[homemade] Great Aunt Helen’s tavern style pizza

Growing up Jewish, I don't have a lot of Christmas holidays or traditions. But the one thing I remember fondly was spending Christmas Eve at my great Aunt Helen's house. Her and her husband George owned a pizzeria, and on Christmas Eve, they'd have the entire family over to sing, watch cartoons, and spend time together. Throughout the entire evening, she kept throwing together pizzas, and about every 20 minutes someone was walking around with a pan with a freshly sliced pie. I don't remember ever getting a plate or going to the kitchen, the pizzas were always just being passed around.

For our wedding, Helen invited us to the house and taught us how to make their pizza recipe from scratch. And now every Christmas, we have my parents and sister's family over and we all make pizzas together and share memories of Great Aunt Helen. Some of the ingredients might not be traditional and the kids have fun coming up with crazy combinations. Sometimes we'll even make a few extras and go deliver them to other relatives. It's a wonderful way to keep her memory alive and to carry on her holiday tradition!