Balsamic Glazed Goat Cheese Pizza


Pizza is one thing I never make at home so this is actually my first pizza made from scratch. When I saw the whole wheat pizza dough at Trader Joe's, I really wanted to try it along with some toppings that you can't typically order from a pizza restaurant. 


Ingredients:
Whole wheat pizza dough
3 chicken sausages, sliced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup goat cheese
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
20 basil leaves, chopped
1 tbsp. Olive oil
Balsamic glaze





What To Do:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll the pizza dough onto pizza stone or baking sheet. Using a basting brush to baste dough with olive oil.

2. Cook the dough by itself for about 7 minutes and remove from oven. Evenly layer pizza sauce on top of the dough and sprinkle with Italian seasonings and black pepper. Next add mozzarella cheese, chopped basil leaves, chicken sausage, and finally sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until crust edges are browned.


3. Remove pizza from the oven and top with balsamic glaze going in a zig-zag motion (optional). Let cool for 5 minutes before using a pizza cutter to cut into slices.


Enjoy!

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Weekend: Charity Gala & Staycation

Hoping everyone had a great weekend as I did :-)
 
K and I enjoyed a quick staycation at a local Orlando resort in "tourist town" since we had to be out that way for a work charity event benefiting families dealing with pediatric cancer. It's an event that we've attended for the past three years and one I love since it's for a great cause.

We checked into the hotel on Saturday and explored the resort and pool before heading up to relax a bit before getting dressed for the event.



The night's entertainment consisted of live music, amazing food, good wine, poker, black jack and other table games (using funny money). They also had live auctions for some amazing prizes and later in the night we heard speeches from the families that benefited from the foundation. Overall it was a fantastic and fun night and luckily we only had to take a quick elevator ride to crash into bed!


 







On Sunday morning we had a complimentary breakfast at the resort with the charity group and then later checked out of the hotel to head home.



Since we were already out on International Drive, we stopped off to check out the new Orlando Eye observation wheel which stands 400 feet tall but we didn't actually go on the ride.


Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Friday Favorites


 Happiness is the feeling when Friday finally get here... and of course the weekend... and not having any big obligations. Happiness will be had this weekend with lots of relaxing and maybe a dash of productivity but I'm not promising anything though. So let's talk about some faves for this week.

Hair:
I love these 5 easy summer hairstyles by Lauren Conrad. 


Recipe: 
I've never heard of Mexican Street Corn before but this recipe looks amazing! 


Cute Outfits: 

Summer Casual


Casual Work to Happy Hour

Dressy Work

Exercise: 
I've been slacking recently and need to get back into a routine. I particularly like waist trimming workouts since that's my problem area.


Lola:
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen this pic of Lola who's always a great help in the kitchen vacuuming the floor when we're cooking and eating dinner.


Humor:


Because having friends that you don't have to always bite your tongue around is key.
 

Joining Amanda for her weekly Friday Favorites linkup and wishing everyone a happy weekend.

Is it 5 o'clock yet?


Turqouise Coverup


The warm summer months are the perfect time to enjoy family getaways and beach trips which calls for cute swimsuits and, of course, coverups. This Mikken pullover coverup in mermaid blue was too pretty to pass up and the price tag was very affordable. The crochet material is light and airy with a cute pom pom trim on the sleeves so I've loved wearing it out to the beach and pool this summer.




Jalapeño Popper Dip


A friend of mine grows all sorts of herbs, spices, and vegetables at home and often comes bearing gifts since she knows I love to cook. Last week she brought me a bag of jalapeños so I decided to make a spicy dip over the weekend. I recommend using reduced fat ingredients as you see necessary so the dip isn't too rich tasting, especially with the sour cream, cheeses, and mayonnaise.

Ingredients:
5 small/medium jalapeños, seeded & finely chopped
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese
4 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
 1 sprig of green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream

Topping:
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter, melted


What To Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Place block of cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and soften in the micro for 30 seconds. 
3. Add sour cream, jalapeños, green onions, mayo, shredded cheese, and crumbled bacon to the cream cheese and mix well. 
4. Lightly grease a medium-sized baking dish with cooking spray and then spoon the cream cheese/jalapeño mixture into the dish while spreading evenly. 


5. For the topping, gently mix Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese together with melted butter. Evenly spread over the top of the jalapeño dip.
6. Place in the oven and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the topping becomes golden brown.


Serve with chips or warm bread and enjoy!