The giggling still echoes in my ears. Four thirteen-year-old girls can make a lot of noise. And apparently require almost no sleep. In any case I know one thing: A key element of a successful sleepover is the food. The build your own pizza bar is one we’ve done a couple times and it’s always a rousing success. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also a fun activity for the kids, no matter what age they are.
While this is perfect kid food, I’ve been known to do this with my grown up friends too. Everybody gets just what they like, and it’s great if you have a group that includes vegetarians, or others on a special diet. I love to use the little ciabatta rolls, or a french baguette cut into pieces. If you have gluten-free or low-carb folks in your group you can use gluten free buns, stuff toppings in a pepper half or toss with salad greens for a pizza salad.
We followed up with Frost Your Own Cupcakes for dessert. Yum!
Our masterpieces!
Build Your Own Pizzas
Ciabatta rolls or French baguette, cut into 3-4″ pieces.
Pizza sauce
Pesto (I like to offer an alternative to tomato sauce in case of allergies, etc.)
Mozzarella
Assorted pizza toppings of your choice. We used:
Banana pepper rings
Sliced red & yellow peppers
Pepperoni
Olives
The pizza bar. It can be simple or elaborate. Basic or gourmet. It’s up to you!
Put all the ingredients out, make sure you have plenty of utensils for spreading and scooping ingredients. Have everybody wash their hands first and then make their own pizzas. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Lay out a baking sheet or two on which to place the finished masterpieces. I always recommend they put some sort of marker on their pizzas so they will know which ones are theirs, or just remember where they put it.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool a minute or so. Clear out while the hungry horde descends.
3hungrymonkeys 