california club pizza by chelsea.

i told you i had obsessions. so here is another pizza recipe that i made up tonight based on another favorite pick at cpk. it turned out delish! and is very healthy, as well. here you go:

ingredients:

one whole wheat pizza crust

one bag of mozzarella cheese

one tomato

one avocado

one chicken breast

four strips of turkey bacon

three cups shredded lettuce

two tablespoons of light mayonnaise

directions:

1) preheat oven to 425 degrees

2) grill one chicken breast whatever way you prefer; dice chicken breast after cooked. grill four pieces of bacon; then put into food processor until very finely chopped.

3) thinly slice the tomato

4) lightly brush pizza crust with extra virgin olive oil. then, top with chicken breast, bacon, mozzarella cheese and tomato slices.

5) bake for 10-15 minutes

6) while pizza is baking, slice one avocado.

7) you can shred your own lettuce or buy it already shredded. mix the three cups of shredded lettuce with two tablespoons of light mayonnaise until the lettuce is very lightly and evenly coated.

8 ) once pizza is done baking, top with layer of shredded lettuce and avocado slices.

9) twala! dinner is served.

lalala decorate.

today’s post is a smorgasbord of affordable decorating tips that i have found to be of the utmost help to me in my apartment decorating endeavors.

craigslist/yard sales. i know this sounds a bit redundant and ridiculous, but if you search long enough you can find a valuable piece of furniture for an invaluable price. for instance, we needed a hutch for our new kitchen. we received so many amazing things as wedding presents, that our kitchen was stocked full with appliances with not one drawer left for food items.

i got this adorable find for $50 from a lady in avondale whose home had outgrown it and then proudly adorned it with my various anthropology plates and bowls. so cheap and cute!

second, we needed a rug. i had scoured target, world market and all the usual places with no luck whatsoever. a target rug for $300…pshhh. redonkulous. one day when i was out shopping, i came across the most adorably cozy rug at urban outfitters….with an adorable price tag of $70:

though this rug is not currently on sale online, there is a plethora of other glorious rugs available on the website. my personal favorite is the 3×5 crochet top rugs!

i tend to stalk sales…and sometimes this helps me, and sometimes this makes me look completely retarded. in this case, it realllly helped me. i had been stalking the anthropology in nyc for quite some time, when i came across this little gem in the sale section. there was no price tag, and to this day i believe it was a miracle because i somehow walked out with a $350 duvet for $45. yesssssuhhh.

as far as wall decorations, i made all of the art pieces showcased except for the two african paintings in the bedroom, which i purchased in Nairobi for a steeping $10 in 2007.

finally, the couch! the one place i love the most in the whole wide world. cody and i knew we needed a good couch. a good slipcover was about $200 which we felt like would be wasted money, and although i am far from a clean freak the idea of laying on a used couch produced within me a gag reflex, so i went out to find a couch for $500 or less. there are many good options for couches that are cheap and nice! we found our lovely sofa on sale for $450 at io metro. though ikea, pier 1 and world market also offer couches for the same amount, i am partial to mine.

for further decorating for cheap: etsy has a remarkably wonderful collection of affordable decorating items that you can’t seem to find anywhere else. i love their knobs! bc anthropology’s are totally outrageous and etsy’s are far more affordable and just as cute. and the blog design sponge gives me about a thousand ideas every single day.

love to all!

mexican tostada pizza.

i am a girl of many obessions. most of which come and go like the wind. my newest obsession, brought on by my macaroni-loving sister, is that of California Pizza Kitchen. and how can this not be a good thing when there are so many various types of pizza that I can try each time I visit their welcoming, yellow, open-aired patio?

i am a newylwed, however, and what do us newlyweds all have in common? low funding. it’s important to learn how to live chic on a small budget. therefore, i decided to reinvent CPK’s Tostada Pizza in my own kitchen, based on the taste I so loved and cherished. and here is the final turnout:

Mexican Pizza by Chelsea Norton:

1 pizza crust (we may be nifty but who has time to make their own?)

1 can of black beans

1 package of mexican cheese (whichever brand/flavor you prefer)

4 chicken tenderloins

2 cups salsa

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 cup diced tomatoes

Ranch to taste

Directions:

1) preheat oven to 425 degrees

2) put chicken tenderloins and 2 cups salsa into a sautee pan and cook over medium until tender. when cooked, shred.

3) spread black beans over  pizza crust as the base sauce.

4) top black beans with salsa/chicken mixture as second layer.

5) top with however much cheese you so desire

6) bake for 15 minutes

7) top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and drizzle with ranch.

yummy! it’s so good and if you’re a health freak like me, can be made to be very healthy. buy whole wheat pizza crust, 2% cheese, and light ranch. this comfortably serves two people. enjoy!