Pizza Night

 Viv and I have always loved making pizza at home.  Sort of like our version(s) of fried rice, pizza is often a "clean out the fridge" type of concoction.

Often, I make dough in my bread machine, but this time, I bought the dough that you can buy in the Publix bakery.  One thing I've found about their dough, though, is I let it sit out at room temp for hours.  Otherwise, it's practically impossible to roll, stretch, pat out, etc.  It just doesn't cooperate if it's too cold/cool.

Tonight, we wanted to use up some of the vegetables that we have on hand. We went with onion, roasted red pepper, olives, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, garlic, bacon bits and some blue cheese crumbles (on my side.)

Pizza Pre-Bake

Get in our bellies!

One thing I do when I make pizza at home is, as you can see, I pat the dough out onto a jelly roll pan. I spray it well with either PAM or sprayable olive oil, pat the dough out, then pre-bake it at 500 degrees for about 5 minutes. It's good to poke some holes in the dough with a fork or knife.  This helps get the underside of the crust crisp, as well as, firming up the top side before you start with your toppings.  Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, and there you have it.  I'm not pretending that this is just like a pizzeria, but for home pizza, it is pretty damn good!  

Semi-Homemade Pizza Tonight

 

Remember that show? Sandra Lee with her semi-homemade dinners?  I loved it, except for her "table scapes." They were all inspired by Holly Hobby or something. 

Anyway...I am a pizza fanatic. New York, Detroit, thin crust, veggie, meat lovers, weird combos, you name it. While I love going out for a cheesy heart attack pie as much as the next guy, sometimes just making one at home for a quick dinner is what the doctor ordered.

So, yesterday I discovered I had half of a chicken breast half. What can you do with that? I decided on BBQ pizza. I've been known to say that I really don't think chicken has any place on a pizza, but I can make exceptions from time to time. 

The semi-homemade part is a pre-baked pizza crust. Most stores carry Boboli. These are good, but I prefer Mama Mary's Thin & Crispy. A) they are thin & crispy B) they come in a 2-pack and C) they cost less than Boboli. Here's what I did:

Ready for the oven

Ingredients

3 oz (or so) chicken breast

BBQ sauce of your choice

shredded cheddar mixed with shredded monterrey jack

3 slices store-bought fully cooked bacon, chopped

red onion, thinly sliced

fresh cilantro

1.  Cook chicken however you like then shred it. Mix it with a little of your bbq sauce.

2.  Cover your crust with a bbq sauce. Bottled bbq sauces tend to be rather sweet, so I use a thin coat here so that the sauce isn't overwhelming.

3.  Top with a mixture of cheddar & monterrey jack.

4.  Top that with your shredded chicken, bacon and onion.

Right out of the oven. Time for finishing touches

5.  Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes. Top with roughly chopped fresh cilantro and give it a drizzle of bbq sauce. 

Ready to eat!

So many of us are in need of quick weeknight dinners, especially on those days of after-school soccer, ballet, or karate practices. Keep some of these pizza crusts in your pantry, and whip up your own pie in no time. Remember, it's like my "kitchen sink" fried rice: try out any combo of ingredients that you find in your kitchen.

Broke My Own Rule

I know, I know. I've said it a million times before.  I don't think chicken has any place on a pizza. But, I'll admit that I've had chicken pizzas before and it wasn't terrible.  Probably because I still maintain that pizza is the world's perfect food.  All food groups can be (and should be) represented. 

The other day, I cleaned out my fridge.  How does one family of 3 come up with so many jars of stuff?  Horseradish, capers, 5 kinds of jelly, wasabi, 4 hot sauces, maraschino cherries, just to name a few.  And, two half full bottles of BBQ sauce. That sauce, and the leftover roasted chicken in my fridge, got me thinking.  You know where I'm going with this.

I pulled out the bread machine and whipped up some pizza dough.  I really love this machine and need to remember more often that I have it. And, the fridge ingredients got involved to create our version of a BBQ chicken pizza.

I started early in the afternoon with caramelizing onions. If you have the time to slowly caramelize onions the right way, you'll be so pleased with yourself.

This is 3 medium-large sized onions

 

Starting to get a little color

Browning up more

Slowly but surely, we're getting there

OMG, isn't this beautiful?

My chicken was already cooked, so I just shredded it and tossed it around in some of that BBQ sauce from the fridge clean-out.  I rolled our homemade dough out nice and thin and placed on my trusty pizza stone.  After brushing with some olive oil, I put it into a 500 degree oven to prebake and get crisp.

For the pizza, we used a layer of BBQ sauce instead of tomato pizza sauce.

Since we're going with red BBQ sauce, some cheddar made sense.

Then, I just continued on with the chicken, some chopped (cooked) bacon, my gorgeous caramelized onions, pineapple chunks and mozzarella. 

The finished product

Despite a pretty sophisticated palate, my sweet girl usually defaults to a cheese pizza (much to mama's chagrin).  However, she took one bite of this and declared it the "best pizza ever."  It's her new favorite.  Personally, I think I went overboard on the sauce.  It was tasty, but a little too sweet for me, but overall, I thought it turned out quite well.  The bacon and pineapple were great choices and really gave the pie a cool "flavor profile" as they love to spout off on The Food Network. Next time, I'll just use less sauce and I think it'll be pretty close to perfect. 

On a personal note: I dedicate this post to Paul Whitlark.  He was a nutty, looney, generous, kind, always hospitable friend to so many of us.  He will always be Rosewood's favorite "Pizza Man" and we will all miss him terribly.  Peace to all of his family. 

MOD

As y'all know, I can't and won't pass up good pizza. Frankly, I love pizza so much, I probaby wouldn't pass up a mediocre one either.  Recently, MOD Pizza entered the Columbia scene.  It's a similar concept to Uncle Maddio's...choose your toppings like you do at Moe's and watch as they build your masterpiece for you.  But, at MOD, there's one big, major difference.  The price.  Whether you order one of their specialty pies, or build you own, the price is the price.  One ingredient or ten, all one price. This is true for their pizzas and their salads.

After golf today, Viv and I needed a snack so we headed over to check out MOD.  It's very open and dare I say it?  Mod. I love this huge collage wall.  
 

We both opted to build our own "mini" which is a 6" pizza.  MOD features thin crust and they have a gluten-free option.  The price of the mini pie is only $4.97.  Can you believe that?  I chose pepperoni, bacon, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and a sprinkling of blue cheese crumbles.  Observe...
 

Vivian went with mild Italian sausage and black olives.  The pizzas are baked in a wood-fired oven and it doesn't take but a few minutes to get your order.  
 

We both were very pleased with our food.  The choices are great.  There are several sauces, proteins, tons of veggies and fruits, other cheeses, drizzles, and herbs.  You can check out their menu here.  The folks on the MOD Squad will build a salad for you the same way.  Choose your ingredients just as you would for pizza.  They also offer to build your salad on top of an Asiago pizza crust, if you wish. 
 

The prices are very reasonable.  The mini was more than enough for us and for just under $5 apiece, it can't be beat. Their "mod" pizza is 11" and is priced at $7.97. This may be a once a week kind of place for us! 

Vivi and I highly recommend MOD Pizza.  We loved the choices, the crust and it's close to home.  Long live the pizza pie! The world's most perfect food.

Nicky's Pizzeria

You guys know how I am about pizza.  The world's perfect food:  all food groups are, or can be represented. It's good hot and fresh or right out of the fridge the next day. My pizza forays range from the pepperoni/sausage/black olive that I was raised on to bacon/blue cheese to veggie-palooza.  There is no end to what you can do to a pizza.  But one thing is clear:  it MUST have a good crust. Without this element, you're just wasting your time.  

A few months ago, Nicky's Pizzeria in Five Points caught my eye.  I've been so curious about it because I hadn't heard one word about the place.  None of my other food-obsessed friends had mentioned it, hadn't heard any ads, nothing.  And, it's tucked away in a corner spot right across from the post office on Greene Street, so it's easy to not notice it.  This summer I was working with a lovely couple who were buying their first house together.  He is in the restaurant biz, so I asked if they had tried out Nicky's.  Yes, they had.  They both said they really liked it and specifically mentioned the crust. Hmmm....

Recently, my husband and I had the occasion to check out Nicky's. As we walked across Greene, the first thing we noticed was 2 tables of City of Columbia police officers eating out on the patio. We all know that cops can be very loyal clientele for a restaurant, or even a bar, for that matter.  Next, we stepped inside to order and I noticed the smell.  The inside of this place smelled just like an old school pizza place that I remember from my childhood.  Yummy baked pizza smells, warm air from the ovens, herbs and pepperoni!  

We ordered a pitcher of Hopsecutioner, one of Neil's favorite IPAs.  Is it just me, or have pitchers of beer shrunk dramatically from my college days? ;-)

These pitchers have gotten awfully stubby

We decided to share the "Pesto Italian" which is a pie topped with pesto (duh), spinach, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes and mozz.  The topping combo was divine, but OMG, the crust!  It is a fabulous crust.  It's thin, but not like a too-thin cracker crust and not too thick.  Sometimes I find even a "regular" crust can hit that thickness mark where it loses the crispy, crustiness and just become chewy and tough.  Not the case here pizza lovers.  Awesome crust.

The Pesto Italian

 

A work of art

We will definitely be back for more. I really want to try their stromboli too.  The menu also offers more than a 1/2 dozen salads, specialty pizzas like the Pesto Italian, or you can design your own or just order by the slice.  I saw lots of college kids coming in to pick up subs to go, so we'll have to try those out as well.  Additionally, I'm impressed that they DO NOT charge for delivery and they offer coupons for delivery and take-out customers.  So far, so good Nicky's!

Recent Thoughts

Some recent culinary observations:

• roasted cabbage is a new favorite at my house
• I make a pretty mean chicken parmesan
• people love pizza from Grecian Gardens
• banana pudding makes us Southerners happy
• realizing you don't have an onion can be devastating
• nobody does s'mores correctly anymore
• I have missed the rush of a good couponing heist
• my child tried to convince me that her teacher snacks on croissants & feta cheese during her piano lesson
• I am in love with our new fridge

My new favorite PIZZA!

I've said this so many times, I should put it on a T-shirt.  Pizza is the world's most perfect food:  all food groups are deliciously represented all in one pie.  Is it fattening?  Yes, it can be.  Is it healthy? Yes, it can be.  Is it a most magnificent creation?  Yes, it is.

And, speaking of creation and creativity, let's talk about Columbia's new 

Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint.

 

 

Thank you to my buddy The April Blake , who clued me in about the Uncle Maddio's premiere party that took place this past Friday.  The restaurant is located in the Adesso building on the corner of Blossom & S. Main. Neil and the Vivver and I attended and had a great time.  

It was a special occasion, so I let her wear lipstick

First, we met the owners, Ted & Marcia who are super nice people.  We chatted with them and they gave us the rundown on how the restaurant works.  It's such a cool concept:  You proceed through a line to order your pizza.  You choose your crust (traditional, whole wheat, or gluten-free) then choose your sauce (Tomato-Basil Sauce, Zesty BBQ, Buttermilk Ranch, Spicy Buffalo, Herb Pesto, Olive Oil). Then the real fun begins: so many meats, cheeses (mozzarella doesn't count, it's a given) and vegetables to list.  So, you choose everything you want on  your pie and the pizza maker constructs it right in front of you.  From there, you order your drinks, and find a table.  Their slogan is "Served with Love" and that's just what the nice man who delivered ours to the table said as he presented it to us.

Very generous goodie bags

 Uncle Maddio's also has some Signature pies to choose from if you're not in the mood to create your own masterpiece.  The salad menu looks awesome too.  I can't wait to try the chopped salad.  And, there are paninis as well. Click here to see the menu.  

So many choices!

 The pizza was, in a word, fantastic.  Viv went with the all-time kid's classic "cheese."  Neil ordered one of their signature pizzas, the "Steak & Blue," which is a heavenly creation consisting of olive oil, mozzarella, blue cheese crumbles, grilled angus steak, roma tomatoes, garlic, spinach, fresh basil and balsamic glaze.  

The Steak & Blue

My creation

Vivian's cheese pizza

Tasty little side salad; croutons made of pizza dough!

I opted to build my own which was eggplant, feta, olives and tomato.  The three of us shared and tried all three.  None of them disappointed at all.  The crust is really crispy but not brittle and fragile.  The toppings were all fresh and the pizzas just looked pretty, quite frankly.  They serve 9" individual sizes, which I couldn't finish.  They also have an incredible deal for kids:  a 6" pizza made to their liking with a drink for $3.50. Those of you with kids know that the choices for children can leave a lot to be desired and they usually aren't a very good value.  This way, the kids can have control of what goes on their pizza which is a great way to engage them and get them excited about their meal.

Kids will fall in love with this place

Yum Yum, eat 'em up!

Here's another detail that I think is noteworthy:  The price of the pizza is the price of the pizza.They don't nickel and dime you with the old "per topping" additional charges. That's huge to me and it's little touches like this that win my loyalty.  I am excited that Uncle Maddio's has come to Columbia.  The USC students are going to be in hog heaven since they are right smack in the middle of campus.  And I suspect everyone else in town who tries them out will love this restaurant as well.  My family sure does! 

 

Marco's Pizza

Marco's Pizza opened in recent months just down the street from my house.  I really didn't pay much attention to it because it just appeared to be another pizza chain.  But, I'll tell you what made me decide to try it out. I know a young guy who moved here from Michigan.  One afternoon he mentioned to me that he was picking up pizza from Marco's for dinner, but he lives across the river, which means he was actually making a trip for this pizza.  Hmmm...why would he do that?  What does he know that I don't?

So, I quizzed him.  He knew this franchise from back home and even worked there during school.  He loves this pizza so much, that it's worth driving from Cayce all the way over to Rosewood. Yes, my curiosity was indeed kindled.  Today was finally the day to give it a shot.

My beautiful girl started out as a very young one eating black olives by the handful, then graduated to having olive, pepperoni, sausage pizza with me and Neil.  I was so proud.  Then, she met other kids.  Before I knew what hit me, she was proclaiming "I only like cheese pizza!"  It was a dark day for me.  My child had succumbed to the boring, uneventful taste of the average kid.  Well, recently, in an effort to shake up the school lunches, I bought some salami from the deli. She went wild!  So, I seized the opportunity.  It went something like this:

"hey Viv, you know something?  Salami is pepperoni's cousin."

"Really? I love pepperoni."

"So, this means you want pepperoni on your pizza like the old days?"

"Oh yes!"   

Woo Hoo!  My baby is back!  Tonight, we're just the two of us, so we decided to get pizza. What better time to try out Marco's?  I showed Viv the website and the photo of the "Pepperoni Magnifico."  She was down with it.  We ordered ours with the garlic crust (recommended by my buddy Patrick) and the antipasto salad.  I opted to order online, which gave me a pick-up time of 25 minutes. Not bad at all!  Delivery around here always takes longer than that, and since the place is about a minute and a half down the street, picking it up was certainly no bother.

The verdict?  I liked this pizza, but at this point can't proclaim it my favorite.  I mean, it was just pepperoni.  I like a little more action on my pizza, so I definitely want to try some of the other specialty pizzas, or design my own. They have a cool ingredient list, so it could get fun.  The other thing that I like is you get LOTS of choices...the website asked me if we wanted garlic crust, parmesan crust, extra sauce, light sauce, heavy cheese, no cheese, extra this, extra that, split in halves?  I ordered the antipasto salad which was pretty good too.  It was topped with ham, salami, black olives, tomatoes and mozzarella. I didn't order dressing since I have lots of great ones here at home.

Overall, I'd say that I am glad to have another pizza choice so close to home. After all, variety is key in my life.