That's it? A one-word title? About pizza?!?!? Who in the world would write a blog post about pizza? Well, it's Eric's Planet, so my guess would be...Eric. And that's me.
We have a pizza chain out here in my area (and maybe it's all over the place—I don't know) called "PizzaRev." At PizzaRev, you "craft" your own pizza, meaning that you direct the employees to put your choice of ingredients on the dough as you walk along the assembly line. They offer several kinds of dough, a multitude of different sauces and cheeses, and all kinds of meats and veggies. You name it, they have it. (Well, almost. Ask them about cheddar cheese next time you're there. But more on that in a bit.) Last year, PizzaRev started a promotion where their normally $8.25 pizzas were only $6.00 on Tuesdays. Considering what you get, that's quite a deal. And selected people around this planet have made good use of it. So much so that most of the staff at our local PizzaRev not only know one of those people by name, but know how to correctly spell the name of that person whenever they show up. We won't say who we're talking about here...
I had always heard that pizza was actually invented here in the U.S. by Italian immigrants when they arrived in the 1800s. However, as Diana learned during her trip to Italy last year, you can get quite a tasty pizza when in Rome, so the "created in America" aspect is debatable. But Diana learned that they do pizza quite well over there. When I asked her if she had tried pizza in Italy, and, if so, what she thought of it, she said, "best pizza ever!"
PizzaRev offers several different kinds of dough—their Signature Thin (which is Roman style), Double Dough for a thicker crust, and a gluten-free dough for those who are sensitive to gluten. Personally, I'd like to see a whole wheat dough, but that's just me. Some years back I created a chicken pesto pizza with a whole wheat crust that was usually a hit when I brought it to potlucks at work or family gatherings. When you bring home an empty tray, you know they liked it.
Believe it or not, there is a downside to pizza. It's fairly obvious, but too much pizza makes too much...Eric (or anyone else for that matter). Because I prefer thin crust and like lots of veggies on mine (except mushrooms), I don't worry so much if I only eat it once a week. For me, it's always been about the toppings, not about the crust. Less dough, more toppings. Depending on the toppings, an individual-sized pizza is actually better and healthier than a cheeseburger and fries. Wait—did I actually write that? Yes, I did because I mean it. While I do like pepperoni and sausage, those meats tend to be loaded with fat, sodium, nitrates, and who knows what else. Chicken on pizza has become a favorite of mine. Crumbled lean ground beef is good, too. Just spare me the mushrooms.
Before I have to go put more change into the parking meter, let me address the cheddar cheese issue that I mentioned before. As the entire world knows, I do like a good cheeseburger. A very basic one, but a good one. So why not combine a cheeseburger and a pizza? Eric's Signature Cheeseburger Pizza™ would start with a good whole wheat dough slathered with a good tomato sauce, topped with extra sharp cheddar cheese and crumbled ground beef. Add some spinach and black olives on top and that's it! PizzaRev has all of those ingredients except for the extra sharp cheddar cheese. I've asked them about it, but so far it appears not too likely to become a part of the regular offerings. So it looks like I'll have to craft my own pizza in my own kitchen to pull this one off. But as I like to say, my kitchen is my laboratory...
When all is said and done, at the end of the day, it is what it is and other cheesy sayings, you can never go wrong with pizza. Be it a slice or an entire pie, pizza is one food that knows no bounds in terms of what can be done with it.
