Pizza!


Seems it's food night here on GD. The pizza discussion on the other thread reminded me I wanted to post this.

How often do you get pizza? Do you love it, hate it, are indifferent? When/if you do get it, do you get take-out, home delivery, eat it at a restaurant, buy frozen, or make it yourself at home?

What are your favourite toppings?

I actually crave pizza every so often. Maybe 2-3 times a year. Always get frozen because it's usually just me and I can cut however much I want and freeze the rest.

I like lots of different toppings, but usually I get either an everything on it or something lighter like mushrooms and spinach with a white sauce.

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“I get either an everything on it or something lighter like mushrooms and spinach with a white sauce.”

You nailed it Cat! My most favorite of pizzas! Mushrooms, Spinach and White Cheese on a thin crust! Yummy! Not particularly a “man’s” choice. Oh well, leaves more for us!

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At last! Common ground! I love it too.

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I think we have more common ground than just pizza....After all, we are women...and we roar!!

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I suppose mushrooms, spinach and white sauce pizza is the quiche of pizzas 😄

Man pizza is all meat, all day long. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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I genuinely enjoy a variety of pizzas. I had a buddy where I would occasionally get pizza while we were hanging out, and he'd always insist on more meat, all meat, three meat. I'd roll my eyes. His wife would make sensible pizza almost every week, but it got to be rather formulaic. Tasty but the same every week. I do like having that Mediterranean style occasionally, but I grew up strictly on pepperoni and cheese, so that's the Comfort Zone.

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Pepperoni and/or cheese seem to be the most popular in general. I need some kind of veggies on mine, even if it's only green peppers and olives.

They make a meat lover's pizza. Not sure what-all is on it. Pepperoni, sausage, probably canadian bacon and who knows what else.

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Ever make pita pizza ? White sauce! Which is ranch dressing, broccoli and mozzarella yum !

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No, but I'd eat that. Like a cross between a pizza and a salad.

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Pizza sub !

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I love pizza. I get pizza sometimes once a week or every other week. I usually get take out, but on rare occasions I order delivery or buy frozen. I like a lot of different toppings and usually get a mix. I like sausage, beef, olives, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

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That's the mix I like if I'm in the mood for something heavier. What do you do with the leftovers, breakfast?

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Yes, breakfast.

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Don't think I've ever tried that, because I never have leftovers. But if I did, I'd give it a go. Lots of people love it, there has to be a good reason.

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I knew someone who claimed to enjoy it cold the next morning. The only time I eat cold pizza is if it's been sitting out for a while and I just grab a slice. Nowadays with a microwave, it's too easy to heat it up again to not to.

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From what I've heard, that's the way to do it -- cold. I like melty cheese myself, so I'd probably nuke it 10 seconds to warm it up.

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yeah i feel you on that, recently was open to the idea of pineapple and jalapenos and bacon pizza, it wasn't bad at all. more jalapenos than pineapple. so the pineapple didn't take over but just enough chucks to give it flavor

but mainly i like just a lots of cheese, thick crust ,red sauce and banana peppers

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We order on big sports nights - ground beef/green peppers/tomatoes are a must.

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Ground beef on pizza is something I've never seen. Pizza would be perfect for watching sports.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJOugaSgVkI

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Looks like it'd taste just fine. Wouldn't be my first choice for a topping, but I'd enjoy it.

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Pizza would be perfect for watching sports? I've never heard of such a thing :)

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And nachos. Who'd have thought?

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I worked for this company for almost 15 years. https://www.redbaron.com/products/multi-classic/multi-classic-hamburger.htm They shipped out in the hundreds of thousands every week. You'd be amazed at how tasty this pizza is with just its few simple ingredients.

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Is it a regional thing? I've never seen hamburger pizza or heard of it before this thread. It's not the stores here.

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The company has plants abroad so it's actually an international thing. I'm stunned both by the fact that you've never encountered hamburger pizza before, never mind this particular brand, but also that California wasn't included in our sales territory. It just seems illogical. This pizza had a high profit margin because of the simplicity of its ingredients.

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Update! You got me so curious with this, I just had to investigate and here are the results:https://www.redbaron.com/where-to-buy.htm?TextZip=90001

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None of those are anywhere near where I live. I have seen or at least heard of Red Baron pizza, but have definitely never seen (or heard of) hamburger pizza, from Red Baron or anyone else.

P.S. I saw a somewhat interesting documentary on Van Gogh on Prime last night and thought of you. Do you have Prime?

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I looked back through the thread and saw where you said you get interested in pizza maybe once or twice a year, which I had forgotten about. Within that context, it's much more understandable that you would be unaware of a particular type. There are so many varieties available these days, an entire aisle of my grocery store is devoted to them and I just walk on by, barely glancing at them.

Hamburger pizza to Van Gogh is an amusing leap. No, I don't have Prime but I'm interested in seeing this https://moviechat.org/tt6938828/At-Eternitys-Gate first chance that I get. What is the name of the doc? Maybe I can locate it through a different source.

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I do, yes. I get actual cravings for it, but only a few times a year. But when I shop for it, I look at everything available, because you never know when something new and interesting might be there. So I'm confident in the grocery stores here, hamburger pizza isn't offered by any maker.

There are several documentaries on Van Gogh on Prime. In fact, last night I discovered there's a BOATLOAD of docs there on artists! Found them because I stumbled across one on Whistler (are you a Whistler fan, as I am?) called James McNeill Whistler and the Case for Beauty. It was amazing!

Anyway, this Van Gogh doc was listed under Customers Also Watched, so I had to see it. It's called The Painting Life of Vincent Van Gogh. It's not the best, but worth watching because it travels in a "geographical reconstruction of his life." So they show all the locations of where he painted what, which buildings/structures/areas are still intact, and of course show the paintings. Worth it to see all that.

Hadn't heard of At Eternity's Gate, but wow, Willem Dafoe and Rupert Friend, about Van Gogh, I want to see that!

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YESSSSS!!! I can watch At Eternity's Gate through Prime!!! Have to pay more for it, but this is one I'm willing to pay extra to see.

Thanks for letting me know about it :)

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I imagine you'll get to it before I do, so let me get your take on it when you do. In the meantime, I'll be trying to track down that documentary.

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Imma watch it tonight :D 👍

Sure, I'll let you know what I think. And if you are a fan of Whistler, I *highly* recommend that doc on him.

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I found the doc on YouTube and I already like the beginning of it. This is the kind of thing I need to watch late at night when I can't sleep.

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Watched it last night. It was good. I think you'll like it.

The acting was very good. There were many beautifully composed shots. I could have done without some of the strange camera work, especially when the lower half of the screen would become blurry and distorted for no apparent reason. Music was sometimes distracting.

Overall I give it a 8.5/10. Well worth seeing!

On another note, last night I checked out the frozen pizza section. We do have Red Baron pizzas, but no hamburger pizzas.

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I found it at my local library and just put it on hold. I only have one person ahead of me so it shouldn't take long. So far, I've seen nothing but positive feedback on this film. You really bumped it up so apparently you think highly of it.

Odd about the hamburger pizza. Oh well, it's been a learning experience for both of us.

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Your library had At Eternity's Gate? Lucky you! I doubt mine would. It's nice you've got something like this to look forward to watch :). Yes, I did think highly of it.

I'm thinking hamburger pizza is some sort of regional thing. I'd never heard of it, so definitely not west coast, yet a few others know about it. Maybe it's common in the midwest and on the east coast.

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It's been on the back burner for awhile since I saw it featured at the last Academy Awards. Your sudden reference to VanGogh reignited my interest and motivated me to do a search. I felt instinctively it was about time for them to now have it and sure enough...

I still can't understand why hamburger pizza would be less in demand in California than anywhere else in the country but at least now you know that it does exist.

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I don't think our library gets releases that new, unless they're blockbusters (which I'm not interested in 99% of the time).

Have you seen Robert Altman's Vincent and Theo? I've started it and think it too is excellent, so far. I can't figure out how I missed this one, but I did.

Do you know hamburger as a traditional topping? Here traditional is pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, cheese, basil & tomatoes, anchovies. Stuff like that. Never hamburger.

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Yes Cat, in my neck of the woods, it's as traditional as all the others you mentioned. It's beginning to look like you just have an aversion to that simple topping. By the same token, I don't like Tim Roth, so just the notion of him portraying VanGogh is a complete turn-off to me. Different strokes for different folks, right?

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Isn't that weird? Ha, no aversion, it's that it sounds as strange and foreign a topping to me as canned tuna would to you (me too for that matter).

Ah, too bad. I do like Tim Roth, and Altman. Yep, different strokes :)

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Ok, one last point. We also had this https://www.redbaron.com/products/multi-classic/multi-classic-sausage.htm The formula was the same: crust, sauce, cheese, single-meat topping. So this would be acceptable to you when it just involves a different animal? And yes, I consider seafood pizza as both strange yet interesting.

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Sure, I love sausage on pizza. But you're misunderstanding me. I never said I wouldn't eat it. In fact I said I would and would probably enjoy it. It's just hamburger. Hamburger is pretty bland, hard to dislike it. I'd even eat a pizza with canned tuna on it, and said so.

My only points all along have been:

1. I've never in my life heard of hamburger as a pizza topping, as it's not known or sold here on the west coast.
2. I'm shocked to discover it's not only known but popular as a standard topping in other parts of the country/world.

That's it!

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Hamburger is pretty bland, hard to dislike it.


Gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a typo. I didn't misunderstand at all. Why do you suppose I emphasized how tasty it is despite the simple ingredients in my initial comment? I think the hamburger topping feud should end right here.

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Eh? What I'm saying is it's not spicy or pungent or has a weird texture, or there's anything about it one could dislike about it or feel strongly against.

This was my first comment about burger as a topping: "Looks like it'd taste just fine. Wouldn't be my first choice for a topping, but I'd enjoy it."

No feud 😊

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An afterthought : I own a copy of this stunningly beautiful coffee table volume https://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Face-Portraits/dp/0500092907 and recommend it since I know you're also a lover of books.

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That does look lovely. It'd be interesting to see a book of *only* his portraits. I assume it includes self-portraits?

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I forgot about green peppers. Really like them especially if they keep their crunch. Makes the texture and taste much more interesting. If my roommies are including GPs on some of their Papa Murphy's, they must be getting lost in there, as I don't recall them.
One thing I like, but not always, is keeping the number of ingredients down to a minimum. My buddy always insists on black olives. They are o-k but inevitably -- and I'm being literal here -- some of them fall off and on to the floor. It's like it's part of their chemical composition to not stick to the pizza, and it's annoying.
And mushrooms. Had a different friend who explained he liked mushrooms on his pizza because they are relatively expensive so he would "exploit" the free toppings idea by ordering mushes. I don't particularly care for them.
So I'll eat black olives and mushrooms, but I don't order them.

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I eat pizza around once a week. Dine in or take out I'd say about 50/50. Occasionally buy frozen. Which is the best frozen pizza could be a thread in itself.

My favorite sausage topping I haven't encountered here yet. Looks like this (on he right, obviously) https://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/2XE93UDF_wVmcX2IRNo67g/o.jpg Most of the sausage I've encountered here is not that great. I also like bell peppers and onions.

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I don't recall ever liking a frozen pizza, but I probably buy the cheaper versions. I have some sort of frozen personal pizza in the freezer right now but I haven't gotten around to it. My roommates feed me almost every night so I sort of can't say no and maybe lose the privilege. Anyway, I am curious who makes an actually good frozen 'za and how do they do it?

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Looking at the lists below, there are so many I haven't tried that I couldn't even begin to say which is best. Also, as you suggest, there are two categories, cheap and pricey. Celeste is so cheap that one really shouldn't expect it to be anywhere near the best. Also some may not be available in one's area.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/the-best-frozen-pizza-digiorno-freschetta-and-more-thrillist-nation
https://www.thedailymeal.com/11-best-frozen-pizzas/4214
https://www.delish.com/cooking/g4226/frozen-pizzas-ranked/
https://www.eatthis.com/best-frozen-pizza/

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Helpful links. I don't pay a lot of attention to the names of the brands I buy. Now I know it's either Freschetta or Digiorno. The type varies dependent on mood of the moment.

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I looked at the last link, and looks like Newman's and Ann's (not Annie's) are winners and Red Baron and Tombstone not so much. Some Digiorno's were recommended, other's weren't. I guess I'll try the former - maybe - some time in the future.

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I've given up on those personal size pizzas. Not a one I've tried was any good.

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I peeked and it's a Digiorno, not surprising. Looks good on the box ! They advertise heavily so I'm sure that influenced me.

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Digiorno pizzas I've had are good, but didn't know they made the little ones. Or maybe I noticed but have since given up on all personal size pizzas having been burned too many times.

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I eat pizza at least once a week. Normally takeout. Margarita, regular or Sicilian. No toppings. Sometimes, I'll buy frozen.

A long time ago, I went through a pizza-making phase when I'd make it from pizza kits and later I just slapped American cheese and tomato sauce on a Thomas English muffin.

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Ah, a pizza purist. Well, except for your last sentence, which did make me laugh out loud.

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They used to serve the English muffin pizzas in my high school. A friend showed me how to make them and I was hooked. Toss them in the oven until the cheese melts and it's a delicious snack.

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My childhood best friend's mom used to make English muffin pizzas and I learned how from her. This is how she made them:

1. Toast English muffin
2. Spread about a teaspoon of olive oil on top
3. Spread enough tomato sauce or past to cover
4. Sprinkle oregano on top
4. Cover with mozzarella cheese
5. Pop into toaster oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and starts to lightly brown
6. Mangiare!

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That sounds good!

I used to replace the English muffin with Italian bread when I was very hungry.

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It is good. Try it some time as an alternative to your method. Italian bread would be a great base for it. Sourdough too.

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Will do. Your recipe is less expensive than the pizza kits, too.

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I remember English muffin pizza as well. Those of a certain age (like me) may remember Buitoni toaster pizza:
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/66/de/3e/66de3ee878284f80ce381de06cc9c556.jpg

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I remember the brand, but not toaster pizzas. Did they come out shortly after Pop Tarts?

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Pop Tarts were introduced in 1964, Buitoni toaster pizza I don't quite remember, either at the end of the 1960s or beginning of the 1970s. Kids just loved them.

Buitoni dates back to the 1800s and stayed in the Buitoni family for over 150 years. It is now owned by Nestle.

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I try to eat small meals every 3 hours, to keep my metabolism elevated. I buy my dinner and evening snack food from a great little neighborhood place I’ve mentioned before. The owner was a chef at The Four Seasons Hotel. He makes wicked Sicilian pan pizza slices, about half an inch thick, more like pastry than pizza dough, and weighing 8 ounces! Just the right amount of sauce and cheese, no toppings. I have half of one of these 3 hours after dinner, and it makes me happy. I have a week’s-worth of food delivered, not surprisingly, once a week. The thing melts in my mouth.

I actually know how to make pizza from scratch. My friend Joey owns as chain of pizzarias in Boston, and he taught me.

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Another buddy had a favorite pizza place where when he lived in town, a rather non-descript joint on a one-way street near trailer courts and collision shops. What was it called? Joey's Pizza.

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Melt-in-your-mouth Sicilian pan pizza sounds delicious. Having that place nearby has to go some towards making up for your lack of local soup places :)

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i absolutely love pizza, could probably happily eat it every day. but i try to keep a really tight food budget, & my main food splurge is generally my semi-weekly trip to the indian buffet down the street, so i probably only order in 3 or 4 times a year.

i'm a vegetarian, so no meat toppings for me - usually i'll have some combination of spinach, black olives, red onions, red peppers, mushrooms.

& always with feta cheese, which i think gives it a very nice little tang.

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There is a school of belief that Greeks make the best pizza, and I think there’s something to it.

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I won't argue that, but I do like having different styles. Greek could be the best tasting, but maybe not the most comforting.

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That's another good thing about pizza, it's vegetarian-friendly. Likewise Indian food.

Not that I'm a vegetarian, although I once was. But sometimes I prefer to eat that way.

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I’ll eat the vegetarian Indian food because it’s so yummy! The Indian breads are, too. So, okay, if there’s the abomination of Brazilian “pizza,” why can’t we have Indian pizza? Tandoori chicken pizza, anyone?

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I don't have it often as I used to, but it's delightful treat every so often. A good deep dish style pizza is just my bag, but if it's at a party over at someone else's place, pretty much any type of slice will do. I prefer mine with light cheese and extra sauce with lots of veggie toppings plus pepperoni.

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Until you got to the pepperoni, that's a healthy pizza.

One day I'll try a real deep dish pizza. The only ones I've tried have been frozen and were too doughy. Ha, so true, when it's available at a party or something like that, who cares what kind it is?

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