After the Airport

I'm back again sharing another story recommended to me via the blogging world.

After the Airport is a post written by Jen Hatmaker, a Christian writer, speaker, and adoptive mother who speaks/writes straight from her heart. While this post focuses mainly on life after bringing home adopted children (hence the blog post title), she writes to all believers, specifically addressing our responsibility to encourage and minister to others long after the fanfare has died down.

Oh let us be a community who loves each other well. Because someone is always struggling through the "after the airport" phase, when the chords of human kindness become a lifeline of salvation. Let us watch for the struggling members of our tribe, faking it through sarcasm or self-deprecation or a cheerfully false report. May we refuse to let someone get swallowed up in isolation, drowning in grief or difficulties that seem too heavy to let anyone else carry. Let's live this big, beautiful Life together, rescuing each other from the brink and exposing the unending compassion of our Jesus who called us to this high level of community; past the romantic beginnings, through the messy and mundane middles, and all the way to the depths. 

READ IT NOW

For the Love of Alfredo

Don't judge me. I really am making a concerted effort to eat healthy during this pregnancy, but Alfredo has always been my weakness. You'll be happy to know that I have recently replaced my cream-laden recipe with a nice low-fat-but-still-tastes-good version. However, when the craving hits and I really need 'the good stuff', I turn to this pizza. Oh my, it's good. Even on a store bought crust it's good. 

This recipe was adapted from some of the best comfort food cooks, The Neely's.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Adapted from The Neely's via The Food Network

• 1 (3/4 pound) boneless skinless chicken breast
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 (16-ounce) ball pizza dough
• 2 cups baby spinach, well washed and dried
• 1 cup red grape tomatoes
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• Olive oil, for brushing crust

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust racks to the middle of the oven. Put pizza stone in the oven to preheat while you begin the sauce. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.


Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the chicken on the grill pan and grill until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and dice. Set aside.


Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and and cook until fragrant. Add the flour and cook until light blonde in color. Whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste.


Flour your work surface and roll the pizza dough into a 13-inch diameter. Carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven and put the dough on top. Ladle the sauce to cover the bottom of the pizza. Evenly top with the baby spinach, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken and the mozzarella. Brush the edge of the crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake the pizza until crisp and golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately top with another handful of spinach. Slice and serve.

As a Side Note: The sauce and the toppings make this pizza pretty heavy, so I would suggest avoiding a thin crust. Also, because we just love calories, I usually brush the edges of the crust with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and herbs before baking.

Who will I blame all this extra weight on AFTER the baby is born? :)

Breakfast Goodies

Now that things are slowly settling down in the house, I'm trying to get back into the routine of cooking. I have a few go-to meals that I freeze for when I need to fix dinner in a pinch, but I haven't been as diligent with breakfast foods. I'm slowly going back through my recipe files to find muffins, waffles, and other breakfast goodies that are 1) at least marginally healthy and 2) super quick to reheat. 

When I'm looking for something a little more savory, I turn to these Bangin' Bacon and Cheddar Scones. I think my favorite part of the recipe is grating the butter. It just makes the mixture come together so easily, and eliminates the need for me to use my hands to mix everything. If you're looking for an easy make-ahead breakfast bread, I would definitely recommend these.

Bangin' Bacon and Cheddar Scones
Adapted from The Food Network

• 3 cups self-rising flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
• 10 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg, for egg wash
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Add the flour, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. With a box grater, grate the butter into the flour. Mix the butter into flour with your hands until well incorporated. Add the cheese and crumbled bacon. Mix until evenly distributed. Add the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle a 1/2-inch thick. Cut wedges of dough out to preferred scone size and arrange on a half sheet tray lined with parchment paper. 

In a small bowl, beat the egg and brush each scone with the egg wash. Sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt and bake until nicely browned, about 14 to 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange on a serving platter.