BBQ Chicken Pizza

This was THE best pizza we have ever made! And that's saying something because we make pizza a lot. 

Ingredients:

Pizza crust (recipe below)

Pineapple tidbits (fresh would be better, but ours was rotten, so we used canned)

1 green pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1/4 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 small chicken breast, cooked and cubed or shredded (I cooked the chicken in a crockpot with the BBQ sauce all day then shredded it)

BBQ sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle BBQ)

Mozzarella and cheddar cheese

Pizza Crust: 

1 1/4 c warm water

1 T yeast

1 T sugar

1/2 t salt

3-4 c flour (half wheat, half white)

cornmeal

To make the crust, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Then add sugar and salt. Mix. Slowly add the flour and mix well. When the dough starts gathering in a ball, sprinkle surface with flour and knead flour in for about 3 minutes (or knead in standing mixer, which I am not fortunate enough to have). The dough should be soft and have a slight stick when you touch it. Shape dough into a ball.

Sprinkle cornmeal on pizza stone and roll crust out directly on the stone. Put desired amount of BBQ sauce on with chicken (leave an edge all the way around for the crust). Next, add a small layer of mozzarella cheese. Add green pepper, tomatoes, pineapple. Then cover with more mozzarella and some cheddar (desired amount. I have no idea how much we used. Just till it looked covered, but not too cheesy). Put crumbled bacon on top. 

Cook on 425 for about 25 min, until the crust edges are golden brown. Let it cool, then cut and eat! Yum!

Chili Cheese Fries

A combination of homemade oven fries and homemade chili equals delicious satisfaction. 

Sorry if this post annoys you because I don't have an actual recipe (at least for the seasonings). When we make stuff like this, we just throw things together. Our chili always turns out good! And you really can't go wrong with baking fries in the oven.

Chili:
1 lb ground beef
1 green pepper, diced
however much diced onion you choose
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 can tomato soup
1 can diced tomatoes (chili ready, or whatever flavor you want)
1 can chili beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black or pinto beans
seasonings to taste: salt, pepper, chili powder, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, hot sauce (for when you want a kick)
 1. Brown beef (with green peppers and onions), drain grease.
 2.Add everything else, seasonings a little bit at a time. Simmer for about 45 min on med-low heat. Taste every once in a while to see if it needs any more seasonings.

Fries:
Potatoes
Olive/vegetable oil
Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder or garlic salt, chili powder, oregano
 1. Cut potatoes (we used 6 very small potatoes) into strips the size of french fries and put in bowl.
 2. Drizzle desired amount of oil on potatoes and toss to combine (we normally do 1-2 tablespoons).
 3. Spread potatoes on baking sheet and sprinkle seasonings on.
 4. Bake at 425 for about 45 min, or until crispy

Chili Cheese Fries!
Put fries on your plate. Smother with chili. Smother with cheese and sour cream! Eat and fill your belly! 

Egg Drop Soup

Recently, we have made (American) Asian food. A few weeks ago, we were struggling with what to have for dinner. We didn't want our usual teriyaki sauce, but we didn't want a super peanutty sauce either. So I came up with a Peanut Teriyaki Sauce, and boy, was it good! The problem is, I didn't write down all my measurements, so I don't have exact measurements. Next time I make it, I will be more exact and then share it :)

The real gem here is my egg drop soup. I made this for our sushi dinner with family that was in town for Keli's graduation. I think it was a hit. I loved it, and it seemed like everyone else did too. So... here we go :)

Egg Drop Soup (serves 8-10)

 9 c chicken broth, divided

1/4 t ground ginger

1/4 c + 2 T green onions, chopped (about 3 green onions)

1/2 t salt (omit if using boullion)

3 T corn starch

6 eggs

1/4 t pepper

2 t lemon zest

1 T soy sauce

1 T sugar

1 8-oz can water chestnuts, drained

6 oz snow peas, cut in bite-sized pieces

1. Boil 8 1/4 c chicken broth with the ginger, green onions, salt, and lemon zest.
2. Meanwhile, mix the remaining 3/4 c chicken broth with the cornstarch, pepper, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir until smooth.
3. When step 1 is boiling, add step 2 mixture, stirring until combined.
4. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Add to boiling mixture in a steady stream, stirring with fork to separate egg pieces.
5. Add water chestnuts and snow peas.
6. Heat through.
7. Eat!!

** the reason the picture of the soup is in a crockpot is because I put it in the crockpot to keep warm until we ate dinner.

Latest Creations: BTS Brownies and PB-Butterscotch Cookies

Maybe this has been done before, but I had never heard of it. In my head, I created this on my own.

Have you heard of Better Than Sex Cake (yes, I hate the name. But that's what people call it)?
Well, I made Better Than Sex Brownies!
They were de.lish.ous.
No joke.
I don't know why I had never thought of that before. As a general rule, I pretty much ALWAYS prefer brownies to cookies. I felt pretty smart. I wish I took a picture (the reason I didn't was because in the pan, it looked the same as the cake: all you could see was the whipped cream and chocolate toffee bits)

I don't have a picture, but when I make them next time, I will post the picture (and recipe. although, you can just google better than sex cake and make the same thing just with brownies instead of cake. that's pretty much all there is to it)

Next, we have Peanut Butter-Butterscotch cookies.
I also don't have pictures of these. When I make them next, I will post the picture.

They were delicious. I promise. They were a hit at the bridal shower I went to.

Here is the recipe:

1/4 c + 1 c butterscotch chips
1 c peanut butter
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1-2 T milk
1 t vanilla
1 c flour
1/4 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.
Melt 1/4 c butterscotch chips and stir into 1 c peanut butter. Add brown sugar, and stir until smooth.
Stir in the egg, vanilla, and 1 T milk (add the other T later if you think it's too dry)
Then add in the rest of the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. You can add another T milk if you want to.
Last, stir in the rest of the butterscotch chips.
Bake for 7-9 min. DO NOT OVER-BAKE. When they hold their shape and are slightly cracking, they are done.

Enjoy! They are good, I promise!

Bread Bowls!

These are delicious.
I'm not kidding you. Best ones I have ever made, so I am sharing the recipe!

1 T yeast, dissolved in 1 1/4 c warm water
1 t garlic salt
1 1/2 t olive oil
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t sugar

1 egg white
1 T water
corn meal
garlic salt and Parmesan cheese

Pour yeast/water into mixing bowl. Add oil, sugar, garlic salt, and 2 c flour (1 c wheat, 1 c white). Mix together to form a soft dough. Gradually add the rest of the wheat flour and 1/2 c of the remaining white flour. Sprinkle the last 1/2 c of flour on the counter and knead it in. Knead for about 5 minutes.

Spray a glass bowl with cooking spray, and roll the dough around in it to coat the dough. Let the dough rise to double in size (I warmed the oven and put the bowl in there, covered with a damp towel). Punch dough down and form into 3-4 balls (depending on the desired size. Form it into 2 balls if you are feeling ambitious. We did two. They were HUGE).

Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle corn meal on baking sheet, and spread the balls of dough out on the baking sheet. Let rise again. Mix the egg white with the T of water and brush on the balls of dough. Sprinkle desired amount garlic salt and Parmesan cheese on the tops. Bake for 23-27 min, until the inside sounds hollow when you knock on it. Cut off a half inch on each ball, then hollow out the inside so the walls are about 3/4 of an inch thick. Enjoy with your favorite soup!

Meatballs!

We made spaghetti on Sunday for eight people. Ben loves spaghetti, so we tend to eat it a lot. I get tired of the same old spaghetti we make all the time, so I decided we were going to have meatballs in  it. I have never made meatballs by myself before. I looked up some recipes, decided on a few that looked good to get a base idea, then I went for it! I wrote down what I did because I have this bad habit of not writing down what I put in my food when I cook it. Now, I have the recipe forever! This recipe is not exactly what I did because I felt the need for minor adjustments. This should be a little better than what we had Sunday.

Ingredients:

 1 lb ground beef

1-2 slices bread, ground into bread crumbs (the more bread crumbs, the more moist. I used 2 slices, which made about a cup of crumbs)

2 t parsley

1 T grated parmesan

2 T onion, minced

1/2 T minced garlic

2 t Italian seasoning

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. 

3. Roll into desired size. I did about tablespoon size. I divided the mixture into about 32 balls. 

4. Space them out evenly on a baking sheet, and bake until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. The cooking time will vary depending on the size. I cooked them in the oven about 20 minutes, then put them in the spaghetti sauce to simmer about an hour. 

That's it! Easy and delicious!

Taco Soup

Are you running out of money or room in your food budget? 

Do you love taco soup?

If you answered yes to one or both of those questions, I have the recipe for you! I came up with this soup on a whim because we were a few dollars over on our food budget. I didn't want to go buy anything (of course), and I wanted something more delicious and hearty than ramen or mac n cheese. By the way, I didn't even have taco seasoning. I had to make my own. You can too! It's easy! The whole recipe is easy and cheap, and it makes a lot of soup. 

Ingredients
Chicken (1-2 lbs)
2-3 c chicken broth
1 packet taco seasoning (if you don't have taco seasoning, my recipe for it is after the soup recipe)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes (if you are really ambitious, chop 2-3 tomatoes)
1 can tomato soup
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/4 onion, diced

1. In a stock pot (a really big pot), boil chicken in the chicken broth. After it is fully cooked, drain the broth into a separate bowl because you will use it later.
2. Dice the vegetables.
3. Shred the chicken. If you have never shredded chicken before, it's not that hard. You just use two forks and kind of peel away at the chicken until it is in little chicken strands.If you are lazy (like I tend to be), just chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. The benefit of shredding it is that less chicken goes further because it is in smaller pieces. Your choice, though.
4. Combine shredded chicken, chopped veggies, canned veggies, and soup in stock pot. Add 1 can (use the can from tomato soup) of chicken broth to the soup. Then add the taco seasoning.

That's it! Just let it simmer until the green peppers are cooked enough for your taste.
***If it's too spicy, add a tablespoon or so of milk. If you can't handle spicy, don't add the whole taco seasoning packet. Add it a little bit at a time until your taste buds love it.

Taco Seasoning
Disclaimer: If you don't like spicy, don't use as much chili powder or red pepper. I don't know what you should use. Just guess and check? I used these exact amounts, and I thought the taco seasoning was delicious!
1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper)
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t paprika
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t sea salt (or 1/2 t table salt)
1 t black pepper
Mix it together, and it's about the equivalent of one packet. However, I did not use all of the taco seasoning for this soup. Because I didn't feel like it.