These beautiful sunny days sure are perfect for the children to go outside and play. Sunshine and fresh air can do wonders for children who have been in the house all winter, not only that, it sometimes gives mom some quietness to tackle her writing, such as right now. They especially like going out with daddy when he does his chores then gives them swing rides.

Perhaps my husband’s highlight of warmer weather is firing up the charcoal grill and grilling his favorites such as ribs, burgers, bacon wrapped steak. Last week he tried something that was new for us; he grilled a pizza! Mmmm, now that was a hit for sure. A regular pizza can be prepared and placed in the grill at 350 until nice and hot. Not only do you have the pizza flavor, but also the grilled taste infused right in!

Who doesn’t like pizza? Not everyone cares for the same kind, but most of us enjoy a good slice of some sort of pizza every now and then. My husband Daniel is no exception. In fact, in one of the first years of our marriage I told Daniel I’ll make a goal of making a pizza of some kind for him every Friday for our supper. I wish I could tell you that I’ve been doing it ever since, but that is not the story. Even though my high ideas didn’t last as long as I had hoped they would I still enjoy watching Daniel’s face light up when he discovers a fresh pan of pizza. And Julia and Austin seem to be taking after Daddy when it comes to pizzas. They eat it any time, any day. Julia is especially fond of fruit pizza, she likes it loaded with all kinds of fruit.

I wonder what pizza you enjoy the most? I really, really wish I could give you a piece of this homemade pizza I had last night. My brother Jeriah has a girlfriend who is known to make the best pizzas in the community. Last night we had the opportunity of being at her house for pizza. It certainly was no disappointment at all. The creamy texture and delicious flavors of chicken, ham, barbecue sauce, cheese, and pepperoni blended harmoniously. Mmmm, I can almost taste it as I write. The good news is I’ll passing along the recipe to you to try it yourself. One of the secrets is to not over-bake the crust or over-bake the chicken. Keep everything nice and moist. We had ours loaded with peppers and onions but not everyone does so when I make for guests I leave the one side plain. When it comes to pizzas your imagination is the limit on what can be spread on top of your crust. Whether it is a regular fruit pizza and vegetable pizza or any other kind put on what you like. No one can say you’re doing it wrong; our taste buds just aren’t all alike!

My grandma recalls first hearing about pizzas when they were young and married, about 50 years ago. According to her recollection they were first made in pie pans, resulting in more filling and less crust. They simply browned hamburger, put it into the baked crust, along with some pizza sauce, and topped it with cheese.

Now here we are a half century down the road and there are more kinds of pizza than I’ll ever know. One of our favorite pizza meals is a pizza meal consisting of regular pizza, vegetable pizza, and fruit pizza. This works very well if you’ve got a family gathering or several families coming for dinner. Each family can bring a pan of pizza resulting in all kinds of mouth-watering options. I have included our homemade barbecue sauce recipe below, but you can save a step and use your favorite store bought kind as well.

Here is a recipe for a homemade crust that is easy and delicious.

Summer Barbecued and Grilled Pizza

a delicious summer splashed twist on an iconic American favorite.

Crust (bought crust or make your own, below)

Cheese of your choice

Sour cream mixed with a dash of ranch dip mix

Grilled turkey breasts

Diced Ham

Pepperoni

Onions, diced

Diced Peppers

Barbecue sauce

Homemade Barbecue Sauce For Pizza

1 /2 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

1 /4 teaspoon liquid smoke optional

1 /2 teaspoon chili powder

1 /4 garlic salt

1 /2 teaspoon onion

Salt

1 /2 teaspoon prepared mustard

Crust

3 /4 cup hot water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons salt

2 1 /2 teaspoons yeast

2 cups flour (I use a blend of white and wheat)

For added flavor add a dash of garlic powder, oregano, or other seasonings of your choice.

Press crust into greased pan (18-inch by 11-inches) with sides.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then and top with cheese and spread sour cream mixture and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Layer remaining ingredients on top.

Return to oven until thoroughly heated or place in a grill until done.

If you plan to do it in a grill you will want to use a heavy duty pan to prevent the crust from getting burnt, also be sure to not have your grill too hot.

Cut and enjoy!

Gloria Yoder is an Amish mom, writer, and homemaker in rural Illinois. The Yoders travel primarily by horse-drawn buggy and live next to the settlement’s one-room school-house. Readers can write to Gloria at 10510 E. 350th Ave., Flat Rock, IL 62427.