It’s been a long time since I posted a recipe. Most of our cooking in this season is done quickly  and with hopes of many leftovers for lunches and dinners without extra cooking. But I posted a picture of last night’s creation via Instagram, and many of you thought it looked delicious and/or asked about the recipe—so for you, here it is!

Oddly, last night wasn’t much different from previous nights intention and ingredient-wise… except I was in one of those moods, which coincidentally has carried over into today’s gingerbread waffle making, kitchen tile grout scrubbing and floor mopping.  I call it “I can absolutely no longer look at a computer screen, my body needs to move, and it’s been a while since I’ve put effort into homemaking beyond the bare minimum.”  Also coincidentally, Eric hasn’t been feeling well, so into the kitchen I went, alone, feeling a little creative, and with the leftover stars aligning.

Leftover stars aligning? Let me explain.

I’m so not one of those cooks who plans what to do with my leftovers. If I’m really on top of things, I sometimes manage to have the foresight to cook extra diced chicken if I’m using it two nights in a row. But I also routinely (like right now) have things in the fridge like 3/4 a head of cabbage I used for one night of tacos. I entered this week with a vague idea that we’d make a bacon and pear pizza. We almost always keep bacon and mozzarella on hand, I make my own crusts, and I knew I’d be able to figure out some sort of base. Luckily, it was a combination of random leftovers that really made this pizza special.

How to make really good pizza, Brynna style

1. Decide you don’t feel like making a pizza crust. Realize you have some leftover flat bread from curry last night. Oops, you already stuck it in the freezer. Throw it in the 350˚ oven to thaw it.

2. Chop and fry up some bacon (3 slices in my case, for 3 flatbread rounds). Drain the grease. Realize you have a perfect amount of leftover chopped red onion in the fridge. Give that a go-around in the same pan.

3. Shred some mozzarella cheese. Slice the pear.

4. Smell something cooking and realize that the flatbread’s still in the oven. Open it up to discover breads that are not burnt but are puffed up and quite toasted. Take them out, smush them down even though the tops are now all crumbly, and hide the big bread flakes under a blanket of alfredo sauce.

5. Throw those guys on a cookie sheet, add shredded mozz, bacon, red onion, pear, and bleu cheese crumbles that were in the fridge.

6. Realize there are no vegetables on this thing. Grab some spinach and chop it like basil for a little vitamin garnish and the illusion of health food.

7. Return to oven until cheese is melty. Broil for the last couple minutes to speed up browning.

8. In the mean time, if you’re so inclined……see the unused half-pear on the counter and a lone apple in the fruit bowl. Chop them up really quick, toss them with a dusting of cinnamon, sugar and flour, and throw them in ramekins.  Use your fingers to smush up some butter with sugar, cinnamon, oats and flour and put it on top of the fruit. Dessert!

Pear, Bacon, and Bleu Cheese Flatbread Pizza
or, the recipe without the play-by-play, for those of you who don’t like rambling. C’mon.

Ingredients:

3 Trader Joe’s flatbread rounds
About 1/2 c jarred Alfredo sauce
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
3 slices of bacon
3 Tbsp chopped red onion
Half a pear, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons bleu cheese crumbles
8(ish) baby spinach leaves, chopped in a chiffonade

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Fry bacon in a skillet; drain grease. Add red onion and cook 1-2 minutes until softened but not translucent.
3. Toast flatbread. Watch closely!
4. Remove from oven and top with Alfredo sauce, dividing evenly among three rounds.
5. Top three rounds evenly with remaining ingredients.
6. Return to oven just until cheese is melted and begins to brown.

Serve with wine, and follow with apple pear crumbles (but you have to read the rambly recipe for that. Step 8.)

Enjoy!