Pear Gorgonzola Pizza

Soft, golden crust.
Cheesy goodness.
A sweet and savory combination.

It's food made for a party, a breakup, a night out on the town, and finals week.
Especially for finals week. Those two words makes me sick.
Yep, it's finals time here.
Bleck.

Meanwhile, I am going to enjoy my pizza, thank you very much.

Pear Gorgonzola Pizza

1 pizza crust (preferably in dough form...I used a gluten-free one*)
Olive oil, garlic powder, dried basil
6 ounces sliced provolone or Mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
1 Bosc pear, thinly sliced
2 ounces chopped walnuts
2 1/2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or green onions)


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place pizza crust dough on a pizza pan or stone. Spread some olive oil, garlic powder, and dried basil over the crust (to taste), all the way to the edges. Cover the crust with provolone cheese. Top cheese with spinach leaves. Place Bosc pear slices onto the spinach. Sprinkle with walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese.
Bake pizza in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned.
Remove from heat. Top with chives and slice to serve.
*If using a gluten-free crust, pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes (until puffy), lay on the toppings, and then bake for another 6-8 minutes. If your crust is sticky, place parchment paper between the crust and the pan.

Creamy Tortellini Spinach Bacon Bake

Have you ever had that experience where someone gives you a recipe and proceeds to tell you: "You have to try this!" or "This is the best thing ever!"

That happens to me all too often.

Usually I respond by smiling and saying: "I am sure it is...of course I will make it!"

All the while I am thinking: "Yeah right, like this is the best thing ever. I am not going to make this stupid dish of yours..."

Was that a little too harsh?

Sorry, but it's the truth.

1 out of 10 times I will make something that you recommend.

I often think that "mine" will be better than "yours"...

And let's be honest, it often is.

Just kidding.

But today is different.

Because today I must confess that I folded.

Yep, I made that "This is the best thing ever!" dish.

My curiosity got the best of me.

And you know what?

I am here to tell you that this dish got my stamp of approval.

[insert applause here]

Congrats Aleisha, you did it.

What is that?

Tortellini?

Spinach?

Bacon?

All of the above?

It's like a match made in pasta heaven.

Fry up some bacon.

Make a cream sauce.

Possibly add in some lemon.

Throw in a bit of spinach.

And always, ALWAYS have a snack on the side!

I decided to snack on vegan coconut chocolate pudding...recipe to come soon!

Toss it all together in a pan.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Creamy Tortellini Spinach Bacon Bake

• 12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (usually in the dry pasta aisle)
• 5-6 strips bacon
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (add more if you like it spicy)
• 1 small lemon
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.
2. Place bacon in a skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat.  Cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towels to drain.  Crumble when cooled. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.  Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.
3. While sauce is heating, zest your lemon (a fine-holed cheese grater works well).  Then cut lemon in half and remove juice.  Add 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice to sauce.  Continue to stir until thickened (about 2-3 minutes).  Remove from heat.
4. Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot.  Reserve a small handful of the cooked/crumbled and set aside.  Add rest of bacon to the pasta mixture.  Add spinach, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add in sauce and gently stir to combine.  Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 (or 9×9) sprayed baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and remaining crumbled bacon.
5. Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6

Kudos to Our Best Bites. Love you guys.

 

Yes, I am a nerd who doesn't have enough counter space, so I prepare dishes on top of my dryer. Judge me all you want.

Nom noms.

Valentine's Day and Love Alfredo

I looked at the clock. The time was 4:50 PM.

Where did the time go? I panicked.

"Be home by 5 o'clock," is what he told me.

I had to hurry.

I jumped on my Electra Amsterdam and pedaled to the metal.

I got home in 5 minutes. That had to be a record-breaking time for getting from campus to my house. I was so proud of myself :)

I rushed in, set my bike against the wall, and threw open the door.

And this is what I saw...

My room, covered in toilet paper and cut-out hearts.

Who could it be? This Valentine of mine...

My bed was even covered in rose petals...
The card read:

A Night To Remember...

Dearest Sarah,

Dress yourself in some formal and fancy attire, and be as ready as you possibly can for me to come kiss your face, and whisk you away at the time of 5:30 PM.

And don't worry, when the time comes, I will help you clean your room :)

<3 Devin

So that's who the culprit was...this boyfriend of mine
 :)
I quickly dressed and waited for him to come pick me up.

Let me tell you, trying to get dressed and ready was not easy. I felt like I was being suffocated by the mass amount of toilet paper.

The entire night, he refused to tell me where we were going. That little stinker.


The first place we went was a dinner theatre production.
The food was delicious and the entertainment was sublime. The performers were actors of an improv comedy group that put together a musical from the top of their heads, including songs that they made up along the way. The musical was based off a love story in the 1950s, including the role of a milkman father, a young man blinded by love, his marriage-hating brother, a girl in love with her best friend from childhood, and a bride-to-be who hated wearing nylons. They got all their ideas from the audience. It was amazing and very funny.

Devin and I at the dinner theatre.

Afterwards, we got back into the car. Devin said, "Go ahead and look in the glove compartment."
Hmmmm...okay.
And what did I find? Another card!

This one read:

Baby, It's Cold Outside...

Dearest Sarah,

The night's not over yet. Let us go home, grab our warmest jackets, our most water-proof pants, and maybe even an extra jacket to leave in my car...because we are battling whatever mother nature decides to throw our way.

Once again, he refused to tell me where we were going.
That's okay, he's so cute that I let him get away with it :)

I dressed in about five layers. To be honest, I was afraid of where we were going...hiking in the mountains? Going on a short walk? Making snow angels?

After driving for what it seemed like forever (the anticipation was killing me)...we parked by a canyon park. "Okay, let's go..." is all he said. "Ummm....okay," was my reply.
He opened the trunk of his Honda Civic, and proceeded to pull out boxes of wood, lighter fluid, matches, camping chairs, and blankets.

Fire. We are going to be warm. Thank my lucky stars.


Just our luck, a park ranger showed up. Oh shoot.
"What are you two doing out here?" He asked.
"We are building a fire in the fire pit down there," Devin replied, pointing to the darkness below us.
"You do know that you have to be out of here in an hour, right?" Ranger Rick growled.
"Yep. We will be out of here in one hour." Devin said.
Ranger Rick: Inquisitively, "Why are you guys out here? It's freezing. She looks like she is going to freeze to death over there."
Devin: "We are celebrating Valentine's day."
Ranger Rick: Looking at his watch, "Valentine's Day isn't until tomorrow..."
Devin: "Yeah, well we can't celebrate it tomorrow because we are going to be busy all day with school and work."
Silence.
"Oh...well you two have a good time tonight." The once-firm ranger sweetly said.
"We will be sure to be out in an hour." Devin promised.
"No, don't even worry about it. Take as much time as you need. Just enjoy tonight." Ranger Rick said kindly, with a smile on his face.
He then got in his car and drove away.

Wow.
That was interesting.
I guess Valentine's Day gives everyone a reason to be compassionate.

Did I mention that it was snowing?
Snowing!
And it was so cold.
The fire definitely helped.
Oh, and Devin brought an umbrella to keep the snow from nailing us.
That boy thinks of everything :)

He even brought a pineapple to roast. On our second date, I refused to eat the chili dogs that he wanted to eat at our fire. I insisted that we roast a pineapple instead. We did. And it was delicious.

If any of you have ever watched the Bachelor, in the show, the Bachelor gives the girls "date cards" that give them a hint of what they are going to do for that date. (Hence the cards that Devin was giving me throughout the night.) Then at the end of his date with the girl(s), he offers a single rose if he really likes her and wants her to stay for that round.
Well...at the end of our night, Devin also presented me with a single rose, following the exact dialogue of the TV show. It was so cute.
I accepted the rose from him, of course :)

That was day one of our Valentine's Day(s).

Day two was my day to treat Devin.
However, there was no way that I could even come close to what he did for me the day before.
I thought long and hard about what I could do for him, and the best thing I could come up with was to make him dinner and dessert (no surprise there).

Devin loves many things...his mom's lasagna, his dad's sour cream waffles, ice cream, chips and salsa, pasta, pizza, Mexican food: namely Cocolito's, and...

CHEESE!

And more specifically...

PEPPER JACK CHEESE!
Apparently, he had never tried this type of cheese until he came to my house in Wyoming.
I made him a hot sandwich of pastrami, turkey, fried eggs, and pepper jack cheese with all the fixin's.
He fell in love.
Since that day, we only buy pepper jack cheese.
It's kind of ridiculous.

Well, I wanted to incorporate two of his favorites: pasta and pepper jack cheese.
The first thing that came to my mind was Alfredo sauce. Yes, it had to be Alfredo.

I started out with a roux.

Then I threw in some broth, milk, and cream.

After letting it boil for a few minutes, I added sour cream and of course, pepper jack cheese.

I cooked up some spicy chicken that I thought would pair nicely with the pepper jack cheese Alfredo sauce. It definitely did.

Serve over some fettuccine noodles, and voila!

Dinner is served.

There's nothing quite like a big plate of pasta.

He was REALLY happy with dinner. Like really happy.
And that put a smile on my face :)


Pepper Jack Cheese Alfredo
This stuff is good :)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise, and cut into slices
• 1 pinch dried red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons flour (or cornstarch)
• 2 tablespoons butter (or oil)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk (or 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup cream)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack pepper cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 16 ounces penne pasta

1. In a shallow pan, saute the onion, garlic, and jalapeño in the oil until barely soft. 
2. Add in the chicken and spices. Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour at medium-high heat for one minute.
4. Stir in 3/4 (cup) of the broth and all of the milk. Cook and stir until bubbling. The sauce will really start to thicken at this point.
5. Add in the sour cream and cheese. Continue to stir until all the cheese is melted. Allow to cook for about 2 additional minutes, while stirring. Add in the rest of the 1/4 cup broth, if the sauce is too thick.
6. Stir in the prepared spicy chicken.
7. Serve over cooked fettuccine pasta.

*Serves 3-4 people.


And for dessert? I made a chocolate chip cookie cake.

It was delectable.
I will blog about that soon!

I surprised Devin with some silly gifts: a stuffed love puppy, a coupon book, his favorite cereal (at the moment): Strawberry Cream Mini Spooners, and a handmade card.

His puppy face.
Adorable.

Pumpkin Pear Pesto Pizza

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Okay, yes, Halloween is over...darn :( 

I truly love Halloween.

Costumes. Candy. Crazy people.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Halloween accomplishments this year:

• Dressed up like a leopard
• Went to parties
• Danced the night away
• Watched scary movies
• Went trick-or-treating! (you can never be too old, right?)
• Ate WAY too much candy
• And...made pumpkin pizza...oh it was divine 

I felt like it was a successful holiday.

This is me and Devin about to head out the door to go trick-or-treating.

Our conversation:

(A few days before)
Devin: "Let's go trick-or-treating on Halloween!"
Me: "Okay, that sounds like fun!"

(An hour before)

Devin: "Are you ready to go?"

Me: "Devin...I don't know...aren't we a little too old to go trick-or-treating?"

Devin: "Sarah, seriously? You can't just change your mind right before we go..."
Me: "But all these little kids keep coming to my door. I haven't seen any adults yet. And I feel bad..."

Devin: "Sarah, we are going."

Me: "Ugh..."

(After about 10 minutes of Devin and my roommate Jane convincing me to go)

Me: "Okay, fine...I'll go."

And I am so glad we went. People LOVED our costumes. Plus we got invited into someone's house to eat mouthwatering scones and hot apple cider. Yum :)

Oh, and did I mention that Devin dressed up as Moses?

Yep.

I could not stop laughing when I saw his costume. I couldn't even look at him...but in all seriousness, he looked like a stranger to me. Thank goodness he only looked this way for one night :)

Rawr.

Best friend couples! Me and my bestie Katie. And Leah and her bestie Ashley.

Okay, so this guy's costume was amazing. He dressed up like an old man AKA Mr. Rogers. He dyed his hair gray, drew wrinkles on his face, and dressed in old-school clothing. Definitely legit.

Bored Sarah = photo editing

Now onto the FOOD!

Have you ever had a pear gorgonzola pizza?

Or a butternut squash pizza?

Well if not, you are missing out.

To me, pizza is not that great.

Pros: tastes good.

Cons: greasy, too much cheese, unhealthy toppings (sorry pepperoni-lovers...)

However, pizza can taste delicious without all the bad stuff...

This pizza is proof.

First things first...roasted butternut squash with caramelized onions and rosemary.

You will think you've died and gone to heaven. Roasted veggies are my weakness. I eat them like a little kid would inhale candy. Nom nom nom.

And what better way than to serve them on a pizza?

And not to forget about another AMAZING pizza topping...pear.

Yes, you heard me. Pear, with gorgonzola cheese of course.

I had never had this combination before until Devin told me about it.

He had it a couple of times at restaurants, and loved it.

So we gave it a try. And it was...SO GOOD.

The combination of the sweet pear with the salty cheese. Perfect.

Oh, and don't forget the pesto!

Get in my belly...

Devin showing off his pizza dough tossing skills.

Show-off :)

 Flattening pizza dough my way.

 Ummm...

We decided to eat on the floor. Cute, right?

Confession: I only have one chair in my house...hence why we sat on sofa cushions.

Let's just pretend that we made the decision to sit on the floor ourselves :)

The wonderful pumpkin we carved.

A bit gruesome, I admit.

Ahhh!!

Classic Pizza Crust

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
5. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups white-wheat flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the white-wheat flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining white-wheat flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Basil Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (or 1 cup fresh basil leaves and 1 cup fresh spinach leaves)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine the basil/spinach in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pumpkin Pizza (Butternut Squash Pizza)

• 1 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1/2 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Pizza crust dough
• Pesto (or marinara)
• Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sliced onion and squash in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; toss to coat.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until onions are lightly browned and squash is tender; set aside.
3. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. 
4. Spread pesto or marinara over the pizza dough (I like to spread half of the dough with pesto and the other half with marinara). Cover with Mozzarelle cheese (however much you like). Distribute squash mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is firm.

Pear Gorgonzola Pizza

• 4 ounces sliced provolone cheese (or swiss cheese)
• 1 Bosc pear, thinly sliced
• 2 ounces chopped walnuts
• 2 1/2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• Fresh basil
• Pizza crust dough
• Pesto (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place pizza crust dough on a medium baking sheet. Layer with Provolone (or swiss) cheese. Top cheese with Bosc pear slices. Sprinkle with walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese.
3. Add fresh basil, if desired.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned.