Dining In: Pizza Night

“I would never win an award for not loving pizza.” - Dwayne Johnson

Pizza is something my hubby and I really love. When G posed the idea of making our own pies from scratch, I fell in love with him all over again, LOL. Seriously, it was such a cool weekend activity for us. We created two completely different pizzas, that were both equally delicious.

Today, I’m sharing our homemade pizzas, what we chose for our toppings, and how surprisingly easy it all was!

The dough for our pizzas.

The dough is the most important part, and creates the foundation for your pizza. I suggest preparing your dough either the night before, or the morning of when you’re eating your delicious pizza.

Here is what you’ll need for the crust:

• 3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour (plus more for rolling)

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 envelope of instant dry yeast

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 1/2 cups of hot water

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Once you combine all of your ingredients in a mixer, oil a glass bowl, and put your dough into it. This will make your dough super easy to get out of the bowl after it rises. Then use saran wrap to cover your bowl tightly with.

With the dough recipe provided above, G and I were able to have enough dough for two personal sized pizzas - approximately 10 inches, which yielded 4 slices each. If you want to make one larger pizza pie, this recipe is perfect!

Pro Tip #1: Your dough should be sticky, and not clumpy or hard. If your mixture doesn't have a sticky texture to it, add additional hot water until it has a better consistency.

The dough and all of the ingredients we selected for our personal pizzas.

Basil pesto + fresh mozzarella

Pepperoni pizza + spicy marinara

Once the dough was ready to go, and formed into molds, we began preparing for our pizzas. We oiled our cast iron pans, and put them into the oven at 500 degrees. Next, G and I gathered our ingredients for our individual pizza, while the cast irons were getting nice and hot in the oven.

G opted for a traditional pepperoni pizza, with a new twist. He added red pepper flakes to his marinara, layered mozzarella cheese on top, and later drizzled honey along with fresh chopped basil on top.

My pizza was a bit more simple. I added fresh basil pesto onto my dough, added mozzarella cheese on top, and cracked black pepper.

Pro tip #2: Once your cast irons are super hot and ready to go, put your dough in first, then layer your preferred ingredients on top. This will give your dough a nice crunch and crust in the cast iron.

Pro tip #3: Use low moisture mozzarella cheese - this is super important! Most mozzarella is high in moisture, and that particular cheese can water log your dough.

The pizzas looking amazing in the 500 degree oven.

Spicy Pepperoni Pizza + Fresh Basil and Hot Honey

Basil Pesto Pizza + Fresh Basil, Oregano, and Black Pepper

Our pizzas turned out amazing! I always had the preconceived notion that making homemade pizza would be super complicated, but I was oh so wrong. We prepped everything well in advance, and gathered all of our ingredients ahead of time to make these delicious pies. G and I will now opt for making pizzas at home, and it’s such a fun date night activity for us - we can’t wait to do this again soon!

XO, Analise

Dining Out: Prosperity Kitchen & Pantry

pros·per·i·ty /präˈsperədē/ - a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, good fortune

Prosperity Kitchen & Pantry, is the cutest and most peaceful spot near the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, VA. This Roman inspired bakery takes me back to my Italy vacation from earlier this year. As soon as you step foot into the pantry, you are greeted by kind faces, a wide array of pizza options, and fresh baked goods. Everything is made onsite, and with the best ingredients. I was super eager to try their food, and their unique slices are like no other pizza place. Their pizza is served Roman-style - on a square baking sheet, and each slice is cut with a pair of scissors. The staff took their time to explain the history of their shop, how they make their pizza, and went over the quality ingredients they use for the baked goods.

Prosperity is amazing, and I cannot wait to share my experience there.

The entrance to Prosperity Kitchen & Pantry.

The coolest artwork on the side of the building.

Prosperity has a small but eclectic wine collection. Their wines are fantastic, and from Italy, which matches the Roman theme of their restaurant. The staff went over their wine list with me, and even let me try one of the Sangiovese’s! During our visit, I opted for a glass of Cabernet from Baurboursville Vineyards in Charlottesville, VA.

The wine offered for purchase to guests.

A wall decorated with an assortment of jams for patrons to order.

The freshly made pizza on display for guests to select and enjoy.

Cookies, croissants, breads, scones - you name it Prosperity has it for you!

The restaurant used to be an auto repair shop, and the way they have converted the space is absolutely magical. It is cozy, and so inviting. During your visit you can see the staff baking behind the counter while you enjoy your meal. Also, the space is setup to where you can meet new people and share a table to enjoy your meal.

The lovely space and decor is so inviting in Prosperity Kitchen & Pantry.

Where the magic happens.

Our Order

When you order your slices, they heat up the pizza so it is nice and warm. Then, they serve it on the cutest tray for you to enjoy. The pizza is absolutely light and fluffy - their dough goes through a 3-day fermentation process, so that your body can easily digest it -which means, more pizza for me!

My husband and I went the traditional route and ordered the Pepperoni Pizza. Everything about it was fresh. The flour and tomato sauce were both organic. Also, the cheese and pepperoni were so high quality.

G decided to be super adventurous, and ordered a slice of the Bacon, Pear, and Blue Cheese Pizza. Once again, they used organic flour for the pie. Also, the ingredients are as follows: unfiltered olive oil, pears, blue cheese, sweet onion, kale, bacon, mozzarella, and wild honey. He loved the sweetness of the ingredients as they paired super well with the smokiness of the bacon. The blue cheese also added a really cool dynamic to the slice as well.

Cabernet + Pepperoni and Bacon, Pear, and Blue Cheese Pizza

We couldn’t leave without getting some pastries to go! I love chocolate croissants, and G is a huge fan of scones. Fresh baked goods are always nice to have for the morning after. These goodies were the perfect treat indulge on during a relaxing Sunday morning.

Fresh baked goods, packaged in the pantry’s signature box.

Prosperity Kitchen & Pantry has been open for less than a year, but is doing so amazingly well. This new restaurant is taking Virginia Beach by storm, and I cannot wait to visit in years to come. I’m so blown away by this spot, and the kitchen is a true testament to “quality over quantity”. Everything is done right, and I’m so thrilled we have a restaurant like this in our hometown city.

XO, Analise