Absolutely. If ya wanna go full tilt Italian, get some cooking wine. That’s the tasty kind you keep filling your glass with while you’re cooking... a necessity in my kitchen.
Also, a mandolin slicer (you can buy a plastic framed one for about $20) is indespensable for creating toppings. Thin sliced onion, pepper, mushroom, tomato, peperoni, linguisa, kielbasa, etc., use it to make julienne of carrot, jicama, salsify...
Use a grater for mozzarella, Romano, Parmigiana, cheddar, pepper jack, etc.
Hand dice some green and black olive, water chestnut, jalapeno, ginger, basil, dill, bacon, ham, garlic, shallot, etc.
Sauce? Make a fresh marinara, or use your stick (or upright) blender on a can of Italian diced tomatoes and a can of tomato paste and some oregano and basil, or use a bottle of prepared red spaghetti sauce, or some bottled Alfredo, maybe you’ve got some leftover sauce, or even just a swab of olive oil.
Hey - butter, bacon, scrambled eggs and cheddar will work.
Get the kids involved! For what you’d pay Dominoes or Pizza Hut for one pizza, you can make a custom pizza for each individual’s preference, and it’s a great activity for dinner, or a party. Vey cool.
“Along with cost savings, this will provide our officials and teams with the means to analyze the engines in a more controlled setting,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “We have been moving towards doing this in the past, and as the stakes continue to rise in our sport, we believe it’s the most effective way of doing things.”
As part of its post-race inspection, NASCAR typically tears down the engines of the event’s top-two finishers, in addition to a random car. The height and weight measurements, in addition to the shock and gear inspections, will still take place at the track following the race.
Post-race inspection of the engines at the R&D Center will remain open for observation as it did at the race track. Should any violations be discovered during the tear-down process, forthcoming penalties will be handled just as they have before through the NASCAR competition department.(NASCAR PR)(4-1-2009)