The front room of my house has nothing in it. Absolutely positively nothing…other than a broken IKEA couch that Mr. Prevention refuses to part with, that is. I’ve requested that we 1) get rid of the broken couch and 2) shop for living room furniture. #uphillbattle
But, some bad excuse always comes up when I ask him if we can go furniture shopping. And then we argue about whether or not a couch that nearly touches the ground is really and truly “broken”. As if this is actually a debate.
The real issue? The man is cheap.
(And his rear rarely leaves the Lay-Z Boy in the family room.)
Mr. Prevention is the guy who gets his hair cut at the discount hair salon in grocery store for $8, after his $2 off coupon. He offers up our date night options by informing me of where we have coupons or Groupons. I recently got yelled at for buying Hefty trash bags because “those are so expensive, Nicole!”!!
Imagine my pleasant surprise when I suggested we spend our tax return sprucing up our landscaping…and he agreed. By sprucing up, I really mean tearing it all out and replanting bushes, perennials, etc. When we got a rather steep quote last night, he didn’t really bat an eye. I’m thinking that’s because our neighbor not-so-bashfully asked if we would be doing anything to our landscaping this year…
I get on Mr. Prevention about his “good deals gone wrong”, from time-to-time. Yes, fresh mozzarella is incredibly cheap at CostCo…but we have 2 pounds of it that expires tomorrow. His solution: “Why don’t you make us pizza?” Hmm…why don’t you make us pizza?
Needless to say, I came home from work yesterday to find a pizza crust, pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, and a green bell pepper. And a request to use the jalapeno in the fridge. At least he asked first?
I don’t know that his pizza will be able to hold a candle to this pizza with brussels sprouts, bacon, and goat cheese. Though, I’m sure he’d argue otherwise 
Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Goat Cheese Pizza adapted from Shutterbean and Pink Parsley via Cook Like a Champion
1 lb whole wheat pizza dough
4 pieces of bacon, chopped
10 brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
3 oz fontina, shredded
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Directions:
Place a pizza stone or sheet pan in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees for ~30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet, stirring often, until just crispy and lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. To the bacon drippings, add the brussels sprouts, shallots, garlic, oil, vinegar, and red pepper flakes; saute 2-3 minutes or until brussels sprouts are slightly softened. Remove from heat.
On a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with cornmeal, stretch the pizza dough into a 14-inch circle. Brush the perimeter with olive oil. Sprinkle the dough with the cheesea, leaving a thin border around the edge. Evenly distribute the brussels sprouts mixture, then top with the bacon.
Transfer the pizza and parchment to the stone in the oven, and bake 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the toppings are cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 2-3 minutes before slicing and serving.
Yield: 8 slices
Nutrition Information (per slice): 210 calories; 10.9 g. fat; 21 mg. cholesterol; 492 mg. sodium; 19.3 g. carbohydrate; 2.0 g. fiber; 7.6 g. protein; 0.5 g. sugar
Result: Such a savory pizza! While the brussels sprouts don’t make this pizza for me (more of a texture preference – the taste was great!). I love the bacon with balsamic concept and the fontina added a richness balanced by the creaminess of the goat cheese and crunch of bacon to finish. Mmm!
