P Is For Pizza

 Before I begin with the scheduled post, allow me to update you on Rick's condition and what's been happening with regard to his accident a whole month ago (which seems incredible). Briefly:  after a follow-up with his doctor, a bone scan and chest xray with contrast were ordered; those tests revealed that more injuries were sustained in the accident, including a stress fracture of his foot, three compression fractures in his spine, a broken sternum, a skull fracture, and a mild collapse of the lower lobe of his lung. He's feeling the most pain from his broken sternum, but overall, he's working and doing okay. We hired an attorney, which has made both of us feel much better. The stress was affecting the health of us both terribly. It's a huge relief to have a professional take over. We can breathe and live again.

On to regularly scheduled programming.

When I was growing up, my mother cooked dinner every single night. We had her tossed salad with homemade vinaigrette, meat, a veg, and potatoes or some other starch. Once in a while there was spaghetti, chili, or sloppy joes, all of which tasted vaguely the same to me. There was no carryout, no KFC, no fast food, and certainly no Pizza. I never even thought about it; that's just The Way Things Were.

Suddenly, my father's job changed and he was put on shifts. After working steady days for decades, he had to start working nights and our personal favourite, three to eleven. We'd get home from school and know that all of us could kind of loosen up, especially Mom. And dinner was more casual. That's when Pizza started coming into our lives more regularly. And what Pizza it was!

Giovanni's Pizza was South Lorain's go-to Pizza place. It was situated mere blocks from US Steel and was in a dilapidated one-story, flat-roofed storefront. When you walked in to grab your Pizza, you could see the women in the back behind the counter working on the pies, all business with ladles of sauce, handfuls of cheese and sausage, their motions purposeful and quick. It was steamy and smelled fantastic. Giovanni's was always busy because their Pizza was the best.

When Dad worked three to eleven, we'd bug Mom to get Pizza for dinner. My mother was never too hard to convince; she was a pushover about most things. She always insisted upon still making a salad, though, and sometimes even a separate vegetable to accompany it, much to our dismay. Pizza, salad, and corn was often a Three To Eleven Meal in our house.

Giovanni's Pizza was hearty with a ton of cheese and a thick sauce, as you can see in the photo above. The crust was sturdy but not tough, and the toppings often went almost to its edges. To this day, my brother and sister still get Giovanni's Pizza, but I haven't had any in ages. Giovanni's has renovated their place and now offers salads and, oddly, chili dogs. 

I'm not a huge fan of Pizza now. When Rick and I do order Pizza, we order from a local bistro. We get thin crust, and I don't eat a whole lot of it. Honestly, I get a little bored. It's ironic, but I often wish I had a salad or something along with it. 

I prefer to make Pizza at home, and we use flatbreads from a Cleveland baking company as the crust. Rick puts them on the grill. My favourite one is using my homemade pesto, tomatoes marinated in some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and fresh mozzarella. We also make pepperoni flatbreads, and use this Pizza sauce, and if I have mushrooms or peppers, I'll saute those and add  kalamata olives. We've used naan as crust, too, and it's delicious. (Also delicious are Dessert Pizzas. I've spread Marshmallow Fluff and topped it with squares from a Hershey bar and grilled that. We've also had thinly sliced apple drizzled with caramel topping. And who is going to say no to Nutella with thinly sliced bananas?) 

Oh, and I'm a big yes to Hawaiian Pizza as long as there's no bacon on it. Just pineapple and a little bit of ham, please. I don't have Pizza Rules, per se. I feel like Pizza should be casual and fun. If you want a Taco Pizza, then have it. Do you want Keto Pizza with cauliflower crust or Vegan Pizza with tofu cheese? I don't care. Do you eat the 99-cent frozen Pizzas from the grocery store after you dress them up? Go ahead. Personally, I buy the Chef Boyardee Pizza kit during the dead of winter and make their crusts, then add all my own stuff to make Pizzas. (Although, since I found such great sauce, I'm going to have to investigate a better crust mix idea. I am not messing with yeast.) 

Anyway, my point--and I do have one--is that Pizza is Not A Big Deal. It's all about what You like. So, tell me--what are your Pizza Memories and what Pizza do you like?

actual Giovanni's pizza!