Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Mary's Pizza

There was a local place called Mary's Pizza back in the late 60's. DH and went there when we were dating. We loved their Italian sausage pizza. DH joined the US Navy, we got married, he got stationed in Spain, and I followed him a month later. During our three years there, we reminisced about Mary's Pizza and how we looked forward to going there when we got home.

Well, what a disappointment we had when we got home. Mary's Pizza had turned into a strip joint.

I wasn't able to taste their pizza to see if I could tell what they had put into their sauce. I had really gotten into cooking and baking as a young bride living in Spain. My cookbook collection started there, and has expanded ever since.

I decided to make pizza from scratch and have enjoyed doing so ever since. I used to make the crust dough the old fashioned way, but have been using my bread machine to make the crust dough for the past 10 years or so and that is handy.

Our favorite is Italian sausage, with green pepper, onion, garlic, olives two or three cheeses, served with a glass or two of wine.


We still think of Mary's Pizza, and wish we could have had some when we got home, but we both enjoy eating fresh homemade pizza right here in our own little cottage. We don't have to go out in the traffic, fight the crowds, or be in a noisy atmosphere, pay more money, and we have half a pizza to eat another time.

I love making it. There is something really satisfying about doing it. I used fresh picked basil from my gardens this time too.

Oh yea, here's a blooper that happened this time. I was sitting reading waiting for the dough to finish rising in the machine, when I heard the paddle start mixing the dough again. I though oh no, what did I do? I raced into the kitchen and DH said what's wrong. I told him I had forgot to put the machine on dough mode and instead it was going to bake a loaf after kneading the dough again. All it really did was punch the dough and let out the air, so I just turned the machine off and let it set a few minutes, and then proceeded to pat it out in the pan and it came out fine. Phew!!!

So, there you have a little story from our early years together.

Below are a couple of pictures of the pizza I made Monday night in our little cottage kitchen. I enjoy using my old pizza cutter, and always serve the pizza on two black amethyst plates that we bought cheap many years ago from the local flea market. Click on pictures for a larger view.





God bless my little kitchen,
I love its every nook,
And bless me as I do my work,
Wash pots and pans and cook.

And may the meals that I prepare
Be seasoned from above
With Thy great blessings and Thy grace,
But most of all Thy love.
Author Unknown





Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rainey

It must have been quite an adventure to be a young bride living in Spain! Pizza sounds good about now!

Jane

Thelma said...

That looks so inviting! I know exactly what I'm making for supper tonight.

Becca's Dirt said...

What a nice poem. Your pizza sounds and looks scrumptious. I am so hungry now. Lovely memories you both have of the pizza joint.

LeSan said...

I just loved that story! Such romanitc simplicity. Romance is built on the simple moments shared by two people.

sweetbay said...

The pizza looks delicious. How close do you think you've gotten to the Mary's Pizza recipe?

I wish I loved to cook. I keep wishing there were food replicators.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Good morning everyone ~ Hope you all have a great Thursday. We had the other half of the pizza last night and it was oh so good.

Jane ~ It was wonderful living in Spain. We still call it our 3 year honeymoon. We have lots of memories from our time spent there, plus the two months we traveled Europe by Eurail with our backpacks when DH got out of the Navy, before we headed home.

Thelma ~ Glad the pizza pictures inspired you as to what to do for supper. :-)

Becca ~ I like that poem too.

LeSan ~ You are so right. Simple moments can be the most memorable.

SweetBay ~ I really have no idea how close I am to Mary's Pizza recipe. I am thankful I love to cook, since it is something that needs doing every day. That's not saying that I don't get bogged down, because I certainly do. I've enjoyed cooking since Home Ec classes starting in the 7th grade.

Enjoy your day ~ FlowerLady

Anonymous said...

It looks delicious and the poem was lovely.
vickie

gld said...

The pizza looks delicious and I liked the poem too.

Somehow, I feel I would be very comfortable in your 'cottage'.

I haven't seen a coffee percolator in years. I think I have one stored somewhere. I should dig it out and try it again.

Have a super weekend.

Glenda

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi Flowerlady,
You've lived an interesting life. I've lived in the same city all of my life.

I enjoy seeing photos of your house and kitchen. I used to make all of our bread and frequently made pizza crust. Nowadays, I buy pre-made whole wheat bread pizza crusts. I just made a couple pizzas last week, using tomatoes and peppers from my garden, and mushrooms, cheese and pizza sauce from the store.

Thank you for the words of comfort on my blog.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Thanks Vicki. The pizza 'was' delicious. Too bad it's all gone.

Glenda ~ Glad you liked the poem too, and the look of the pizza. We had a hard time finding this coffee pot. Ants decided to make our coffee maker into their nesting ground, and we decided not to get another one. I looked online for an 'old-fahsioned' perking coffee pot, finally found the make of one and we got ours at Bed Bath and Beyond. I love it. The coffee tastes better and is hotter than with the coffee making machine.

Thank you for saying you would feel comfortable in our 'little' cottage. It is our home sweet home. We have lived here for 36 years.

Sue ~ Living in Spain while DH was in the US Navy, was a wonderful experience. It was great for learning, inspiration, and joy of living life each day.

Your pizza sounds great with goodies grown from your gardens. I'm getting hungry talking about pizza. Need to get us our breakfast.

Have a great weekend everyone.

FlowerLady