Pepperoni

Got a few English muffins in the pantry? That means you've got the foundation for personal-size pizzas. They're easy to make and kid-friendly. Inspired by a suggestion from cookbook author Jim Romanoff (Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook from Eating Well magazine), we used red-pepper paste instead of pizza sauce. The Mediterranean paste, which typically blends roasted red peppers with roasted eggplant, is sold at many specialty and ethnic markets, including Trader Joe's. (If you can't find it, not to worry: Pizza sauce can be substituted.

Janna Snyder from Portland, Ind., was hoping to find a recipe for one of her favorite dishes from childhood. It was a skillet type of pizza, without the traditional crust, that she thought was made by soaking bread in beaten eggs and then topping it with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni in the fashion of a traditional pizza. I decided this sounded interesting, and while I did not receive any recipes from readers, I did locate a recipe for a skillet pizza on Cooks.com that sounded close to what Snyder had described.

* Item: Croissant Pockets * What you get: 2 sandwiches * Cost: About $2.75 * Preparation time: 2 1/2 minutes in microwave, 20 to 25 minutes in toaster or conventional oven * Review: Croissant Pockets has upgraded the crust of its quick-to-make frozen sandwiches with fine results. The new crust is flakier and offers a more buttery flavor -- just like a real croissant. The sandwich fillings remain as popular as ever. The Turkey and Ham With Swiss blended perfectly inside the tender crust.

* Item: Wolfgang Puck's Pizzas* What you get: 2 servings* Cost: About $5* Preparation time: 10 to 12 minutes in conventional oven* Review: The renowned chef from Spago has added a few new flavors to his successful line of 8-inch gourmet pizzas. The Barbecue Chicken pie offers tender chicken, red onions and fresh tomato slices with just enough cheese to bind to the focaccia-style crust. The new fat-free Grilled Vegetable Cheeseless Pizza is topped with eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper and fennel.

Item: Sara Lee Calzone Creations What you get: 2 calzones Cost: About $3.50 Nutritional content: Classic Italian Style: 400 calories, 14 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 680 milligrams sodium; Santa Fe Black Bean: 350 calories, 9 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 510 milligrams sodium Preparation time: 1 minute, 45 seconds to 2 minutes, 15 seconds in microwave; 25 to 35 minutes in conventional oven Review: These calzones are sinfully delicious....

* Item: Toaster Breaks Melts* What you get: 6 sandwiches* Cost: About $2* Preparation time: One to two cycles in toaster* Review: Television commercials for these bake-in-the-toaster snacks seem to be aimed at the after-school set. If so, the Hot Pockets people who make them have hit their target. While my husband and I liked the meat-and-cheese-filled turnovers, my 13-year-old baby sitter and her 11-year-old sister loved them. We each tried three flavors. My husband enjoyed the Ham and Cheese, but would have preferred something a bit more substantive.

Momma Tali's 503 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park. Hours: Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m daily. Call (410) 544-1653.This new franchise Italian fast-food restaurant even has a drive-though window, so instead of pulling up for burgers, you can drive away with spaghetti, lasagna or fettuccine Alfredo and bread sticks. And they don't ask if you'd like fries with that.If you go inside to eat, you can have beer or wine with your meal.Spaghetti with Italian sausage, meatballs, meat sauce or tomato sauce ranges in price from $2.59 to $3.79.

Police investigating the robbery of a Papa John's Pizza delivery driver last March had little to go on - no identification of the suspects and no physical evidence - but they did have the phone number used to order pepperoni and bacon pies and lure out the driver. The day after the robbery, police got a court order and discovered that the owner of the phone was a Clyde Johnson from Parkville. Officers also discovered that Johnson, 23, had been arrested in connection with two prior pizza-delivery robberies and he had used his own phone to place the orders, according to Assistant State's Attorney Andrew Kowalczyk.

Parents of children who attend 14 Harford County public schools were warned by school officials Thursday night that their children may have eaten a pizza product that is subject to a voluntary recall because of possible E. coli bacteria contamination. The affected schools are 12 elementary schools around the county and two secondary schools. The school system said the product, Pepperoni Pizzatas, has been removed from its food inventory, along with all products by the same manufacturer, Rich Products Corp.

Warning: This column contains language some readers may find unsuitable for children. Parental guidance is suggested. No, seriously, you have been warned. This is your last chance. Turn back now. Still here? OK, fine. Don't say you weren't told. Here's one of the offensive words: "Dinosaur. " And another: "Birthday. " And another: "Pepperoni. " And yes, yet another: "Dancing. " Let's stop there before you have to fan away the vapors and break out the smelling salts.