From My Kitchen to Yours: Basic Easy Recipes

So, when I think about it, I am very, very grateful for good food. Especially soul food. Those things that you eat when nothing else will make you feel better. MMM-mmm, yummy! And then there is that food that saves you on busy, busy days, when you don't have time to do anything but breathe. I have noticed that quick, easy meals are "in" on Pinterest now, so I thought that I would share my favorite go to meal.

So, first of all, you need to go to the store. This is something most people do on a somewhat regular basis, so you can grab it while you are already there. Sometimes when I am having a particularly busy day, I will just stop on my way home from work, run in, go to the freezer aisle, grab it, and go. It's so easy when you live in a small town with relatively short lines at the grocery store. We have more open check out stands than Wal-Mart!

The best thing about this meal? You will only need to buy one item! It can come in assorted packages. Sometimes it comes in a box, and sometimes it's just shrink wrapped, like this. Sometimes, if you can get it on sell, it's just a couple of dollars! What a deal! This is my favorite brand, but many of you may prefer another. I like the thin crust and "personal pizza" feel to it. Also, I don't like to over-do it when it comes to what is on top. I'm a simple girl. But for you fancy folks, there is always the option of supreme or four meat.

So when you take it out of the package, it will look something like this. Probably a little more squished, or less, it just depends on how much handling it happens to go through, and also if it was on top, or bottom of the pile in the freezer.

Side note: Remember to remove the cardboard from the bottom. If not removed, it will cause the entire thing to taste like processed paper. Not so yummy.

Sometimes all of the pepperoni, or as my nieces call them "hot rugs", are all on one side of the pizza. Again, it just depends on handling, shipping, freezer placement. It's fairly simple to re-arrange them in a somewhat symmetrical pattern. This makes it so there is equal distribution of the protein on all slices (we can all kid ourselves that this is what makes this "healthy"). However, this does take extra time, so, if you are planning to hog the whole pizza to yourself, don't worry about it too much. You will just have a lot to handle in one bite. But if you are in a hurry, it shouldn't be that big of a problem, right?

Here's the skinny on this meal. It's not. So, I like to go all the way, and throw a little extra cheese on top, just to make sure my arteries are good and clogged. *Go big or go home, right?* Oddly enough, since I hadn't planned ahead, the only mozzarella cheese was in the freezer, so it went well on top of my frozen meal.

Side note: You don't have to add the extra cheese. This is totally up to your own preference.

It is now ready to go in the oven.

Usually you want to turn that baby up to a high heat, this particular brand of pizza recommends 400*. It's best to probably pre-heat, but I regularly, if at all, remember that it needs to be done. Besides, this is a quick meal, right? Who has time to wait for the oven to heat up? Not me! I usually throw it in around 200 degrees, and it always turns out fine!

This is my pizza, right before I will walk off and do other things while it cooks.

Just remember to set a timer.

Or, if you rather, the smell of burnt food reaching whatever room you are in at the time is a good reminder that you have something in the oven. This may or may not have happened a lot in the past. So I feel I am the most qualified to warn you. Burnt pizza tastes just a little bit worse. But it's still edible.

And this, my friends, is the finished product. The crust is just right at a gold brown color, and the cheese on top is just to the brink of being burned. Now all you need to do it cut that baby into slices and enjoy! Just be careful while you are eating it, that you can fully bite through the cheese, or else it will slide off, and the sauce on the bottom will burn your chin!