Move Aside Paula Deen... (Guest Post by Bethany Rose)

...there's a new gourmet in the South!  I asked my friend, Bethany Rose, to be a guest writer today.  Here's what she has to say:

I am so honored that Andrea asked me to be a guest writer on her blog! She always cooks up fabulous meals so for her to notice a meal like mine makes me feel, well special.

I should start by saying that I am not a cook by any means. If you put me into a kitchen with 1,000 ingredients, I would probably make pasta and sauce. I do not know which spices compliment each other or know if chicken is done, just by “looking at it.” No, I am not an expert at all, but it is nice to know that anyone can make a good meal just by doing a little research and by being willing to try anything.

So here it goes…

Last night, I made Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza. To be honest with you, in the grocery store, I had to Google, “what is arugula?” I now know what it is. ;) It was a ridiculously easy recipe that I am sure I will make again. Plus, my hubby loved it, even though it was healthy and wasn’t topped with all those fatty meats like bacon and sausage.

Here’s what you will need…

·                                 1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat

·                                 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

·                                 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

·                                 2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)**

·                                 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper**

·                                 1 cup shredded fontina or part-skim mozzarella cheese

·                                 2 cups packed coarsely chopped arugula

·                                 1 cup chopped tomato

** They say strips but I would say bite- sized pieces. Prosciutto is very salty and I could not handle large pieces of it.

** I also would have used fresh red pepper to give it more of a kick

1.                                1-Position oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2.                                Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.

3.                                Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, prosciutto and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion is beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.

4.                                Spread the onion mixture evenly over the crust and top with cheese. Bake until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with arugula and tomato. (Personally, I topped it with arugula and tomato and popped it back into the oven for 1 minute just to have warm tomatoes.)

It was absolutely delicious. The onion flavor came out just enough in the pizza without over powering the pizza, which is what I was afraid of. It was a great meal for me. And now I know that I can cook something new even if I do not know what all the ingredients are!

Happy Eating!