Pesto Prosciutto Pizza

So many dream ingredients on one incredible pizza: pesto, prosciutto, feta, mozzarella pearls, and kale!

I kinda love how puffy my pizza crust got here but I think I finally found my happy medium pizza crust. I used the same ole recipe that is my tried and true - split the recipe in half, as you are supposed to do - and instead of prebaking it, I put the toppings on and then bake the crust just once. It keeps it from getting out of control puffy, so it's a thinner crust, but it's not so thin that it feels like you are eating cardboard.

Anyways, here I am sharing another recipe with pesto. I love love pesto and I was super excited for this recipe. It did not disappoint. I loved the salty prosciutto and the tangy feta. Also, mozzarella pearls are my favorite way to get mozzarella on my pizza. I love how gooey and melty they get! And kale! AH! This pizza has so many good parts to it and I adored it.

Cheese and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

Chicken has never been better stuffed with savory cream cheese, salty prosciutto, and bright and juicy tomatoes or red bell pepper!

This is one recipe that I struggled to get a good picture of. Struggled. Hard. This is actually the sixth or seventh set of pictures I've taken of it. However, I must say that I was not at all disappointed to make this stuffed chicken over and over again because it's one of my absolute favorite chicken recipes ever ever. I have made it in the original way with sundried tomatoes - but that's not really my favorite way to eat it because sundried tomatoes always seem too sweet to me. I've made it with roasted grape tomatoes a number of times, which is my favorite way to eat it. This last time I made it (as pictured), I made it with roasted red bell peppers.

I actually don't like making stuffed chicken because of how messy it can get, but I really don't mind this one and found that if I cheat and get PRE-thinly sliced chicken, I don't mind making them at all. I also have an insane amount of basil from my Aerogarden and this is the BEST way to use it. I love pesto, but I'm awful at making homemade pesto.

The Junkyard Special Sandwich

You've heard of everything but the kitchen sink, well, this junkyard special sandwich will blow you out of the water with all its wonderful toppings!

I love sandwiches that get lots of toppings thrown on them. This particular sandwich is called the Junkyard Special and I love that name. It's a copycat from a place called Sarcone's Deli in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It contains two types of meat (prosciutto and turkey), two types of cheese (provolone and mozzarella), plus spinach, roasted red peppers, and basil. Provolone is by far my favorite sandwich cheese and I typically eat turkey sandwiches, so this sandwich was really up my alley. It just had a few extra goodies on it. The roasted red peppers and melty, gooey mozzarella really added to this sandwich so well. I loved the sweetness and juiciness of the peppers with all the other more savory flavors. The mozzarella just married everything together and made it feel more hearty. This is definitely a sandwich you will want to make and if you don't share with a friend, I don't blame you!

Parmesan Crusted Prosciutto Tortellini

Proscuitto and pancetta meet four cheese tortellini and a crispy topping in this Olive Garden copycat!

It has been a crazy busy time for me lately. I can't even believe how quickly December flew by and it wasn't because I was trying to finish shopping or anything. I actually had gifts wrapped in the first week of December! I definitely did not work ahead as much as I had wished I had done prior to the start of the month, but I was just overwhelmed emotionally and it was definitely weighing heavy on me. I saw my doctor today and I'm hoping that the plan we put in place for me works and helps me to be a little less overwhelmed and more productive in my daily life. I'm also working hard on focusing in the new year.

Enough babbling and on to the recipe! This recipe is an Olive Garden copycat that is amazing. I don't know if OG still has this on their menu or if it even touches the original as far as taste, but I thought it was quite incredible. There has definitely been a trend going on where toasted breadcrumbs are served atop pasta in my kitchen and I LOVE IT. The pancetta and proscuitto are so good together. And Parm-Regg...oh, you have my heart! If you make this, don't forget a garlic breadstick!

Prosciutto & Gruyere Stuffed Chicken

 A dish that turns regular chicken into an exquisite, beautiful, and delicious meal.

This dish definitely has a fancy factor...prosciutto and Gruyere stuffed into a flattened chicken breast and served up cut into these gorgeous little slices. It looks like something you would get at a formal sit-down restaurant. Right?! But thankfully it is incredibly easy to make, even for me - I hate making stuffed chicken! The presentation alone makes these worth making, but it really wasn't as bad as I had expected. The salty prosciutto and rich Gruyere perfectly complimented the chicken. It was fabulous with a side salad and broccoli and will definitely be one I make again. I would love to try a couple different cheeses as well!

Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone

It's Wednesday and that means it's Soup Night for my family. Although tonight we're doing chili, I thought it'd only be fitting to post a soup recipe on the blog today :)

I am still really new to gnocchi, but I really like it. I know it's basically a potato dumpling and I have to say that I like it a lot more than actual dumplings that can get soggy in soup. Gnocchi really holds up its texture. This minestrone has a plethora of veggies in it and all of the flavors work amazingly together. Any soup that uses zucchini is automatically high up on my list of favorite soups!

I don't know about y'all, but New York has not gotten the memo that it is supposed to be warming up and we're supposed to get more snow today, so soup is really perfect for serving up! Even if it's warmer where you are, this soup is not as heavy as it appears and is a really fantastic recipe.