Not my favorite but…

…I beginning to like pizza.

Yeah, I’m one of those weird people who does not choose pizza over anything else on the Favorite Foods Menu.

Real pizza isn’t bad actually.  And by “real” I mean not frozen.  Ever.

And we’ve tried just about every brand.  None have ever hit the mark.

Some things should be frozen.  Like ice cream.  Or pound cake.  Or fresh fruit.

Some things should not.  Like green beans (I prefer canned).  Or lettuce.  Or pizza.

Frozen pizza is convenient.  And that’s the only positive thing I can say about it.

My frozen pizza is never bubbly.  It has never, ever looked like the picture on the pizza box.

pizzacropped

Pizza box pizza. Mine never looks like this.

The crust is either hard and dry or dry on the outside and soggy in the center and always tasteless.  The sauce is so-so.  The cheese melts but I’m not sure if it is real cheese or some oily cheese wanna be.  The pepperoni and/or other toppings are never evenly distributed and the pepperoni sits in a puddle of oil.  Even when I doctor up the plain pizza, the added toppings sit on the impenetrable surface and don’t melt into the cheese.

I follow the directions on the box to a “T” because I really, really want it to turn out right.  Every frozen pizza manufacturer has their own special cooking directions: a certain oven temperature, the correct rack placement in the oven (upper, middle, lower), the right amount of time, and a recommended surface (directly on the rack, in a pan, never on a stone).  When I manage to eat one piece, I burn the roof of my mouth.  Every. Single. Time.

So when Mr. Aitch suggested I pick up a pizza for dinner one day last week, you can image my enthusiasm.

I had to wait a few minutes so the pizza was right out of the oven and stayed hot for the twelve-minute drive home.  I didn’t even turn on the seat warmer in my car.  The pepperoni, onions, and mushrooms (I like most anything except sausage and anchovies) were evenly distributed over the surface of the pizza and had melted into the cheese.  The crust was thick, soft, chewy and delicious.  I did not burn the roof of my mouth with the first bite.

I ate three pieces. It was so good.  Still not my favorite food but I would eat this again.

Of course when you have “better ingredients”, you end up with “better pizza”.

PIZZA

Not our pizza but just as good as this looks.

Goodies and special days

Do you remember a few weeks ago I made many loaves of quick breads to help heat up the house when we had several days of bitter cold temperatures?

pumpkin-bread

We had a slight reprieve right after that.  Only sight.  The temps actually made it into double digits!

Well, last week I did made several more loaves of quick breads as we had several days of bitter cold temperatures again.

Only I didn’t keep all the breads for us.

I mailed a care package of goodies to my aunt.

breads-001

Cinnamon Crunch Bread and Pumpkin Bread.  All wrapped up and gift-worthy.

Did you also know that February has six, count ’em, SIX ***Special Days***?

  • February 2 – Ground Hog Day.  He saw his shadow.  Six more weeks of winter.  It was also Super Bowl Sunday in the US.  Great day for Seahawks fans.  Broncos fans?  Not so much.  😦  (Sorry TW)
  • February 12 – Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday.  The 16th US President.
  • February 14 – Valentine’s Day.  A day to show those you love that you love them.
  • February 17 – President’s Day.  To honor all US Presidents.
  • February 22 – George Washington’s Birthday.  The 1st US President.
  • February 23 –  Evelyn Kreidle’s Birthday.  My aunt: the BEST aunt and a truly, wonderful, second mom to our family.  I always felt that she and I had a special bond as we were both “the middle child.”

Do you have any other “Special” days this month?

February Calendar Clipart

Olympic knitting

I have five things I wanted to blog about but I’ll save the other four for another time.

As most of you know the Olympics  started today even though the “official” parade of countries isn’t until tomorrow night.   Many knitters (and probably crocheters) have a project or two lined up for knitting during the Olympics.

Olympic Knitting!

olympic logo

I haven’t decided on one project yet.   Have you?

My project(s) would have to be simple enough to knit while watching the events on TV.  The Seamless Slipper pattern is one I can knit in my sleep so I could knit another pair of those.

Seamless slippers in autumn side November 2010

Or some fingerless mitts.

Mitts-for-Pat-1

Or a pair of socks.

First socks 2003

First socks 2003

Since Mr. Aitch and I don’t watch much TV, I don’t even know which network is broadcasting it.

Looks like I have some homework to do.