Pizza on the fly

So I went to the gym tonight, I was so sore from Tuesday's class that I thought a ballet class would help stretch out my poor, sore muscles.  Man, I learned that I'm about as flexible as my dad.  (And you know that man does not bend.)  I also realized that ballet class at the beginner level is not exactly a workout.  Now I feel really guilty for the meal that I'm about to put together - but I'm low on groceries and had to make due.  I'll have to double up my classes this weekend, when the burning fire in my quads subsides.

So What's for DINNER!  I have some pre-made pizza dough, an onion and a squash.  I'll caramelize the onion and roast off the squash - and I'll dust it with a sprinkling of blue cheese - I know I have a little bit left in my dairy drawer.  AND score - a crumbling of turkey bacon lardons on top!  Turkey bacon lardons you say?  YES, I'm taking a little creative license with this one - but it is a healthy swap.  (Lardons, you guys may know, are strips or cubes of pork fat, or bacon - originally used in fortifying roast meats, but more recently used as garnish in all sorts of dishes and salads.)

OH! I have to share something I learned in my recent issue of Boner Appetiter (Bon Appetit Magazine.)  I realized that the yummy cheese sauce my mother has been making my whole life, the bechamel with cheese, is actually called a Mornay Sauce.  Very cool.  It is used in Croque Monsieur.  Ding-dong.

So back to dinner!  How does a quick pizza sound?  I think this flavor combo will be a winner.  On-the-fly cooking is definitely my favorite.  Quick, easy, yummy.

Ingredients:
1 portion of pre-made pizza dough (regular or whole wheat)
1/2 sliced onion
1 acorn squash, 1/2 inch dice (or butternut, or pumpkin, or whatever you have could be potato)
3 strips of turkey bacon sliced into lardons
few sprigs of thyme
1/2 cup grated blue cheese (I have gorgonzola, I think a milder blue is better in this sitch)

Pizza:

Caramelize your sliced onion in a non-stick pan over medium low heat.  Dress your squash or tater in oil, salt and pep and pop into a 400 degree oven until golden brown, 15 minutes.  Pre-bake your pizza dough - I find that if I form the dough into my pizza shape on a baking sheet and pre-bake if for a few minutes, I get a crispier crust.  I pre-bake until golden brown, I can see the bottom is dark brown (I want that crisp, pizza parlor crust) then I pop on the other ingredients.  Squash, onion, bacon, cheese (gawd, this sounds fatty for a Thursday) and then pop it under the broiler.  I just want to melt and brown the cheese, everything else is cooked!  DO NOT WALK AWAY, KEEP YOUR EYE ON IT.  Seriously, if you burn it at this point, you'll be bummed.  I know, I scorch things under the broiler all the time - makes me so mad.  Usually I make Josh eat it anyway.  Poor guy.  Once your cheese is melted and gooey-golden-brown, pull it out, slice it up and ENJOY!