I Heart Friday Night Pizza Nights

And here starts another week.  But instead of thinking about this week’s obligations, let’s recap a really fun weekend first.  There were lots of fun activities this weekend to share with you all, so I’m going to recap each in separate posts.  Let’s start with Friday night!

Tim and I were really looking forward to a low-key night in, especially since last week our schedules didn’t mesh very well and we didn’t get to spend too much time together.

First priority?  Beer.

We were in the mood to try something new, so we picked up a little 12 pack of Uinta Brewing Company’s Spring Organic Mix’r.

In the mix’r included the Wyld Extra Pale Ale, the Baba Black Lager, and the Hyve Honey Ale.  My favorite was obviously the Hyve.  It was a medium bodied ale with the perfect taste of honey!  Tim really enjoyed the other two, especially the Baba Black Sheep.

Next up?  Food.  What better Friday night staying in activity than making homemade pizza?!  It’s so fun.  I mean, just the pizza making equipment itself is pretty awesome.

At least Tim thought so with his rolling-pin sword and pizza pan shield.

We spent some time looking up a few different recipes for inspiration and finally decided we were in the mood for a white crust recipe.  Here’s the one we found!

Shrimp Pizza with Spinach, Basil, and Mushrooms

Recipe inspired by MyRecipes.com

Ingredients

• Whole wheat pizza crust
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated fat-free milk
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound small shrimp, peeled
• 2.5 cups sliced mushrooms
• 3 cups chopped spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place crust on a baking sheet, set aside.
3. Combine cornstarch, milk, and garlic in a small saucepan, stirring well with a whisk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in salt and pepper.  Spread sauce over crust.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat, sauté shrimp 3 minutes.
5. Add mushrooms, sauté 2 minutes.
6. Stir in spinach, cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.
7. Drain and spoon shrimp mixture over sauce.  Sprinkle with oregano and basil, then top with cheese.
8. Bake at 425° for 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Back to why pizza making is fun.

Tim perfected the dough while I took care of the toppings.

Poor little shrimpies:

Ready for the oven!

P.S.  My hand was shaking so bad for this picture.  I don’t know how waiters and waitresses do it.  I would be THE WORST server of all time.

Here’s the finished product!

Paired with a nice little side salad:

More spinach greens with tomato, avocado, and sliced red pepper.

Drizzled with a little light balsamic.

Perfect Friday night meal!

Brews:  Check.
Food:  Check.

Next up?  Entertainment.

We’ve been talking about seeing The Descendants for a while now, so when it was available for $1 at the Redbox at Stop & Shop, we took full advantage.

I thought the movie was pretty good.  Sad, but still entertaining.  And it’s not a chick flick.  Some parts were a bit dragged out I thought, but the overall story is kinda intense.  During the movie, Tim actually said, “I’ve never felt so bad for one character in a movie before.”  Poor George Clooney.  He’s so handsome too.

Two thumbs up!

Before we started the movie I decided I was craving something sweet for dessert, so I quickly whipped up a batch of no bake cookies.  Seriously, you need to make these.  All it takes is ten minutes and you have peanut butter deliciousness at your fingertips.

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 14 cookies

Ingredients

• 8 whole-wheat graham crackers (16 squares), finely ground
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter
• 4.5 tablespoons honey
• Unsweetened coconut

Directions

Mix the graham crackers (finely ground), raisins, peanut butter, and honey all together.  If the mixture looks too dry, add more peanut butter or honey as necessary.  Roll into cookies, and dip into the shredded coconut.  I put the coconut in a bowl and just rolled each cookie around until it was coated.

Was the perfect size treat to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I heart Friday night pizza nights!  If you guys are looking for some more Fitness & Feta inspired pizza recipes, check out these posts:

• Chicken Burrito Pizza
• Fig & Gorgonzola Pizza
• Magic Mushroom Pizza

What’s your favorite way to make homemade pizza?  Favorite “no bake” sweet treat?  What did you guys do with your Friday nights?  If you saw the Descendants, what did you think of the movie?

Off to work – long day ahead!