A Winning Dinner Party Menu

We are all friends here, right? Since we are friends, I would like to come clean with you. I’m an introvert. It’s ridiculously easy for me to turn down a night out with friends or an invite anywhere else. If I’m being honest though, I don’t want to be that way. When I get an invite, what I really want to say is “heck, yes!”. The fact is, I genuinely do love spending time with my friends and family and I do not want them to stop inviting me, so I say yes to these invites about half the time. Now that my introverted nature has been exposed, I will say that I am very comfortable in my home (of course) so it is in my home that my more social side comes out. I actually love throwing a good dinner party!

Despite my lack of love for going out on the town, I have actually managed to develop friendships with an eclectic group of people. This often means that I need to plan out my dinner party menus quite carefully. I have hunter friends that are meat and potato people, gluten-free friends, low-carb friends, vegan friends and those who avoid all things dairy. On the days that I invite many people over, I like to have a variety of foods available to them.

So, what do you serve when you are feeding a crowd? I have discovered the hands-down best meal for these types of dinner parties. Pizza! I literally don’t know that I have ever met anyone like didn’t like pizza. The great thing about pizza is how versatile it is and how many different ways you can prepare it. I can make a vegan pizza, a low carb pizza or a meat and cheese loving pizza. Seriously my friends, you cannot go wrong with pizza as a dinner party feature.

Just to be clear though, I am talking about homemade pizza. Not the cheap takeout or delivery that you have on speed dial. I mean some real, delicious, homemade pizza that will have your friends and family asking for the recipe! This week I have invited my friends that happen to be vegan to our home for dinner and I plan to make several pizzas to accommodate their diet and mine and I am really looking forward to the results.

In case you are curious, here are some of the pizza recipes I am planning to try this week! I love having a good selection for my guests, and if end up with extras, all the better! Who doesn’t love leftover pizza, am I right?

For the basic pizzas that will be on the menu, I will definitely be using this fresh tomato sauce recipe that we have posted here on Sassafrass.

I will be trying this pompeii pizza for my vegan friends. I think I will definitely be sneaking a bite though, this looks like authentic italian food at its finest. For the dough, I’m going to switch it up a bit and will be using this Vegan Flatbread from Veganosity.

For my gluten free option, I will be making this Margherita Pizza from My Heavenly Recipes, made with this Magic Mozzarella Dough from All Day I Dream about Food, which I hear is amazing, by the way.

If you are ready say goodbye to delivery, or you simply want to make an excellent pizza at home for a dinner party or a special occasion, you definitely need to invest in a pizza stone. Here at Sassafrass we have some incredible ones to choose from, but this week, I am going to focus on two of favorites, both of which are available to buy here on on our website.

15" round superstone® baking stone with rack - our superstone® baking stone duplicates the effects of a professional pizzeria oven. the stone absorbs moisture, creating a crispy pizza crust! the round shape is great for a traditional-style pizza. also try breads, pretzels, cookies, and anything else that uses dough on your superstone®. we're sure you'll think it's "super!". to clean, simply scrub under hot water -- do not use soap. superstone® measures 15" diameter. 16" with the rack. includes recipes.

rectangular superstone® baking stone - our superstone® baking stone replicates the effects of a professional pizzeria oven. the stone absorbs moisture, creating a crispy pizza crust! the rectangular shape is great for a sicilian-style pizza. also great for cookies, pretzels and anything with a dough! to clean, simply scrub under hot water -- do not use soap. superstone® measures 13" wide x 15" long. with rack, it measures 17" long. includes recipes.

Oh, and if you find yourself wanting to order one of these awesome cooking stones, we have a deal for you this week only! Save 10% off unglazed round and rectangular superstones® (with metal rack) when you use promo code 10STONE.

As always, you can find some new pizza recipes by checking out Pinterest (and don’t forget to follow us while you are there).