Fast Food Friday Returns!

On Fridays I do lessons with "The Girls" and then we go as a family to the gym. Bob works out and I swim. Then Etta joins me for a quick swim. (She loved it even more tonight because she got to wear the goggles that Santa put in her stocking.) Pretty soon Mae will get to join in the fun.

But adding kids to this equation has really created the need for a "fast" dinner. Even with s 3:30 snack Etta was asking for dinner as soon as we stepped out of the gym. So I have been trying to make things that are ready pretty much when we walk in the door.

Today I made "Black-and-Blue Pizza" from the Dec/Jan issue of Taste of Home. I was first drawn to it because of Bob. It's got blue cheese and bacon. Two of Bob's favorite things. So even though it didn't look right up my alley, I decided to try it because he was a good sport about the pea & lettuce soup that I made...[Yep, peas and lettuce. I try to go "meatless" once a week. Sometimes the recipes I try are good. Sometimes they are not...]

So today I made this pizza:

Black-and-Blue Pizzas (I got the recipe in half because I felt we only needed one)

• 2 loaves (1 lb. each) frozen bread dough, thawed [I made my own dough in a bread machine]

• 8 bacon strips, chopped

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips [I cut mine into bite size pieces]

• 5 tsp. blackened seasoning [I have no idea what this is, so I used pepper and another spice that I use for tacos]

• 3 shallots, finely chopped [I just used 1/2 a yellow onion that I had]

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 jar (15 oz.) Alfredo sauce [I made my own]

• 2-1/2 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms [I just used regular fresh mushrooms]

• 1 can (3.8 oz.) sliced ripe olives, drained [I used Kalamata because they were already open]

• 1/2 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil) [I used oven roasted tomatoes from this fall]

• 1-1/4 (5 oz.) blue cheese

• 3 Tbsp. minced fresh basil or 3 tsp. dried basil

• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried thyme

• 12 slices provolone cheese

• 3 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved into strips or 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Roll dough into two 16-in. x 10-in. rectangles; transfer to ungreased baking sheets and build up edges slightly. [I used a square baking stone.]

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings. Sprinkle chicken with blackened seasoning; cook chicken in the drippings until no longer pink. Add shallots and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Set aside.

Spread sauce over crusts; top with chicken mixture, bacon, mushrooms, olives and tomatoes. Sprinkle with blue cheese, basil and thyme; top with provolone and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake at 450 degree for 14-18 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

What was left by the time I finally got the picture. The provolone is layered on top, but there are a lot of yummy bits underneath - promise!

Now, I was a bit wary because blue cheese is not my favorite. But this pizza turned out GREAT! How great? Well, if you regularly read my blog you will know that I have decided to see if Etta will eat more of our actual dinner fare (she usually eats everything - but mostly deconstructed. Ie: no casseroles or things that are mixed up.) if I allow her to help create dinner. I did not let her help me prep any of the food, but did allow her to help sprinkle it on and spread it around.

This child does not eat pizza. Good old American, pepperoni pizza. She will eat dough dipped in sauce, pepperoni in slices and mozzarella, but not as pizza. She also has never chewed up and swallowed a mushroom and has spit out Kalamata olives a variety of times. But as she was helping me spread the goodies she repeatedly said, "Can I try dat? Can I have a punch [pinch] of dis? A bite of dat?"

I almost could not get the mushrooms on faster than she was eating them! She ate a couple of Kalamata olives, "Dat's yummy mommy!". And the ringer, "Can I try dat cheese mommy?" The blue cheese. Well, why not. And? I had to pry the container out of her hands before she went crazy and ate the rest of it. Wow, if you don't tell them it's yucky sometimes they never know!

But the real test would be if she actually ATE the pizza - as pizza - at dinner time. We started with "salads". She ate a little bag of baby carrots, some red cabbage and a handful of blueberries. "Etta, would you like some pizza?" "Yes mommy!" So I cut a square into strips and put two on her plate. Before I could even start my own those two were gone. "More pizza please!" And she ate the rest of that slice. "Etta, would you like more pizza?" "Yes please!" And went on to eat another half a slice.

Quite a break through. I would have to say that overall this dinner was a success. It really wasn't that time consuming to make and was very flavorful.