You put WHAT on your pizza?!?!?

So, anyone that knows me is probably shocked that I put spinach on a pizza- but it was actually delish! I was pleasantly surprised :). I took pictures, but I haven't downloaded them yet, and honestly, they kind of make the pizza look like cat throw-up, so I might not ever add them, lol.

Jenni's (not me, a fabulous nestie that shared this great recipe!) Whole Wheat Herb Pizza Dough:

Ingredients

1 package dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, divided

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons pizza seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cooking Spray

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Directions

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, oil, garlic powder, pizza seasonings and salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well-blended.

3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

4. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes.

5. Divide dough in half; roll each half into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Top and bake according to recipe directions.

Note: You can prepare this in a stand mixer using the dough hook. Add all the ingredients and let the hook knead the dough for approximately 5 minutes. This is how I made mine and it was soooo easy! Don't be afraid, yeast is your friend!

Also, this dough may be frozen. Follow directions for kneading dough, and shape dough into 2 balls. Coat balls with cooking spray and place into a ziptop plastic freezer bag. Thaw overnight in a refrigerator. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85'), free from drafts' 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If Indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Shape as instructed.

And now, for the fabulous White Spinach Pizza:
Serving: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

1 (10-oz) can refrigerated pizza crust
1 cup skim milk
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
½ lb mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp minced garlic
3 cups fresh spinach, washed and stemmed
½ tsp dried basil
¼ cup crumbled feta
½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat crust into a round 12-inch pizza pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 7 minutes or until crust begins to brown.

2. In a small pot, mix together milk and flour over medium-high heat until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread white sauce over partially baked crust.

3. Meanwhile, in a skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté mushrooms and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, stirring until wilted. Add basil.

4. Spread spinach mixture over white sauce. Sprinkle with feta and mozzarella cheeses. Return to oven and continue baking for 10 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Based on individual serving.
Calories: 152
Total Fat: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Protein: 8 g

I used chicken instead of mushrooms and just cooked the chicken (diced) for a few minutes before adding the garlic to make sure it was well cooked. I also used Grueyere and Parm as my cheeses, 'cause those are my faves!

Tack-ay!

Had to include a couple of pics from the 2007 Nestie Tacky Sweater/Cookie Exchange Extravaganza! It was SO much fun, Dizz's house was gorgeous, everyone made delicious food, we all looked extremely tacky (especially Pami!) and most importantly, I came home with 3 dozen yummy cookies.

Here's my (well technically my mom's!) Ginger Snap recipe for those that want it. Sorry I forgot to take a picture. I was so bummed that I only had 4 leftover!

Ginger Snaps
3/4 C shortening
1 1/4 C sugar, divided
1/4 C molasses
1 egg
2 C flour
2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t ginger

1. Cream 1 cup sugar and shortening.
2. Add molasses and egg, beat well.
3. Sift dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture and mix well.
4. Roll into small balls and dip balls in 1/4 cup sugar.
5. Place 2" apart on greased cookie sheet.
6.Bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes (chewy) or 15 minutes (crispy).

When I took mine out, they didn't look cooked all the way, but I let them sit on the cookie sheet for about 5 mintues after I took them out and the hardened up! I also sprinkled a little extra sugar over the tops right after they came out of the oven.

Mmmmmmm

This is quite possibly my favorite dish that I make. That I've ever made. It is delicious. Make this one when you want to impress the heck out of someone (but don't particularly care about their arteries). It's kind of a pain to make, but after you make it once, you'll realize that it's worth 3x the effort. I only use about 2T of butter when I make it. Ya know, to make it more healthy. Kind of like ordering a diet soda with your large fries.

Caution: When this dish is baking you will most likely start drooling from the scent wafting out of your oven. Don't say I didn't warn you. Also known to cause knock down, drag out fights over the last bite.

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of the softened butter.

Arrange a layer of potatoes in the baking dish, and sprinkle some of the cheeses over them. Continue layering potatoes and cheeses until you've used them all, ending with a layer of potatoes.*

In a small bowl, whisk the cream with the salt and pepper; pour this over the potatoes. Dot the remaining butter over the top and sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender and golden brown on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

*Layer the potatoes all the way to the top. They sink a little when they bake, and trust me, you'll want as many layers of cheesy goodness as possible.