Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips The Ultimate Backyard Pizza Party By Paula Disbrowe Paula Disbrowe Paula Disbrowe writes about the endless adventure of food and travel. Her stories have taken her to vanilla plantations in French Polynesia, single malt distilleries in Scotland, olive groves in Spain, and salmon boats in Alaska. She is currently the Chief of Flavor for Fire & Smoke Society, a company devoted to making food taste delicious. Prior to that, she spent two years as a senior editor at Southern Living, where she remains a frequent contributor. She is a contributing writer to Food & Wine, Texas Highways, and Texas Co-op Power. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Coastal Living, The Local Palate, and Delta Sky, among other national publications, and she previously served as the food editor of Restaurant Business magazine. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 3, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Quentin Bacon Bubbling farmers' market-inspired pizzas, grown-up frozen pops, and a summer garden in full bloom create an alfresco pizza party where everyone feels at home. 01 of 09 Pizza Parlor Chic Photo: Quentin Bacon An avid gardener and entertainer in Atlanta, Danielle Rollins loves to host parties outside in her garden. Made-to-order gourmet pizzas and checkered table cloths bring her vision of pizza parlor chic to life. 02 of 09 Table Setting Photo: Quentin Bacon Love the pizza parlor chic-look of Danielle's table? Find similar items inspired by her decor.Large Crackle Country Rooster: From The Lamp Stand (#BS-3015050); 417/865-3725Checkered Napkins: Checkmate in Jet (#1080447) from Lewis & Sheron Textile Co.; 800/835-4833 (1 yard fabric yields four 16-inch square napkins)Wood Chiavari Chair: from The Chiavari Company; 866/854-8692Bamboo Flatware: Through TargetGreen Kartio Tumblers: By ittala in Apple Green from Finn Style; 866/617-6176 03 of 09 Place Cards Photo: Quentin Bacon Let place cards double as favors for the guests. Fill a clay pot with a pack of seeds. Herbs work best since they can be planted in a small container. 04 of 09 Antipasto Platter Photo: Quentin Bacon Offer an antipasto platter of Grilled Tomato Bruschetta and Simple Grilled Asparagus.Recipe:Grilled Tomato BruschettaRecipe:Simple Grilled Asparagus 05 of 09 Party-Worthy Pizza Quentin Bacon Make your own gourmet pizza in 5 steps. Start with Dan's Pizza Dough. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 500° for 30 minutes. Stretch dough into a 10- to 12-inch circle on a separate lightly floured baking sheet.Spread 1/2 cup Fresh Tomato Sauce on each dough circle.Top with 4 oz. of shredded, sliced, or crumbled cheese. Some favorites include Decimal Place Farm goat cheese, Atlanta Fresh Artisan Creamery's Fresh Mozzarella, and Sweet Grass Dairy's Thomasville tomme.Choose the toppings. Get creative by mixing and matching your favorites. Try assorted olives, fresh basil pesto, thinly sliced radishes, fresh peas, sliced fennel, spring onions, and cooked and crumbled pork sausage or ground beef.Season pizza with desired amount of salt and pepper. Slide pizza from baking sheet onto hot pizza stone or baking sheet in oven. Bake at 500° for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden. 06 of 09 Dan's Pizza Dough Photo: Quentin Bacon Recipe: Dan's Pizza Dough Dan's Pizza Dough, created by Chef Dan Latham, is a great base for your favorite pizza toppings. Dan, as a partner with Fresh Hospitality, operates a mobile wood-fired oven under the name Moto Bene. You can track Dan's crew on Twitter (twitter.com/motobene). 07 of 09 Perfect Pizza Toppings Photo: Quentin Bacon Here are some of Chef Dan Latham's personal favorites inspired by the farmers' market.The Classic:Fresh Tomato Sauce, fresh mozzarella, torn basilSausage Lover's: Crumbled sausage, siced fennel, sliced garlic, green onionGolden Onion: Carmelized onions, goat cheese, olives, arugulaMarket Veggies: Turnips, tomme cheese, shaved garlic, olives, oreganoKale & Beef: Crumbled beef, sliced green onions, torn kaleGo Green: Pesto, peas, goat cheese, pea shoots 08 of 09 Grown-Up Dessert Photo: Quentin Bacon Fancy up frozen fruit pops with a splash of Prosecco for a fun and colorful display. 09 of 09 Tips for Outdoor Entertaining Photo: Quentin Bacon Let the food set the tone. To play up the pizza parlor theme, Danielle covered one long table with burlap, topped with checkered cloths. Embrace organic elements. "When it comes to outdoor serving pieces, I prefer wicker and wood," she says. Danielle also topped with tables with pots of lush, fragrant (and affordable) Italian herbs and trellises of heirloom tomatoes.Don't overthink it. "I'm not one to get hung up on things having to match. Entertaining should be about family and friends, not perfection." Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit