Semi-Homemade Bacon Pizza

College football started on Saturday. Thank goodness it is finally here! One of the unique quirks of Corvallis, Oregon is the overwhelming zeal and interest most folks take in Oregon State football. I had no interest in football whatsoever until I moved to Corvallis and now watch the Oregon and Oregon State games so I have some understanding of what (some) folks are ranting and raving about. Z. and I enjoyed a semi-homemade bacon pizza while watching the first Oregon game of the season.

This pizza is simple. Basically, you take a frozen pizza and add toppings to it. We have been making pizzas like this for years. Cheap Tip #54: Having a long-distance sweetheart is not frugal (ask Z.). Yes, we were long distance for three years. When we saw each other we wanted to do something nice for dinner but when you have to have a separate budget for gas just to see the other person, we could not always go out for dinner. Z. and have always loved pizza and came up with an idea to make a basic, cheap pizza a little more special. The first time we made this pizza we went on an adventure just to find thickly-sliced peppered bacon. That pizza was well worth the effort that went into it. We loved bacon pizza even before we knew of the existence of American Dream's bacon pizza!

Why not make a pizza from scratch? Neither one of us is great with yeasted breads. I can make my own version of naan but it is still a challenge for me. Neither one of our several, tiny apartment kitchens were conducive to rolling out a pizza. Even now, we do not have the counter space for this kind of endeavor. Plus, the sale price of our preferred brand costs less than making a pepperoni pizza for ourselves would.

The topping selections are endless; just use your imagination. We have found that we like to start with a pepperoni pizza and add:

• bacon
• green bell pepper
• onion
• garlic
• and in this case, a chimayo chile pepper

 Here is a basic outline of how to make a jazzed-up frozen pizza. Enjoy!

Semi-Homemade Bacon Pizza

1. If using bacon, cook until browned. Set the bacon aside while reserving the bacon drippings.
2. Cook vegetables until soft. If using onions, cook onions first, about 5-7 minutes then add shorter cooking vegetables like peppers and garlic.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven according to the directions of the pizza.
4. Cook pizza about 10 minutes. 
5. Spread cooked vegetables evenly across the pizza and top with extra cheese if desired.
6. Return to oven and continue baking until done.

Date Night = Bacon Pizza

Bacon pizza. Do I have you drooling yet? How about, amazing pizza with chewy garlic crust AND deliciously thick bacon that cost $11.95 (from 7:30 pm to close) and that includes a fountain soda. Here's a napkin. Oh yeah, there's also 17 microbrews on tap. I think you need a tablecloth size napkin, now.

A few weeks ago Z and I celebrated our anniversary! As much as he tries, he just can't get rid of me. And he tries pretty hard sometimes. Anyways, we didn't want to do anything too extravagant since he was leaving to catch a plane at like 3 the next morning. We went to our go to spot: the American Dream Pizza near campus (the downtown American Dream doesn't have this special). Look at that gorgeous pizza! The first picture is Z showing his approval with both our HUB Ipas. In addition, we get some ranch on the said ($0.25 for a little cup). Their ranch is amazing. That's all I have to say about the ranch, it's that good.

True to our frugal ways, Z bought the pizza and ranch, I bought the beers, and we split the pizza in half so we each could eat what we wanted to for dinner then have leftovers. For us, this large pizza provides us each a huge dinner, breakfast/lunch the next day or two, and a couple of pieces to freeze. Cooked pizza freezes fantastically. I stuck a couple of slices in a plastic bag (when they're cold), get out as much of the air as I can, and stick it straight into the fridge. When you want to eat it, pull the pizza out of the bag, put it on a microwavable plate, and microwave until the desired temperature. I'm sure it would reheat just fine in the oven if that's what you prefer. Just make sure to label the bag so each person knows whose pizza is whose. If you're curious, the one on the right says Princess Peppadew. If I were a fruit or vegetable, I would so be a peppadew.

I can't even think of some ridiculously verbose way to describe the deliciousness that is this pizza. I just know in my soul it's amazing and wonderful and makes for the perfect date night. I'm not even going to sully this post with suggesting you take a portion of your restaurant dinner home to freeze for another night (ziploc freezer bags work wonderful and can freeze flat, making for efficient freezer storage). That's all.

-Ace of Peppadew