# Question: Is there anything better than a homemade pizza and a salad?



## random3434 (Jan 21, 2011)

*Answer:*

No, no there's not.


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## Rat in the Hat (Jan 21, 2011)

Echo Zulu said:


> *Answer:*
> 
> No, no there's not.



Yes there is. Sharing a homemade pizza, salad and a good bottle of wine with someone you love.


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## Oddball (Jan 21, 2011)

Pepperoni and sausage on that pizza.


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## Mr. H. (Jan 21, 2011)

I've yet to make a pizza at home that's anywhere close to restaurant/chain quality.

Little help?


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Yes, homemade bread.

Speaking of which, back in 15...


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## Mr. H. (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Yes, homemade bread.
> 
> Speaking of which, back in 15...



Stop loafing around.


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## SFC Ollie (Jan 21, 2011)

Actually, once after a particularly difficult deployment,  Pizza, wings, salad, and beer made us all think we had died and gone to heaven.


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## California Girl (Jan 21, 2011)

SFC Ollie said:


> Actually, once after a particularly difficult deployment,  Pizza, wings, salad, and beer made us all think we had died and gone to heaven.



Funnily, that's the mantra of a lot of servicemen that I know.... pizza, beer and onion rings.


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## Jeremy (Jan 21, 2011)

Home brewed beer.


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## Annie (Jan 21, 2011)

Mr. H. said:


> I've yet to make a pizza at home that's anywhere close to restaurant/chain quality.
> 
> Little help?



Echo was speaking close to my heart. The past 2 months I've been making pizzas by the carload, well it seems like that. Right now I've 2 white crusts, and 3 wheat in my freezer. 
I started with this recipe, which is just awesome:

Easy Pizza Dough - Fine Cooking Recipes, Techniques and Tips

I'd read the article, lots of good points are included, but here's the basic recipe. Depending how you choose to roll it out and temp of oven, it's either thin and crisp-very flaky or thicker and chewier:



> Easy Pizza Dough
> by Evan Kleiman
> One Star Two Stars Three Stars Four Stars Five Stars read reviews (5)
> 
> ...



I offer either alfredo sauce or my homemade pizza sauce version, based on the following. I make my own Italian seasonings, I try to keep sodium levels down. 

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=118550&origin=detail&servings=11



> Homemade Pizza Sauce
> Submitted By: Taste of Home Test Kitchen 	Cook Time: 35 Minutes 	Servings: 11
> "Flavored with garlic, basil and Italian seasoning, this versatile sauce from our Test Kitchen staff will give Italian flair to all kinds of appetizing entrees. In fact, our home economists came up with the following two dishes that spotlight the zesty mixture."
> Ingredients:
> ...



I've had friends over for 'make your own pizza' gatherings, letting them choose from the following:

spinach
garlic
shredded onions
black and green olives
shredded peppers
cheeses-so many! I've used a combo purchase of whole milk and low fat, recommending that they use at least some of the whole milk for better melting
bacon
pepperoni
turkey Italian sausage-I precook, just too nervous about illness. My oven is NOT commercial grade
mushrooms
tomatoes
broccoli
bar b que chicken

Now some of my friends are doing the same. 

I will admit, I've been using the bread maker to make the dough. Each recipe I make 4 balls of dough, so I've built up a supply in the freezer. Truly can't tell the difference between those frozen and those used after the rising on the counter. 

Very cost effective dinner, especially if meat is left off of, healthy too!


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Yes, homemade bread.
> 
> Speaking of which, back in 15...



8 minutes!

I'm gettin' good.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Jeremy said:


> Home brewed beer.



Dude, if I had room in my house....


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## Jeremy (Jan 21, 2011)

We like making little pizzas on english muffin halves. 

Just top muffin half with pizza sauce, cheese & topping, pop in the oven and whalla!

yum yum


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## Lumpy 1 (Jan 21, 2011)

I like lobster, a baked potato and an avocado salad... throw in some vino and my most beautiful wife.  

Pizza compared to that.. I don't think so..

mmm.. she does make great American pizza though...


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## Jeremy (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Jeremy said:
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true dat


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## manifold (Jan 21, 2011)

No.

My wife makes pizza that rivals anything you can get in the North End.

True story


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

manifold said:


> No.
> 
> My wife makes pizza that rivals anything you can get in the North End.
> 
> True story



She's on my list now.


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## Paulie (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Jeremy said:
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There's no such thing as no room for beer.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Paulie said:


> RadiomanATL said:
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Oh, I have room for beer. It's the room for a brewing area that I don't have. You have to have a relatively stable temperature, with little disturbance. I can do it in the master closet, but one little thing goes wrong and I have beer spewing out of the thing all over the place. And onto all our clothes and all over the floor. Every other place and the kids would start messing with it.

A basement would be awesome, but right now we have a slab.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

I think it needs to be dark too.


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## Paulie (Jan 21, 2011)

I don't actually know all the details about it.  I have a buddy who does it but I never really asked him about all the logistics.  I know it's a long process though.  A lot longer than my 5 minute trip to the liquor store


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Paulie said:


> I don't actually know all the details about it.  I have a buddy who does it but I never really asked him about all the logistics.  I know it's a long process though.  A lot longer than my 5 minute trip to the liquor store



I would so love to brew my own beer. First off, I could make it to my tastes. Secondly, I'm a cheap-ass, and it's way cheaper to brew your own.

I have a buddy that does it, and he makes around 4 gallons at a time. Costs him about $50 a pop. He's got a rotation system set up, so that he always has beer. While he's drinking what he made, he's got another batch going.


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## Jeremy (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Paulie said:
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> > I don't actually know all the details about it.  I have a buddy who does it but I never really asked him about all the logistics.  I know it's a long process though.  A lot longer than my 5 minute trip to the liquor store
> ...



que the jingle....


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## Toro (Jan 21, 2011)

Yes.

This ginger beef recipe.


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## uscitizen (Jan 21, 2011)

Echo Zulu said:


> *Answer:*
> 
> No, no there's not.



Now that might depend on who made the pizza


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## Paulie (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Paulie said:
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> > I don't actually know all the details about it.  I have a buddy who does it but I never really asked him about all the logistics.  I know it's a long process though.  A lot longer than my 5 minute trip to the liquor store
> ...



My buddy is working on a coffee brew right now.  I'm not sure I like the sound of that, but I'd try it.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Jeremy said:


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Damn skippy. Just ran the math. For $50, he gets around 45 beers. High quality stuff too. He could go cheap American Beer version he said, and it would cost him around $25 or $30 for 45 beers.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Paulie said:


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I have had those. As a matter of fact, my buddy gave me one. It's actually pretty good, but heavy-ish. If you like Guinness, you should like it. It has a slight coffee aftertaste. Not overpowering.


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## Annie (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Yes, homemade bread.
> 
> Speaking of which, back in 15...



I've been making all my own bread for the past few months. While all have turned out great, this one is a winner:

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread Recipe | Taste of Home



> Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread
> In Grand Valley, Ontario, Wendy Masters often slices into a tender loaf of this hearty bread featuring two popular grains. "It has a pretty golden crust and great flavor," she writes.
> 16 ServingsPrep: 10 min. Bake: 3 hours
> Ingredients
> ...



As is, this is very light and great toasting bread. So light though, it tends to fall apart in sandwiches, though taste is wonderful.

This morning I inverted the measurements for white and wheat flours, much better texture for sandwiches, but I can tell it will have to be toast tomorrow. 

Homemade breads have a very short shelf-life.  However, I've found that grinding in the blender after leaving open for a day, no more purchasing of breadcrumbs.

White, sweet, and rye breads make great croutons for salads and soups, but you need to catch the loaves before totally dried out. Cut into cubes, let the cubes dry.

Then: season how and if you want, I don't season because if I'm using in some soups, the seasonings I might want on salad would clash, so I figure leave them plain.

Heat a skillet, add butter or olive oil, depending on your mood towards health. LOL! When hot, add the croutons and brown to toasty. Cool and put in ziplock bag. If you know it's going to be days, I'd freeze. Since I've lots of homemade soups in freezer, I'll use them.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Annie said:


> RadiomanATL said:
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I'm a racist.

My favorite is just plain old white bread. Fresh out, steaming, slathered in butter.


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## Paulie (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


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I actually hate Guiness, but only in the sense that I would never actually buy it.

If someone was giving me a bunch of beer they brewed and it happened to taste like Guiness, I'm not going to turn it down


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## Luissa (Jan 21, 2011)

Home made  irish creme? 

I have never had a good home made pizza, they always get the sauce  wrong. I have made a pizza though, when I  worked at Pizza Hut. It  was pretty good. LOL


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Paulie said:


> RadiomanATL said:
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Get your buddy to give you one. I liked it, but not as a "I'm going to go through some of these". It's more of a one-and-done kind of beer to me.


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## Jeremy (Jan 21, 2011)

The only Guiness "product" I like is Harp.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

I worked at Starbucks for 4 months 11 years ago after moving to Georgia. We made some incredible made-up type of shit. 

Flaming goat was the best. We just stole the name from the alcoholic drink. 

Take caramel drizzle, pour some in the bottom of a demitasse cup. Spray some fresh whipped cream on top of it. Pour 4 shots of espresso through the whipped cream. Yummy, and have you bouncing all over the place.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Jeremy said:


> The only Guiness "product" I like is Harp.



Guinness is OK, but I can't handle more than 1-1/2. Any beer I feel like I have to drink with a fork is just too much for me.


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## Luissa (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> I worked at Starbucks for 4 months 11 years ago after moving to Georgia. We made some incredible made-up type of shit.
> 
> Flaming goat was the best. We just stole the name from the alcoholic drink.
> 
> Take caramel drizzle, pour some in the bottom of a demitasse cup. Spray some fresh whipped cream on top of it. Pour 4 shots of espresso through the whipped cream. Yummy, and have you bouncing all over the place.



That sounds good.
We have a Flaming Goat pizza place here.


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## Annie (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Annie said:
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Oh I love white bread, but when hot I do the butter and some honey or preserves. I tend more towards the whole grains though for health reasons. Same with pasta, while I really love the basic pasta recipes, I do the whole grains and concentrate my culinary tactics on the sauces. Funny too same with rice. Nothing beats white rice with soy sauce. But eh, old age makes me do the whole wild rice blends with low sodium soy sauce at minimum and other spices to carry me through. I'm adjusting.


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## Luissa (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


> Jeremy said:
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> > The only Guiness "product" I like is Harp.
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The only time I have Guinness is when  I have Car Bombs. I have not big into the heavy stuff. Give me an IPA any day, though.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Luissa said:


> RadiomanATL said:
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> > I worked at Starbucks for 4 months 11 years ago after moving to Georgia. We made some incredible made-up type of shit.
> ...



It was surprisingly good. The hot, just shot espresso melted and consumed the caramel, and left a foam of whipped cream around the edge of the cup. So when you first swigged it back, you got the cream, then the caramel sweetened espresso, then the last part of the whipped cream. 

And with 4 shots, with the added sugar...talk about a quick pick me up.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Annie said:


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I guess I'm just simple. Bread and butter. Pasta...and butter. Rice and Nature Seasons...and butter.

I must be related to Paula Dean.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Luissa said:


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IPA's are my absolute favorite.

Pale Ale 420 all the way...


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## Jeremy (Jan 21, 2011)

Anyone like Blue Moon?


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Jeremy said:


> Anyone like Blue Moon?



No. I don't like wheat beers. They make your penis small. Especially when you add the orange.


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## Luissa (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


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If you can find it, you try Inversion IPA out of Bend, Oregon I  believe. Best IPA I have had.


I am also really into Long Board right now.


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## Luissa (Jan 21, 2011)

Jeremy said:


> Anyone like Blue Moon?



Love Blue Moon.


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## Jeremy (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


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So that's what it is. Shit!


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Luissa said:


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I'll keep an eye out for them, if you'll keep an eye out for the Sweetwater brews. Especially the 420.


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## manifold (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


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Guinness is not heavy.  That's a myth peddled by people who don't drink it.

I can pound Guinness more easily than Coors Light.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Jeremy said:


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There's a solution though, drink Pabst.


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## Big Black Dog (Jan 21, 2011)

I don't think it's better than home grown tomatoes.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

manifold said:


> RadiomanATL said:
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I've had Guinness. Quite a few times. To me, it is heavy.


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## Jeremy (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


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## Luissa (Jan 21, 2011)

Jeremy said:


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I have a picture of my son at five months trying to grab my brothers budweiser. LOL


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## Luissa (Jan 21, 2011)

RadiomanATL said:


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I will for sure, anything with 420 in the name has to be good.


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## RadiomanATL (Jan 21, 2011)

Luissa said:


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Give it a shot. My fave.


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