Now before you ban me as a foodie let me be clear.  I’m not talking Domino’s, Pizza Hut, frozen pizza or even pepperoni and cheese pizza (although I fully admit to indulging in a pepperoni and cheese pizza once in a while).  No, what I’m talking about is more adventurous, even gourmet, and in some cases simply weird pizza that allows the humble pizza to be transformed into greatness!  Let’s look at what is so great about pizza. 

Pizza is easy to make.  Sure everything can be difficult to make if taken to an extreme, but many wonderful pizzas can be made in a matter of minutes.  The dough is probably the most difficult part of a pizza, and for many only a homemade dough will do.  But thankfully, dough can be frozen so even homemade dough can be used to make a quick and easy pizza.  That’s not to say you have to make your own dough for a great pizza.  Other options exist.  Consider buying frozen dough at your local grocer, some good frozen doughs are out there but you may need to try a few until you stumble upon one that suits your tastes. Alternatively, you can buy fresh pizza dough from a local pizzeria. Most pizzerias will gladly sell you their dough.  And you can always buy pre-baked pizza crusts.  Nothing beats a freshly made pizza crust, but if you want easy then the pre-baked crusts are the way to go.

Pizza is widely adaptable to a range of tastes.  You may think Italian when you hear pizza but really pizza is any cuisine you want to make it.  Italian? Add basil and tomatoes. Mexican? Add salsa.  Thai?  Add chicken and peanut sauce.  The list goes on.  Simply pick ingredients from your favorite cuisine and, within reason (or not) add them to your pizza. Pizza holds, with practically no bounds.

Pizza can be eaten for any meal of the day.  Cold pizza for breakfast?  I admit I love it but that really isn’t the point.  The breakfast pizza is a wonderful trend that really makes pizza available for any meal.  An egg, some sausage and even some hash browns can be quickly combined to create a breakfast pizza.  Pizza for lunch or dinner is pretty much second nature for most of us, but what about dessert?  I’m not sold on this concept, but I keep seeing more and more pizza variations with sweet toppings aimed at dessert.

Pizza is a meal on its own. This one is pretty easy. What is a pizza?  The dough is a grain; the sauce a vegetable; if you add cheese you’ve got dairy; the toppings add more vegetables, sometimes fruit and frequently meat; and some pizzas even include wine  – everything you need for a meal... 

Put it all together and the simple pizza really is much more than meets the eye.  Perhaps not perfect, and surely not god-like but definitely good, enjoyable and worthy of foodie attention...

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