Although pizza is technically an Italian specialty, over the years it has become almost as American as apple pie. So when the occasion calls for a show of good old American patriotism, why not prepare the following All-American Patriotic Pizza? It's easy to make, especially if you have an automatic bread machine on hand to mix and proof the dough. You can, of course, substitute refrigerated pizza dough, or even frozen bread dough if you are especially in a hurry. Canned or bottled spaghetti sauce saves time, as well as packaged grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, along with a package of sliced fresh mozzarella. The flag's blue square representing the 50 states is a handful of frozen hash browns tossed with a little food coloring (not all that appetizing, but essential to the design – the kids will love it, though), and the stripes are made with thin slices of pepperoni. If you can't stomach blue potatoes, there is actually a variety of blue potatoes that are sold in some supermarkets, you can substitute them, cooked and sliced for the hash browns.

Whether you are serving family or having guests, this pizza is a quick way to show your patriotism. Hands-on time is very minimal, since the dough mixes unmonitored while the cook assembles the other ingredients, cleans up the kitchen, and relaxes with a big glass of lemonade. If you don't want to heat up the kitchen, this pizza can be "baked" on an outdoor grill – if you have a conventional grill, off the coals, or if you have an infrared grill, turned to medium. Serve with tall glasses of lemonade and watermelon, of course, and enjoy reflecting on the incredible freedoms we Americans enjoy.

8 Servings

Dough:
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups canned or bottled spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup Frozen Southern Style Hash Browns
Blue gel paste food coloring
Few drops water

6 ounces sliced pepperoni
1 16 oz. package fresh mozzarella cheese

1. Place the dough ingredients in the pan of an automatic bread machine in the order given.
2. Set the machine to the dough setting and start.
3. Let the cycle run for 5 minutes; check to make sure the mixture has formed a soft ball. If the dough is too stiff, add a little water and restart; if it is too soft, add a little more flour.
4. When the cycle has finished, turn out onto a lightly floured pastry cloth or board, cut in half, and let rest for a few minutes. You will use only one half of the dough for this recipe. The other half can be used for another pizza or shaped into a baguette and baked.
5. Measure the hash browns into a small zip-type bag.
6. Add a few drops of the food coloring and a few drops of water; shake until the potatoes are coated.
7. Assembly: Heat the oven to 450°.
8. Pour the olive oil onto a 17 1/2" x 11" jelly roll pan and spread it evenly.
9. Roll or stretch one half of the dough so that it fits into the pan (it will be very thin, and this is as it should be); a small rolling pin makes the job easier.
10. Spread the spaghetti sauce over the surface of the dough and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over.
11. Dump the blue potatoes in the upper left corner of the pizza and arrange them into a square.
12. Make stripes with the pepperoni slices to resemble the flag.
13. Slice the fresh mozzarella (it comes sliced, but it's better if the slices are thinner so slice them again) and arrange the slices between the pepperoni stripes.

14. Break a few pieces of mozzarella into dots and arrange on the blue potatoes to represent the states.
15. Bake the pizza 15-20 minutes or until it is bubbly and the crust is crisp and cooked through.
16. Remove from the oven, cut into squares with a pizza cutter, and serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 536 Calories from Fat 318
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 59% Protein 18% Carb. 23%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 35 g
Saturated Fat 17 g
Cholesterol 82 mg
Sodium 1162 mg
Total Carbohydrate 31 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 24 g

Vitamin A 48% Vitamin C 11% Calcium 0% Iron 10%