Run to the Hills, Run for Your Life!

I was inspired today to write an extra bonus post on the fly which is only indirectly related to Ashley Madison.  I wanted to let you know that I hear lyrics in my head for all aspects of my life, maybe I’m schizophrenic.  It snowed about 2 inches last night with some ice on top.  I love the snow and even enjoy the challenge of driving in snow, nothing like donuts on a sheet of ice in a parking lot!  I always get a kick out of seeing everyone around here go crazy whenever there is a threat of snow.  Lately, whenever I see everyone go crazy over news of snow I hear the song above in my head.  Also, by going from Charlie Pride to Iron Maiden I think I have a split personality as well.  Although the Iron Maiden song is about Native American’s running from the cavalry not from snow.

So snow always means short staffed at work.  And that means I have an excuse to set those administrative tasks aside and mess around in the kitchen, except that right now I am writing a blog post which is not at all productive.  Today I was pizza boy!  This got me to thinking and brought me to the point of today’s post which actually has nothing to do with the title lyrics.  And that is cooking and specifically pizza is like life and I guess a good cautionary tale for Ashley Madison.

How is pizza like life?

Too much of a good thing can be bad.  Yes that could be a cautionary tale for AM users!

Why do we like pizza?  Because of the gooey cheese, tangy sauce, all those bad for you toppings like pepperoni, sausage, peppers, black olives, etc.  And if the normal amount is good, extra should be even better – right!  Actually, wrong!

You see any pizza oven is calibrated for time and temperature to a given pizza recipe with respect to the thickness of the crust, the amount of sauce, cheese, and other toppings.  This is even more critical for a wood fired brick pizza oven.  Too much cheese will make a pizza greasy; too much sauce will tend to steam the crust and make it mushy and undercooked (or overcooked if you try to resolve by cooking more).  Too many toppings can do the same.  So for the perfect pizza you want just the right amount of ingredients no more no less.

And in my opinion the best pizza is the most basic – the original Margharita pizza.  And that doesn’t mean it has a Tequila sauce.

The first pizza was the Margharita pizza first made in Naples in 1889 by a local baker in honor of the Italian Queen Margherita.  It is simply sliced tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella and perhaps a dash of olive oil and fresh garlic to reflect the red, green, and white of the Italian flag.  When baked in the high temperature of a wood fired oven, the crust comes out with a cracker texture and the fresh tomatoes will melt into their own natural sauce.  It is a delightful blending of basic flavors and textures; here simplicity is the best recipe!

Isn’t that a good lesson in life; take just the right amount no more no less J

Maybe I could start adding some recipes and cooking instruction to this blog.  I just need a signature like Emeril’s “BAAM!”  What could that be?