mornings. That's when they have their meat marked down pretty cheap. I got over $750 worth of meat for $300. If you have a membership it's definitely worth checking out.