Spinach, Chicken, Bacon Pizza...Back To School Shopping

 "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"...I love it when I hear the Staples t.v. commercial with Andy Williams singing this tune in the background.  Yes, it has arrived once again!!

A beautiful sign nearing end of summer in our backyard.

Well, once again, I walked our 17 mile adventure at Flatiron Crossing Mall with my girls for our annual back-to-school adventure.  All the major places of interest were hit...Hollister, American Eagle, H&M, Forever 21, Kohl's, Sports Authority, BC Surf and Sport and of course Office Depot (well the last one wasn't very popular, but necessary).

All in all, a very successful day and happy to report we got it all wrapped up in one day.

The fruits of our labor and the "fruit of the vine" for mommy!!

After a very long and traffic packed day I needed simple, easy and satisfying dinner.  It was not South Beach friendly but I didn't care I had definitely walked off the calories this day and deserved a little indulgence.

Spinach, Chicken and Bacon Pizza

Boboli Ready Made 12" Pizza Thin Crust
10 oz. container Buitoni Alfredo Sauce (in refrigerator deli section) - I only use about 1/2 of the container.
(1) cooked chicken breast, diced
(5) slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 small jar, marinated artichoke hearts, sliced
(1) handful fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon Italian blend seasoning mix

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Put pizza crust on a pizza stone (or cookie sheet).  Spread alfredo sauce all over pizza crust.  Layer pizza toppings starting with spinach, chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts and top with Parmesan cheese.  Finish with sprinkling Italian seasoning all over pizza.

Bake approximately 12 minutes (check after 10 minutes, depending on your oven).  Continue baking until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted and bubbly.  Let set about 5 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy this luscious pizza with a
 chilled Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay.

One Year Ago:  Flat Iron Steak Salad

White Pizza and Marky's Mark

As if we didn't have enough projects going on in our house, which is not unusual at any given day, my husband has decided to build us a custom island / eating bar for our BBQ.  This means two things:  my patio is very messy and will look like a construction zone for a few weeks and in those few weeks that also means no grilling from my husband....very unfortunate on both of those points.

Really missing our BBQ right now.

I have made it a lifelong goal to never learn how to grill, because if I learn how to grill then I too will be grilling.  I have enough going on typically inside the kitchen, let alone trying to deal with watching what's going on outside.  Besides, if I learn how to grill, then I would probably start showing up my husbands grill'n skills (we tend to get a little competitive around here).  As we know, he can get a little distracted, especially while with his brother..

His only saving grace is he invented a new summer drink for us.  We were both too tired to venture out to the store for beverages, so we did a pantry/refrigerator purge and came up with a really great new cocktail.

Marky's Mark
Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Welch's Passion Fruit Juice and
a splash of Cranberry Juice

Since the BBQ is on hiatus, we fired up our pizza stone and recreated one of our favorite pizzas from back in the day when we first met.  On special occasions we would frequent a restaurant called Paoli's.  The most unbelievable White (Alfredo Sauce) Pizza you could possibly imagine.  Trust me, once you have had alfredo pizza you will never want red sauce again.....

Alfredo Sauce
Courtesy of Pioneer Woman

1 stick butter
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan

In a saucepan or skillet over low heat, warm the butter and cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Place half of the Parmesan into a large serving bowl. Pour the warm butter/cream mixture over the top.
Add the other half of Parmesan cheese as desired to taste.