I like my first groggy-eyed cup of coffee with pepperoni. Just read on to see what I mean.
This seems to be an ongoing problem in the Cheap$kate Kitchen. You can see how I've dealt with this conundrum before by clicking here. And, I'm sure it will happen again!
No fresh ground Starbucks left, maybe there's some old Folgers in the can way back in the cupboard. None left in the can, how about a couple of spoonfuls of freeze dried? No freeze dried, either...so how low can I go?
Along with my desperate search for coffee grounds, I run across the remnants of the previous evenings' dinner, Pizza with Pepperoni. I am the thin crust type with loads of melty and stringy molten cheese.
And I have a few easy Pizza Recipes, that use precooked crusts you should try out sometime. I even have one with an egg!
Now, what heck does Pepperoni Pizza have to do with my first cup of coffee?
Well, just watch the Caffeinated Chef in action and you'll see what I mean!
My Morning Coffee with Pepperoni - Video
Play it here. video runs 1 minute 26 seconds.
My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.
I practically had a heart attack when I saw full-sized Pepperoni Pizza by Oprah in my local 99c only Store. So I picked up 3 packages, I think you've done it too!
Well, something had to be wrong for them to end up here right? Not really as regular markets sometime over-order food items and they end up in discount store frozen food bins, like the 99c only Stores. Click here for a simple explanation from the horse's mouth, I mean 99c only Store corporate link.
And I've learned you have to shop impulsively there because when I went back a few days later Oprah That's Good Pepperoni Pizzas were gone. But a week later Oprah That's Good Broccoli Cheddar Soup was in the cold deli case, so score again! (I'll have a video review of Broccoli Cheddar Soup next month.)
So on to my Cheap$kate Dining Review of Oprah That's Good Pepperoni Pizza. First off this is a great Deal of the Day, -- a full-size foot wide pepperoni pizza that weight a pound and a half for 99.99 cents? How can it not be? But there are a couple of minor problems here.
Ready for the oven.
Looking at the package description the first warning sign was "low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese" and "1/3 of pizza crust is made of cauliflower." Hmmmm....
Click on any photo to see larger.
A "diet pizza" is an oxymoron and an already disadvantage. It's a no-win for any purveyor, even Oprah!
But if you put enough cheese then the problem is minimized. So Oprah, add more cheese to your pizzas!
I do have a solution and that is a small 3-ounce package of diet mozzarella from my local Dollar Tree! Add the whole package and you will have those satisfactory strands of melty, stringy, cheese connective tissue when you pull apart a molten pizza slice.
Cauliflower pizza crust ended up not being a problem after all. I could not taste any difference between regular pizza crusts I've tried. And the texture was still bready with crispy crust edges. Whew, I was worried about that veggie addition.
This is a hybrid crust though, half deep-dish and half not. I mean it is a thick bread crust. I guess it's a nod to Oprah's hometown and their namesake, the Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza.
I prefer thin-crust in general but have enjoyed deep-dish as well. But this version did not have enough tomato sauce and cheese to be a true deep-dish. The tomato sauce was flavorful with Italian herbs and seasonings, I just wanted more of it.
The pepperonis were plentiful and tasty. The package mentioned uncured, but I could not tell any discernable difference from regular cured types.
When you get any food with Oprah's name it's bound to be nutritious and low fat. Here are the numbers on the package.
Click on photos to see larger.
Overall this was a good pizza. One other change is to shave off a few minutes from the cooking time. It is easy to overcook this pizza so the cheese hardens and the crust is too brittle. The package directions call for 400 degrees and 20 minutes of baking. I would just reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Since the crust is partially cooked you just need to melt the cheese and heat the crust though.
So, what does Oprah That's Good Pepperoni Pizza rate on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best? Well, you will have to watch the video review below to see the rating. Click on the play button and dig in!
Oprah Pepperoni Pizza Review - Video
Play it here. The video runs 1 minute, 53 seconds.
My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.
And finally, if you see any more Oprah's That's Good food fare in the discount bin, get a basketful, as they are sure to be a great Deal of the Day!
Welcome to the realHunger Games, with a battle royale between 2 pizza purveyors, Geno's and Celeste. In my latest Deal of the Day it's mini pizzas going mano-a-mano and the winner gets the Chintzy Award for Best Cheap Pie. This is cuisine made for dorm room keg parties and minimum wage workday lunches.
I picked up each single serving pie from the frozen deli case at this 99c only Store for 99.99 cents (or $1.) The pizzas are the perfect size for lunchtime appetites. I got the same toppings of cheese, pepperoni and sausage on both. Normally I like a pizza hot from the oven, but for this meal showdown, I am going with the quicker microwave preparation. -- following the box directions.
Celeste
There is more tomato sauce and chunkier meat topping -- so you can really taste the Italian sausage and pepperoni. -- Celeste is a winner in the meat category. Also, larger lashings of mozzarella cheese make individual bites varied, as ingredients are larger but spread out more. And the tomato sauce, while plain, binds all the flavors together.
There is a silver crisping plate included.
Jeno's
Italian herbs shine through in the tomato sauce. But the meat toppings are hard to discern, due to the small sizes. While Jeno's has a uniform flavor profile as all the parts are almost blended together in a pleasing way.
Funny, but Jeno's did not have a silver microwave crisper, so I used Celeste's.
I'm sure both single serving pizza would benefit from oven baking, but at my job (and most dorm rooms) there is only a microwave oven. So this is a test in real-world conditions. In both cases, the crust is a little mushy as expected, but they share a pleasing yeasty dough flavor.
Both pies are the same size and thickness. Jeno's looks like it has more toppings, but looks are deceiving. So on a scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give the Chintzy Award to Celeste, with a 6 rating. I preferred the chunkier sausage topping and larger treads of cheese. I also liked the simple tomato sauce flavor.
While Jeno's is the loser, I give them higher marks for a more intense overall Italian herb flavor. And I would buy both again for a cheapie lunch. But I am always on the lookout for a better single serving chintzy pizza. If you know of one, then do leave a comment about it and I'll look for it.
