Finding more time with Marco's Pizza

I try to spend more time outside in the warmer months in a futile attempt to tame nature and nurture my plants. I know that the weeds will regrow, but that's OK. Year by year, I get to watch my plants grow taller and stronger, bloom more and spread their own offspring across the flower beds. There is a grounding serenity to having my hands in the earth, even when I know that my fingernails will be a nuisance to clean. The birds sing their songs of love to each other, the bees tend the flowers with steadfast dedication, and I ... well, I run out of time to make supper because I'm puttering around in the yard in the late afternoon.

Summer is all about convenience to me. My family never complains, but we eat fast meals more than we want to in the summer. We don't have the cold winter days, full of leisure and crafts, where food can bubble away happily on the stove for hours, developing flavors and making the house smell delicious while the cold creeps along the ground. In the warm weather, there are things to do outside!

On that note, one evening I looked up from the weeds at 6 p.m. and realized that supper probably wasn't going to get cooked yet again today. I wanted something quick, easy and rewarding for supper, and possibly something I hadn't tried before. I looked up some pizza places online and realized I'd never tried Marco's Pizza. All the others, yes, but not Marco's, so I placed an order. After some handwashing and clothes changing, I was off to pick up the order, and honestly just glad to be sitting down in the car with some air conditioning.

A Marco's calzone, freshly made dough and meat galore.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

Marco's is at 1330 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, tucked into that little building close to Capaha Park that Family Video used to be in. (By the way, I miss video stores. There was a breadth and wonder to them that streaming just can't capture, but I digress.) Marco's online ordering was quick and easy, and I would suggest checking their social media pages for coupon codes, as they are generous and frequent. I got 30% off of my order, so that 10 seconds of checking was worth it. Marco's has pizza, cheese bread, chicken wings, the typical desserts. But what Marco's did that was a little different was sandwiches, hot subs that looked delicious online. Marco's also had pizza bowls, which is your pizza in a bowl without crust. Now, a lot of you might think this sounds unappetizing, but for people who shouldn't be eating a lot of carbs, and I'm pointing at myself here, this is an absolute godsend and I'm begging, please, please, please more places give this option. Things like this give people a sense of normalcy and the ability to enjoy foods that are usually off-limits with their friends and family. Pizza Bowls are genius.

So I picked up the food and drove home. And wow, did my car smell wonderful. My stomach growled, and I was ready to try a nibble of everything I ordered. Because I did try to order a few of the classics.

Marco's deceptively simple cheese pizza, with a three-cheese blend and handmade crust.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

First off was the Grilled Chicken Florentine pizza on thin crust. The thin crust was perfect — crispy and extremely garlicky, like a fancy cracker that had a ton of flavor all on its own. The pizza was topped with grilled chicken, white sauce, spinach, red onions, sliced tomatoes and cheese, plus feta cheese, which gave everything a tangy bite. I loved this pizza. Light, summery, not greasy, a good way to top off a day sweating in the sun and dirt.

I wanted to try a sandwich and opted for the Meatball Sub. The bread was crispy on the outside, soft inside, and Marco's has an amazing marinara sauce that is thick and savory. I also had a bit of the All Meat Calzone. The dough is handmade daily, and it tasted like it. Soft and yeasty, the bread was a delightful pocket stuffed with meat and cheese.

All in all, I'll be back to Marco's. The pizza sauce was the right mix of tomatoey acid and sweetness for me, and the Pizza Bowl option is amazing. The thin crust was crispy and lighter on the carbs as well, but if you can, the handmade dough is a nice indulgence.