For me, the advance prep payed off. I kept busy, but had no reason to get harried, and there was plenty of pizza, which was the goal.
I'll let the photos tell most of the story from here:
Some shots of my midday work crew, who washed beverage containers, helped chop toppings, mixed up sauce, got the table set up, and helped do clean-up:
An hour before the team arrived:
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| Table set, making good use of the beverage dispensers we got for the weddings. |
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| Pre-baked crusts awaiting toppings |
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| Not fancy, but a way to serve hot, sliced pizza without the bottoms steaming and getting soggy |
They're on their way! We left one island-full of crusts unbaked, so we could cook the first several fresh, the way we're accustomed to:
During the busiest time:
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| 14 team members + 4 adults (coaches & parents), + 8 family = 26 |
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| Our kids waited for their chance at the food! |
Finishing up the last of the ingredients, and, I thought, the last 2 crusts. But then I turned around and there were still 2 more. That's OK. We can mix up more sauce tomorrow, or just be lazy and use pesto.
We have 3 pizzas and the 2 bare crusts remaining. For Saturday, there is one answer to the question I am asked several times each day, "What should I eat?" :-)
Things learned to remember or change for next year:
- Make 2 double batches of dough early in the week to shape into 18 to 20 pizza crusts early on Friday
- Things I did right: Baking crusts for 4 to 5 minutes each and prepping toppings ahead. The sauce as we did this year, starting with six 6-ounce cans of tomato paste and 24 ounces of water, should be just the right amount.
- Reconsider the baking method, as the pre-baked crusts were getting done before the cheese on top was bubbly and browning. I need to choose a method with a higher percentage of top element heat, or put pizza stone on a rack at a higher position in the oven.
- We waited too long to start the first batch, so that only 2 pizzas were done by the time kids started streaming through the front door. It would've been better to have 4 done (sliced in 10 pieces per pie) so that each athlete could've grabbed 2 pieces without waiting. I think I'll go ahead and pre-bake all the crusts next year, so that they all bake faster once the team arrives.
