Listen up!

A while back, I got some feedback on the blog from some people with good suggestions.

First, I was encouraged to provide pictures. That's a great idea, and definitely one that would make things more interesting. Let me give you a short list of why that hasn't happened before:

I'm technologically backward. This means I am dependent on my husband to download my pictures and put them in a place where I can access them. I am intimidated by blogs with good photography. The Pioneer Woman and Bakerella make me want to go hide under my bed, but I can't because the dust bunnies will eat me. I don't actually eat pizza every night. Yes, it's a shameful confession, but it's true. Most of these recipes were tested over the course of a couple years, and I'm kind of spur-of-the-moment about which recipes I decide to include. I'm going to try. I'm turning over a new leaf! Unfortunately, it's almost officially autumn, so my new leaf might fall off my old tree in short order. Sigh.

But here goes. And I think a picture of my son improves almost anything, so here he is petting a pig:


Another great suggestion was to include reviews of frozen pizzas, or ideas to tweak them into something special.

I love this idea, so the other day, I picked up a couple frozen pizzas just for the occasion. Mine were just store brand rising crust pizzas (Weis Quality). Perfectly okay on their own, but ripe for embellishment. Frozen pizzas are a great canvas for experimentation, as well as customizing for multiple tastes. And since most of the recipes here are done with the idea of using a ready-made crust, many are easily adaptable to starting with a plain cheese pizza.

I stared at the pepperoni pie for a long time. It mocked me with its rounds of spicy sausage. "I'm a pepperoni pizza! How are you going to improve a classic?" it seemed to say. And then I laughed an evil laugh.

And then I broke out the spinach. I sauteed a handful of it in some olive oil with a little garlic and a smattering of crushed red pepper. Good on it's own next to a little steak and potatoes. Delicious scattered across the top of a pizza. Another handful of mozzarella and some parmesan, and this is what you get.



Enough spinach to make you feel good about what you're eating. Just enough to head off the "Eww! Is that SPINACH on my PIZZA?" comments. And you've added real dollar value to your pie, too. When I bought my pizzas (on sale, just $2.50 apiece), nearby a gourmet 3-cheese spinach pizza perched smugly next to an $8 price tag. I got a similar product tailored to exactly what I like for less than half the price.