the Delicious Dish by Ray

BAD INSURANCE AGENCY! - Four Seasons Insurance Agency - Bill Callahan

2008-09-10T16:42:00.000-06:00

cancel your policy today!

If you are a current customer of the shady "Four Seasons Insurance Agency" that resides in Midvale Utah, then I would advise you to promptly cancel your policy with them today.

Not only would I advise to do this due to unfacilitated rate hikes, but also because the principal agent, Bill Callahan, is a liar and a crook.

Bill Callahan of the Four Seasons Insurance Agency was my agent, he didn't cancel my policy when I requested it to be done; he never sent me the appropriate documentation to do so, and my account was continually withdrawn from (the problem was that it couldn't be "stop paymented" due to the way it came out). Mr. Callahan continually lied to me about the payments ceasing and now as a result I have a complaint filed with the BBB, as well as the Insurance Board of Utah. All that I ask of this man is my money back for the 4 months that he continued to charge my account, but he would rather try to discredit me with personal attacks than take care of the chief issue at hand.

Small claims court is just around the corner Bill; but I will be contacting 'Get Gephardt' first just to try to pull some publicity towards your shady operations.

Four Seasons Insurance chiefly use AIG as their primary policy company.

See ya in court Bill!
- Jared

Helpful Links:
BBB of Utah: http://www.saltlakecity.bbb.org
Insurance Board of Utah: http://www.insurance.utah.gov/complaint_Inst.html
Submit your complaint today!

I laughed I cried, I ate a calzone...

2008-07-07T12:08:00.001-06:00

Have you ever sat down and said to yourself.."i need a pizza, but i need it ensconced in crust..."?

i do this quite often, quite often indeed. The birth of the calzone can be traced back to Italy, where its close brother, Stromboli, was also conceived.

What is a calzone? Are you serious? Well, when I used to have to describe them to people I would just say, "you ever have a hot pocket? well they are like that but delicious; crust surrounds hot and gooey toppings of your choice - a pocket of love".

Now that we have that covered, where can you get a good calzone?

Well that search is a wild one my friend, there are several people that make a "calzone" but there are many of them that make an interpretation of the calzone. Take the Pie Pizzeria in SLC for instance, they have a calzone like substance, a Zappi, but it is not really a calzone, it is more of a pizza turnover.

My favorite calzone is from.. well its from my own kitchen, the dough I make is devine, and I can always over stuff it if I'm feeling gluttonous, or do it right if I'm feeling patient. But a few other note-worthy joints for a calzone are as follows (because I doubt I will have you all over to my house for calzones anytime soon):

Big Apple Pizza - 801.485.4534
Este's Pizza - 801.485.3699
Little Italy - 801.255.0363
Now, it should be noted that my mother-in-law likes to remind me that a calzone is actually traditionally very large and long, the size of a pant leg - which if I remember correctly is what she says "calzone" means in Italian.

A little how to make a calzone** which I found at, ALL RECIPES - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Calzone/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon dry milk powder
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup pizza sauce
4 ounces pepperoni sausage, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
Place water, salt, bread flour, dry milk, sugar, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select Dough cycle.
After cycle ends, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface; shape into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet. In a small bowl, mix together chopped pepperoni and mozzarella. Spoon pizza sauce in a stripe down the center of dough lengthwise; add sausage and cheese filling. Make diagonal cuts 1 1/2 inches apart down each side, cutting within a 1/2 inch of the filling. Criss cross strips over filling, sealing with water. Brush top with melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes.

** I like my style a little better, I will just have to post it at a later time I suppose...

Yackity-Yack

2008-07-02T16:15:00.002-06:00

guess who's back! That's right, me! The sabbatical was nice, but its time to get my pizza back on.

Won't you join me for the next several rounds of slice?

Great, let's just jump into this spaceship, the SS Pizzeria, and we're off!

Blogs to come will include but not be limited to:
- pizza in Maui
- eating bad to appreciate the good
- how the pizza diet can cut inches off of your waist line
- me, pizza, and the smoking gun: a film noir story

READY! STEADY!
PIZZA!

- Jared C-O-N-G-E-R!

Part III of "I'll make a pizza on anything" - Tortilla pizza

2008-03-03T12:54:00.002-07:00

Tortilla Pizza aka so you're short on time and quality ingredients.

I would like to preface this by saying that sometimes you go into a thing with such low expectations that you come out with a bar of gold; this is one of those occasions.

My good lord this was a good pizza - albeit not a very filling one. I started with some of my classic homemade sauce (recipe to divulged in future blogs), and then topped it with some mozzarella, pepperoni, onion, and some freshly browned sausage (when using sausage, try to take the time to use raw, and then lightly brown it up before topping your pizza, don't drain it too much unless you're counting calories, the grease is the flavor!!).

I then preheated the oven to 400 F, and placed this puppy on the preheated stone, and proceeded to cook it for 6-minutes. After it was done I allowed it a minimal amount of time to cool and didn't even bother cutting it, I just folded it like a taco, and went to town.

Maybe next time I will be tackling the wonderful world of French Bread Pizzas!!!
What do you make your "pizza in a hurry" with?

Creative Sauces: Vol. 1

2008-03-03T12:50:00.002-07:00

Bechamel Sauce with Cheese

This thick version of bechamel is a recipe I found on About.com. It's made with evaporated milk and contains cheese, and is just one variation of this popular sauce used with meats and vegetables. It isn't hard to make, and doesn't take long, but it has to be stirred the entire time.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cans of evaporated milk (14.5 ounce cans)
8 tablespoons of cornstarch (or cornflour)
4 cups of water
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of grated kefalotyri cheese (or pecorino)
1 tablespoon of butter-flavored vegetable shortening or butter
1 teaspoon of salt
pinch of grated nutmeg

PREPARATION:
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Once it boils, dissolve the cornstarch in one can of evaporated milk, and add to the water, stirring briskly with a wire whisk. Lower the heat to medium and add the second can of milk, the salt, and shortening or butter.

Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Add the beaten eggs and nutmeg, whisking very quickly (so the eggs don't cook) until well blended. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese, mix well and set aside, covered, until ready to use.
Yield: enough for one complete 11 x 14 x 3 pan of moussaka or pastitsio (about 7 cups).

Storage & Reheating
Béchamel can be refrigerated for one day (not more). It can be reheated using a double boiler (stirring constantly) or in the microwave, covered, vented, on medium power. Microwave time depends on the amount to be reheated and the microwave's wattage, so check every couple of minutes.

I made it to 13. Sinful Sunday at Stoneground

2008-03-03T12:02:00.004-07:00

Wow, so I thought I would eat more, but afterwards I had planned on eating less. I made it to lucky 13 - but that number doesn't include all of the pizza I ate off of my fiance's plate, an amount that I'm sure would've pushed the final count over the 20 slice mark.

But we're not here to brag... no indeed. We are here to discuss the quality of both pizza, and the cost as compared to the pizza.

Now what I'm talking about here is called "Sinful Sunday" and its an all you can eat pizza event that happens every Sunday at Stoneground (400 south 235 east, SLC, UT). What you get are unlimited salad and slices of totally random pizza for $12 (it used to be $9.95), drinks are extra.

I have got to say that I enjoyed it with a few exceptions:
1) The pizza cooks were thinking in terms of Chicken all night long - as will be evidenced by my slice descriptions.
2) Not much by way of "traditional" fare that came our way.
3) It totally matters where you sit.
4) You should speak up if you have a request.

The System:
You take a seat and relax, enjoy a salad and some drink and company; they will bring a multitude of pizzas by your table for you to accept or decline. Cool way to run a buffet - it keeps the hogs outta the way, and you see marginally lest wasted food.

Lets list the pizza's that came by my table and what I thought of them:
1) Chicken pesto - It was OK - I don't care much for their pesto. NOT-WORTHY!
2) Chicken and Goat Cheese - I liked this one, the goat cheese wasn't too overwhelming and the sauce brought it all together. WORTHY!
3) Sausage and Black Olive - Although I don't care for black olives, the sausage was good and perhaps this slice will get a better rating due to the fact that it was the first "traditional fare" we saw. WORTHY!
4) Veggie with Pesto - Again, I don't like their pesto (dry), but with all of the veggies, it was delicious! WORTHY!
5) Hawaiian - Well... good pineapple, but not so good ham, it made the sauce taste odd. NOT-WORTHY!
6) Hawaiian with Jalapeno - Even the jalapeno couldn't save this one. (note: try a jalapeno and pineapple pizza sometime, very good) NOT-WORTHY!
7) Chipotle BBQ Chicken - This was the best slice of the night. Perfect BBQ sauce, not too tangy, not too spicy, not too sweet. DELICIOUS!!!
8) Meatball with Red Onion on a vegetable tomato base sauce - The sauce was crazy weird; I'm not sure whether I liked the sauce 100% or not, but it was good. WORTHY!
9) Chicken Jalapeno and Red Onion on a White Cheese sauce (bechamel cheese sauce) - This one was totally awesome - the sauce was to die for. Great mix of Jalapeno on that pie! DELICIOUS!!!
10) Chicken and Artichoke Hearts - M'eh, it was a little bland, the artichokes weren't very special - nothing to write home about. NOT-WORTHY!
11) Pepperoni Sausage on a BBQ base sauce - This was totally awesome as well - whats the deal with their non-traditional sauces being so much better than their regular fares?!?!? I would eat this twice on Sunday. DELICIOUS!!!
12) Kalamata Olive and Veggies - I don't like olives so I skipped this one. The wifey said it was good though so it gets a: WORTHY! rating.
13) Fresh Mozzarella Roasted Garlic Tomato and Basil - Excellent take on the margarita pie. I found it to be the best roasted garlic I've had in quite sometime. Do it up when you're there. DELICIOUS!!!
14) Meatball Mushroom and Sweet Peppers - I didn't care much for the sweet peppers (I may have been too full at this point) but the meatballs were good. WORTHY!

It should be noted that a second and a third Hawaiian pizza came by our table that night, which we declined. Also, we didn't see a single regular Pepperoni pizza come by us all night - we were there for 1.5 hours or so - although we did see a plain cheese come by as we were getting up to leave.

Another disappointing note: the "server" wasn't very on it - he seemed like he was in a "up all night partying" phase - which I can understand as it was a Sunday and all, but come on dude, we asked you for water 10 times and you kept bringing us Cokes and Arnold Palmers!

In the end I look forward to doing this again, but I will have to wait until I work this new found weight in my belly off.

ADIOS!
[this ends "sinful sunday" at Stoneground on 400 south and 235 east.]

Alternate Pizza Universe! Vol. I

2008-03-02T12:07:00.003-07:00

Hello and good day!
The following pizza recipes were taken from a fellow blogger, "FatFree Vegan Kitchen" - blog.fatfreevegan.com - they are healthier altneratives to the normal styles of pizza. I will be trying them, I may even alter them a little. We'll be doing some experimentation! Be sure to check out her blog that contains a plethora of recipes that are designed to be delicious, fat free, and vegan!

First at bat:

Personal Polenta Pizza
Go to the source!

3 cups water
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
generous grating of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon each basil and oregano
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)

about 1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 small red onion, sliced
about 8 mushrooms, sliced
3-4 ounces vegan sausage, cooked (or gluten-free alternative)
sliced black olives (optional)
2-3 cloves garlic

Preheat the oven to 425. Oil two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

Put the water, cornmeal, salt, and seasonings into a large microwavable casserole dish or 1-quart measure. Cook at full power for 4 minutes. Stir well and cook again at high power for 2 more minutes. Stir again and cook at high power for another 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave, stir in the optional oil, and beat with a spoon until completely smooth.

[Non-microwave option: Cook in a medium-sized pot on low, stirring frequently, until very thick.]

Spread the polenta evenly in the bottom of the two pans. (If you have any leftover, save it for another use--or make another small pizza.) Place the pans in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

While the crust is cooking, prepare your toppings and sauce. I used a simple tomato paste-based sauce (3 tbsp. paste, 2 tbsp water, garlic, oregano, basil to taste) because I wanted something thick and not watery. Your favorite spaghetti sauce can be used. Sauté the vegetables lightly in a non-stick pan until onion begins to soften.

After 12 minutes, take the crusts out of the oven and invert them onto a large baking sheet, side by side. They should fall right out of the pan with the parchment paper stuck to them. Peel away the parchment. Spread each crust with pizza sauce (don't use too much or they will be soggy) and top with veggies and vegan sausage. Sprinkle with chopped garlic.

Return to the oven for about 10 minutes, until toppings look done. Lift off the baking sheet carefully using a large spatula and your hand--they are not sturdy like regular pizza, so be careful not to let your toppings slide off. Cut into 4ths and serve.

Alternate Pizzas from Alternate Universes

2008-03-02T12:01:00.004-07:00

Welcome again! As a reminder.... the following pizza recipes were taken from a fellow blogger, "FatFree Vegan Kitchen" - blog.fatfreevegan.com - they are healthier altneratives to the normal styles of pizza. I will be trying them, I may even alter them a little. We'll be doing some experimentation! Be sure to check out her blog that contains a plethora of recipes that are designed to be delicious, fat free, and vegan!
Next up at bat!

Potato Pizzas
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/09/potato-pizzas.html

1 large baking potato per person
pizza sauce (recipe below)
your choice of toppings (I used onion, bell pepper, zucchini, calamata olives, green olives, and mushrooms)
fresh basil
soy parmesan

Pizza Sauce (makes enough for 2 servings/potatoes):

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Italian style)
1/8 tsp. fennel seed
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Start with potatoes that are at least 1-1/2 inches thick in the middle. Scrub each potato well. Cut into three slices, making the outer two a little wider than the middle one. Take the two outer slices and trim a little bit off the bottom (rounded side) in order to make them lie flat.

Place them on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes, until cooked throughout. (I was just making one serving, so I did this in the toaster oven with excellent results.)

While the potatoes are cooking, make the pizza sauce: Sauté the onion in a non-stick saucepan until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and sauté one minute more. Pour about 1/3 of the can of tomatoes into the saucepan. Using a blender or hand blender, puree the remaining tomatoes and add them to the pan. (I do this right in the can with a hand blender.) Add the remaining sauce ingredients, and simmer on low until the potatoes are ready.

When the potatoes are done, take them out of the oven, spread each one with sauce, and top with your choice of toppings. (I made one with zucchini-calamata olives-red bell pepper, another with mushrooms-green olives-onions, and another with everything.) Put them back into the oven and bake for 15-20 more minutes, until the toppings are done to your taste.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with lots of fresh basil and soy parmesan, if desired. Careful, they will be hot! But once they're cooled, you can pick them up like regular pizza:

1 large baking potato per person
pizza sauce (recipe below)
your choice of toppings (I used onion, bell pepper, zucchini, calamata olives, green olives, and mushrooms)
fresh basil
soy parmesan

Pizza Sauce (makes enough for 2 servings/potatoes):

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Italian style)
1/8 tsp. fennel seed
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Start with potatoes that are at least 1-1/2 inches thick in the middle. Scrub each potato well. Cut into three slices, making the outer two a little wider than the middle one. Take the two outer slices and trim a little bit off the bottom (rounded side) in order to make them lie flat.

Place them on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes, until cooked throughout. (I was just making one serving, so I did this in the toaster oven with excellent results.)

While the potatoes are cooking, make the pizza sauce: Sauté the onion in a non-stick saucepan until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and sauté one minute more. Pour about 1/3 of the can of tomatoes into the saucepan. Using a blender or hand blender, puree the remaining tomatoes and add them to the pan. (I do this right in the can with a hand blender.) Add the remaining sauce ingredients, and simmer on low until the potatoes are ready.

When the potatoes are done, take them out of the oven, spread each one with sauce, and top with your choice of toppings. (I made one with zucchini-calamata olives-red bell pepper, another with mushrooms-green olives-onions, and another with everything.) Put them back into the oven and bake for 15-20 more minutes, until the toppings are done to your taste.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with lots of fresh basil and soy parmesan, if desired. Careful, they will be hot! But once they're cooled, you can pick them up like regular pizza:

Strange Pictures

2008-02-29T12:21:00.003-07:00

Strange pictures from around the globe!!!

I think this one has an egg in the middle.

Potato pizzas? looks like its for vegans: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

I hope this kid washed his hands before handling the dough.

This pizza looks too symmetrical; it also looks under cooked.

Oh My GOD! You made a Pita Pizza!?!?

2008-02-27T22:39:00.003-07:00

Thats right, I made a pizza on a pita bread tonite. And let me tell you, it was 100X more delicious than I had anticipated. One thing I wish I had done would've been to brush the pita with olive oil before I topped it.

I will run down the baking procedure in an even briefer verbatum than before:
- oven 400 F
- cook until cheese is melted

That should do it! In closing, when you are desperate, don't be afraid to cook a pizza on just about anything! Just remember, do it deliciously.

An Evil Pleasure: ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZA!!!

2008-02-27T14:05:00.002-07:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I did it, I made what people in my heralded position ought not to do. I created an implement of evil - an English Muffin Pizza!!!

Now before you start to send me hate mail, let me at least tell you that the sauce was home made and delicious.

Simple directions for a Pizza from the kingdom of darkness:
- obtain an English muffin (preferably not stale or moldy)
- preheat oven to 400 F
- spread a liberal amount of pizza sauce on both sides of the muffin (you cut the muffin in half right?.. well cut it in half)
- apply mozzarella cheese, hell, go ahead and pile it on that thing!
- select two toppings... no more, no less. (this will aid in the cooking of all that cheese and sauce that we piled on there - besides its just a little English muffin, take it easy already!)
- once you have done this, wait for the oven to heat up.
- OK, is the oven heated up? OK place the "muffin pies" on some foil and cook on the center rack for about 5-10 minutes (or until cheese is melted).
- once its done let it sit outside of the oven for a minute to cool off enough so that you don't burn the roof of your mouth (mine is coated with leather after all of these years of eating foods that are too hot).

Enjoy! (?)

The Great Pizza Re-Heat Debate!

2008-01-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

Over the years a great debate has raged within the vast community of pizza lovers: how to re-heat pizza, and should pizza be re-heated?

I'm here today ladies and gentlemen to talk about both sides of the issue. I'm here today to say, "Pizza should only be reheated, if it is reheated correctly."

Also, if we have time I'd like to talk about pizza places, and their "re-heat-ability".

Lets begin shall we?

RE-HEATING (should it be hyphenated?)
You have many methods of reheating:
- microwave
- toaster oven/conventional oven
- leave it out of the fridge until it reaches room temperature
- fry it in a pan
- combo reheats (microwave/oven)
- big pizza oven (okay essentially using a pizza stone in an oven will do here)

Microwave:
This is possibly the worst way to reheat pizza; it leaves the reconstituted pizza in a soggy state, nothing like its original representation - also not fair to the original pizza chef! Yet, when used sparingly you can use this modern-day device to attain a "combo reheat".

Toaster Oven:
Sometimes this works great, sometimes not so much. The problem here is that it will chiefly reheat the surface of the pizza; leaving the bottom portion/middle a little on the not so hot as the top (another pizza travesty).

Leave it out of the fridge until it reaches room temperature:
This is how they do it in College. Students everywhere will attest to their love for room-temperature/cold pizza. But hey, we were all lazy at one point or another in our lives weren't we? It should be mentioned that the local health department would frown upon this practice as you are allowing a dairy product to be in what they call "the danger zone".

Big Pizza Oven:
Okay, whom here has one of these? Right, pretty much no one. But this will remain the best way to reheat your pizza. It will thoroughly cook your pizza on all sides, and give you that original crispiness that the crust once held so deliciously as you gazed upon its beauty in the pan/box upon its arrival. I admit, it's not realistic to show up to a pizzeria with your left-overs and ask for a reheat, but we can dream can't we?

Fry Pan:
I bet you thought I was kidding didn't you? Well I'm not, this is my favorite, most efficient way to reheat leftover pizza. Let me tell you how I do it....
First - I like to give it a quick 10-20 seconds in the microwave (I told you about combo'ing it didn't I!)
Second - I'll heat up a frying pan (while the pizza is in the microwave actually), and put a little olive oil with a splash of garlic salt in the pan, swirl it around the pan so that it doesn't pool up.
Third - add slice of pizza when pan is hot.
Keep an eye and nose open for the pizza. Remember, your nose always knows! When you can smell something cooking, it usually means its about ready (this is because the food reaches its "boiling point" and it releases gaseous vapors which you smell).
Now you'll see that the bottom of the crust should be crispy, and will carry a little extra lovey-flavor thanks to that olive oil/garlic salt addition.

Do you find it delicious?

Now, lets talk turkey here... One whom is a pizza expert should ask, "Do you reheat pizza at all?" To which the answer is actually - no. If you respect the pizza, you'll order the right amount for you to eat when you get it, also, you'll go to a pizzeria rather than have it delivered or picked up, as this gives you the best representation of the pizza's initial quality (plus you can get out of your house). I know it's hard for most Americans to find the time to do anything outside of their homes, but I challenge you to do this! It will open up your pizza-palette, and your pizza-chakra.

That is all for now. As they say in hipster land: ciao.

Little Italy Pizzeria

2008-01-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

or - "How I Fell In Love Again" - or - "How I Found a Union Man"

a film noir story...

When I look back on how it all came to pass the memories rush through my eyes, and into my brain like a flash of lightning. I remember seeing the advertisement in the City Weekly, and thinking, "this is it...this is for real."

Sure I had talked to people to see if they had tried it out, but all responses came back to "no", or "what, another pizza joint? you've got problems." But I didn't let that deter me, there was work to be done, some angel had flapped its wings and shown me the light that day. It was time; the veil of darkness was lifted from my face; lifted from your face, and from the face of the Salt Lake Valley. It was time to move.

Unfortunately months passed before I actually had found the time to make it out to this little oasis in Sandy. Location was hurting my ability to just drop in (9284 South 700 East, Sandy, UT).

So, how did we come to finally enjoy this lovely eatery?
Funny you should ask, we were on our way out to visit with a potential caterer for our wedding, and it just happened to be right in the area of this fine, fine establishment.

Lets talk pizza shall we?
Little Italy
9284 South 700 East
Sandy, UT
801.255.0363

The dining area's ambiance was straight out of a movie of some sort; Italian music playing in the background, paintings, high back chairs - all spectacular.
Everything I saw served looked so good! The meatballs were monsters; the Tiramisu looked divine!

Did I mention I found Jimmy Hoffa?

When I was talking to the owner he pointed my attention span to the wall with some pictures on it... Jimmy Hoffa was staring at me! Apparently Jimmy was this mans brother-in-law.

Lets talk prices...
... These prices are straight out of 8-10 years ago! The pizza starts at $9.95 and that will get you a 16" cheese! Also, they have really great lunch specials: 2-slices, and a drink for $4.25. UNHEARD OF, especially for this level of quality.
Also, it should be noted that there are two sizes of pizza: 16", and 18".

Crust of a Champion:
PERFECT! What more could I say? It was thin, crispy, folded perfectly when it needed to be, flavorful, puffy where it needed to be. In performance tests, this crust stood up to the competition!

Sauce- the heart of a champion:
Delicious, and not overpowering; small outposts were holding up in pockets of defiance under the delicious cheese. I love it. I love it. I love it.

Toppings - the armor one wears when battling the dragon:
We had Sausage (great!), and Spinach (good). The topping list looked to be great, not too much, but plenty to choose from - if you're into the gourmet thing, you could do it to it, and not feel lonely about doing it. Although I liked the spinach, it didn't blast my pants off (so to speak), but the sausage was really good.

Cheese - the face of a beauty contestant:
Great cheese makes great pizzas; it can also ruin them. They used great cheese - stringy, flavorful (my mouth is watering talking about it, seriously). I wish I had more to say, but when its this great, you just think about it and can't say much about it (kind of like when you meet the really cute cheerleader and you just stand there and stare, not being able to do much but grunt and smile).

TOTAL SCORE: 4.925/5
CRUST: 5/5
SAUCE: 5/5
CHEESE: 4.95/5 (gotta keep 'em honest)
TOPPINGS: 4.75/5

LITTLE ITALY
9284 SOUTH 700 EAST
801.255.0363

Dominoes BFD

2008-01-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

"THE BFD" - (click it for the URL)

This is done by Dominoes. Apparently you can build a pizza and then proceed to order what you just built - visual marketing.

Some dude on the therocksalt.net came up with this - brilliant.

I could sit here and build pizza's all day long...

I built "The Avenger". Check it out on the list.

Battle Royale! - Slice Pizza Battles to the Death - Round 1

2008-01-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well... so it has come to this has it? You and me, and those slices we shall step into the ring, or as my good friend Shai used to say, "the octagon".

This first round shall feature two pizzeria's that feature slices for sale; each of them with their own product, style, and service.

Sicilian Pizza - 221 E 300 South, SLC, UT - 801.961.7077
Big Apple Pizza - 2939 East 3300 South, SLC, UT - 801.485.4534

Sicilian Pizza

They offer up some different pizza, and as we all should know by now; different is good. The pizza is almost completely authentic Sicilian style - lacking are a thick crust, and tons of cheese. However, the seasonings, sauce, and sausage they use are right on. In fact I recommend having something with sausage should you go there, its unique, and very delicious.
The slice special will run you about $6.00 for two slices and a drink, or one slice and a salad - I do believe that they offer a single slice but I cannot remember the pricing right now.
Service
You order at the counter here, and the slices are pre-made and hanging out under a heat lamp, so make sure you scope out which ones are the freshest, nothing more disappointing than buying a stale slice of pizza (I've gotten both fresh and not-so-fresh here). If you are in a hurry, the heat lamp style is the way to go; it is ready when you are (though you may not get what you want.
Pizza
If you like different I suggest going here, the crust is seasoned and slightly sweet, the sauce is slightly sweet- which can cause an overload in my book, so to avoid sweetness overload I suggest buying it by the slice (2-slices should over power you, right?). They typically have pepperoni, cheese, a tomato white sauce, and one rotating specialty pizza to choose from for their slice options.
Overall: a 3.5 rating - the freshness/heat lamp thing brings them down.

Big Apple Pizza

I have to admit that I am slightly biased as I worked here for 5-years. But, I worked there that long, and initially for a reason: HIGH QUALITY PIZZA!
If you ask me, this is the place to go for great pizza. New York Style, and its done right; thin, crispy crust, the right kind of cheese, good toppings, delicious sauce, and don't forget a pretty laid back staff.
Service
So far, this is the best slice option I've come across - honestly. I like that you can order your slices how you want them. They aren't pre-fabbed, and they get cooked in the oven - sure this can cause it to take a couple of minutes, but when in pizza country, stop and enjoy yourself. In fact, they offer table service, but it can be hit and miss, so go with patience and realize that you aren't in a 5-star restaurant, feel free to approach the counter for a refill if they don't get to you fast enough - most of the staff is in, or right outta high school. On weekends, and nights, call ahead for fastest service.
Pizza
Like I said before, the style is as good as it gets while here in the lovely locale of the Salt Lake. If you have special requests for your pizza, feel free to ask, some like it crispy, some like it cooked light, some like it almost burnt, they do it all, cooked to your specifications. They hand toss the dough, it can be fun to heckle them as they do so.

And now ... ladies and gentlemen ... I give you the winner in this head to head match up ...
BIG APPLE PIZZA!
- when you can pick and choose your pizza, and its cooked to order, you will always come out a winner; the availability of 100's of options will always prevail over the choice of 4 options.

You, me, and a Microwave Built For Three

2008-01-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

It was late last night when our paths crossed, I looked at you, and you returned the gaze. Was it so bad that we met there? Sure there were other people watching me as I opened the glass doors and picked you up off of your feet, and flipped you around to get a good look at you. And to think you were so ... cheap, and supposedly good for me.

Well, that is how it all started; how I ended up purchasing a "South Beach Diet Pepperoni" microwavable pizza. I gotta tell you, it was pretty damn good. Perhaps it was the red peppers, garlic salt, oregano, and black pepper I adorned it with before I microwaved it - who knows. No one ever will know.

I popped it in the microwave for 3-minutes strong and thought about it for a bit, the price was okay. I mean $3.29 on "Fresh Values" isn't bad for what is termed "diet pizza".

Will I buy it again? Sure I will.
Do I recommend it? Well, it depends on what your mission in pizza is. Do you want to eat a frozen pizza that has pretty sauce? - then do it, quit whining about the fact that the cheese will probably suck and that the crust appears to be made with some sort of wheat additive and just do it. Go on already - Rock the Casbah!

END TRANSMISSION: SOUTH BEACH DIET - PEPPERONI PIZZA - OR - HOW I CAME TO EAT PIZZA AT LUNCH TODAY - OR - YOU ME AND A PIZZA BUILT FOR 3 (MINUTES)

Homemade Pizza - Part I: Frozen doughs

2008-01-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

Originally I was going to wait until I had tried a few more dough offerings to talk about, but I just cannot wait anymore! Pizza time is here!

Over the course of my days, I've made many-a-pizza at home from so many different recipes, and pre-fabbed doughs. I'll share my favorite home made recipe at the end of this brief but informative article.

Recently I made a quick jaunt over to Tony Caputo's Market and purchased some of their pizza dough. It ends up that their dough is a Sysco-esque frozen dough, you can buy it for $1.99 a dough ball (good size to make a 14" - 16" pizza with). This was pretty good dough for being a frozen warrior; just a lil on the bland side. If I am to retry this option, I will be basting the dough with an olive-oil glaze to try to bring some pizzazz out of it. Bottomline: its pretty good and easy to stretch out (when its fully thawed).

Whilst at Albertsons the other day I became enamoured by the Pillsbury dough in the refrigerated section. I promptly purchased and rushed home to try out this product as it had been years since my last experience. Let me bottomline it for you: this is the worst refrigerated dough you could buy.

I'll leave you with a brief recipe to try out for some good dough, and we'll revisit this topic and discuss: Boboli, Emmigration Market's frozen dough (their pizza will need reviewed too!), and finally we'll jump into a small bout with those "just add water" crust mixes out there.

RECIPE:
1 package dry active yeast (Fleishmans)
1 cup warm water
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Sugar
1 TSP Salt
2 1/2 cups flour (high gluten preferred!)

Start off by mixing the yeast with the Warm water in a nice mixing bowl. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes.

Add salt, sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of flour; then add your oil. Begin mixing, adding flour 1/4 cup at a time until you have reached 2 1/2 cups or desired consistency of dough ball. *(hint)* Dough should be slightly "tacky" to the touch.

Knead dough until smooth, again, adding flour if necessary, forming a dough ball.

Place dough ball in a well oiled mixing bowl, cover and let rise for at least 45 minutes (1 hour and 30 minutes preferred).

Stretch dough out to desired thickness; preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit. Add desired toppings and cook on either a greased pizza pan, or on your preheated pizza stone.

I have made this dough recipe since I was about 10 years old, it comes from an old Italian cookbook my mother used to own.

Thanks!
Jared Raymond Conger

Want to send in your recipe?
Feedback: jaredsdesk@hotmail.com

Frozen Pizzas: Part one of an infinate part series.

2007-12-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Frozen Pizzas:Part one of an infinate part series.
So we all see them there in our grocer's freezers sections, some of them are noteworthy for their efforts towards taste, others their affordability, and even some for the levels of sorrow, and disappointment that they can incur on our tastebuds. Everyone has a favorite - whether it be for its flavor, versatility or straight up price, we all have reasons why we like some more than others. I think of the situation as a clique, or even a gang.

I am a former member of the Totino's Party Pizza Crew (east side division), I used to spend my days stocking my freezer when they would go on special for 10 for $10 (during sporting events even cheaper). Then a few things happened:1) The world was made aware of Trans-Fats!!! - Totino's is high in their meat pizzas (90% of their inventory)2) There have a been a couple of Ecoli scares. I've seen signs twice this last year stating that there was a recall on all products produced by Totino's except for the "Cheese", and "Canadian Style Bacon" pizza. Bummer. those are the worst two of all their offerings.

Like Little Orphan Annie once said, it's a hard knock life... so I took my punches and delved into some of the new products offered, both cheap and high end, and let me tell you, I came out on top of the situation.

DiGiorno's has a few new products that are ... well amazing! Their "Ultra" selection is now the King of the frozen isle (and the price will dictate that $6.99+). It boasts a "whole milk" mozzarella, and "top cut" pepperoni toppings (all other offerings in this line being "top cut" on toppings too). The sauce is great for a frozen preservative laden product, as is the crust - they finally got that strange taste out of the "oven rising" series. Try it. If you don't like it... then you're not in my gang.

A good "bottom dweller" these days has got to be either the Label brand "Kroger" or the "Essentia" out of Smiths Foods and Albertsons (respectively). One or the other is typically on special for $3.99 or so, and to me, that is affordable.

We'll talk more about "dressing your frozen pizza for success" in the next segment of FROZEN PIZZA!Until then, lets keep the gang warfare down.

The Firehouse Pizzeria

2007-12-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

So, cache valley started a flavor unique to Utah did they? Whats that? They use a gas fired stone oven? Interesting... I'll be there.

The Firehouse Pizzeria
We came upon this interesting place after some holiday shopping. The decor and setup of the place seemed to be hip, yet somehow empty- vast expanses of black with red and orange accents, and dim lights greeted us in.

The service was good, they were nice peoples, and the menu was interesting. Only one thing was alarming to me: how many sauces they had available. (I'll fill them in when i find my takeout menu).

Cutting to the chase:
I ordered a 12" sausage, and tomato - BUT - I requested the spicy sauce (big mistake!)
She ordered a grilled chicken sandwich - which they cook on a cedar plank (delicious!)

"Only in Utah can they take all the right ingredients, have all the right equipment, and still mess a pizza up." - some old customer of mine from my days at Big Apple Pizza.

Sometimes I can see this, sometimes I am pleasantly surprised. The Firehouse is the prior of the two, a multitude of sauces, toppings, and offerings doesn't make up for the lack of deliciousness. Although I made the holy-error of ordering "outside the box" on my first visit, I was hoping for more.

"Her" sandwich seemed to be pretty good though, it was cooked on a cedar plank, but because I didn't eat the whole thing, I won't comment on it any further.

The Sauce:
I ordered the spicy sauce, it was more like a sauce used for hot wings than one for a pizza. BLEH!

The Cheese:
Not bad, not good, probably comes from Cache Valley, whatever it is, they load it up pretty good, it wasn't bad enough to make me sad, it wasn't good enough to make me cheer.

The Toppings:
The sausage is good!!! I was so surprised by this; it was a sliced link, mild Italian link. Also, the tomatoes were delicious - the other toppings all looked really good "Her" sandwich had great cuts of onions, green peppers, and the chicken was pretty good too.

The Crust:
A little doughy, there... I said it. BUT I LIKE IT A LIL-DOUGHY! I imagine they could crisp it up more if you wanted to, but be careful ALL the cooks were 18 or younger (inexperience).

That being said, I'd go back if I was in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way for this pizza.
Final rating: 3.5/5 stars.

Pricing:
A little high... but there are many values to be had on this menu. Sandwiches, and build your own pizza is the way to go.

The Breakdown:
Crust: 4/5
Sauce: 2/5 (specialty sauce was sampled)
Cheese: 3/5
Toppings: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5 stars.

Suggestions: try a sandwich. also, stick to traditional sauces/pizza's here.

The Lazy Dog Pizzeria

2007-12-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Lazy Dog Pizzeria
317 south Main Street, SLC, UT 84111

All in all it was good. i wasn't floored by the flavors of the final product - maybe i had my expectations too high as i noticed they had a good oven (gas fire/stone hearth).

Fresh mozzarella seemed to be the calling card here. As for the toppings, a minimalist approach was where we were going as I noticed that each slice seemed to have but one jalapeno, or one piece of onion, or a single mushroom cap. To the minimalist in approach I say this: "Use better toppings if you are to rely on their singular flavors to take the pizza to the pearly gates of heaven, God will not dine on good cheese alone." I will try the meat options on my next visit (for the record we had a mushroom / jalapeno / red onion)

Lets talk sauce before I get carried away; the sauce seemed to dry out too much and lacked texture and flavor, my bet is that they are using a canned product with too much paste/puree and not enough water, or oils.

The crust was a good representation, however in the high altitudes of Utah it is hard to create a great product (the secret is more water when you mix the dough).

Pricing.
The pricing is always a tricky one in the world of food; you have to cover for food cost, labor, general utilities, insurance and more. Sometimes people get greedy and hide what is actually mid-range quality behind good looking catch words (fresh mozzrella/stone oven). The pricing here was acceptable, hitting the mid-high range for the overall product.

Basics.
They are open 7-days a week, currently offer 2-sizes of pizza (12", 16"), and have other items such as ravioli, and salads to try out. Expect to spend around $15-$20 a visit. I was informed that they are working out some specials for lunch, but whether they would be slices, or small pizzas wasn't divulged. It is a table service affair with takeout options.

The Rundown.
Crust: 4/5
Sauce: 2/5
Cheese: 3/5
Toppings: 2/5
Overal Experience: 3/5

First post

2007-12-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

This is the largest pizza i've ever made:

It measured arout 38"-42" in diameter; I wish we would have measured this bad boy with a tape (in picture Matt Cervenka of Big Apple Pizza).

About this blog:
I may from time to time talk about other foods, but the topic will be food; the way it makes me feel, the tastes, the flavors, and textures. It should also be noted that i do in fact eat pizza nearly 15-20 meals a week (that being based on a 7 days / 3 meals principle excluding snacks). Enjoy!