Backyard Pizza Party

I’m joining in with lots of other blogger friends today sharing their outdoor spaces too as part of the Seasonal Simplicity Summer Series hosted by The Happy House.  Be sure to check out all the amazing inspiration from my friends at the bottom of this post.

The idea for this backyard pizza party all started when I found an amazing gas outdoor pizza oven at Giant Tiger.  It goes on top of an outdoor camp stove so it’s perfect for your backyard, or even to bring on camping trips.  And it cooks the best pizza.

If you’ve ever wanted an outdoor pizza oven for entertaining but didn’t want to go to the trouble of building one, and then buying wood and burning it ahead of time to get to the perfect temperature, then this gas one is perfect for you.  It pre-heats in about 10 minutes, and cooks perfect crispy crust, and beautiful golden brown on top.  We are so happy with it, and have already cooked dozens of pizzas.  This may go down as the pizza summer -and I’m pretty excited about that. 😉

The Outdoor Space

We built this pergola in our backyard quite a few years ago, and last summer we gave the white garden beside it a bit of refresh.  You can read all about it here.  My oldest daughter and I refreshed the paths and widened one into a sitting area.

We added a love seat and moved our little fountain over here and now this whole area is one of our very favourite spots.

For our Backyard Pizza Party we added a few more great pieces to the space from Giant Tiger.  We picked up some string lights and strung them between the deck and patio.

They look so pretty and one of my very favourite features of the string lights is that they are solar.  No worrying about a spot to plug them in outside, or running extension cords.

Over in the seating area we also added in some pretty solar lanterns.  They are so pretty, and I love that I don’t have to worry about changing the batteries all the time.

Under the pergola we set up the new pizza oven and set a really casual table.

The Table Area

I love this kind of laid back summer entertaining where everyone can help themselves.  We invited friends over to join us and loved how people could sit where they wanted, the kids could enjoy the trampoline in between pizzas, and we could linger, cook, and chat the afternoon away together.

I love these new black and white seat cushions -great pattern and so comfortable.    They are for indoor use, but great to bring out for entertaining.

I also picked up this beautiful and inexpensive outdoor rug.  It really brings the space together and feels so comfortable underfoot.

I also picked up some really pretty and effective citronella candles in store at Giant Tiger to help keep the bugs away.

For the table we kept things really casual with some simple plates, and forks.  The napkins are actually just new black and white dish clothes.

They’re so perfect for casual entertaining, inexpensive, and more environmentally friendly than disposable ones.

Pizza Toppings and Food

For the pizza I made a really fun pizza charcuterie board.  I love the idea that everyone can choose exactly what they’d like on the pizza, but also snack on the fixings throughout the party.

I included olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and little peppers.  Along with regular mozzarella, and bocconcini cheese and then an assortment of meats like pepperoni, spicy sausage, and prosciutto.

I also had some pizza sauce, pesto, and italian seasoning in little bowls.  I stretched the dough out onto a pizza board so we could top the pizzas and cook them and start eating and keep cooking new ones all afternoon.

The pizza was a huge hit.  There was a bit of learning curve, but once we found the perfect temperature for our thickness of dough (which was 400 and all written down in the pizza oven manual and recipe book) we were off.

Along with the pizza I made a big salad, and put out some chips for nibbling.

We love these cream soda’s from Giant Tiger and they’re perfect for entertaining, and feel like a bit of a summer treat.

For dessert we made the most delicious s’mores pizza.  It was loved by all and very quickly disappeared.  It’s the perfect sweet finish to this pizza meal and feels like summertime treats and being outside with friends all wrapped into one.  You can find the recipe for the S’mores Pizza here.

This party really was so perfect for easy summer entertaining.  I love that I could put everything out and we could all linger around the table together and help ourselves, and keep cooking all afternoon.  I’m looking forward to many more fun backyard pizza parties this summer.

With a backyard pizza party, life really is a party.

You might also like our Backyard Fiesta here.

Also check out our Swedish Inspired Midsummer Picnic here.

You might also enjoy our French Inspired Picnic here.

 

More Outdoor Space Inspiration

Today I’m joined by over 20 of my talented blogging friends who are also sharing their outdoor spaces with you…

The Happy Housie // Place of My Taste // Rooms FOR Rent // Two Twenty One // Hallstrom Home

Taryn Whiteaker Designs // Modern Glam // Inspiration for Moms // The DIY Mommy // Life is a Party

The Handmade Home // Lolly Jane // Finding Silver Pennies
// All Things With Purpose // She Gave it a Go

Clean & Scentsible // My Sweet Savannah // Maison de Cinq // Amber Tysl // Lemon Thistle

Southern State of Mind // This is Our Bliss

Disclaimer:  This post was sponsored by Giant Tiger.  As always, all opinions are my own.  Thanks for supporting the brands that make Life is a Party possible.