The intent when I started this was 30 days of continuous posting and I'm a few days behind. I had planned to make them up this morning but, after this morning my heart isn't into writing today.
Some of you may know that Jeremy has been having some trouble with his hip and his leg. He'd been in a fair amount of pain and was on medication for that pain - which made him loopy and which has now subsided. He was seeing a Dr. and through X-rays, we did find that the ball joints in his hips are more oval as opposed to round, the Dr. didn't know where to go with results of the x-ray - she mentioned hip replacement, she mentioned a surgery to round out the ball joints. She said she really didn't know and referred Jeremy to an Orthopaedist. Now Jeremy is scheduled for an MRI this week and to see the new Dr. after that.
What I didn't know until this morning is he's also been experiencing some other - call them symptoms, I guess though I don't know of what but, we're hoping between the chiropractor, maybe some Reiki and his Doctors, we're hoping to find some relief for him until we can get some answers from the Orthopaedist as to what is causing the numbness, the weakness, and the instability of his leg. He didn't tell me until now because he didn't want me to worry or be afraid. What he didn't know, is that I already knew there was more going on than what he was telling me, I was already worried and I was already scared.
My Dad had MS - Multiple Sclerosis all of my life. I never knew the man he was before that crippling disease took him over. Of course, my worst fear is being diagnosed myself or having my husband diagnosed or my Jacob. It's a fear I've carried in my back pocket all of my life. It's a fear I cannot shake. My faith is stronger than ever, and I know my Lord would never give me a bourden that I cannot carry. He knows I'm strong enough. He knows I can. He knows I don't want to carry this. He knows I already do. And I know that He carries me.
Of course, we're both scared. We don't know what is happening or why. If this is something more serious or a nothing really. We don't know how or if it will change anything, or what it will happen with his job, my job, money, if he'll have to have surgery, or about a thousand other questions. We just don't know. Like most things, the not knowing is always the worst.
In the meantime, we will be watching what we eat, trying to exercise/get out and move more in order to lose a little weight - take some stress off of our joints. I have my jobs both here, and at home. I have to make sure my child isn't scared, reassure and support my husband...and myself. Please, ask God to watch over us, to strengthen us, to walk us through this.
I'll be back to finish my Likes/Dislikes when my load is a little lighter and I'm feeling creative again.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Dislike: Prepackaged frozen meals/foods
I talk about growing up at home and how things were done but, in all this time I'm not sure if it was my mom's doing or my sister's. I was on the tail end of 6 kids - 9 years between me and the next one up. My eldest sister graduated high school just a few weeks before I was born. Going forward here, since I'm not sure who did what, I'm going to use the collective "We" as in our family.
Preparing meals for a family of 8 could never have been an easy task. Planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning up. I don't remember many occasions other than holidays when all 8 of us sat down together for a meal after all, I was only 8 years old when my family began to unravel. We didn't have a ton of money. My parents both worked and well, there were 6 of us kids to feed. My dad hunted and he fished to supplement the meat we bought. We had casseroles and dishes that could stretch the dollars just a little bit further. We canned tomatoes, peaches, and whatever else we could to save what we could.
We didn't use instant potatoes, frozen lasagna, pre-pressed hamburger patties, or frozen boneless chicken breasts in our meals. If we had Swiss Steak, we made Swiss Steak in the crock pot from the real meat in our freezer, we didn't open a box from the freezer and bake one up. On occasion, we did have a box of fried chicken or some fish sticks, even a TV dinner (in the foil tray - remember those?) once in awhile. We did have store bought french fries or tater tots and I don't even remember frozen veggies, we typically had canned.
We had sandwich nights, and leftover nights. Sandwich night was my favorite. It was generally Friday night and we'd put out bread, cheese, lunch meat, and all the condiments out on the dining room table and we could make whatever sandwich we wanted - but, we had to eat it! We were allowed to have potato chips that night! And Kool-Aid! I always had to have milk with my meal so, anything else was a real treat! Sandwich night was also popcorn night! David and Valerie would get out the popcorn popper, it looked like a big metal teapot that plugged into the wall. Val would pour the oil in and my job was to carefully pour in the popcorn David had measured out for me. It was really important not to spill it! We'd wait for it to pop and pour it into a big, white plastic bowl for my dad, and us kids got the yellow cereal bowls. What I'd give to share popcorn with my sister and brother like that again!
As I've grown up and made my own family, I've followed a lot of what we did back home. I rarely purchase prepackaged frozen meals. I don't like the taste. I use frozen vegetables or fresh as often as I can. I still make Swiss Steak in the crock pot but, I do use boneless chicken breasts - only in casseroles though! I make my own hamburger patties from fresh beef and my lasagna from scratch. And we sometimes make popcorn with the air popper. Jacob now has the 'very important' job of pouring in the popcorn. Yes, of course we have Kool-aid! But, the best part is that I now have the same big, white plastic bowl my dad always used! I think of my family every time.
**I'm thinking about frozen lasagna - could you imagine how many boxes you would have to buy to feed a family of 8? And the cost per box? Not to mention the amount of sodium in each! And now you see why we made rather than bought! I don't know about you but, I'll take cheesy. ooey, gooey homemade lasagna over frozen cardboard, preprocessed cheese food, tastes like a box lasagna any day!
Preparing meals for a family of 8 could never have been an easy task. Planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning up. I don't remember many occasions other than holidays when all 8 of us sat down together for a meal after all, I was only 8 years old when my family began to unravel. We didn't have a ton of money. My parents both worked and well, there were 6 of us kids to feed. My dad hunted and he fished to supplement the meat we bought. We had casseroles and dishes that could stretch the dollars just a little bit further. We canned tomatoes, peaches, and whatever else we could to save what we could.
We didn't use instant potatoes, frozen lasagna, pre-pressed hamburger patties, or frozen boneless chicken breasts in our meals. If we had Swiss Steak, we made Swiss Steak in the crock pot from the real meat in our freezer, we didn't open a box from the freezer and bake one up. On occasion, we did have a box of fried chicken or some fish sticks, even a TV dinner (in the foil tray - remember those?) once in awhile. We did have store bought french fries or tater tots and I don't even remember frozen veggies, we typically had canned.
We had sandwich nights, and leftover nights. Sandwich night was my favorite. It was generally Friday night and we'd put out bread, cheese, lunch meat, and all the condiments out on the dining room table and we could make whatever sandwich we wanted - but, we had to eat it! We were allowed to have potato chips that night! And Kool-Aid! I always had to have milk with my meal so, anything else was a real treat! Sandwich night was also popcorn night! David and Valerie would get out the popcorn popper, it looked like a big metal teapot that plugged into the wall. Val would pour the oil in and my job was to carefully pour in the popcorn David had measured out for me. It was really important not to spill it! We'd wait for it to pop and pour it into a big, white plastic bowl for my dad, and us kids got the yellow cereal bowls. What I'd give to share popcorn with my sister and brother like that again!
As I've grown up and made my own family, I've followed a lot of what we did back home. I rarely purchase prepackaged frozen meals. I don't like the taste. I use frozen vegetables or fresh as often as I can. I still make Swiss Steak in the crock pot but, I do use boneless chicken breasts - only in casseroles though! I make my own hamburger patties from fresh beef and my lasagna from scratch. And we sometimes make popcorn with the air popper. Jacob now has the 'very important' job of pouring in the popcorn. Yes, of course we have Kool-aid! But, the best part is that I now have the same big, white plastic bowl my dad always used! I think of my family every time.
**I'm thinking about frozen lasagna - could you imagine how many boxes you would have to buy to feed a family of 8? And the cost per box? Not to mention the amount of sodium in each! And now you see why we made rather than bought! I don't know about you but, I'll take cheesy. ooey, gooey homemade lasagna over frozen cardboard, preprocessed cheese food, tastes like a box lasagna any day!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Likes: Goulash
I'm realizing this list is quite strange. I assure you it will get worse!
Goulash is one of my all time favorites. Often made in the fall/winter in a big, old, black speckled pot handed down from my mother a few moons ago. One of the things I like best, this recipe is just in my head. I don't have to look it up or write a list to buy the stuff for it. I just know. We've changed it a bit from how my mom made it, we added some from how Jeremy's mom made it and a few other additions to make it our own.
I've heard it called so many things but, this is my family's version of Goulash.
I brown about 1 & 1/2 lbs. ground beef with a diced onion (2 small or one med), and some minced garlic (I keep a jar in the fridge) and drain off the grease.
While my burger is cooking/draining, and my box of elbow macaroni is boiling in salted water, I get out mom's big pot and add, 1 lg. can tomato juice (or Vegetable Juice), 2 large (or 4 small) cans of sliced stewed tomatoes, 2 cans sliced mushrooms drained, and 1 or 2 cans whole kernel corn drained. And I let that simmer with a few turns of the pepper grinder, while I'm waiting for the pasta.
Add the ground beef to the pot when it's grease free. Then add the pasta (after draining, of course) and stir with the giant wooden spoon. I generally buy 2 tomato juices so I can add more as the pasta soaks it up. I add the 2nd can/bottle at this point.
And now for the trick - as my mom used to say, Add just enough sugar to take out the bitterness from all those tomatoes. Generally about 1/4 cup. Stir it again.
Jeremy and I both love this and it's one thing I don't mind eating for lunch and for dinner, yet I do get to a point where I've had enough but, then I'm sad if Jeremy ate the last bowl and didn't save any for me! :(
**This 'recipe' is not for a dutch oven sized pot, it's for more like a soup pot. If using a shiny metal soup pot, do NOT store this Goulash in that pot - transfer to plastic or glassware. The acidity of the tomatoes will pit your pot! It has happened to me! Put a hole right through my pot! I use a black enamelware pot which has been cooking/storing Goulash for decades!
Goulash is one of my all time favorites. Often made in the fall/winter in a big, old, black speckled pot handed down from my mother a few moons ago. One of the things I like best, this recipe is just in my head. I don't have to look it up or write a list to buy the stuff for it. I just know. We've changed it a bit from how my mom made it, we added some from how Jeremy's mom made it and a few other additions to make it our own.
I've heard it called so many things but, this is my family's version of Goulash.
I brown about 1 & 1/2 lbs. ground beef with a diced onion (2 small or one med), and some minced garlic (I keep a jar in the fridge) and drain off the grease.
While my burger is cooking/draining, and my box of elbow macaroni is boiling in salted water, I get out mom's big pot and add, 1 lg. can tomato juice (or Vegetable Juice), 2 large (or 4 small) cans of sliced stewed tomatoes, 2 cans sliced mushrooms drained, and 1 or 2 cans whole kernel corn drained. And I let that simmer with a few turns of the pepper grinder, while I'm waiting for the pasta.
Add the ground beef to the pot when it's grease free. Then add the pasta (after draining, of course) and stir with the giant wooden spoon. I generally buy 2 tomato juices so I can add more as the pasta soaks it up. I add the 2nd can/bottle at this point.
And now for the trick - as my mom used to say, Add just enough sugar to take out the bitterness from all those tomatoes. Generally about 1/4 cup. Stir it again.
Jeremy and I both love this and it's one thing I don't mind eating for lunch and for dinner, yet I do get to a point where I've had enough but, then I'm sad if Jeremy ate the last bowl and didn't save any for me! :(
**This 'recipe' is not for a dutch oven sized pot, it's for more like a soup pot. If using a shiny metal soup pot, do NOT store this Goulash in that pot - transfer to plastic or glassware. The acidity of the tomatoes will pit your pot! It has happened to me! Put a hole right through my pot! I use a black enamelware pot which has been cooking/storing Goulash for decades!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Dislike: Liver
I am a believer in 'Try it, you might like it." I believe that our tastes change as we get older. There are a few foods I didn't like as a child that I do like now however, liver is NOT one of them!
I seem to recall our family of 8 was divided when it comes to liver. Mom = yes, Cindy = yes, Karen = I'm not sure, Gloria = yes, Valerie = yes, David = NO (I had to call and check), and Dad & I = No. I don't remember my mom cooking it often. I do know she never forced me to eat it - she couldn't because Dad didn't like it - and my dad ate all kinds of crazy shit! If Dad wasn't eating it - it was bad and I wasn't eating it either!
I did try it a few times as a kid. Each time, was just as bad as the first time!
I was invited to a friend's house for dinner once and she was so excited about what they were having, I thought she said chicken gizzards wrapped in bacon and I was okay with that and we sat down to dinner. Looked good. I wasn't a stranger to gizzards. And then I ate one. That weren't no gizzard! I thought, well, it happens, my mom has had a stray liver in the gizzards before, so I ate another, and then one more just to be sure - then I asked what we were having here. "Chicken LIVERS wrapped in bacon." Oh my!
"Thank you, I'm finished." I ate the rest of my sides politely, and it was a long time before I ate over to a friend's house again.
I married a liver eater. I don't know how this happened. I thought I had screened carefully but, this little nugget of information got past me. I have been out to dinner with Jeremy on a couple occasions when he's ordered liver & onions and you know that whole "tastes change" thing, I tried a bite just to check if that's true. And, yeah, I still don't like it. There isn't enough ketchup to mask that flavor!
This is what I don't get -
When my sister, Valerie was living home (she passed away when I was 10) she used to make this stuff 'Liver Dip' she called it. And we used to eat it with potato chips and I LOVED it...I need to dig up that recipe. I also had been to a restaurant a few times, Club 37 in Baldwin (no website, sorry) and they served a liver pate with crackers before the meal, that pate was so smooth and so creamy and I so loved that too! I'm actually craving it a little. **Funny now I've written this and Jeremy wants Liver Dip and my brother asked for the recipe!
I remember living at home, a roll of Braunschweiger would once in awhile appear in the lunchmeat drawer after a Saturday morning trip to the grocery store. My mom would make a little sandwich now and again to get her liver fix. If she sliced it real thin, added lettuce, tomato and a bit of mayo, she knew if she made it just right, I'd likely share a sandwich with her. It was mostly a summer thing, we'd sit on the front porch, share a sandwich and some chips - I say share because 1/2 a sandwich was about all I could take!
Summer is coming...I wonder if I can get Jeremy so share a Braunschweiger sandwich with me out of the front porch...I wonder if I can still find Braunschweiger?
(Actually, I do get it now, I didn't until researching for this post. Cooked liver that you would use with liver & onions is beef liver which is typically a stronger flavor. Liver used in the pate I spoke of and Braunschweiger is pork liver and milder. Chicken livers are just plain gross!)
I seem to recall our family of 8 was divided when it comes to liver. Mom = yes, Cindy = yes, Karen = I'm not sure, Gloria = yes, Valerie = yes, David = NO (I had to call and check), and Dad & I = No. I don't remember my mom cooking it often. I do know she never forced me to eat it - she couldn't because Dad didn't like it - and my dad ate all kinds of crazy shit! If Dad wasn't eating it - it was bad and I wasn't eating it either!
I did try it a few times as a kid. Each time, was just as bad as the first time!
I was invited to a friend's house for dinner once and she was so excited about what they were having, I thought she said chicken gizzards wrapped in bacon and I was okay with that and we sat down to dinner. Looked good. I wasn't a stranger to gizzards. And then I ate one. That weren't no gizzard! I thought, well, it happens, my mom has had a stray liver in the gizzards before, so I ate another, and then one more just to be sure - then I asked what we were having here. "Chicken LIVERS wrapped in bacon." Oh my!
"Thank you, I'm finished." I ate the rest of my sides politely, and it was a long time before I ate over to a friend's house again.
I married a liver eater. I don't know how this happened. I thought I had screened carefully but, this little nugget of information got past me. I have been out to dinner with Jeremy on a couple occasions when he's ordered liver & onions and you know that whole "tastes change" thing, I tried a bite just to check if that's true. And, yeah, I still don't like it. There isn't enough ketchup to mask that flavor!
This is what I don't get -
When my sister, Valerie was living home (she passed away when I was 10) she used to make this stuff 'Liver Dip' she called it. And we used to eat it with potato chips and I LOVED it...I need to dig up that recipe. I also had been to a restaurant a few times, Club 37 in Baldwin (no website, sorry) and they served a liver pate with crackers before the meal, that pate was so smooth and so creamy and I so loved that too! I'm actually craving it a little. **Funny now I've written this and Jeremy wants Liver Dip and my brother asked for the recipe!
I remember living at home, a roll of Braunschweiger would once in awhile appear in the lunchmeat drawer after a Saturday morning trip to the grocery store. My mom would make a little sandwich now and again to get her liver fix. If she sliced it real thin, added lettuce, tomato and a bit of mayo, she knew if she made it just right, I'd likely share a sandwich with her. It was mostly a summer thing, we'd sit on the front porch, share a sandwich and some chips - I say share because 1/2 a sandwich was about all I could take!
Summer is coming...I wonder if I can get Jeremy so share a Braunschweiger sandwich with me out of the front porch...I wonder if I can still find Braunschweiger?
(Actually, I do get it now, I didn't until researching for this post. Cooked liver that you would use with liver & onions is beef liver which is typically a stronger flavor. Liver used in the pate I spoke of and Braunschweiger is pork liver and milder. Chicken livers are just plain gross!)
Likes: Rhubarb
Two days into this and I'm already behind! I do have to say though - my patio, looks freaking awesome! And my hands are still shaking from 3 hours with the power washer!
Where was I, oh yeah, Rhubarb!
I don't know how I came to like Rhubarb - let alone to even try it. It doesn't look appealing. In the raw form, it tastes TERRIBLE! I don't remember not liking it - I only remember LOVING it!
I suspect it all happened at my Uncle Art and Annie Mae's house. Uncle Art was my dad's brother. We took what seemed like a lot of day trips to their house after my dad retired. Uncle Art and Annie Mae always had a ginormous garden out back and they were always picking, canning, or cooking up something. Aside from that - my Annie Mae's rhubarb crisp was brought to many a family reunion (a few times at my request) and hers, hers is the best!
Sadly, both my Uncle Art and Annie Mae have passed on but, my cousin Stan, their son brought me some rhubarb crisp to the reunion last year - Stan got it just right!
If you haven't figured it out, my favorite is Rhubarb Crisp. I don't care much for pie, mostly because everyone wants to add strawberries to rhubarb pie and I prefer straight up, untainted, shouldn't share the spotlight, rhubarb! If I do happen across rhubarb pie, I can't leave without a slice. There is a little restaurant by us where we go for breakfast once in a while and sometimes they list rhubarb pie on their board...I take a slice home. I have tried few other variations with rhubarb - I recently made crunch and my sister has made bread or muffins with rhubarb but, I still prefer the bubbly goodness under an oatmeal and brown sugar topping. I'll stick with my recipe. Thanks though.
I even have an all rhubarb cookbook! :)
You can find the recipe I use for my crisp here. I also use the same recipe for apple crisp in the fall.
Where was I, oh yeah, Rhubarb!
I don't know how I came to like Rhubarb - let alone to even try it. It doesn't look appealing. In the raw form, it tastes TERRIBLE! I don't remember not liking it - I only remember LOVING it!
I suspect it all happened at my Uncle Art and Annie Mae's house. Uncle Art was my dad's brother. We took what seemed like a lot of day trips to their house after my dad retired. Uncle Art and Annie Mae always had a ginormous garden out back and they were always picking, canning, or cooking up something. Aside from that - my Annie Mae's rhubarb crisp was brought to many a family reunion (a few times at my request) and hers, hers is the best!
Sadly, both my Uncle Art and Annie Mae have passed on but, my cousin Stan, their son brought me some rhubarb crisp to the reunion last year - Stan got it just right!
If you haven't figured it out, my favorite is Rhubarb Crisp. I don't care much for pie, mostly because everyone wants to add strawberries to rhubarb pie and I prefer straight up, untainted, shouldn't share the spotlight, rhubarb! If I do happen across rhubarb pie, I can't leave without a slice. There is a little restaurant by us where we go for breakfast once in a while and sometimes they list rhubarb pie on their board...I take a slice home. I have tried few other variations with rhubarb - I recently made crunch and my sister has made bread or muffins with rhubarb but, I still prefer the bubbly goodness under an oatmeal and brown sugar topping. I'll stick with my recipe. Thanks though.
I even have an all rhubarb cookbook! :)
You can find the recipe I use for my crisp here. I also use the same recipe for apple crisp in the fall.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Dislike: Raisins, Dates, Prunes
You've been there, someone in the office brings in homemade cookies and you're eyeing them, not quite sure if they're chocolate chip but, they don't look like oatmeal so you take two of them, bite in only to find those weren't chocolate chips! They're raisins! What a disappointment! And now you have two raisin cookies to politely choke down or give away.
Of the three I can tolerate raisins. Broccoli salad, carrot cake, they're just not the same without raisins. I don't care for them plain, just to eat. Though the thing about them when cooked that bothers me is that they re inflate/rehydrate/whatever and why bother to dehydrate them in the first place if you're going to turn them back into grapes?
Out of curiosity, did you know that steak sauce's primary ingredient is...Raisin paste?
Dates - dates are gross. Just Gross. They remind me of detached fingers in the crime shows on TV. When I lived at home oh, twenty some years ago, my mom had a box of dates in the refrigerator. The box was 70's orange and brown and I'd bet you a dollar to this day - that same box is still in there! My palate is not refined to the point where I could say a date was used in a sauce, a dressing or a compote (as the http://www.datesaregreat.com/ states as popular uses for them) but, if I saw a date on a plate - I would likely pass - regardless of what it was stuffed with!
Prunes - prunes are even worse than dates! Remember that TV commercial where they're popping prunes like candy saying how they're like 'nature's candy' or some crap like that? I wonder if they really chewed and ate them or spit them in the trash? We had some uh, issues with Jacob when he was a baby and the Dr. suggested some baby prunes. Jacob loved them! He ate them right up! After every spoon he'd open his mouth like a little bird and leaning toward me for the spoon. He ate nearly the whole jar and well, the issue, it was shall we say, resolved. Yeah.
I'm a little afraid of getting old and partaking in the prune juice cocktails. The thought really is freightening - isn't there a yogurt now to help with that?
Of the three I can tolerate raisins. Broccoli salad, carrot cake, they're just not the same without raisins. I don't care for them plain, just to eat. Though the thing about them when cooked that bothers me is that they re inflate/rehydrate/whatever and why bother to dehydrate them in the first place if you're going to turn them back into grapes?
Out of curiosity, did you know that steak sauce's primary ingredient is...Raisin paste?
Dates - dates are gross. Just Gross. They remind me of detached fingers in the crime shows on TV. When I lived at home oh, twenty some years ago, my mom had a box of dates in the refrigerator. The box was 70's orange and brown and I'd bet you a dollar to this day - that same box is still in there! My palate is not refined to the point where I could say a date was used in a sauce, a dressing or a compote (as the http://www.datesaregreat.com/ states as popular uses for them) but, if I saw a date on a plate - I would likely pass - regardless of what it was stuffed with!
Prunes - prunes are even worse than dates! Remember that TV commercial where they're popping prunes like candy saying how they're like 'nature's candy' or some crap like that? I wonder if they really chewed and ate them or spit them in the trash? We had some uh, issues with Jacob when he was a baby and the Dr. suggested some baby prunes. Jacob loved them! He ate them right up! After every spoon he'd open his mouth like a little bird and leaning toward me for the spoon. He ate nearly the whole jar and well, the issue, it was shall we say, resolved. Yeah.
I'm a little afraid of getting old and partaking in the prune juice cocktails. The thought really is freightening - isn't there a yogurt now to help with that?
Friday, June 1, 2012
Likes: Pizza
Pizza is totally, hands down, my absolute favorite food. Homemade, ordered out, ready made, store bought, I don't care. I just LOVE pizza.
My #1 favorite is Vitale's Pizza in Allegan. I love the bits of garlic in their sauce - the kind that sticks with you over night. I prefer vegetables on my pizza - any and all of them - with less meat. Jeremy is all about the meat. Typically our toppings of choice are mushrooms, ham, pepperoni and onions - it's a good compromise. Vitale's has the perfect pie, flavorful, fresh toppings, and they give plenty of them, just enough cheese and you're not mopping up grease with napkins either. The best part - to reheat is divine! Just as good as the night before - maybe better! YUM!
My #2 favorite is back home in Manistee at Big Al's. I don't care what the place looks like or the motley crew behind the counter - their Chicago style pizza is THE ticket! They also use fresh toppings, just the right amout of cheese, and you can ask for extra sauce and extra napkins! This also reheats well.
We often buy a take-and-bake pizza from the grocery store deli that I like. We generally stick with a 'Supreme' type toppings or, or, if we're lucky - they have my ABSOLUTE favorite - BBQ Chicken Pizza! Onions, Chicken, sweet BBQ sauce and cheese! Really, it is delicious! At least in my book. Generally, one of these is a meal for us, I have never reheated.
I am a thinner crust pizza connoisseur. I do not care for Pizza Hut's absorbent sponge they call Pan crust. I do like their hand tossed pizza, though I feel they are a little shy with their toppings and for that price, I want some stuff on my pizza! I have recently gone to the lunch buffett and I am happier with that.
I don't care much for a homemade pizza because the crust is generally too crisp for my liking or it's terribly soggy. I also haven't found a sauce that I care for. I have made a version of BBQ Chicken Pizza at home and it was rather tasty. I would make it again. If I could find a balance between crisp and sog, I'd make more at home. I would love - love to make a Pizza Margherita. Next on my list to try!
DiGiorno is my favorite for frozen. I prefer the 'fresh' taste as opposed to the iced cardboard flavor most frozen pizzas can take on. Cardboard is NOT one of my food groups.
And last but, certainly not least - Little Caesar's and the $5 (or $5.55 in my area) hot and ready pizza! Hot, delicious, and ready. Perfect...until the next day. I do not like their pizza as leftovers.
Most expensive pizza I ever had was in Chicago, a little over a year ago now. We were in the hotel and Jacob was asleep, we had no car to run out and room service had closed. Jeremy called in a pizza from one of the numbers left on that table tent in the hotel room, 45 minutes later and the $35 medium pizza arrived. We were so hungry, it didn't matter that the cheese was oozing everywhere and we each got one slice of pepperoni apiece. The sauce had a little bite to it and though it curbed the hunger, it was so common, I can't even remember the name of the parlour that brought it!
Where is your favorite pizza and what toppings do you like?
My #1 favorite is Vitale's Pizza in Allegan. I love the bits of garlic in their sauce - the kind that sticks with you over night. I prefer vegetables on my pizza - any and all of them - with less meat. Jeremy is all about the meat. Typically our toppings of choice are mushrooms, ham, pepperoni and onions - it's a good compromise. Vitale's has the perfect pie, flavorful, fresh toppings, and they give plenty of them, just enough cheese and you're not mopping up grease with napkins either. The best part - to reheat is divine! Just as good as the night before - maybe better! YUM!
My #2 favorite is back home in Manistee at Big Al's. I don't care what the place looks like or the motley crew behind the counter - their Chicago style pizza is THE ticket! They also use fresh toppings, just the right amout of cheese, and you can ask for extra sauce and extra napkins! This also reheats well.
We often buy a take-and-bake pizza from the grocery store deli that I like. We generally stick with a 'Supreme' type toppings or, or, if we're lucky - they have my ABSOLUTE favorite - BBQ Chicken Pizza! Onions, Chicken, sweet BBQ sauce and cheese! Really, it is delicious! At least in my book. Generally, one of these is a meal for us, I have never reheated.
I am a thinner crust pizza connoisseur. I do not care for Pizza Hut's absorbent sponge they call Pan crust. I do like their hand tossed pizza, though I feel they are a little shy with their toppings and for that price, I want some stuff on my pizza! I have recently gone to the lunch buffett and I am happier with that.
I don't care much for a homemade pizza because the crust is generally too crisp for my liking or it's terribly soggy. I also haven't found a sauce that I care for. I have made a version of BBQ Chicken Pizza at home and it was rather tasty. I would make it again. If I could find a balance between crisp and sog, I'd make more at home. I would love - love to make a Pizza Margherita. Next on my list to try!
DiGiorno is my favorite for frozen. I prefer the 'fresh' taste as opposed to the iced cardboard flavor most frozen pizzas can take on. Cardboard is NOT one of my food groups.
And last but, certainly not least - Little Caesar's and the $5 (or $5.55 in my area) hot and ready pizza! Hot, delicious, and ready. Perfect...until the next day. I do not like their pizza as leftovers.
Most expensive pizza I ever had was in Chicago, a little over a year ago now. We were in the hotel and Jacob was asleep, we had no car to run out and room service had closed. Jeremy called in a pizza from one of the numbers left on that table tent in the hotel room, 45 minutes later and the $35 medium pizza arrived. We were so hungry, it didn't matter that the cheese was oozing everywhere and we each got one slice of pepperoni apiece. The sauce had a little bite to it and though it curbed the hunger, it was so common, I can't even remember the name of the parlour that brought it!
Where is your favorite pizza and what toppings do you like?
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