Goat Cheese Barbecue Pizza

This is a conglomeration of extra foods that I had in my fridge that I needed to use before the Labor Day weekend...and it was a SUCCESS!

Ingredients:
1 Pizza Crust
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
4-6 Basil Leaves, finely chopped
3-4 Tomatoes
1-2 slices Red Onion, quartered
1 Chicken Breast, cooked and cut into chunks
Desired Barbecue sauce
Goat cheese, 1/4" slices


1. Start my preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Take the pizza crust out of the package and place on pizza pan. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the crust and spread it with the back of a spoon until it lightly coats the crust.

2. Next thinly slice the tomatoes and place on the pizza crust until fully covered. Sprinkle the finely chopped basil on the tomatoes and let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients. After slicing the ingredients, add chicken and red onion to the pizza. Then drizzle barbecue sauce till lightly covers pizza.

3. Lastly, add sliced goat cheese onto pizza spaced evenly on the top. Place pizza in oven for 10-12 minutes.

4. Take out of the oven, let sit for a few minutes, cut, serve and enjoy!!

"I'm Pink and Black and Blue for You" : PINK and BLUE

Strawberry Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese Spinach Salad

Yes, I will go ahead and answer your question, it IS as good as it looks. ;)

Strawberry Chicken

Ingredients:

2 (6-8 ounce) containers strawberry yogurt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt...I'm pretty sure regular salt is ok ;)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 large strawberries
1 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh mint leaves
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)

(I reduced the original recipe for two! )

1.  In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, sugar, pepper, cinnamon and salt. Place chicken breast halves in a shallow baking dish, and pour the sauce over them. Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning chicken over half way through.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape the marinade off of the chicken breasts, and place them into the hot oil. Quickly brown the chicken on both sides, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let rest for 3 minutes.

3. While the chicken is cooking, transfer the marinade to a saucepan. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Remove stems from strawberries, and slice thinly so they will fan nicely. Set aside.

4. Slice chicken breasts on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on serving plates, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the marinade over each chicken breast, and fan one sliced strawberry over the top. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh mint and parsley. If you really love balsamic vinegar, finish the dish off with an artful drizzle.

Blue Cheese Spinach Salad

Ingredients:     (based on desired amounts)

Spinach

Pecans

Blue Cheese

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and toss till spinach leaves are covered in dressing. Taste...then enjoy!

This was my first theme dinner! Hopefully there will be more to follow! 

:)