The Heart of the Table | Generations & Legacy

Corner Restaurants & Burned Mouths

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When I was a kid, my mom would drive to the corner Italian restaurant to pick up a pizza that was fully assembled but not yet baked. She’d race home and carefully place the pizza right into the hot oven.

She’d call us to the table and we ate hot, right-out-of-the-oven pizza... burning our mouths on the molten cheese. I guess some things just leave an indelible mark! For this very reason, I am absolutely not a fan of pizza delivery. No matter what they do to improve the box, the pizza still tastes like cardboard to me.

For this reason, I like to make pizza at home. Pre-made pizza crust has improved dramatically over the years. You can purchase beautiful hand-rolled, fresh dough right in the deli department of the grocery store. Pizza sauces have evolved as well, and you can easily find sauces made with organic ingredients and little to no sugar.

"I guess some things just leave an indelible mark! We ate hot, right-out-of-the-oven pizza, burning our mouths on the cheese."

Add to this the fact that you can purchase beautifully diced pancetta and perfectly sliced pepperoni... making pizza at home is a complete no-brainer!

Hubby’s favorite pizza is usually loaded with meat, meat, and more meat. I prefer pizza at home with a ton of veggies. My ultimate compromise merges the two perfectly. We combine pepperoni, crisp pancetta, and bell pepper with diced mushrooms and lots of mozzarella cheese. It’s the perfect weeknight meal. Just add a fresh veggie salad and a glass of wine!

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