Update: Breakfast Pizza and the Obesity Open

There are a lot of strange things going on around here.

1) I moved into a nice little rental home with one furry, handsome Britton. It's got a real backyard and a real garage and REAL curbside recycling pick-up. I'm an adult.

2) I've been elbow deep in pool water all week. Which also means I've been elbow deep in dead frogs, spiders, ants, beetles, and tree parts. Might be why I come home and don't feel like cooking.

3) We've hired one mercenary Battle Kitten who goes by the name Odie. He fights in all our wars in exchange for petting, grooming, poop-scooping, and kibble. Britton threatens to kill him painfully on a daily basis, but I know we are both totally in love.

4) I am eating healthy. I developed a competition between Britton and I to lose weight and cut unnecessary calories out of our diet. Britton called it the Obesity Open (big tennis fan.) Below is a set of rules (which do not change daily despite naysayers.) Whenever a rule is broken per eating event, a dollar is put into the "Fund of Shame." The total "Fund of Shame" will ultimately wind up in the pocket of he/she who has sinned the least. Here are the rules.

• Exercise 2x per week, cardio or weights, for 30 minutes minimum.
• No fast food (specifically no deep fried food, no hamburgers.) We've been dealing with "fast food" items that are relatively healthy on a case-by-case basis.
• Rich dessert (in excess of 100 cal) once a month. May be exchanged for one fatty or deep fried food once a month.
• No full-calorie sodas. No sweet teas.
• No creamer or halfnhalf in coffee. Whole milk or lower.

See. Just basic stuff, but it's really made a difference in my attitude towards consuming food outside the home and to exercise. We joined the local YMCA maybe three weeks ago, and now we're both lifting weights, going to group cycling, and having conversations about our health. It's marvelous, and though we're currently tied (darn french fries at Keba,) I can't see either of us royally screwing this up.

This weekend I am staying in! I've been feeling sick and exhausted from work, so I'm making an effort to remain outside of my car and in my jammies. I will have a brief stint in workout shorts for the gym, but THAT IS IT. NO DRIVING. So rather than haunting our usual dim sum or Southern fusion brunch providers, I made it myself.

Breakfast Pizza (by smitten kitchen)

Please check out the original recipe on smitten kitchen's marvelous website. I love all her recipes which make awesome dishes using simple ingredients. Simple is always better in my book. That I will write someday. It will probably be pretty short. Like less than 100 pages.

Here's some eye candy and subliminal messaging.

MAKE THIS PIZZA.

Oh, did you know I am now cooking with gas? That's right. And yes, that is also bacon in that pan. When you make this pizza, remember, it's okay to eat a few slices as long as the cat is busy playing with shredded newspaper and your boyfriend is in the office with the door closed playing with his new iPhone.

YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS PIZZA.

Easy peasy, for sheasy. Just a little chopping. I left out the flat leaf parsley and the scallions. (I don't use parsley for anything - it tastes too bland to buy just for prettiness' sake.) But don't skimp on the shallot. Shallot is key.

You don't even need to make your own pizza dough. In a hurry - get it pre-made at the grocery store. (It doesn't take a lot of time, but you do need to plan ahead.)

Taa daa! MAKE THIS PIZZA.

Coming Soon! A week in New York City. NY Noms. Big Apple Binge. Manhattan Meatfest. I don't know what to call it yet, but it's going to be big! Restaurant reviews, artsy film houses, and a tutorial on how to eat soup dumplings and where to get some decent ones in Atlanta.