Stocking your homemade pizza kitchen

My mom was big into being "prepared at all times." She coerced my sister and me to stay in Girl Scouts long after most of our friends had dropped out, swearing that "someday you'll thank me!" Everyone knew her purse held solutions to most on-the-go emergencies, impeccably organized with band-aids, bobby pins, safety pins, Tylenol, Trident mint gum, miscellaneous snacks, eyeglass repair kits, nail clippers, and the like.

And her kitchen? At a moment's notice, she could whip up her signature cream dried beef, hearty stew, or, at the very least, she could always excavate a giant container of pot roast from the deep freezer in the garage.

Now that my own signature dish is pretty solidified, I strongly believe that, like my mother, I should be able to whip it up in a moment's notice (give or take an hour). [I guess she was right about that "you'll thank me later" business.] Here are the tools and ingredients I keep in my kitchen at all times, so I'm ready whenever the mood strikes for homemade pizza:

Basic Equipment for your Homemade Pizza Kitchen

• Wet and dry measuring cups
• Wooden spoon
• 2 large bowls
• Heavy duty rimmed baking sheet
• Oven mitt(s)
• Kitchen towels
• Large cutting board
• Pizza cutter
• Rolling pin (optional)

Advanced Pizza-Making Equipment

• Baking stone or steel
• Pizza peel
• Pastry brush
• Oil stopper/pourer

Basic Ingredients for your Homemade Pizza Kitchen

• Bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
• Instant yeast
• Good-quality crushed tomatoes (or good-quality marinara sauce)
• Sugar
• Salt (kosher or sea salt)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Garlic (if making your own sauce)
• Cheese
• Dried or fresh herbs