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DIY Pizza Party Night! *Giveaway* Published on Thursday, January 5, 2012 by

It’s Friday night and nobody wants to cook.  After shopping, prepping, and cooking meals all week, the very last thing I want to do on a Friday night is whip up something elaborate.  It’s way too easy (and definitely more expensive) to stop at one of our local restaurants and pick up dinner after a long week.  But with the new year ahead, I’m sticking to my goal of cooking a majority of our meals at home, regardless of how simple or complex they are…or what night of the week it is.

As to be expected my children love pizza.  It’s one of those foods that is quick and easy to make (even if you’re going all out and making the dough from scratch).  Given the fact that my son has food allergies, we’ve had to be creative with something as basic as pizza.  Fortunately palatable, vegan cheese alternatives like Daiya exist.

Since I’m always cognizant of the reality of food allergies, I decided that a night where everyone could create their own pizzas was in order. I laid out a few different types of pizza crusts, including these gluten-free pizza crusts from Udi’s, dairy and vegan cheeses, a selection of fresh cut vegetables and little bowls of Ragu Pizza sauce. I served it with a salad (which my son just loves, proving he is definitely my son) for an added veggie boost.

Children, particularly those around my kid’s ages, enjoy being in the kitchen, however they often lack the patience necessary to prepare and cook even a simple dish.  Prepping everything ahead of time and arranging a “work station” allows children the freedom and autonomy to create their own pizza in a controlled environment.

Tips for hosting a DIY Pizza Party Night:

But the smaller, individual sized pizza crusts

If you opt not to purchase shredded cheese, do so and then place it in individual bowls

Chop up all veggies ahead of time and also place those in individual bowls

Portion off the pizza sauce to minimize clean up due to spills

Offer meat and vegetarian options

Don’t forget the cooking spray. I like the Olive Oil one because it’s healthy and goes well with pizza

Have you ever hosted a pizza party night? What are your best tips? Share them below!

Win It! One of you will win  a $300 American Express Gift Card for your very own pizza party. Simply leave me a comment with a recipe you found on Ragu’s site using one of their two pizza sauces. Comments will close on January 20th 2012 at 11:59 PM PST.

US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one. Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (or something like it) “ I just entered a #giveaway to win an @americanexpress GC from @ragusauce @rockinmama http://su.pr/1HNZGh #momstheword” Daily tweets are allowed but please put the permalink so I can keep track.

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Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

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Disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Ragú® Mom’s the Word on Dinner Program. Visit www.facebook.com/ragusauce to join the conversation.

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