Middle Eastern Pita Pizzas

2 Whole wheat pitas
1/4 cup roasted garlic or regular flavored hummus
1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat Feta cheese
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 cup thinly sliced fresh spinach
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/8 cup sliced Kalamata olives

1. Heat oven to 400. Bake pitas on opposite side of where toppings will be for 6 minutes.
2. Spread hummus on pita breads. Top with onion, spinach, tomato and olives. Top with cheese.
3. Bake for 8 minutes.
Serves 2

Hey writer...saw your digs about the salad. Lets see what you have to say about this one!

Arugula and Lentil toss
2 heaping hand fulls arugula
1/2 cup cooked lentils (Trader Joes sells precooked)
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons shredded sharp white cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss. Divide among two salad bowls.
2 servings.

In preparation for tomorrow night's dinner with the writer's family (stay tuned to find out what the main course is)....

Dinner Rolls
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter spread
1 teaspoon salt
1 package regular or quick dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup very warm water
1/2 cup very warm milk
1 large cage free egg

1. In large bowl, stir 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, 1/4 cup butter, salt and yeast until well mixed. Add warm water, warm milk, and egg. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
2. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Spray large bowl using oil pump spray. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and lightweight kitchen towel and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Spray oil bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan.
4. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough into 15 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball; place in pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
5. Heat oven to 375. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

First of all to the cook, who dared the writer to pooh-pooh the salad this week, I must say: Pooh-poo!
It's not as if the salad was not delightful and refreshing, because it was both, it is just so hard to appreciate the appetizer as much as the entree. And when the entree contains such an eclectic combination of flavors, it makes the task nearly impossible.
The hummus gives the pizza a garlic flavor, the tomato's a slightly acidic note, the olives a salty punch, the spinach an earthy undertone, and the onion a crunchy sweetness.
The only way for a salad to ever stand-up to a pizza is to maybe make a salad-pizza, or pizza-salad, or some strategy that combines the mediocrity of salad with the awesomeness of pizza.
In other news: I love Betty. Did you hear that Betty? I love you, you are my light in the dark, you are my sun in the clouds, you are my oversized golf-umbrella in the rain. You brought new motivation and innovation to my cook, and for that I am thankful. But what brings you over the edge, and makes the writer weak in the knees, is something very specific you have taught the cook to bake: fresh bread!
I love Betty because she made the cook I love, love to bake! The cook has made two bread's in the last three days: cinna-bOns(hard o) and dinner rolls.
From scratch, topped with a gooey, sugary syrup and freshly chopped pecans, the cinna-bOns(hard o) were to die for. And the writer almost did after consuming the devilish danish before an early morning workout. I was sweating cinnamon...never have I licked my lips so much as the sweat dripped from my forehead.
And now adding to the mix, dinner rolls, which will be a perfect dip for tomorrow evenings entree. Did I give away too much?
Either way, we will be reporting live tomorrow from the writer's parents house, as we are feeding my lovely elders and helping babysit Tyler while the sister and hubby go on their first post-baby date. To commemorate such a meaningful moment, they have decided to spend the night with Michael Buble, or as the writer's mom would call him, "the talk singer." Mi Madre is convinced that Buble is the classic talk singer, and that his talking does not compare to the singing of his predecessor, Frank Sinatra.
Meanwhile, the hubby is just as strong in his conviction that Buble has surpassed Sinatra. His argument will get no bigger debate than from his dad, who is an old-school retired New York cop with a love for American elegance and a strong Manhattan. Good luck with that one hubby.
The writer will not declare sides on the topic, but will give a mental image of what I perceive to be the big Buble moment.
As the crowd is lost between a ferocious sway and a paralyzed stare, Buble belts his refrain and talks the rest.
He is on stage by himself, only a man and his voice, but is surrounded by light, distorting any detail of his face and body, only posting an indeterminable silhouette of a man's body.
Soon, as the crescendo of his talking builds to a singing tone, and as the hearts of every fan race to a feverish drum, and as their sways turn to a hearty hand raise, the lights lift to expose the irrefutable Buble, and in one motion he claps and spins not once, but twice. The double spin, executed to perfection in the height of his dramatic show.
Man, that could get the hair on anybody's arm to stand up. Even Peter, and he doesn't have any hair.
Well the cook and the writer wish the sister and hubby a good night away from Tyler. What is usually their preoccupation will be our's tomorrow. I have my own tricks up my sleeve little guy!