Spinach Alfredo Pizza

A few weeks ago on move-in day we ordered pizza from Papa John's... I ordered the Spinach Alfredo pizza and it was amaaaazing (and actually is the recommended pizza for Papa John's in the "Eat This, Not That!" book!) We prefer making our own pizza since it's cheaper and healthier, and because I love my beloved baking stone... and I've been dying to have it again so I found a recipe to try and man it's a WINNER.

Note: this recipe makes 2 pizzas. We made one tonight, and we're making the other tomorrow since I got two pizza crusts, but next time we'll freeze the spinach/alfredo/artichokes together and save them for the next time.

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo Sauce
1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained (we omitted)
1 (10 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 unbaked pizza crusts (favorite of the moment: Marketplace thin-crust pizza dough from Walmart, already baked and in the bakery section)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives (optional, we also omitted)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread pizza crusts out onto baking sheets or pizza pans. Place the spinach and Alfredo sauce in a saucepan, and warm over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Spread 1tablespoon of olive oil onto each pizza crust. Spoon half of the Alfredo and spinach onto each crust, then arrange artichoke hearts over the sauce layer. Top each pizza with half of the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle mushrooms and black olives on top. Bake pizzas one at a time for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bottom is nicely browned.

Pineapple Cupcakes

...and since we had pineapple left over from dinner, and we had all the ingredients... got the recipe here from the Wilton site!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup pecans chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Stir in sugar, pineapple and, if desired, nuts. Add flour mixture; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack; remove and cool completely before decorating.

*It says it makes 18-for me it made 12 fluffy ones and a mini loaf pan!

Caribbean Chicken Grill with Pineapple Salad

First post from our new house!

SO GOOD! Maya even ate the chicken... and she's been refusing chicken for the better part of 6 months now! Got the recipe here!

8oz can pineapple chunks or tidbits (we had a fresh pineapple, so I measured out the amount)
1/4 C oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 C diced red bell pepper
1/4 C diced red onion
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain pineapple juice into a 1 cup measure (I made my own-crushed some pineapple and added a bit of water. Wasn't 1 cup but it worked fine). Add oil, lime juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar; mix well. Place chicken in a large zippered plastic bag or glass utility dish. Pour all but 1-2 tablespoons of marinade over chicken. Cover and refrigerate chicken for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place pineapple in a medium-sized serving bowl. Add red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and reserved 1-2 tablespoons of marinade. Toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat grill to medium. Remove chicken from marinade; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with pineapple salad.

**Some of the reviewers had doubled the amount of salsa they made with it-particularly the amount of pineapple-SO glad I did! I probably ended up using about 2-2.5C pineapple.