This particular dough we bought fresh at Publix–one ball makes two crusts.

“Nona”-Mom’s advice on our latest batch of pies–wait and put the basil on after it cooks so that it tastes fresh.

I poured olive oil over fresh basil in one jar and fresh rosemary in another so that we have infused oils to brush on the edges of the crust. It helps it brown nicely.

On a recent road trip to our and uncle’s lake house in Tennessee, my husband, Nicholas, and I swapped stories about our favorite childhood meals, some of which are only delicious in the awesome nostalgia of a childhood memory recollected aloud. Nicholas grew up in North Georgia, and loved his mom’s queso–served up to his crew of nerdy gamer friends who would haul their enormous desk-top PCs to his house for the weekend. He raved about Poppi’s breakfast frittatas, and his impeccable red sauce and meatballs that I’d like to think I have now mastered. I grew up in central Illinois, where the one-dish-meals (casseroles) typically ruled the dinner table a couple nights a week, in between the meat-potato-vegetable suppers. I remember “helping” in the kitchen as early as kindergarten, and by the time I joined 4-H and started cooking and baking simple dishes for the fairs each summer, I’d become privy to the Midwestern mom’s secret weapon–Cream of Mushroom Soup. My kitchen dilemma as a 23 year old married woman was that my husband despises casseroles and doesn’t do mushrooms–especially in a canned, cream version.

Ten years later, I think the two of us can crank out some pretty awesome food together, often using tips or recipes from our mom’s kitchens as inspiration. The kitchen in our townhouse is my new favorite place, especially if he’s in it, helping me create a new recipe or recreate something we had at a local restaurant. Our latest mission? Napoletana pizza. We first had this type of specialty wood-fired pizza at Dough Pizzeria in San Antonio, and couldn’t get enough of it–http://www.doughpizzeria.com/.     And now, at the risk of sounding cocky, I think we’ve got this one nailed down pretty well. A jaunt to the Grant Park Farmer’s Market last week inspired the idea, as I secured fresh buffalo mozzarella and pancetta for our toppings. When Nicholas came home with a new grill complete with a pizza stone, the challenge was on. One scorched pizza as our newbie food-foul was enough of a lesson. He lowered the heat on the right burners where the pizza stone is, upped the left to burners to high, and the result was a perfectly cooked, crisp crust with gooey cheese and crunchy pancetta on top in about five minutes. Delicious is the understatement of the century, and I’m a little concerned about the waistline of my summer dresses. But I think a thicker mid section is a small price to pay and am excited to play with new pizza recipes, like barbecue chicken with gouda cheese.