Weeknights have the tendency to become a little hairy for Cole and I. Between working full-time, preparing for our weekly Saturday Farmers Markets, up-keeping the house, taking care of our new kitty, {and just life in general}, we are finding that we don’t really have much time to dedicate to sitting down for a nice relaxing dinner …. or you know just feeding ourselves dinner at all. Most evenings I am so engrossed in market preparation I just ignore dinner because I don’t want to mess with my baking momentum. So by the time I actually finish all my baking business it’s somehow already 8pm and I just can’t bring myself to dirty up any more dishes to make a nice meal for Cole and I.
So as a result, pretty much all summer long our dinners have consisted of BBQ’d chicken and salads, which I know this is a super healthy dinner – and I am not one to complain about a delicious salad for dinner – but I do feel a tid bit of guilt for not finding the time to jazz up our dinner routine lately for Cole’s sake. Although he would never ever complain about a meal that is put in front of him, {because he is pretty much the most easy going human being on the planet when it comes to food}, but I do love to feed him up with fun new creations that I dream up in the kitchen. So the fact that we have had over 3 months without any kind of new excitement on our dinner plates is a little disheartening to me.
So this week I have made a vow to put in a little more effort, and just make the time for better dinners. I say “make the time” because even though it feels like I don’t have the time, I just hate when I catch myself complaining about “not having time” for stuff. Whenever I utter the words “I don’t have time” I can’t help but immediately cringe at that sentence because first of all; there are so many people out there that have a lot more on their plates than I do, so I really shouldn’t even be complaining in the first place; And seconf of all, despite my complaining, I am a firm believer that if you really want something in your life, you can always make the time for it to happen. {I know for some of you very busy people out there this simply isn’t true, but in my case – I really think it is}
These Maple Cream Cheese, Bacon, & Caramelized Onion Flat Breads were an exercise in this kind of thinking – and guess what! It only took me a grand total of 15 minutes to prep them, and an additional 10 minutes in the oven for them to bake. So a grant total of 25 minutes, ten of which I used to tidy up the kitchen and set the table for Cole and I so there would be no clean up after our dinner – How awesome is that?! Oh and did I mention that they were so. Frigen. Delicious! Oh my gosh, the combination of the cream cheese, with the maple syrup, the sweet caramelized onions with the tart apples, the saltyness from the bacon and the goat cheese….. Okay I’m officially drooling just thinking about it.
This is such a wonderfully fall inspired, and supremely delicious dinner – but I think the best part about it, is that even though it appears to be gourmet and perhaps a bit complicated, it is seriously quick and easy to prepare – and with little to no mess involved. Now that’s my kind of dinner. So basically it is the perfect weeknight meal option for those of you who are also battling a bit of a crazy schedule.
I have to admit I kind of estimated the amounts in this recipe, because at the time I kind of just winged it, so just be mindful and use your best judgement when assembling your flat bread. Here is the recipe peeps and I hope you enjoy!
Maple Cream Cheese, Bacon, & Caramelized Onion Flat Bread
Makes – 2 mini Flat Breads
Things you need…
2 x mini flat breads
{I used store bought, but you can use homemade or frozen – whatev’s}
Maple Cream Cheese Sauce
1/2 pckg cream cheese
2 tbsp maple syrup
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of cardamon
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
Caramelized Apple & Onion Topping
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large Granny Smith Apple, thinly sliced with skin on
4 slices of cooked bacon
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup cooked lunch meat turkey slices
2 tbsp Goat Cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp chopped pecans
2 tbsp dried cranberries
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar to drizzle
How to make…
Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set your flat bread on the parchment & set aside.
Maple Cream Cheese Sauce
Warm cream cheese slightly to soften. In a small mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and basil until smooth and creamy; set aside.
Caramelized Apple & Onion Topping
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter; Add in chopped onions, and sautee until they begin to soften. Add in garlic, brown sugar, salt, pepper, apples and bacon and cook until caramelized and the apples are tender. Remnve from heat and set aside.
Assembly
Spread your maple cream cheese sauce onto the flat bread or pizza crust, leaving about a 1 inch border around the edge. Sprinkle pecans evenly over top of the sauce. Spread caramelized apple & onion toppings evenly around the flat bread. Break apart the turkey slices and then sprinkle evenly around the flat bread. Crumble the goat cheese & dried cranberries over top and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden and cheese is melting. Remove from oven, allow to cool for a couple minutes and cut with a sharp knife or pizza cutter to serve.
Now it’s officially time to PIG. OUT. on this incredible flat bread! yummmmmmmm
So I think this is one of my only non-baking related posts, which I’m pretty excited about! Yay! Normally I have only shared my baking en-devours because I have to admit, I am never really particularly proud of my dinner cooking skills but this time I really wanted to share it with all of you. I found this flat bread to be like dinner and dessert all in one go – it was so delicious! So I hope you all enjoy this one – please let me know how yours turns out.
And if you aren’t feeling the apples, I think this recipe would be just as delicious done with some pears or even some peaches if that is more your style. Additionally if you are a vegetarian, I think this would be super delicious even without the bacon & turkey – maybe just add in some spinach to your caramelized onions and call it a day! I would love to hear about any variations you come up with, so please keep me posted!
Happy weeknight cooking! <3
KP xoxo
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