Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I take terrible food pictures! It tasted delicious, I promise.

Happy Memorial Day folks! If you are celebrating like approximately 98% of Americans - there is most likely some barbecued meat somewhere in your weekend plans. If you're lucky, you may have some leftovers. If you're even luckier, it'll be chicken and you can whip up this delicious barbecue chicken pizza for Monday night dinner and help close out three days of fun in the sun.

If you're a 2 percenter, like me, then you will be grabbing a bag of fully-cooked frozen chicken strips (fajita-size and shape) and preserving your precious skin inside in the dark watching a Turner Classic Movie war-flick-a-thon. Either way, you and I can both enjoy this delicious pizza pie and toast to our fallen heroes. You can shred up and use your leftover chicken... I'll heat mine up in a futuristic manner and we'll both end up satisfied. Potato, po-tah-to.

Note - as a picky eater - I have a hard time finding bbq sauces that aren't super sweet and overpowering. In this recipe, I usually use Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar barbecue sauce. I like the brown sugar flavor with the chicken... makes it the right kind of sweet to compliment the savory onions. I'm starting to drool, so I'll get on with it.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

INGREDIENTS:

• ~3/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 onion, sliced in moon shapes
• 2 cups chicken, cubbed or shredded
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 refrigerated pizza crust (in tube, I use Pillsbury's)
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Unroll refrigerated pizza crust onto baking sheet and prebake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, sauté your sliced onions in 2 Tbsp of olive oil until translucent. if you are using frozen chicken, throw chopped chicken in with onions after the first five minutes. Continue to sauté together for an additional 8 minutes or until chicken is warmed through and beginning to brown. If you are using shredded (not frozen) chicken, then toss it in for just a minute or two with the onions to warm it through. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble your pizza by spreading the sauce evenly over the prebaked crust. Next, spread the onions and chicken over the entire pizza andtop with two types of cheese. Salt and pepper to your taste. Bake pizza for approximately 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Slice and serve. Bring a fork to help you fight your way in for a slice - this pizza goes fast!

Southern Sweets - Toasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Toasted pecan chocolate chip cookiesI've forever been on a culinary quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I like a substantial-sized cookie crammed full of nuts and chips. I like the cookie to have some flavor other than just chocolate to elevating the taste to the next level. I crave the texture of the ones my mom used to make - the kind where you substitute shortening for butter and the cookies have a light and fluffy texture. However, I can't really use shortening in my cookies -  I just can't bring myself to do it. 

Well folks, I may have finally stumbled on my version of the perfect chocolate chip cookie. This confection has a hint of cinnamon that perfectly complements the dark chocolate and the nutty pecans. Heaven I tell ya. They don't flatten out and turn chewy - these have a thick texture that's just shy of "cakey" with a satisfying soft center and a perfectly crunch outside. Not to mention, this recipe makes a ton of cookies - so you can eat yourself silly and still have plenty to share. Perfection!

Toasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS: Makes about 4 dozen

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup butter + 2 Tbsp., divided
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups pecans
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1 cup butter (nuke for about 45 seconds), stir until smooth and set aside to completely cool. You can put it in the fridge for 10 minutes or so if you prefer. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Next, coarsely chop pecans and toss with cinnamon.

Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir in pecans and cinnamon until nuts are completely coated . Continue to toast over medium heat for about five minutes, being careful not to let them burn. Once nuts are aromatic and toasted, remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together cooled, melted butter and both sugars. Combine completely. Add in beaten eggs and vanilla. Slowly pour in the flour mixture until batter is thoroughly combined. Lastly mix in the pecans and chocolate chips. The batter will be sticky and thick but not runny.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using two spoons drop balls of dough (about 1 heaping tablespoon each) about two inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes until cookies turn golden brown around the edges. Let sit for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack. 

Ham, Gruyere & Mushroom Quiche - ooh la la with little more la la on top

It's been a looooooong week around here and this Sunday morning, all I want to do was take it easy. After lingering over a pot of coffee - and I lingered, people, I lingered - I decided brunch would kill two culinary birds with one stone. Then I thought, "Wait! I could kill three birds with that stone - I'll clean out the fridge too!) Ultimately the fridge offered a magic concoction consisting of deli ham, gruyere cheese and mushrooms. I resisted adding any other bits and pieces, as I'm prone to overdoing, and just complemented the flavors with a little onion and garlic. 

I thought this was the perfect time to pass along a little quiche tip I've picked up that helps you decide how much egg/milk mixture you need for the perfect pie. The basic recipe calls for 3 eggs (I had to use 4). Once you beat the eggs together you add enough milk to make 1 1/2 cups total. For each egg you should add enough milk to make it 1/2 cup combined. If you use 4 eggs, add enough milk to make a total of 2 cups. Capiche? Good. Now stow away that little tidbit and get crackin!

Ham, Gruyere & Mushroom Quiche 

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 oz. deli ham, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1-2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
• 2 oz. Swiss cheese (I use about 4 "thin" slices)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• milk (enough to make 2 cups when added to beaten eggs)
• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add minced garlic. Saute for about 2 minutes and add salted mushrooms. Heat thoroughly until mushrooms cook down, approximately 5 minutes. Set mushrooms aside. In heated pan, add chopped onions and saute until transluscent. Once onions are clear, add chopped ham and heat for about two more minutes just slightly browning the ham. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prebake the pie crust for about 5-7 minutes, remove from oven and set aside. In a small bowl, beat together eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Begin layering the quiche in the prebaked crust by first spreading the ham and onions one the bottom and topping with the (thoroughly drained) mushrooms. Tear the swiss cheese into largish pieces and layer on top of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the top with gruyere cheese. Finally, pour egg and milk mixture into the shell until it covers other fillings completely and fills pie. Note: You may have a little bit of milk mixture left over if you are using a smaller pie plate.

Bake pie for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when pricking the center. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving. Try not to cut the pie into fourths - as this recipe should serve at least 6, if not 8. Yeah, right. 

Bonus note: The cat approved... couldn't keep her away from it while it was cooling. Shoo kitty shoo!

Blueberry Breakfast Cake worth getting up early for!

I'm sure you're aware that blueberries are classified as a superfood, rich in antioxidants and natural goodness (read: I'm too lazy to google exactly why you should eat blueberries, so do it yourself if you care) therefore making them an ideal way to start your day. I'd like to think the pros of eating blueberries outweighs the cons of downing handfuls of the other ingredients soaked in buttermilk, so I'm sharing the recipe for this decadent breakfast/dessert cake. It's perfect for a brunch or to take to work  because it's easy to whip up and travels well. Not to mention it can sit out covered all day for people to snack on.... if it lasts that long. In fact, I first tried this recipe at a co-workers suggestion. He suggested I make it and bring it into work for him to try. Sneaky bastard knows I'm a sucker for baked goods. : )

Anyway - I found this recipe at alexandracooks.com via pinterest (of course). I didn't make any alterations other than adding and extra cup of blueberries. You could probably vary this up with strawberries or raspberries or a combination of all of three berries - or bake it in muffin tins (cut the baking time to about 20 minutes). However you do it, it's worth doing... this easy recipe is moist and delicious.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• zest from 1 large lemon
• 7/8 cup sugar sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• ½ cup buttermilk 
• Coarse sugar for sprinkling on top (I use turbinado)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter, lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the beaten egg and vanilla and beat until combined. In a second bowl toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, and in a third bowl -  sift remaining flour together with baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Lastly, gently fold in the blueberries until ust mixed together - be careful not to turn the cake blue!

Spray two 8"x8" baking pans with non-stick spray (I like Pam baking spray - it has flour in it - works great!). Divide batter between the two pans. Sprinkle batter with coarse sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return to oven for a couple of more minutes. Cool completely before serving. Store covered in a cool, dry place. 

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

Hungry? Feeling decadent? Wanna impress with finesses at your next night in with the girls? Feel like channeling Ina Garten and dining with Geoffrey on your gorgeous back porch surrounded by climbing jasmine and cooing doves?

No? If you merely fancy a lazy Sunday morning padding around the house in your ancient bunny slippers, watching an Ice Loves Coco marathon and planning something especially swanky to go with your morning-after mimosa cocktail, then this is the recipe for you. Savory and rich and crunchy - it satisfies the senses and soothes the soul. Plus - it's the best way I can think of to eat my vegetables! Recipe serves 6-8 depending on who you're trying to fool. 

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

Ingredients:

• 14-15 stalks of asparagus, trimmed
• 15 slices thinly sliced salami, ham or prosciutto
• 6 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF. On a floured surface roll out your thawed sheet of puff pastry to a rectangle approximately 11"x13" or so. Make sure to press together any seams where the pastry separates. Carefully use a knife to score a line approximately 1" around the outside of the pastry to form a "crust". Cook the pastry for approximately 12 minutes until it begins to puff and brown. Remove pastry from oven and gently press down on the center portion of the tart shell where it has puffed up and flatten it back down.

While the crust is prebaking in the oven, wash and trim aspargus spears. Take a slice of meat and wrap it around each spear leaving the tops exposed. Sprinkle about 3/4 of the cheese in the center of the pastry inside the scored edge. Lay asparagus spears in an alternating pattern crosswise on the crust. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until asparagus is tender.  Let cool slightly before cutting. Use a large, sharp knife to cleanly cut through asparagus. This is great served warm or at room temperature, which makes it an ideal appetizer too.