Chicken Pesto Pizza

I made this deliciousness for dinner last night. I made some adjustments to the recipe, so here's what I did...


ingredients
pesto*
whole chicken breast, cooked and shredded
italian-blend shredded cheese (the recipe calls for fontina, but I already had this in the house)
I eliminated the artichoke hearts
pizza crust (I use these crusts from Boboli, because you can freeze them and they don't have to thaw before you put them in the oven to cook!)
optional: garlic clove


directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Slice the garlic clove, and rub it on the pizza crust.
3. Spread the pesto on the crust. Place the pieces of chicken on top of the pesto, and sprinkle the cheese.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned at the edges.


**If I had one in the house yesterday, I probably would have sliced up a tomato to add to this. It was a little dry, but still delicious. :) 


*pesto recipe:
I made pesto a few weeks ago (using the recipe below) and froze portions of it in an ice cube tray. So for this recipe, I popped out a few cubes (I think 5) and set them on  a plate on top of the oven while it was preheating to thaw.


2 c. firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 c. pine nuts
3 tbsp. grated parmesan
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil


1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients, except the oil. Pulse until a thick paste forms. Add oil until mixture is well combined.
2. Transfer to an airtight container. Press plastic wrap (I used wax paper) directly onto pesto--to keep basil from browning. Cover with lid; refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months.
(From Woman's Day magazine.)

A modest critique.

I'm no music expert... and I'm hesitant to admit this...

But I think, after a few listens to Taylor's Swifts new album Speak Now, I actually prefer her second album Fearless. 

I think.

is it cheesy to link to my husband's blog?

oh well, i'm doing it anyway.

"If I Die Young", The Band Perry.

I've had this song in my head for weeks....







I think it's honest, and sad, and beautiful... and I really love it.


But I think it's good for me to remember that while this song is sad and beautiful, there's no hope. And I, because I know Christ, have hope at the end of my life on earth. If I die young, nothing's lost, because I have hope beyond this life.

Pre-Wedding Musings... Post-Wedding.

I stumbled upon this post dated August 3rd, that I never published:

"There are a lot of things about marriage that are going to be a significant adjustment for me. 

I mean, duh. Right? That may have been the biggest understatement of the year. But the point is that there are lots of things that are going to change, that will be hard, that I won't necessarily like right away. But there is one that I know will be extra hard. Because it's hard already. Because I feel the stress and the weight of it even in the planning to be married. 

It's that I will no longer be an "I"; I will be a "We". 

For the most part, that's exciting. I'm going to be married! There will be companionship, love, encouragement... I like the idea of being a "we" when it comes to the white picket fence and Saturday mornings with the newspaper and coffee. 

But becoming a "we" means that I no longer get to make decisions on a whim. I am accountable to and responsible for another human being. I can't just walk into the mall and decide to buy a computer. I can't just decide to apply for a job in North Carolina for a summer. I can't pick up one day and move to California. Granted, I wouldn't necessarily move across the country without telling anyone even if I was single. And, obviously, these aren't very important things... mostly they're just outrageous examples. But I'm essentially giving up some of my independence. I'm deciding to be "tied down" in a sense, tied to another person. Tied to his desires and dreams... not just my own. 

Please don't misunderstand me--these are good things. God designed marriage for good reasons. God designed marriage as two individuals becoming a pair, "one flesh", for good reasons--for His glory and our joy, and for so many other things I'm sure I'll learn.

I'm just saying that it's going to be hard, because I've gotten used to being an "I". But, even though I'm a little nervous about the transition, I am excited about becoming a "we". :)"

That was written three weeks before I got married, but a lot of it I think is still true. There's a lot of life-merging that's happening... the two "I"s becoming one "we". There's accountability and humility, learning to be less self-focused. Even just learning to share a bed was more challenging than I expected. :) But there's so much goodness, too. For one, it's so much fun to live with your best friend. And even in the accountability and humility, learning to be selfless... there's goodness. It's sanctifying. This is the way God chose to sanctify us, through marriage to the other person.

And it's good. 

Too good to not pass along.

Last week I was scrambling to find an easy main course for dinner. The meal I had been planning all day fell through at the last minute (I can't remember why), and I didn't have much time (or many ingredients) to come up with a new one.

I'd been given this little cookbook for one of my bridal showers, and so I quickly flipped through it until I found an option for which I had all the ingredients.

1/2 c. mayonnaise-type salad dressing

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

3/4 t. garlic powder

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3/4 c. italian-flavored dry bread crumbs

Combine salad dressing, parmesan cheese and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Coat chicken with mixture; cover each with bread crumbs. Arrange chicken in an ungreased baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden and juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

Super easy to make. Pretty common ingredients. And Brett told me it was the best thing I've made since we've been married.

I'd give it an A+ on all counts. :)