Q: This one change can make a huge difference. Gas ovens often have less even heat and more moisture than electric ovens. A preheated pizza stone heats your food faster and more evenly, and draws out moisture to prevent soggy crusts. Place it on the lowest or second-lowest rack, or wherever you usually bake your pizzas.  Unglazed terra cotta tiles are an effective and much cheaper substitute. However, some clay contains lead or other non-food-safe substances. The risk is lower for tiles made in the U.S. or other countries that regulate lead closely.  A cast iron pan is the next best option. Professional pizza ovens are much hotter than anything in your kitchen. Crank the oven up to the highest setting — at least 500ºF (260ºC). A pizza stone or heavy cast-iron pan takes longer to heat than your oven, so wait at least 30 minutes. A large pizza stone may need 40–60 minutes. If you want to be sure, check with an infrared thermometer. Place your homemade pizza dough on a pizza peel dusted with flour or cornmeal to prevent sticking. Pound the dough into a disk and form the lip of the crust by hand. Toss or pull your pizza until it reaches the desired thickness and size. Brush the lip of the crust with olive oil and add all the toppings. If you don't have a pizza peel, use a rimless baking sheet or an upside-down rimmed sheet, with floured parchment paper over it. Shake the pizza peel or baking sheet gently to unstick the dough. Place the end of the pizza peel onto the cooking surface and jiggle it so the pizza starts to slide off. Once the end of the pizza is flat on the stone, jerk the peel back quickly to drop the rest of it.  The preheated stone or pan is extremely hot, so be careful. If using a parchment-lined baking sheet, you'll get better char if you slide the pizza off the parchment paper and cook directly on stone or metal. If your pizza is messy with toppings, though, picking up the parchment and dropping it onto the cooking surface is an easier option. If you normally bake your pizzas at a lower temperature, don't rely on your recipe's time estimate. Most homemade pizza only takes 8–12 minutes at 500 to 550ºF (260–285ºC). Take yours out when the top is bubbling and the crust has browned. If your oven has issues with hot spots, rotate the pizza 90 degrees halfway through baking to help it brown evenly. This usually isn't necessary if you are using a pizza stone (and allowed enough time for it to preheat), since the stone's radiant heat should make up for your oven's shortcomings. Do this quickly to minimize heat loss. Slide the pizza off the pizza stone or pan and onto a plate or cooling rack. Let cool for a couple minutes before cutting. Check the underside of the crust before you remove it. The ideal crust is well-browned, with a few spots of char. If the crust is still pale, let it bake a couple minutes longer.
A: Put in a pizza stone if you have one. Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature. Build your pizza. Slide the pizza onto the cooking surface. Start checking the pizza after five minutes. Rotate the pizza if your oven cooks unevenly. Take the pizza out of the oven.

Q: This includes the people who both love you and who you really love. Make a list of your friends and friends that you would like to share your special day with. The people who come are going to be the most meaningful part of your special day.   Twenty somethings report that there are 8-10 people who they feel close enough with to share emotional support. Thirty somethings give the number between 5-10, typically. Write down a list of the people who you feel that support from.   You may want to let your close friends bring a friend or two. This might make the group more diverse while also keeping it a more intimate and meaningful celebration. Facebook makes it easy to invite a great big group of people to a get together. However, it can be difficult to estimate how many people will truly come. Additionally, being around many acquaintances on your birthday that you do not feel very connected to can end up making you feel more lonely on your birthday. This is not to say that there can be no acquaintances at your party. Having a few acquaintances there might be good for the group because they are new people. However, be intentional about the acquaintances you invite, and only invite a couple of people you do not know well. Do this about four weeks before your event.  Tell your friends what day(s) you are thinking of getting a celebration together and ask them if/when they would be free. Ask them what days and times work best for them. Based on who responds and when they are free, you can start to think about what to do.  If you want the group to be a little bigger, ask your friends if they would like to bring a friend or two to the outing. Ask them to get back to you when they know whether they will be attending alone or with a friend so you can plan accordingly. Talk to a couple of your closest friends. Tell them that you want to have a birthday celebration with your close friends. You can start to brainstorm who would be the best to get together for a celebration. You want to make sure that the group dynamics will mix well, and your friends might have good input for how that can work out. Consider having two different celebrations for you birthday. You can get brunch with one group of your friends or family in the morning, and go out for dinner and dancing with the other group, for instance.
A:
Invite people who you are comfortable and/or close with. Do not invite acquaintances just to fill up space at your party. Text/email your list of close friends to find out if they are free. Consider the group dynamics for an outing.