Last Friday, I cleaned my house, stocked up on wine, cooked some pizzas, put out some games and waited for the girls to arrive. It was an iffy timeframe. I picked a Friday instead of a Saturday and I happened to pick the Friday of the Mother/Son Dance at the elementary school.
Why wasn’t I at the Mother/Son Dance? Because my wee one was pretty adamant about not going to a dance. It had nothing to do with me. That’s just not his thing. And from what I understand, the way it usually plays out is the boys all get together with their friends and attempt to breakdance while the moms stand in the back and chat.
I’m fine with having my own private dance party with Evan. I know how goofy he gets and he doesn’t laugh at my poor dancing skills.
So the party was on.
In my neighborhood, we have book club every month and we take turns hosting. The first hour is almost always wine, apps, and socializing and then we try to get everyone to sit down and talk about the book.
A few months ago, we decided to skip a book and just have a game night and we all agreed that we hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. So when I was given a budget to blow on Papa Murphy’s pizzas, I invited all my lady friends over with the promise of fresh, take-and-bake pizza (including dessert pizzas) and plenty of wine and laughs.
And then guess what happened…
We ate, we drank, we talked. We started to play 5 Second Rule and after three turns, we got distracted. So we went back to the kitchen to refill and munch and make some dessert pizzas. After a while, I herded the girls back to the games and we went with our standby, Heads Up.
We laughed, we cried, it was better than Cats. And then we started talking and talking and eventually it was time for everyone to go home.
Note to self: Women like to chat.
But in the midst of all the chatting, we did eat. A lot.
I picked three main pizza selections that I thought would give everyone a nice sampling of Papa Murphy’s pizzas.
The Gourmet Vegetable Pizza
What I thought: ZOMG. Does this really count as my vegetable serving? Definitely the biggest hit of the party. Vegetable I was happiest to see? Zucchini (yes! on pizza!) Vegetable I was happiest NOT to see? Bell peppers. YAY!
Thai Chicken Pizza on delite® crust
What I thought: This was my second time having this pizza and in fact, you’ll see that I didn’t even think to photograph it until I had plowed almost halfway through it. With chicken and zucchini, sweet sauce, and red pepper flakes, this was a savory delight for my mouth. And the delite® crust is cracker thin for less calories and carbs.
Papa’s Choice Pizza
What I thought: Just in case there were any pizza traditionalists in the room, I got a pizza that was half pepperoni and half Hawaiian because everybody likes at least one of those sides, right? As for me, I’m a Hawaiian kind of gal.
But I’ve got to be honest. I know the girls came to see me and play games. I’m sure they wanted to have a little wine and try some pizza. But what really got them excited was when I said dessert pizza. So I served up both the Cinnamon Wheel and S’mores pizzas much to everyone’s delight.
Dessert Pizzas
If it looks droolworthy, it totally was. But don’t feel left out. Here’s how to get in on the fun.
Find a Papa Murphy’s location near you. They don’t cook the pizza. They make the pizza – fresh every day. I’ve been there and watched them make the dough, chop the vegetables, and shred the cheese. It’s like making it yourself, only you don’t have to.
Photo courtesy of Lolli Franklin betterinbulk.net
The only downside for me is that the closest location is 45 minutes away. I’ve already talked to local franchisees, Mark and Tammy Bomberger (that’s Tammy in the photo above!), about opening a location in my little town, especially now that I’ve got the neighbors talking about it!
And if you find yourself in the predicament of not living within driving distance of a Papa Murphy’s, I can offer you one more alternative…
There’s a house for sale right up the street from mine. We have book club once a month and sometimes this blogger throws awesome parties.
So tell me what you think? Would you try a take and bake pizza? What flavor would you be looking for?
Thanks to both Mom Select Media and Mark & Tammy Bomberger from Papa Murphy’s for helping make my Girls, Games, & Pizza night amazing!
