English Muffin Pizza: For Kids with an Aversion to Red Sauce.

One of my fondest childhood food memories is devouring English Muffin Pizza. Saucy and cheesy, it was the perfect afternoon snack with a side of apple slices with peanut butter, or a great lunch with a cup of chocolate milk and a ‘Crazy’ Straw.

While thumbing through Paula Deen’s my first cookbook, the celebrity chef’s children’s cookbook, I found a recipe for English Muffin Pizza, which she calls Personal Pizza. Paula’s recipe suggests a variety of toppings such as pepperoni, green peppers and olives. My toppings were not so elaborate, but I did have black olives, Gianna’s favorite. (She gets a thrill out of putting them on her fingers, a trait she inherited from her mom.) We got to work one rainy afternoon to prepare our pizza lunch. To begin, I organized the following ingredients and supplies:

• English Muffins, split (bagel halves work just as well)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Marinara sauce
• Sliced pitted black olives
• Cookie sheet

Assembly is easy: Spread on the sauce, pile on the cheese and decorate with olives. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

For those moms out there whose kid has an aversion to red sauce, try using hummus as a base. We’ve tried Red Pepper hummus instead of sauce. It is a great way to sneak in some veggies and beans and is equally as tasty as marinara sauce.
Sure, the recipe is not culinary greatness but when you have a picky eater like I do, getting your kids to help with the preparation makes them look forward to the outcome and (we hope) helps them work up an appetite.