Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza

(The first of a trio of Cooking Light weeknight recipes- their May 2011 issue is chock-full of bright and summery dinners!)

A second recipe to add to my fake California Pizza Kitchen collection: Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza. Three really strong flavors, gorgonzola, balsamic and arugula, balanced against mild sweet peaches, pizza crust and shallots, add up to a tasty and interesting pizza. Every bite brought out different notes! (Yes, I did end up spearing pizza and salad on the same fork, although my husband ate them separately).

With all pizza, the trick is really in how to most efficiently prep the ingredients. I didn't have a great plan for doing the chicken, and ended up poaching it. Next time I think I'd use leftover chicken, or throw a full breast (which is more than 1 cup) on the grill the night before. Meanwhile, the prebaked pizza crust was a huge time-saver, but wasn't worth it for me. I may try a different brand next time (I used Rustic Crust Organic Originale) or I may spend extra time and use unbaked dough.

Sweet Potato and Brie Flat Bread

Week 4, day 4.

First I just have to say: I appreciate the sophistication of the word "flat bread," but I'm pretty sure California Pizza Kitchen would call this a pizza. And if you would have handed me a slice of this and told me that it came from there, I would have believed you.

Second I would add: this recipe is kind of embarrassingly easy, but it can be made even simpler with 2 important tools: a knife specially made for slicing soft cheese (with holes in the middle, so the cheese doesn't stick) and a mandolin for thinly slicing the sweet potato. Note to self: buy a mandolin.

Third thing? Some third-party endorsements: my veggie-skeptic husband asked for seconds, and when I reheated at work the next day, two randoms stopped me to say how good it smelled.

Fourth, since this was the fourth recipe of the fourth Real Simple week, I finally researched the question of whether "one shallot" was the whole thing, or just one section. Apparently, it's the whole thing-- about 3 tablespoons.