Stress-Free Side Dishes for Your Next Pizza Night — Menus from The Kitchn

While in many ways pizza is the perfect social food, I’ve learned that it’s a good idea to have a strong plan in place when making it for a large group — a plan for not only the pizzas themselves (which always seem to take longer than I think!), but also a few appetizers to keep hunger at bay while pizzas cook and a few sides round out the meal.

Here is one of my favorite pizza-night menus. It takes pizzeria classics, like marinated olives and tiramisu, and gives them a bit of an update. There’s plenty to nibble before, during, and after the pizza is served — no one goes hungry on pizza night!

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Everything You Need to Know About Growing Basil — Herb Gardening 101

Basil is my can’t-live-without-it herb. Its aroma simply exudes summer. I generously sprinkle it over caprese salads, add it whole-leaf into spicy Thai soups, muddle it into Bloody Marys, and make sweet basil syrup for my sliced summer strawberries. And don’t even get me started about how liberally I toss freshly chopped basil on my pizza; I know I’m not alone here.

Many times, an established basil plant is less expensive than those packages of basil you find in the grocery store. So stop purchasing those packages of so-called “fresh” basil and pick up a basil plant. Here’s everything you need to know to start growing your own.

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9 Pizza Dough Recipes for Any Schedule — Recipes from The Kitchn

Confession: I just recently started making homemade pizza dough. Like, for the first time ever in my life. For some reason I used to be intimidated by it, so I went straight for store-bought dough (which, by the way, there’s nothing wrong with — but homemade is surprisingly simple and fun to make).

Whether you’re ready to make a pizza pronto, or have some extra time on your hands, there’s a pizza dough recipe that’s just right for your schedule.

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Recipe: Clams Casino — Appetizer Recipes from The Kitchn

I tried out this recipe on several groups of friends (it pays to befriend a recipe developer!) and, in addition to unanimously loving the dish, a consistent comment was, “This is clams casino?” Turns out, they would have been ordering clams casino for years now if they had known what it really meant: fresh clams topped with bread crumbs and bacon, and broiled until crispy.

What they still don’t know is how fast and easy it is to make. This is the reason I love making this broiled clam dish for a dinner party appetizer — it feels special, but is so very simple.

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