Flatbreads and family

I have seen a lot of people I grew up with move away only to end up coming back to live near family.

I get it, especially people who move back after they have kids. It's awesome to be near your family, it's great to have back-up to help with kids as well.

My husband and I live about 5.5 hours away from our parents and siblings, and it sucks sometimes because we miss out on celebrations and we don't get to see our families as much as we would like to.

However, the good thing about living farther away is that we get so excited when we get to visit them or when they come visit us. It's awesome to share things about your life, to play games, to reminisce. It becomes a special treat when it doesn't happen as often as if you lived in the same town.

I especially love when our families get to come to church with us or when we get to visit their church homes. My brother's family ended up choosing a different church than the one that we grew up in, and when we visit, it makes us so proud of them. He plays every week in the praise band, and my sister-in-law runs the nursery. The little girls feel right at home. People speak well of them, like they're family.

It makes my heart about burst that they have a church family that loves them and that are working for the kingdom of God. I love it.

Another thing that we love to do when people visit us is take them to fun places to eat. We have a place in town that has a beautiful view and is known for its flatbreads. We also love the brussel sprout appetizer there.

That was the inspiration for a new dish that I tried.

Pesto brussel sprout flatbread
1 prepared pizza dough
About 2 cups brussel sprouts, stemmed and quartered
1/4 pound bacon, sliced
3 Tbsp. jarred pesto
2 cups mozzarella cheese

1. Place a pizza stone or a baking sheet turned upside down into a 425 degree oven until hot.
2. Meanwhile, begin frying bacon until crispy. Take out to drain.
3. When pizza stone or baking sheet is hot, sprinkle with cornmeal and place pizza dough --- stretched into flatbread shape --- on top. My pizza dough made three flatbreads. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. While dough is par-baking, cook brussel sprouts in the bacon grease left in the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Remove dough from oven. Spread pesto on top, leaving an edge and add brussel sprouts. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese and top with sliced, crispy bacon.
6. Bake 10-15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.