Every time I go to Trader Joe's I find something else I can't live without. Some of these items become staples, like TJ's refried beans with jalapeno peppers others are more likely to be occasional indulgences, such as TJ's wasabi mayonnaise. My latest discovery is TJ's pizza dough. Apparently my sister tried it, told my mom about it and then my mom told me. My mother is not just attached to the telephone, in some cases she is the telephone.
So this lump of pizza dough costs only a buck and it lives in the fridge until about 20 minutes before you need to use it which is convenient since it takes about that long to get your oven good and hot. One of the secrets to good pizza at home is baking it on a stone at very high heat. While the pizza dough is coming to room temperature and the oven is heating, you can scrounge around for toppings.
For my first attempt I used thinly sliced tomatoes instead of sauce, fresh asparagus, corn, and red onions, topped with shredded red pepper jack. Right before serving I drizzled on a little lemon flavored olive oil, which I am sure was gilding the lilly but it did taste awfully good.
If you don't have a pizza stone, I highly recommend getting one. You can find them for about ten dollars in many housewares departments. Bed Bath and Beyond has a three piece pizza stone set that includes a pizza wheel and a carrying rack for only $7.99 and if I'm not mistaken you probably have one of those Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons lying around which will save you even more. If not, sign up for their mailing list and I swear they will send you one about every other week or so.
