I am a huge fan of BBQ anything. It goes great in sandwiches, wraps, salads, and of course, on pizza. I tried making BBQ chicken pizza for the first time this week, with a few ingredients from the Biola café. I got a “salad” to go using spinach leaves, red onions, and diced chicken from the Garden — all of which I planned to put on my pizza. I also scooped up some BBQ sauce into a Tupperware container, packed away some grated Mexican cheese, and made a dash for the exit.

As I walked to my apartment with containers filled with BBQ sauce and cheese in hand, I got some strange looks from my fellow Biolans. I walked with a few friends on their way to the library and surprisingly, they weren’t embarrassed to be seen with me. Rather, they made fun of my “light snack,” asking me if I was saving that for class later. Instead of an apple or chips, I imagined myself dipping grated cheese into a vat of BBQ sauce during a lecture. Ew. That would be one unique — and messy — snack!

Don’t forget the dough!

Once I got back to the apartment, I refrigerated the goods and rode my friend’s bike to Albertson’s, where I bought a Mama Mary’s pack of two thin pizza crusts for $5.79. I was originally planning to buy a Boboli pizza crust, but found the other brand to be cheaper. I think I could have made my own dough from scratch, but it would have been a little too expensive and time-consuming. Plus, it’s hard to come by a rolling pin. So ready-made crusts are fabulous if you are a student trying to fix up something quick for lunch or dinner. The crust I bought only required seven to ten minutes of oven time. If you absolutely must make your own pizza crust and have all the doughy materials at hand (flour, yeast, salt, oil, and water), then go for it. And tell me about it so I can try it myself.

Anyways, I came home to three starving girls who were ready for a pizza and movie night. Making pizza is a great idea for small gatherings because each person gets to create their own personal pizza. We cut up the crust into four giant slices, rolled up our sleeves, and got to work.

First, we preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then, we drizzled some olive oil onto the pan and crust to keep our pizza from sticking to the bottom. After that, we poured BBQ sauce onto the unbaked crust and spread it around. We threw on handfuls of cheese, spinach leaves, diced chicken, red onions, and then topped it all off with more cheese. Mmm, magnifico!

Pile on the toppings:

A pizza can never have too many toppings, so feel free to add whatever extras you prefer. Lots of recipes call for cilantro, garlic, and fresh herbs. You could also experiment with different kind of cheeses like mozzarella, Gouda, Parmesan, etc. One recipe I found even used blue cheese. Don’t be afraid of being cheesy and creative — kind of like my writing style.

Once the oven is hot, put the pizza in for baking but be sure to turn the dial down to 325 degrees. The pizza should be ready in less than ten minutes, so be sure to keep your eye on it — or rather, your nose as keen as a pup’s snout. When you smell the delightful aroma of melted cheese and tangy BBQ sauce, turn your oven off and proceed to take your pizza out of its cave. If you smell something resembling burnt toast, then you know the pizza’s been in there for too long.

Bon appétit!

Eat with your hands, or a knife and fork if you feel so inclined. That might be a good idea if you are cooking this for a first date, and don’t want greasy fingers and a string of gooey cheese hanging from your mouth. I speak from experience. Anyways, read again next week when I make fried rice just like how my mom taught me.