A Love Affair: Pizza & I

HAPPY NATIONAL PIZZA WEEK!!!!! The Today Show's Facebook Page alerted me to the momentous (um just discovered a word...anyone else  use to think it was "monumentous"?) occasion.

I don't know when it happened, but pizza is a serious food for me. I am in love with it. Lately, macaroni and cheese has stolen some of my heart, but pizza is still #1. Oh...Bread. Tomato sauce. Cheeeeeeeeeeese. Tastes so gooooooood.

And put bacon on top? I'm weak at the knees just imagining it.

I have a dream. My dream is that one day I will travel to NYC to try true American pizza. Yes, I've never been! I'm 23 (almost 24) and have never been to NEW YORK CITY. But I have faith that the power of love and nagging Boyfriend maybe(?) will get me there soon.


Until then, I will have to rely on local establishments and my own ingenuity. Yesterday I made the best pizza to date. It wasn't traditional, but sometimes that's ok.

To get started you need this. Annie knows what good pizza is and tells you exactly what to do to get there: homemade crust. And as someone who cooks for "one" on a daily basis, being able to freeze extra dough for later is AWESOME, and Annie explains how to do it! :)

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Servings: 1 pizza, 3 servings :)

1/3 recipe of Annie's pizza crust
1/2 tablespoon Smart Balance
1 cup portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup spinach, cooked
4 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 chicken breast (I cooked this in my crock-pot with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce and 1/4 cup chicken broth for about 4-5 hours, then shredded)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup sharp cheddar
Scant 1/4 cup gruyere
About 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a pan over medium heat, cook onions and mushrooms with Smart Balance until soft.

• Press out dough onto baking sheet and spread olive oil on top. Top with spinach, onions and mushrooms, bacon, chicken, and cheeses. Lastly, add barbecue sauce straight from the bottle by zip-zagging over the pizza.

• Bake for about 15 minutes or until crust is puffed and starting to brown and cheese is melted.