Most of the country is focused on the treats and temptations of the holiday season. Every magazine and newspaper is featuring holiday recipes for delicious and elegant holiday fare. We see beautiful cakes and pastries, amazing main course dishes and appetizers to tempt us all. The reality is that the food most often consumed during this time of the year is pizza. It is easy, fast and the favorite of everyone. When in doubt order a pizza. The night before Thanksgiving, is the time when many pizzas are consumed in this country, second only to New Years day and Super Bowl Sunday.

The history of pizza is cloudy at best, with a variety of theories and speculation. Some claim it is based on the pita bread found in the Mid-East. There is also a theory that pizza came from the unleavened bread “matzo” brought to Rome by Italian legionnaires. Others insist, pizza evolved from the famous “foccacia” served in Rome about 1,000 years ago, as a snack. Another theory is that pizza was brought to Italy by Greeks during the first century.

There may be as many theories about the origins of pizza as there are different types of pizza.

And there are many interesting facts about pizza:

� Ninety-seven percent of Americans make pizza the nation's most popular quick service meal; the groups who eat the most pizza are young college-educated adults and double income families with children

� Pizza is a $30+ billion per year industry

� There are approximately 69,000 pizzerias in the United States

� Three billion pizzas are sold in the United States each year

� Pizzerias represent 17 percent of all restaurants

� Ninety-three percent of Americans eat at least one pizza per month

� Each man, woman and child in America eats an average of 46 slices of pizza per year

� According to a recent Gallop Poll, children between the ages of 3 and 11 prefer pizza to all other food for lunch and dinner

� Pepperoni is by far America's favorite topping, with 36 percent of all pizza orders contain pepperoni; other favorite pizza toppings are mushrooms, extra cheese, sausage, green pepper and onions

� Gourmet toppings are gaining ground in some areas of the country such as chicken, oysters, crayfish, dandelions, sprouts, eggplant, Cajun shrimp, artichoke hearts and tuna

� U.S. pizza makers have even turned breakfast into a pizza-eating opportunity by adapting peanut butter and jelly, and bacon and egg toppings to pizzas

� Sixty-two percent of Americans prefer meat toppings while 38 percent prefer vegetarian

� Barbecue pizzas have emerged as one of the more popular pizza variations; other flavors gaining popularity are Mexican pizza, white pizza, five-cheese combos and non-cheese pies

We all have our favorite. My family likes a traditional pizza. Pizza can be made at home to rival most pizza shops. Use the best ingredients and find dough that works for you.

Pizza dough can be purchased and most of it is quite acceptable. A great pizza dough is easy to make. Be brave and try some interesting variations. I have included two recipes that are non-traditional. The first is for a gorgonzola and mushroom pizza also known as “Blue Heaven.”

It is provided by pizzatherapy.com. My next is for a barbecue chicken pizza. This recipe creates a tangy pizza of grilled chicken and roasted red peppers with Monterey Jack cheese.

Enjoy.

This column has been a collaborative effort between Auburn natives chef Max Hitchcock and his mother, Susan Silverman. They can be reached at Birdscapes@adelphia.net

Gorgonzola and Mushroom Pizza

Dough for one pizza

4 ounces low-fat mozzarella, shredded

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Saute the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until mushrooms give up their water. Add parsley and cook until water is cooked off. Set aside. Roll out pizza dough to desired size.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the dough. Spoon mushrooms and parsley evenly over dough. Spread crumbled gorgonzola over dough. Bake at 500 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes (preferably on a preheated pizza stone).

Barbecue Chicken Pizza “Southwestern”

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 yellow onion, medium, diced

1 green pepper, medium, diced

1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Guacamole

Sour cream

Pico de Gallo

Prepare a 15-ounce ball of pizza dough. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and saute, stirring 5 minutes or until lightly browned. (Optional: Grill chicken and roast peppers on a charcoal grill). Stir in chili powder and garlic powder. Add onions and bell pepper; cook and stir an additional 1-minute or until vegetables are tender.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a 12-inch diameter pizza pan. Roll out the dough ball with a rolling pin into a 13- to 14-inch circle, and center it in the baking pan and neatly trim or dimple crimp the edge of the crust. Par-bake the dough shell at 425 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until very light golden brown.

Arrange the combined chicken topping evenly over the partially baked crust. Drizzle the barbecue sauce over chicken, then sprinkle with the cheese.

Return the pizza to the oven. Bake an additional 14 to 18 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

(Option: Add barbecue sauce to chicken in pan after browning.) Serve with individually portioned sides of guacamole, sour cream or Pico de Gallo.

Also, try shrimp as a substitute for the chicken.