BBQ Chicken Pizza

This picture is not the pizza I made. It was gone too fast to take a picture of, plus I was not at home when I made this pizza. The picture is what inspired our creation, is courtesy of Allrecipes.com, and can be found here.

My sister and I spend Wednesday evenings together while our husbands are at work and school. Her husband doesn't like very many things (no creams, for example) so I have had to expand my recipes to fit his taste buds. I had a premade pizza crust sitting in my pantry and so we decided to put together our own BBQ Chicken Pizza. If you are like us, you don't want to spend the money to get specialty cheeses a lot of the time - and gouda fits under the category of a specialty cheese. This was our simple version of a FANTASTIC BBQ Chicken pizza, invented by us. It was super good and was a huge hit with the husbands! Took less than a half hour from start to finish!

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

2 chicken breasts, cut into small strips
¼ cup + 2 TBSP Favorite BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
½ - ¾ red pepper, sliced into thin strips
3 green onions, sliced
2 cups American cheese
1 premade pizza crust

In a large frying pan, heat oil on medium high heat. Add chicken pieces. Saute until cooked (about 6 minutes). Remove from heat and mix in a bowl with 2 T barbecue sauce. Set aside.

Spread ¼ cup barbecue sauce on surface of premade pizza crust. Distribute cheese over the sauce and the chicken over the cheese. Place pepper strips and green onions over the chicken pieces. Top with a little bit more cheese.

Bake at 450 for 8 – 10 minutes.

Korean Candy Chicken

This recipe was a huge hit with Jake! He spent the whole meal complimenting my culinary abilities and had two big helpings! It was so delicious and probably the easiest Asian meal I have ever made. I found this new blog (White Lotus Cooks) because of one of my already favorite sites (Mindika Moments). The picture and recipe are courtesy of White Lotus Cooks and can be found here.

Korean Candy Chicken
From http://www.whitelotuscooks.com/
serves 6

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 fillets)
2 eggs
2 cups flour

sweet candy sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds

cooked rice
sliced scallions (optional)

In a pan, pour about two inches of oil and heat on medium heat till hot. Cut chicken on the diagonal into thick strips, about two inches wide. In a bowl, beat eggs. In another container, place flour.

Coat chicken strips in egg mixture first, then generously pat with flour, covering all sides. (I will often give it a couple of coatings) There should be a thick layer of batter on the chicken pieces.

When oil is hot, fry chicken pieces (about 3 minutes on each side) till golden brown. Remove chicken, and let rest on a paper towel to drain the oil.

To make candy sauce, place soy sauce and sugar in a bowl and mix together, about 30 seconds. The sugar will not completely dissolve, but the mixture should be thick, and not grainy. Add sesame seeds and mix to incorporate.

Dip chicken in sauce, covering all sides. Repeat, till all pieces are covered. Serve with rice, drizzle remain sauce over chicken. Garnish with sliced scallions.

Bridal Shower Recipes

This past week I had the honor to throw my best girlfriend, Ashley Crapo, a bridal shower! We had LOTS of delicious food, fun games, and friends and it was just a wonderful time! If you want to throw a party, these are the recipes to use! Everyone was just RAVING about the food and, to be honest, I put VERY little time into making them! Those are the best kinds of recipes! Enjoy!

EASY CHEESY ARTICHOKE BREAD
Linked here.

My bread didn't have such large pieces of artichoke in it because I diced mine really well. Unless you are taking this to a large party of people that are just crazy about artichokes, I would dice them finely because then they aren't so overwhelming.

1-14 oz. can artichoke hearts in water, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (not the powder)
1 clove garlic (spoonful of fresh, refrigerated minced)
1 loaf French bread, cut in half

Mix together all ingredients and spread evenly on halves of French bread. Cook at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Slice in to pieces and serve.

FRIENDSHIP DIP
Linked here.
 
This is another great recipe from Real Mom Kitchen! My great friend, Cassandra Adams, was in charge of the dips and she did a marvelous job. I actually liked this dip better than the 7 layer dip because it was hot and cheesy.
 
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1 (15 oz) can of chili
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
Lots of shredded cheddar cheese
sliced olives
diced green onion (optional)

In a large pie plate (or a pizza pan will work) spread cream cheese. Then layer on top of cream cheese in this order: chili, green chilies, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced olives. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and melted (approximately 20-25 minutes). Garnish with green onion and serve with tortilla chips.

*NOTE: I always double the recipe because it goes fast.

7 LAYER BEAN DIP
Linked here.

Ironically, this is a classic Ashley dish! We always request that she bring it to our parties and get togethers. So this time we got to make it for her! Again, Cassy did a fantastic job and there wasn't any of this left by the end of the party!

Layer 1: 10 oz. Bean dip mixed with 16 oz. Canned refried beans
Layer 2: 1 c. mayo mixed with 1 c. sour cream and 1 pkg. Taco mix
Layer 3: 2 lg. Avocados mixed with ½ tsp. Lemon juice and salt
Layer 4: Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Layer 5: Tomatoes, diced
Layer 6: Olives, sliced
Layer 7: Green Onions, slices

BETTER-THAN-ALMOST-ANYTHING CAKE
Linked here.

This is a must-have for a bridal shower! This classic cake is moist and rich and will send your taste buds twirling. Be warned, though. It is not very good as left overs, which you probably won't have anyways, and requires more time and ingredients than I would normally post about!

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® German chocolate cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 jar (16 to 17 oz) caramel, butterscotch or fudge topping
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 bag (8 oz) toffee chips or bits

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Bake cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan.
2. Poke top of warm cake every 1/2 inch with handle of wooden spoon. Drizzle milk evenly over top of cake; let stand until milk has been absorbed into cake. Drizzle with caramel topping. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.
3. Spread whipped topping over top of cake. Sprinkle with toffee chips. Store covered in refrigerator.

JELLO CAKE
Linked here.

This cake has become a staple in our family. I am always asked to bring it to parties of all kinds is SUPER fast with very few ingredients and tastes DELICIOUS! Got to love it!

1 box yellow cake mix
6 oz box strawberry jello
3.4 oz box vanilla instant pudding
1 –  16 oz. container cool whip

Bake cake mix in 13x9 inch baking dish according to box directions. Pull out of oven and poke holes into the top of the cake. Combine strawberry jello with 2 cups BOILING water. Mix well, then pour over hot cake. Refrigerate over night. (I only refrigerated for about 4 hours and it was fine). Mix packet of instant pudding with container of cool whip and spread over cake. Enjoy!

Super Simple Taco Rice Bowl

Our great friend Michael Anderson came over to our house and made us this wonderful fast, simple, and tasty dish. The longest part of the whole dish is waiting for the rice to cook. Try it! It is really good! The picture is courtesy of Closet Cooking and can be found here.

TACO RICE BOWL

1 lb. ground beef, browned, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups white rice, cooked
1 bag Nacho flavored Doritos
Lettuce, Cheese, Tomatoes, Salsa or anything else you want to put on top

Get your rice cooking first as it will take the longest. Brown the ground beef and drain. Put ground beef back in pan and mix with 1 packet taco seasoning and water as indicated on package. Layer ingredients in bowl as follows: rice, beef, crushed Doritos, toppings.

See? I told you it was easy!

Breakfast Pizza

We just love breakfast foods around here! Sausage, bacon, french toast, pancakes, waffles... you name it! We actually had this recipe for lunch but it was STILL delicious! Flavorful and meaty with just the right amount of cheese. Try it and you will love it too! This recipe and picture are from Three on Food and can be found here.

BREAKFAST PIZZA
From Three on Food

1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 cup frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Unroll pizza dough and place on a greased 12-in. pizza pan; press up sides of pan to form a crust. In a skillet, brown sausage over medium heat; drain and cool slightly. Sprinkle sausage, hash browns and cheddar cheese over crust. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk and pepper; pour over pizza. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 28-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl

If you are looking for a quick and easy meal with mostly ingredients that you have on hand but that will taste like a fancy dish you would get from a high-end restaurant - this is it!!! I didn't have feta cheese or a red pepper on hand, but they weren't too expensive to come by. The whole meal was ready to put together by the time it took the noodles to boil! My camera is out of batteries so the picture is courtesy of My Kitchen Cafe (and so is the recipe!). It can be found here.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN NOODLE BOWL
From My Kitchen Café

1 pound linguine
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup) balsamic vinegar
5 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 5 tsp. minced)
½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can substitute 1 cup fresh basil)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese
½ cup feta cheese

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender according to package directions. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is completely combined.

While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bell pepper. Cook briefly until crisp-tender. Add the cooked chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.

When the noodles have been drained, add the hot noodles to the skillet with the red pepper and chicken and toss. Add the shredded or cubed mozzarella and toss quickly to combine before the cheese melts. Pour the dressing over the top and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Sprinkle feta on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*NOTE: Do NOT leave the red pepper out. It adds SOOO much to the dish. And it is even better if served with bread!

IHOP French Toast

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this AMAZING French toast yet! Oh man, it is good! The first time I made it we did Italian bread, thickly sliced. This time I didn't have Italian bread, so we did English Muffins. SOOOOO good! I am not even sure which one I like better. This is INCREDIBLY easy and INCREDIBLY tasty! Try it! You won't be sorry. I haven't tried the coconut syrup yet because the ingredients are a bit more obscure, but I am sure it is tasty as well. This recipe and picture are from The Sisters' Cafe and can be found here.

IHOP French Toast
from http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/

2 eggs
½ c. milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 T. flour
6 slices of thick sliced French bread

First beat eggs, then add remaining ingredients with electric mixer. Dip both sides of bread and place in hot buttered pan. Flip over when browned. Serve with Coconut Syrup.

COCONUT SYRUP

7-8 T. butter
¾ c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.