Heart-Shaped Pizza: A Valentine's Idea

My parents gave me a Valentine's Day gift--not a literal sort of gift (though they gave those too), but a legacy type of a gift. For us, Valentine's Day was a fun day--a day of homemade doily Valentine's stashed on your bedside in the night, a day for nice dinners, for small gifts (very small) for everyone in the family, and sometimes heart-shaped pancakes. In other words, a day for sharing with the ones you loved, not necessarily for going on a fancy expensive date or hooking up with whatever hot someone. So I was surprised when I got to college to find that not everyone loved Valentine's Day. In fact, some people had downright hateful feelings towards this day of love. Because they associated it with romance, with chocolates and secret admirerers, with lofty expectation; and thus, with disappointment and sometimes loneliness. And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a nice date or a surprise something from that very special one. It just happens to be my opinion that there's plenty of love to go around in this world and plenty of people in our lives to love for those years when a super special someone isn't in the picture. Or when he has to work. 

This idea came from my sister Rebecca.

It's not a recipe, per se. I'll save the dough and sauce for another day. Today just take whatever ingredients you've got--be it your special dough or a box of Bisquick, a century-old family recipe or a can Great Value of spaghetti sauce. And make something special out of it. Because that--the making of something lovely out of the things you've got, however imperfect or unpolished they may be--is the spirit of Valentine's Day.

Enjoy. 

Spread the dough out in the shape of a heart. You can use a pizza cutter if you'd like, but I just pressed it into the shape. (They usually sell frozen dough or you can use Bisquick or there's an easy pizza dough recipe here.)

Add the toppings.

Bake at about 400 until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

And don't forget to wear your "Kiss the Cook" apron.

Happy Valentine's Day.