Fast & EasyRoasted Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza for the Hermit Writer

You just got home from work and you need to finish that one-sheet for the conference coming up, but your family is hungry...what does a too-busy-to-write writer do?

She makes a Roasted Garlic Pesto Chicken Pizza, that's what!

Yes, there is a bit of planning involved to make this easy pizza, but if you have the ingredients on hand, it only takes about 5 minutes prep, and 15 minutes to bake. Toss a salad and you have a meal in less than 30 minutes!

Roasted Garlic, Pesto and Chicken Pizza. (the original site from the Pinterest pin is Pie Birds, Buttons, and Muddy Puddles.  There is a step by step tutorial on this site.). FYI: I did not make my own crust, but bought some artizan pizza crust at Walmart.

Ingredients:

2 pizza crusts
Jar of pesto
Head of garlic, roasted. See how to roast garlic at Pie Birds, Buttons, and Muddy Puddles. (or you could just use a jar of roasted garlic)
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
2-3 cups of chopped chicken (I always purchase a rotisserie chicken at Walmart or Sam's, debone it, separate it, put it in bags, and freeze it. I just pull out a bag and defrost it in the microwave...easy!)

Preheat oven to whatever the package of crusts says.
Mash roasted garlic and spread 1/2 over one pizza crust.
Pour 1/2 a jar of pesto onto the crust and spread evenly.
Place 1/2 of the chopped chicken onto your crust.
Top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup Paemesan cheese over the mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the crust and what the packaging says.

I have to say that my family loved it! It was different and had great flavor. We will definitely be making this again! Doesn't the picture look yummy?

What is your favorite type of pizza?

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

Idiot-proof oven-baked risotto

This week on the Alley we're all about serving up fast and fabulous meals that get us out of the kitchen quicker and back to our writing.

Enter: Idiot-proof oven-baked risotto.

Photo credit: yours truly. 

Now, before you break into a cold sweat at the thought of standing at the stove stirring the pot for an hour, let me just tell you, this recipe is E.A.S.Y. (An acronym for Extra fast, Absolutely healthy, and Sensationally Yummy.) No stirring involved!

It's a flexible recipe, meaning as long as you get the proportions of rice and stock correct, you can add WHATEVER quantity of vegetables you like, depending on what you have kicking around your fridge.

But that's enough yabber from me - you have a book to be writing! Let's get dinner on!

OVEN-BAKED RISOTTO

1. Preheat oven to 390 degrees Farenheit. (Or 200C for any fellow Aussies out there.)
2. In a casserole dish with a lid, add 1 cup arborio rice to 2.5 cups chicken stock.*
3. Add one diced onion and a couple of handfuls of sliced mushrooms.
4. Bake for 45 mins.
5. Cube some pumpkin, place it on an oven tray and give it a light spray of olive oil, and roast it on another rack in the oven for 20 mins, or until soft.
6. Once the rice is done, add 1 cup of frozen peas, the roasted pumpkin, and some cubed feta. Stir through and return to the oven for 10-15 mins.

Variations:
- Use a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves instead of peas.
- If you're a die-hard carnivore, add some cooked and diced chicken, or prosciutto if you wanna get fancy.

* Note: quantity serves 3 - increase proportions if desired! You can also use veggie stock for a vegetarian version.

So that's it! Even my 1-year-old loved this recipe and devoured it! The 3-year-old took a little more convincing, but hey, you can't win 'em all! For a meal that took about 15 minutes prep, this was a winner.

Now get outta that kitchen and get writing!

Do you have a favourite super-fast recipe for deadline crunch-time? Please share!

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia. When she's not chasing after three small children, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website and Twitter.