“Pizza,” According to Lynn Steigleder

There’s one food on which the majority of people in the United States seem to agree–pizza. I suppose, cheese or pepperoni would be the favorite topping nationwide. As far as I’m concerned, I could go with these toppings, but they are not what would fall into the category of pizza according to Lynn Steigleder.

The first pizza on which I remember dining was one assembled by my father from a box. The Chef Boyardee cheese pizza was complete with a flour and yeast mixture for the crust, tomato sauce, and cheese to sprinkle on top.

I realize, based on current standards, this does not sound like the most appetizing dish; however, add a pound of sausage and you have my number-one comfort food which I still enjoy with my son to this day.

When it comes to my favorite pizza toppings, I must go with a combination, as most pizzerias have a pie topped with multiple ingredients. I also find pepperoni, green peppers, and bacon to be a delicious blend of fixings.

I’m the one in every crowd who enjoys anchovies. I’ve gone so far as to order these tasty little fish a la carte to place on my slices when dining with others in a restaurant setting. On one such outing, pairing these salty fillets with my love for heat, I ordered a small anchovy and jalapeno pizza, not having to worry with anyone asking for a piece of this concoction. Just as most things go, there is a wide variety of ingredients and a large percentage of people who choose within this realm of variation.

No matter your favorite, eat and enjoy.

Have a wonderful week and may God bless you richly.

I Often Start my Posts with the Pretense of Being an Author

I often start my posts with the pretense of being an author. It allows me to segue to most any topic and keep the knowledge that I am a writer at the forefront of my blog since it is such a large part of my life.

Writing about science fiction, fantasy, and action/adventure characters provides a rich perspective from which to draw fodder in broadening the scope of certain blog posts.

For instance, in all of my novels the characters eat, but what they dine upon is up to me. Meaning, they can munch on anything from Cabot to mucus rat.

In this particular post, I’m going to scale it back to a meal familiar to us all–namely pizza. First, I must question the name. How do we get something that is spelled . . .  P-i-z-z-a; however in order to spell it phonetically, this word’s spelling should be more like Peetza? Nuff said.

What are your favorite ingredients to top this delicious, round of yeast-filled dough? Of course, you will have to answer this for yourself.

 My favorite toppings usually coincide with the restaurant’s version of a combo. I am always a minority when it comes to additional ingredients, unless I’m getting a pizza to myself, since I love anchovies and hot peppers.  I will order these salty little fish fillets and capsaicin filled jalapeno rings on the side and add them to my slices. I might add that my favorite pizza comes from a mom-and-pop pizza shop, normally owned by Italians and never from one of the conglomerates so prevalent in our society today.

I might add, on one of my pizza gathering excursions I ordered a small jalapeno and anchovy pizza for one. You can bet I had that little slice of heaven to myself.

Lastly, I will mention one delicious type of pizza and that being the Chicago style. I’ve been to the Windy City several times and, believe me, these pizzas are something to behold, or should I say, something to ingest. If you ever get a chance to dine on one of these Behemoth’s, then do so, you’ll be glad you did.

Have the best week you’ve ever had since the last best week you had, and may God bless!

I’ll Have to Admit That Food is my Achilles Heel.

I’ve written several times about what we shove into our mouths to fuel our bodies, better known as food. I’ll have to admit that food is my Achilles heel. We should enjoy what we eat; however, ensure our high performance biological machines are given the optimum octane fuel it needs to run efficiently.

I was blessed as a youngster, and into my thirties, enjoying a grandmother who could cook nearly as well, as she spread love.

She masterfully fried chicken beyond compare, turned a plethora of different beans and black eyed peas into a meal to satisfy the most discerning gourmet. Mashed potatoes with gravy smooth as silk. Not to mention collard greens, kale, fresh snaps, butter beans, corn on the cob, and the list goes on and on. She also had an ace in the hole. During her young years, she lived on coastal North Carolina. Her family caught shrimp, fish, oysters, crabs (hard and soft), clams, etc., for a living.

This smorgasbord of seafood was a large part of my young life. Not only were we able to obtain fresh ocean edibles, my grandmother with great skill would prepare these delicacies.

Changing the subject to who cooked what, I segue to my father who had a taste for some of the finer foods to be had. He loved lobster and even though this dish was seldom had, when that rare occasion came, it was a taste sensation to behold. We each would receive a mug of butter, a lobster tail, home cut French fries and long sesame rolls. The bread was meant to dip in the sauce created by the melding of butter and lobster. Dad was also a steak lover. When we dined on beef, we ate Delmonico’s. In today’s vernacular, Ribeye’s, and always eaten rare by my father . . . me, I’m more of a medium rare kind of guy.

One meal I recall with great fondness was pizza prepared by my father on Sunday nights.

A Chef Boyardee cheese pizza covered with a pound of sausage. I can smell and taste that boxed delight even now as I write. My father passed when I was 22, but I’ve had the great blessing of passing this tradition down to my son. We would dine on this very same recipe when he was but a lad.

Food holds such memories that take us back to wonderful times, enhancing the memories we cherish.

I hope your week brings many blessings, through the love of our God. I’ll be a speakin’ at ya next week. Until then, be safe and whip up something to eat . . . who knows, you may be creating a memory, you’ll look back on years from now.

There Are Many Different Foods To Be Had Throughout The Galaxy

There are many different foods to be had throughout the galaxy, according to the science fiction/fantasy novels I pen. Some so richly decadent only a few morsels can be consumed at any one setting, while others so disgusting, the mere sight of them will induce one’s gag reflex.     

Back on earth, we have many delicious options from which to choose. These may range from the gourmet to what some would term as simple food.

Personally, I have a taste for both. Something as wonderful as a properly cooked Beef Wellington with a side of asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce will tantalize the taste buds; however, if I had my druthers, I believe I would sink to the lower side of the food scale and opt for a slice of pizza.

The range of ingredients and flavors you can place on this simple disc of dough are infinite. Some of my preferences include the all popular pepperoni, green peppers, onions, sausage, olives, and cheese, which almost goes without saying, along with others too numerous to name.  I believe one of my favorite pizzas would simply include pepperoni, bacon, and green peppers.

If you ever make it to Chicago, do yourself a favor and dive into one of their deep dish offerings. Believe you me, it’s worth the trip.

I think the oddest pizza I have ever ordered and consumed on my own, consisted of anchovies and jalapenos.

Have a fantastic week, may God bless, and yes, I adore anchovies, even if they taste like salty fish (which they are) and resemble a house centipede . . . google the insect, you’ve probably seen one scampering across your walls.

Talk About Being in the Right Place at the Right Time . . . “Burp!”

I caught the cooking bug a few years back and dove head first into the world of gourmet food. I became a foodie and followed that trail for quite a few years. The job I had at the time fell in place with fine wine and dining. Talk about being in the right place at the right time . . . “burp!”`

I found myself able to travel the country sampling exceptional eats and drink.

One of my earlier novels contained several large banquets of exotic fare due to a post-apocalyptic earth. I received several reviews that thought the book needed to reduce the time characters spent sitting around a table shoving their faces full of food.`

I still enjoy fine dining occasionally, but my pallet thankfully has reverted to enjoying simpler fare. Give me a well-dressed hot dog or brat. If not a dog, then a perfectly grilled burger, toppings unlimited.

 I do have to draw the line at certain fast food. If the material used to prepare my meal is shipped by tractor trailer, frozen and ready to drop into hot grease, it’s probably not for me. If the burger whinnies and the chicken’s . . . well, not really chicken beyond a reasonable doubt, I’d probably pass it by.

If I’m in the mood for a pizza and the eateries offering more resembles or worse tastes like Bisquick and Ketchup, I’ll make a B-line to an Italian restaurant where English is a foreign language.

I grew up on grandma’s fried chicken. What I find most ironic in this day and age is your average person either cannot or will not attempt to fry a piece of chicken. This usually arises for fear of overcooking the outside and the inside remaining underdone.

Here’s where I pile kudos on top of the fried chicken, fast food industry. They have cooking chicken down to such a science; a high school student can fry a perfect batch without fail. Come to think of it, I’m getting a taste for something crunchy like, with a good bit of spice . . . gotta go, have a great week!

Interplanetary Sports, in General, Lack the Hoopla Afforded the All Important Fifth Down…At Least, That’s the General Consensus

The super bowl will be here tomorrow. It’s gotten to be quite the celebration. It’s the day the most pizzas are eaten and holds the dubious record for domestic disturbances. A commercial costs more than I’ll make in my lifetime and speaking of commercials, some people tune in just to see the new advertisements unveiled.

The pregame show begins a week or so before the game and this year we already have an under-inflated controversy. Then, there’s the halftime musical show with dozens of pre-picked screaming meemies jumping up and down to this year’s guest star.

Not only pizza’s, but think of the beer, chicken wings and chili consumption. All in all’ it sounds like a pretty good time and just think, some folks will even pay attention to the game.

What if an author were to outline his next project using the super bowl as a template? (We will, of course, be writing in the science fiction genre.)

Weeks ahead of the book being started, the author would hem and haw about what could be, what should be, what won’t be, and what will most likely have the slightest chance of what will be.

Day number two: scratch day number one and redesign in reverse.

Day number three, develop plot: On the world of Patrot (the only deflatable and inflatable planet in the galaxy), King Bilbel and Prince T-Brad were preparing for the yearly contest against their rival.

Day number four: The world of Seahack was just as busy preparing for the contest but also making travel plans for Patrot. King Petcar and Prince Russwill were running their team through their paces.

Day number five: The Seahack Leons arrive at the Patrot Bartmucks Stadium. Competition is stiff even though the game has yet to start. Just making their way to their accommodations endangers life and limb. Each squad is pummeled with cooked cauliflower and wet newspapers.

Day number six: Cancelled due to lack of interest.

Day number seven: Only three days before the big game. This will be the bowl of soup CXXXLVII (167). King Bilbel and Prince T-Brad are searching for their thirteenth football bat. They want to make sure it is properly inflated. The impact once the bat contacts the ball-o-the foot is of the most importance.

Day number eight: King Petcar and Prince Russwill are disguised as large pieces of cooked cauliflower and wet newspaper in order to follow King Bilbel and Prince T-Brad to make sure they practice proper foot hygiene to protect them from cauliflower and newspaper rot.

Day number nine: Now that we have the perfect outline for our novel we are ready to write the next best seller.

You may want to talk with your agent before you actually begin penning this manuscript. Mental incompetence may play a large role in your advance. Not to mention, the ability to perform simple tasks such as bathing, feeding and dressing yourself.

In conclusion, please try to remove the silliness from your brain and enjoy the super bowl.

In my opinion, their over-inflating the under inflation.