Man Meal | Buffalo Bacon Bleu Pizza

The pool opens this weekend. I have to admit, I can't wait. I live for days with my feet in the water, margarita in my hand. And, I'm dying to try making my own frozen slushie booze. I've been trying these $2 freeze-and-drink packets from the grocery store, and they're good, and super convenient, but I can't wait to try my own flavors.

Plus, there's an entire summer of drinking them ahead of me. An entire summer of cocktails and grilling - smoked chicken wings, burgers, corn-on-the-cob, you name it. Next time, we'll even grill the pizza.

While I love pizza (who doesn't), it has never been my strong point. I can pull off a decent yeast-less dough, but the moment you throw yeast and rising and all that into a recipe I'm out of my element.

This dough, though, turned out absolutely fantastic. And this pizza... well... it is every cheesy, chewy, spicy, yummy bit of deliciousness it should be. So good we couldn't help but take picture after picture after picture. See?

After this, I think it is safe to say we may never order pizza again. Well, until a night of sheer laziness. I can definitely say, though, that we will never buy another frozen pizza again. 

Can you really blame me for being photo-happy? Just wait until you taste it.

I have to give Jason Sharp credit for his fantastic recipe on Allrecipes.com. Thank you for Jay's Signature Pizza Crust. My pizza crust ways have forever been changed.

Buffalo Bacon Bleu Pizza
Yield | 1 large pizza

Prep Time | 25 minutes, plus 1 hour to rise
Cook Time | 15-20 minutes
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Ingredients:

For the Pizza Dough
(courtesy of Jay's Signature Pizza Crust on Allrecipes.com)
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F or 45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the Topping
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup hot sauce, plus 1 tablespoon (Frank's is awesome)
2-3 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup bleu cheese, crumbled
4-5 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1/3 red onion, thinly sliced

Dissolve yeast and brown sugar in warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir salt and oil into the yeast mixture. In a large bowl, add yeast solution to 2 1/2 cups of flour.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead in the remainder of the flour until dough is no longer sticky. Form dough into a ball and place in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and roll into a ball. Let dough relax for 2-3 minutes before rolling out. Brush dough with olive oil.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you're using a stone like we did, you can top and stick the pizza straight in the oven. If you're using a pan, however, Jay's Signature Pizza Crust recipe suggests oiling the pan and letting your pizza rise an additional 15-20 minutes before topping and baking.

Stir 1 tablespoon hot sauce into ranch dressing. Feel free to add more if you like a bit more of a bite. We swear by Frank's. Really, we should think about buying stock, we use so much of it. The spicy ranch is going to be your sauce, so spread over dough, leaving 1 inch around the edges.

Add melted butter to remaining 1/3 cup hot sauce until you reach your desired level of hotness (for us it was 2 tablespoons). Top pizza with chicken and buffalo sauce.

Cover with mozzarella and colby jack cheeses. Add bacon, red onion slices, and bleu cheese crumbles.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

This pizza was a hit. It's delicious and filling. The crust is perfect - crunchy on the outside, soft and doughy on the inside. With the bacon, buffalo, and ranchy goodness of the toppings, you can't go wrong.

I think my next one might have to be a cheeseburger pizza. Any reason to use more red onion! Add some fresh tomato, ground beef... sounds good to me.

Coming soon... Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies, Cajun Fried Cod (so crispy and crunchy! Perfect fish sticks!), Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Lemon Blueberry Scones and so much more.

On the Grill | Garlic Chicken with Balsamic & Herb Mushrooms

So, I've been bad. Time has totally escaped me this week - and now it's May! Seriously? At least the pool opens soon. Counting down the days...

I'm truly sorry for my absence and I promise I will make it up to you with many, many delicious recipes to come. In fact, today is another two-fer: grilled Garlic Chicken with Balsamic and Herb Mushrooms. It's even tastier than it sounds. The boyfriend called it "killer."

I can't stand them. I'm a texture person, and they just don't do it for me. The boyfriend, however, loves mushrooms. So for him, I put them in everything humanly possibly. Mushrooms are just one of those foods - sitting high on that shelf with the mayo, pickles, hot sauce, snack food, and other boyfriend-required bites.

And as for the chicken... well, we eat a lot of chicken. Chicken and fish, with the occasional red meat thrown in (later this week - Grilled Cracked Pepper Sirloin), are our go-tos. It's inexpensive and there's the whole red vs. white meat deal: white meat is leaner and better for you (check out this article on CNN about the health hazards associated with red meat).

However, the great thing about this marinade is you can use it on anything, and it's inspired by dinners with my family.

Since I was young, my parents have made their own salad dressings. From simple olive oil and vinegar combinations, to ginger soy and beyond. This basic Italian dressing has stuck with me - so quick and easy, and so versatile. It's a marinade and a salad dressing. Win-win!

Plus, it's fantastic on shish kabobs.

In fact, you could use the sauce on the mushrooms as a salad dressing, as well. Same basic concept. Feel free to tweak the herbs, and taste often - it's all about what you like.

Of course, if it weren't for Pinterest, the mushrooms never would have happened. But they did. Oh, they did. Thanks to inspiration from Italian Food Forever's recipe found here, they happened, and they will happen again, and often.


Herbed Garlic Chicken
Yield | 4 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes, with 1 hour to chill
Cook Time | 25 minutes
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Ingredients:

1/2 cup EVOO
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper

1-1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts

So pretty!

Mix olive oil, vinegar, garlic, spices and sugar well in a small dish. Pour dressing over chicken, reserving a small amount for basting. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Make sure your grill is hot. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes on the first side, and flip. Baste chicken with reserved marinade.

Grill second side and grill for another 5-6 minutes, until cooked through.

Balsamic & Herb Mushrooms
Yield | 2-3 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 25 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 lb fresh mushrooms, cut into pieces (I used crimini)

1/4 cup EVOO

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

Salt and pepper

Cut up your mushrooms and set aside. 

Combine olive oil, vinegar, herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small dish. Mix well and pour over mushrooms. Coat with marinade.

Wrap with aluminum foil and grill so the mushrooms are not directly over the heat, on the grill rack. Grill for 20-25 minutes, until mushrooms are soft.

The boyfriend wanted his on top of his chicken, but they could be a side dish. Either way - yum! 

This Week... look forward to Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies (with a dark chocolate filling, ohhhh my!), Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, Grilled Cracked Pepper Sirloin, Stuffed Manicotti, and more!

Making up some lost time and trying tons of new recipes... going to be a tasty week, that's for sure.

Kitchen Classics | Chicken Cord en Bleu

I have something to admit to you. All of you.

I don't like ham.

I don't really care for Swiss cheese, either.

However, even I'm a sucker for homemade chicken cord en bleu. It started as a way to get rid of extra Christmas ham. And now, we're stuck with it. It is a boyfriend-approved and oft-requested recipe.

So, chicken cord en bleu it is. He's been asking for it for a little while now, but we've only had frozen bag chicken. Anytime I have to beat the crud out of a chicken breast, I prefer the fresh, meat section kind - the frozen ones just don't... smoosh... quite as nicely as the butcher section cuts.

It's easy, quick, and completely tasty. I hope your family loves them as much as we did!

Chicken Cord en Bleu
Yield | 3-4 servings

Prep Time | 5-7 minutes
Bake Time | 20 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts

8-10 slices of ham (depending on how many chicken breasts)

5-6 slices of Swiss cheese (same as above)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cracker crumbs (or panko, breadcrumbs, etc)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Cooking spray

Three flattened chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pound chicken breasts out to 1/4 inch thickness. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with 1-1 1/2 slices Swiss cheese and 2 slices of ham. Roll together tightly. Repeat with each chicken breast.

In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and crumbs. Lightly spray each chicken roll with cooking spray and  coat with the crumbs, covering each side.

Yup, some of those crumbs are definitely multi-grain Cheerios. I substituted. You know what, they were delicious.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Uhmm, yum. For real. So good. Love it.

On the Grill | Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken & Grilled Pineapple

One of my favorite things about North Carolina summers is that they being in February. Yes, the bugs are terrible and no one really likes 105 degree days unless they're at the beach, so it does have its downfalls.

Nothing beats nearly year-round grilling, though.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken is probably one of my absolute favorite summertime eats. The sweet taste of grilled pineapple, the salty soy sauce, the spice of the cayenne... fantastic dish, inspired by the Shoyu Chicken recipe here.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken & Grilled Pineapple
Yield | 4 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 30 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 lb chicken thighs (or legs, breasts, your choice! Skin-on is fantastic for this, as well.)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup pineapple juice

3 cloves garlic

1/2 onion (I used a sweet Vidalia onion, so good!)

1/2 tablespoon oregano

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6-8 pineapple rings

Whisk all marinade ingredients in a bowl until mixed through. The spices are completely adjustable - this marinade has a good heat to it, but if you're not a fan of spice, feel free to cut back the cayenne and crushed red peppers.

Reserve 2/3 cup marinade for later use. Pour remaining marinade over chicken and add 2-3 rings of pineapple, reserving at least 1 per serving for the grill. Let your chicken soak in the flavors in the refrigerator for at least one hour (longer, if possible).

I LOVE grilled pineapple.

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade (discard the leftover marinade and pineapple rings) and place on the grill until cooked through, basting often with the reserved marinade. Add pineapple rings a few minutes before chicken is cooked through, brushing lightly with marinade.

Once chicken is nice and dark on both sides, top with pineapple and serve.

I've made this recipe at least once every 2-3 weeks since I discovered it, and I'm not really a recipe-repeater, except in rare cases, like my mom's banana bread and my dad's chili. This is definitely a repeater. Boyfriend-approved.

Next time: Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies... Decadent and creamy cheesecake-filled cookies, a Cookie Monday feature! I've been busy this weekend, that's for sure!

Gameday Grub | Buffalo Chicken Bites

Oh my.

These... well, these were fantastic. They are, already, a gameday snack requirement. I mentioned yesterday how important gamedays are in our house. If only you could see the boyfriend, completely decked out in Bruins gear, screaming at the top of his lungs - the Bruins just tied the game.

I don't know if our dogs will ever recover. The big one is under the coffee table.

Great. Now I'm not allowed to move from my seat. He thinks I'm good luck. I swear, I just sat down for a minute! Thankfully, I have nothing in the oven.

Oh well, I love hockey. And, let's be honest, I don't really want to clean the house, anyways.

Back to the point. The best part about gamedays is the food. We always have something special on gamedays: jalapeno poppers, chicken wings, fried just-about-anything. They're a big deal.

These delicious, creamy, cheesy, spicy Buffalo Chicken Bites pretty much top the list of the hundreds and hundreds of gameday snack recipes we've played with this year.

They are just wonderful and the dough can be used for so many things. It's even good with nothing stuffed inside it. I can't wait to try different fillings, like potato, cheese, and bacon (and a little ranch, of course!). So versatile.

Plus, these little bites are great to freeze. Just cook them halfway, baste, cool, and freeze. Costs a third of the frozen snacks. In our house, this is ridiculously important. Snacks are a way of life.

The best part about these: I was able to fix 'em up so they weren't too time-consuming. Did I mention you can freeze them?

A very special thanks to What's Cookin' Chicago? for introducing me to this snacktastic recipe. Find the original here. My adaptation, below, is a little creamier and cheesier, and a little quicker. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Bites
Yield | Roughly 48 bites

Prep Time | 15 minutes, plus 2 hours to rise
Cook Time | 6-8 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 packet rapid rise yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup warm milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup cooked chicken
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup hot sauce*
4 tablespoons bleu cheese dressing (or ranch, if you prefer!)

Stir brown sugar into warm milk until completely dissolved. Pour into large mixing bowl. Now, as a note, I don't have a mixer, like the original poster, so these are the directions by hand. If you have a mixer, fantastic! Use it, as I live vicariously though you. I'm jealous :) Luckily, these aren't too difficult at all to make by hand.

Add flour and yeast to bowl and stir until mixed well and dough. Pour onto lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 5 -7 minutes.

Spread a light coating of oil over a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and let rise for roughly two hours.

While the dough rises, make your filling. Combine the remaining ingredients. I used canned chicken to cut down on time and it turned out great because it shreds up so easily. And we *always use Franks! So good.

"We put that sh*t on everything" is practically our household motto.

Preheat over to 400 degrees F.

After dough has doubled in size and bubbles have formed on the surface, set dough on floured surface and cut into four pieces. Take the first piece and roll until it is roughly 12 inches long, like a long rope. Use your rolling pin to stretch it out until it is 4 inches wide, 12 inches long.

Scoop 1/4 of the filling onto the 1/3 of the dough.

Fold in half and pinch to close on all sides. Roll into a 12 inch-long "rope."

Cut the "rope" into 12 pieces and place on lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden brown. Melt two tablespoons butter or margarine and brush over bites, salting lightly. Let cool for a couple minutes and devour.

So very, very tasty.

If you want to freeze them, bake them for 4-5 minutes, or until the dough is hard but not yet browning.

EDIT 4/24/2012: Reheated my frozen ones - SO GOOD. Very pleased with this recipe!


Next time: Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken & Grilled Pineapple... one of my all-time favorite chicken marinades. I love anything with soy sauce, though, and pineapple only makes it better!

DIY Take-Out | Orange Chicken & Veggie Lo Mein

Out of respect for hockey playoffs, and with the series 1-3 for my Blackhawks and 2-2 for his Bruins, the Buffalo Bites are going to be a gameday snack. 

Gameday snacks are very, very important. Especially for the boyfriend. See, we don't do the whole cable thing. We just don't watch that much TV. 

(Netflix and Hulu are incredible inventions.)

We do have a cable receiver box that hangs on the wall, though. It gets all the basic channels, plus a few random others. No idea what they are, because we seriously use it just for sports. Nothing else. Somehow, we manage to pick up a good chunk of the boyfriend's Boston games. A handful of mine. Lots of baseball, though (go Cubs!) so that makes me happy.

So, gamedays are important. Especially when the series is 2-2 for the Bruins. And for really important gamedays, you need extra tasty snacks.

Never fear, though - I found something super tasty to make instead of the bites. And, to make up for lack of Buffalo Bites, it's a two-for-one. Awesome, right? I know, I try.

The boyfriend was feeling Chinese food last night. When we order Chinese food, we eat it for a month. No joke. So. Much. Food.

Well, hello there, interwebs. A few seconds on Google and we have an amazingly delicious-looking recipe for Orange Chicken. Thank you, Harry Wetzel on Allrecipes for bringing this to my attention! My version, inspired by Wetzel's Asian Orange Chicken, is below. I may never order take-out again.

Orange Chicken
Yield | 2-3 servings

Prep Time | 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes to chill
Cook Time | 30 minutes
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Worth every bite.

Ingredients:

For the Sauce & Marinade

1/2 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

In a bowl, whisk all of the ingredients for the sauce and marinade, except the chicken, starch, and cold water, until mixed through. 

Pour 3/4 cup of the sauce into a plastic bag and add chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Try substituting some of the brown sugar
with honey, so good!

While the chicken is marinating, pour the rest of your sauce into a pan over medium-high heat. Allow to simmer. Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and add to sauce, continuing to simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside. 

For the Breading

3 egg whites

3/4 cup cornstarch (or flour)

1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Oil for frying 

*Panko is amazing, and one of my required foodstuffs. I love it, and I use a lot of it. Light, yet crispy, it makes a great breading for just about any fried anything. However, if you don't have any on hand, substitute with 1/2 cup crunched up corn flakes, unseasoned breadcrumbs (anything crunchy and unseasoned, really), or 1/4 cup flour.

Heat oil to 350 degrees F. I use just enough to cover the chicken bites when I fry. Whisk egg whites in a dish and prepare your coating. In a bag, mix cornstarch, panko, baking soda, and cayenne pepper.

Coat chicken in egg. Add to bag and shake to coat. Cook in oil until golden brown, setting on a couple paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Crunchy, tasty chicken bites - great with any sauce, or plain!

Toss in sauce and voila! Tangy orange chicken with just enough burn. I don't think I'll ever go back. 

I did, however, promise a two-for-one deal! So, here is a recipe for Veggie Lo Mein. I went the easy route and used a frozen mix of stir fry vegetables (with some extra fresh mushrooms added), but as long as you have 2-3 cups of veggies (and some additional prep time for slicin' and dicin'), you'll be just fine!


Veggie Lo Mein
Yield | 3-4 servings

Cook Time | 25 minutes
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Ingredients:

1/2 package thin spaghetti, cooked al dente

2-3 cups mixed veggies (I used Birds Eye Broccoli Stir Fry mix, and added some extra fresh mushrooms)

3 eggs

1/3 cup teryaki sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce*

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons oil

*This is really to-taste. I used a little more soy sauce and less teryaki, but do what tastes right to you.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and egg. If you're using frozen, those will take a couple minutes longer, so wait 2-3 minutes before adding the egg.

Add pasta. Cook for 3-4 minutes, rotating a couple times. Add sauce and cook for 5-6 minutes longer.

Doesn't look too shabby, for a frozen veggie mix (with extra mushrooms, of course!)...

Quick, easy, and tasty.

Enjoy! 

Man Meal | Cheesy Bacon & Mushroom Chicken

Thank you, StumbleUpon, for once again answering the question, "what's for dinner?" for me.

Mmm... bacon, cheese, honey mustard... wow.

Much, much, much appreciated. Remember how I said bacon was the Chuck Norris of foods? Well, this is the Walker, Texas Ranger of bacon's career.

This recipe, originally found here on Everyday Home Cook, received the ultimate boyfriend seal-of-approval: a grunted "yes," followed by a sound, snoring nap.

Mushrooms and honey mustard are boyfriend staples in our house and, well, the whole bacon thing, so I wasn't surprised.

The recipe itself is pretty simple - honey mustard-marinaded chicken, seasoned with paprika, salt, and pepper, seared in the skillet, and baked in the oven topped with sauteed mushrooms, bacon, and cheese.

Simple and delicious. To make this more weeknight-friendly, I skipped the two-hour soak in honey mustard wonderfulness. I'm sure it would have only been better had I done that, but this was more of a spontaneous dinner decision. So I did make a few changes and my adapted, quick and easy version is below. Enjoy!


Cheesy Bacon & Mushroom Chicken
Yield | 3-4 servings

Prep Time | 5-10 minutes
Cook Time | 25 minutes
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Ingredients:


1-1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey mustard (I LOVE Emeril's, has a nice kick!)
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
7-8 slices of bacon, partially cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt
Pepper
Cajun seasoning

Love, love, LOVE Cajun seasoning blends.

Parsley (we were out, so no pretty garnish for ours!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat EVOO in skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. I am obsessed with trying different blends of Cajun spices so I have several different kinds around, but don't go out and buy any if you don't have some on hand - paprika or cayenne pepper would be delicious, too!

Cook chicken until browned (but not cooked through), brushing with Worchestershire sauce and honey mustard on each side. Remove chicken from skillet and set in baking pan.

Season and coat with honey mustard. Smells amazing.

Such a good combination!

I added a little more mustard to the veggies. Yum!

Drain some of the juices from the pan and add mushrooms and red onions. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and the onions are nearly translucent.

If you're using regular ol' bacon, you'll want to cook that partially though now - I used thick-cut precooked bacon, tasted great and shaved off a little more time!

Brush chicken with honey mustard once more and top with bacon, mushrooms and onions, and cheese.

Doesn't bacon look good with a side of chicken?

So mushroomy. So bacony. So good.

 Bake for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked.

Oh yeah. So good. Not exactly health-conscious, but sometimes, you just have to do it anyways!

The leftovers also made excellent next-day sandwiches. A little more honey mustard, maybe some ranch, lettuce, tomato, and mayo... quite nomtastic.

Next time: Blackened Tilapia with Fettuccine and Grilled Summer Veggies... inspired by How Sweet It Is's Grilled Corn and Tomato Fettuccine... so good!