* The trick with traditions?  Keep ‘em simple.  The tradition in our house for Valentine’s Day was established when the kids were small– a heart-shaped homemade pizza for dinner, especially when the holiday falls on a school night like this year.  (Chocolate drizzled strawberries don’t hurt, either–see photo here, which is where I found the pizza photo.)

* I just pop my pizzas in my plain ole’ regular oven, but here’s a pizza oven with which you can really fall in love.  This is from a residential kitchen remodel, and the owners actually went to Italy to take a week-long  wood-oven-cooking class!  You can read the blog post about the remodeling project here.

* Love your pizza outdoors?   Pizza ovens can be incorporated into an outdoor dining room, such as this.  See some more options here.

* Want to grow your own pizza toppings?  Pizza gardens are very popular and fun ways to engage kids in gardening, and produce pizza faves such as tomatoes, oregano, basil, onions, garlic, eggplants, and peppers.  I found this illustration from an “edible landscaping” company that can set this up for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.  maybe there’s a company like that near you.

* Put a little love on your table tonight for Valentine’s Day with a homemade pizza.  Check Kudzu for local service companies that can make professional-style pizza an everyday reality for you with your own pizza oven and pizza garden!  You can even find cooking classes on Kudzu (and travel agents for that trip to Italy).  Tap in to this blog every day this week for more ways to bring more of what you love home.