Venison Sausage Pizza

   On the way home from work, I was really tempted to pull into Publix and hit the deli up for a box of fresh, hot, crispy fried chicken. But the Fiscal Fast is still going on. So, after coming home and raiding the pantry and freezer, our useful inventory for dinner included: a package of Pampered Chef pizza dough mix, an unattractive can of tomato paste and jar of mushrooms (raises eyebrow and wonders why these items are even in my pantry...), 2/3 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese - which I doubted was enough to cover a whole pizza - and a package of venison sausage links in the freezer. Again, cheers to the 2014 hunting season!

  I decided venison sausage pizza was a suitable and perhaps even tasty meal and got to work. The first thing you need is a helper who is willing to cover themselves in flour and olive oil for the good of the cause. Check! ------>
   Side note here: I think it's really important to let your kids help in the kitchen. Not only does it entertain them (because they will find the most inconvenient things to do while you're occupied in there anyway like open the pantry and break glass jars of pickles), it instills the wonder and passion of cooking in them. I want my kids to enjoy food and the process it takes to make it tasty. 
   The Pampered Chef pizza dough is quick and easy to prepare. You mix and knead for 5 minutes, let rest for 5, then shape onto pizza stone. Bake for 16-19 minutes. 

 
   While that was baking, I thawed the venison sausage and cut just enough to cook and slice into pepperoni-style pieces. I put the rest back in the fridge for another Fiscal Fast meal this week...perhaps breakfast on Saturday? :)
   The tomato paste was the least appetizing of ingredients. I thinned it out with some water, added 1 tsp. of garlic powder and 2 tsp. PC Sweet Basil Rub. It transformed into some pretty tasty pizza sauce. We brushed the partially baked crust with garlic infused olive oil and then brushed on the sauce. The 2/3 bag of cheese I had was actually the perfect amount of cheesy goodness.
   I tried to perfectly thin slice the sausage with my mandolin slicer but it was not successful so I went hands on with a knife. I spread the "venison-roni" and mushrooms evenly and baked another 10 minutes. Voila! Kid-tested, mother-approved.