Thursday, May 27, 2010

Precious Pizza: Why Are You So EVIL?

Friday has always been a "date night" for me and my hubby. We love to go out for a few cocktails and some yummy food. Usually we try to find a nice place with a fun atmosphere that serves somewhat healthy dishes, so I can order some fish or a nice salad. You know-- the usual WW stuff.

However, on occasion, my sweet and adorable hubby throws me a curve ball. Let's get a pizza. He says it so simply and innocently; without any knowledge of the beast he is awakening. Just the thought of it sends a chill up my spine.

You see. Pizza is not just a trigger food or a 'red-light' food for me. It is a passageway to potentially horrible things. Just one slice and it could get REALLY ugly. Sorta like this:

"We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious." -Gollum, Lord of the Rings

Here is a sample of the train of thought that may cross my mind as the pizza conundrum is being contemplated:
  • How will I feel if I eat the pizza?
  • How will I feel if I don't eat the pizza?
  • How many pieces will I eat?
  • How many pieces will I REALLY eat?
  • What horrible events will the pizza eating lead to?
  • Will I be able to recover from this pizza eating event?
  • Will this pizza eating event lead to an endless spiral of emotional self-flagellation from which I will never fully recover?
  • Will this pizza eating event be the ultimate turning point in my relationship with food that will send me back on the path to being overweight again?
Anyway. You get the point. Am I insane, or has 10 years of the "dieting mentality" finally taken all the fun out of enjoying my favorite food? You be the judge.

Well folks. I think that my hero, Ms. Jean Nidetch, has come to the rescue once again with a solution. It's called the Pizzaiola. So maybe this charming 1972 Retro Pizza Recipe will satisfy my yearning for some pizza pie?


1 slice bread (I used 1/2 an Arnold's Sandwich Thin)
1/2 cup tomato juice, cooked down to half volume
Dash of Italian seasonings
2 oz. shredded hard cheese

Toast the bread lightly. Spread with juice & seasoning and sprinkle with cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted. One slice and done, baby! Now that's what I call portion control!

No guilt, No flavor, No fun! Now where did I put that Pizza Hut menu?

6 comments:

Helen said...

Huh,precursor to the English Muffin Pizza!

Why on earth would you cook down tomato juice when you could just use tomato sauce? Did they not have tomato sauce in 1972?

Lizzy said...

Cool stuff...

btw we stole stuff

Mimi said...

Tomato sauce was 'illegal' back then on WW!

erica said...

Yum! That pizza looks pretty delish! I want some pizza

xo

Ellen said...

I've been yearning for pizza but the English muffin, tortilla or whatever kind of substitute pizza just doesn't do it for me. I did break down and eat a huge piece of whole wheat pizza with grilled veggies, but not before I picked off all that nasty cheese, well almost all of it. That was a month or so ago and it cured me, temporarily, of my craving.

Sparkina said...

That actually looks and sounds yummy -- and it IS a twist on the classic English Muffin Pizza, which is a staple in my culinary repertoire. I use a quick sauce made with sun-dried tomatoes, veggie broth, a tiny sploosh of oil and a shake of herb blend (like Mrs. Dash)and this brings the English Muffin Pizza from a four-year-old's lunch to a delicacy fit for a Roman emperor