Age is not important unless you're a cheese.

Before starting to cook, I tried to show Chefs Paco and Brigitte the new trick i taught miles today- Down: After he sits, then shakes (he needs to start with these to get it) , he lays down on the floor. It took way too many tries, but he eventually got the message that -he didn't spend half an hour practicing it earlier - for nothing. His only concern was that he was getting treats.

New Experiment for Pizza Tuesday: 

Trader Joe's Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough stuffed with Spinach and Gorgonzola, topped with Barbecue Chicken.

Courtesy of my trip back home, we were able to have a change of Dough-I got two of them because the three of us are big eaters.

 Chef Brigitte marinated the chicken in barbecue sauce and grilled it on her George Foreman, so it was ready to go.
The dough was rolled out and stuffed it with the spinach and Gorgonzola.
Then we spread on a layer of barbecue sauce instead of the usual red sauce.
We decided to layer on the usual vegetables- onion, mushrooms, broccoli, and tomato-  Those Definitely. count. for my vegetables of the day.
The chicken went on next with sprinkled Gorgonzola over-top, and it was popped in the oven for 15 minutes.

The blue cheese melted really well and combining it with the barbecue sauce created an aroma that would heighten almost anyone's appetite.

 You would think that the Gorgonzola would be overwhelming because it is a strong cheese, but we must have added the perfect amount because it blended with the light barbecue sauce to create its own flavor. 

Fun Facts about Gorgonzola/Blue Cheese

-Gorgonzola is an Italian Cow's Milk Cheese

It was originally aged in caves...

The mold in blue cheeses is a penicillium 

It is a high protein food- it has 1 g of carbs per 1/4 cup and 6 g of protein.

Sodium is an important electrolyte mineral, and 1/4 cup of Gorgonzola contains 380 mg of sodium.

A 1/4 cup of Gorgonzola also contains 15 percent of your daily allowance of Calcium, which is important for bones and teeth.

 

 Stuffed Crust: I like this dough because it's whole wheat. My dad gave me a book to read called Anti-Cancer, and it names foods that are correlated with cancer. Surprisingly, white bread and white flour are on the list- Clearly, we aren't going to stop eating it- but I guess whole wheat is a better choice... Good thing I prefer wheat to white bread anyway. BUT- bread and white flour also have a higher glycemic index- so for athletes especially, it is important to include them in their diet.

Important to note! Blue cheese is a real type of cheese that you can buy: When you have another kind of cheese that sits in your fridge for too long and develops blue pores, it is NOT the same as blue cheese. Don't use it as a replacement for blue cheese either. If you don't remember buying blue cheese at the store, don't eat it.