Gena's grilled pizza. Photo: Erica George Dines Photography

My husband and I grill out pretty often through out the summer, but after a while I just get bored with the traditional meat or fish on the grill and the various side dishes that go along with it. That's why I love grilled pizza.

We spent last weekend at a friend's lake house in north Georgia, and I served "make your own"-style pizzas. You'd be surprised at how much fun the adults had making and grilling their own.

I opted to spread out various toppings in small bowls and made an easy dough, pre-grilling the pizzas for everyone. All they had to do was top the pizzas with their own signature toppings and finish them off on the grill.

Get my pizza dough and pizza sauce recipes after the jump.

We prepared my easy, homemade pizza dough, but if you are short on time you can easily purchase store bought. (Our local grocery sells fresh pizza dough in the bakery section as well as frozen dough.)

Common pizza toppings such as sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and mushrooms are smart to serve, especially for the kids. For adults, it is fun to offer up some gourmet toppings and suggestions for unique pizzas.

The key to grilling pizza dough is a clean grill and well oil grill grates. Separate the dough into 6 or 8 personal style pizzas and preheat the gas or charcoal grill for at least 10 minutes.

Using a steel brush, clean the grates well. I keep a small bowl of canola oil next to the grill and with long tongs, dip a ball of paper towel in the oil. Brush across the grates right before placing the dough on the hot grill.

It only takes about 4 minutes of cooking per side of each pizza and the dough will be precooked and ready for toppings.

Homemade Pizza Dough

PREP TIME 20 minutes + 1 hour for rising
COOK TIME 10 minutes
YIELDS 6 to 8 personal pizzas

2 1/4-ounce packages active dry yeast
3 1/2 cup plain, all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
1 + up to 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups warm water, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt

FIRST In a small bowl, whisk together yeast, 2 tablespoons flour and 1/2-cup warm water. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Combine salt, 2 cups plain flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and 1 1/2 cups warm water and stir until smooth. Slowly add an additional cup of plain flour.

If necessary, add up to 3/4 cup extra of plain or whole-wheat flour a little at a time, until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. It will be stickier than most dough.

NEXT Lightly flour work surface and knead dough, adding additional flour if necessary, until dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Divide dough into two balls and place in floured bowls.

Dust a little extra flour on top of dough, cover with plastic wrap and place in warm place to rise. Allow dough to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

LAST Divide each ball of dough into 3 to 4 individual pizzas, shaping on floured work surface. Preheat grill to medium heat, oil grill grates and place pizzas on grill.

Cook for about 4 minutes until underside is lightly brown. Using a spatula, flip pizzas and top with toppings. Continue to cook an additional 3-4 minutes until bottom is lightly brown and cheeses are melted.

Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce

PREP TIME 5 minutes
COOK TIME 6 minutes
YIELDS 4 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans organic tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

FIRST In a large saucepan set over medium heat, heat oil and add garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sauce, pepper flakes, and oregano and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.

LAST Stir in basil and spoon on top of pizzas. Serve extra sauce for dipping.

Try these toppings on your next grilled pizza: cooked Italian sausage, fresh spinach, assorted grilled vegetables, prosciutto, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, basil pesto, fresh herbs, Manchego, goat cheese and fresh, sliced Roma tomatoes.

Gena Knox is the founder of Fire & Flavor and the author of "Gourmet Made Simple." She's blogging about grilling this summer for Slashfood. For more information on Gena, visit her Web site GenaKnox.com. For more grilling tips, visit the AOL Food Grilling page.