BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed *

1 c. hickory flavored barbecue sauce **

1 T. honey

1 t. molasses ***

1/3 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (12 inch) prebaked pizza crust or Breadstick and Pizza Dough recipe

1 c. shredded mozzarella or smoked Gouda cheese

1 c. thinly sliced red onions

* I just bought one of the Rotisserie chickens from Costco and cut it up.

** I used what I had on hand which was 1/2 c. of Original and 1/2 c. of Honey

*** I completely threw this one out the window and used corn syrup in place of the molasses

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine chicken, barbecue sauce, honey, molasses, brown sugar, and cilantro. Bring to a boil; remove from heat.

2. Spread chicken mixture evenly over pizza crust and top with cheese and onions.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

I really liked this pizza. Lots of different flavors play out at different times. The sauce is sweet, but not too sweet. The cilantro is definitely present, which I love and was worried about. I don't like real onions but I like the taste. The red onion was thin enough that I couldn't tell slimy pieces of onion was in there, so I really enjoyed the onion. It's an easy recipe that doesn't take that much time to prepare. If using a homemade pizza crust, then the Breadstick & Pizza Dough cooks at the same temperature and same time as this recipe calls for.

Source: AllRecipes: Dinner Tonight, pg. 14

Breadsticks (and Pizza Dough)

**I used this recipe for pizza**

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 T. sugar

1 T. yeast

1/2 t. salt

3-4 1/2 c. flour

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

2. Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

3. Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

4. Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

5. Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to separate them evenly, but it's okay if they're close.

6. Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt or Garlic Bread Seasoning.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Well, you can't really described flavor for a bread dough. But, this dough is easy, soft, fluffy, and cooks quickly. I'm sold.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Breadsticks and Pizza Dough

Southwest Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bowtie pasta

1 14-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Roma tomatoes, diced or about 3/4 c. of halved cherry tomatoes *

1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. sliced green onions

1/2 c. frozen fresh corn **

zest from 2 limes

8 oz diced cooked chicken, optional

1/2 c Queso Fresco or Cotija cheese or grated jack, cheedar, or pepperjack

* I used 3 tomatoes

** I just used one can of corn

Dressing:

6 T. fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes) *

1/4 c. white wine or rice vinegar

4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 1/2 t. chili powder

1 t. cumin

1/2 t. coriander

1/2 t. kosher or sea salt

2 t. sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)

3/4 c. canola oil

1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro

* I got enough juice out of 2 limes

Recipe:

1. Place pasta in salted water until cooked. While it's cooking, prepare dressing.

2. Zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.

3. To prepare dressing: place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender. Process until smooth. *

4. With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.

5. Salad: When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool. Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest.

6. Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn, and chicken if desired.

7. Toss with dressing. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste.

8. For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving. Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top. Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.

* My blender blade doesn't reach low enough to do this, so I just whisked it in a bowl and really chopped the cilantro.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

This is a good pasta salad. Much better than I expected it to be. I really liked it. The lime taste is pretty strong as is the chili powder/cumin. But, still really good. Be warned though, this makes a HUGE batch. As in it's lasted 2 adults lunch and dinner for 3 days and still have some left. A lot. We alternated shredded cheddar and Parmesan on top. Also, plain cheese quesadillas are an excellent side with this. Oh, and I really don't think you need that extra lime wedge. That would be TOO much lime....and I like lime.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Southwest Pasta Salad

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

3 T. butter

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. flour

4 1/2 c. milk

1 14-oz can chicken broth *

4 medium baking potatoes, baked

2 c. grated cheese, divided

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1 1/2 c. sour cream, divided

1/2 c. chopped green onions, divided

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided

*I actually just added 1 cup water and a few scoops of chicken bullion instead.

Recipe:

1. Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.

2. Add flour to pan. Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps.

3. Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth. Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

4. Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low.

5. Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps.

6. Add 1 1/2 c. grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted.

7. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. green onions, and 4 strips of crumbled bacon.

8. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

We liked this soup much better than the other Baked Potato Soup. Today's soup is pretty darn thick so make sure you have an appetite. Otherwise, you'll only be eating a few bites and calling it quits. Also, it makes a huge pot! Definitely not a one-meal kind of recipe for a family of four. More like a family of 8. Anyways, creamy, love the bacon on top, the green onions are a nice subtle taste, and the potato clumps are just right. I'd make this recipe again.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Baked Potato Soup

Everyday Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 c. milk

4 T. butter, cut into chunks

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided

2 1/4 t. "rapid rise" yeast

1/4 c. white sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 egg

Filling:

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 T. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. butter, softened

Icing:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. melted butter

1/2 t. vanilla

1-2 T. milk

Recipe:

Dough:

1. Place milk and 4 T. butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 c. flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt.

3. When milk mixture has cooled to warm (not hot) add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater (paddle attachment for those using a stand mixer) is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute.

4. Switch to the dough hook now. Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes. (If not using a stand mixer, turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for 5 minutes by hand.) Turn dough out onto floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes whiel you make the filling.

Filling:

1. Make sure the butter is softened well.*

2. Mix with brown sugar and cinnamon.

*If you the stick of butter right out of the fridge like I do, then 20 seconds in the microwave gets it pretty close to "softened" state.

Assembly:

1. Roll dough into a rectangle about 12x14 inches.

2. Spread brown sugar mixture (it will be slightly thick) over the surface and use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently spread around.

3. Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Score the roll into 12 equal pieces and then cut into rolls.

4. Place in a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. When roll have finished rising, bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. If desired spread with icing while still warm.

Rating: 4 of 5

I really like the filling in this recipe. I was pretty nervous about the amount of cinnamon that it called for, but the cinnamon was not an overpowering taste. I was scared that they would end up tasting like Cinnabon's cinnamon rolls (which I don't like), but they didn't! The bread was super fluffy and delicious! It was perfect roll bread. The icing, well, it's icing. I really don't think there is much you can say about powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Although...I guess I will say that you probably don't need to add the butter into the icing. I have a family recipe that the measurements are almost identical, except no butter, and I can't tell the difference. However, I think for this recipe I would prefer a little bit more of the icing on top.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Everyday Cinnamon Rolls

Southwestern Cobb Salad

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:

3 T. white wine vinegar

1 t. honey

3/4 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. smoked paprika *

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. ground red pepper

2 T. canola oil

Salad:

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

cooking spray

8 oz. skinless, boneless turkey or chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces **

1/4 t. salt

8 c. torn romaine lettuce ***

1/2 c. pico de gallo

1/2 c. diced avocado

1/2 c. (2 oz) crumbled queso fresco, feta, or shredded pepperjack ****

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

*Never knew smoked paprika was an option. So, I used what I had and that was ground paprika.

** Got my chicken breast from a rotisserie. Hooray for Costco's $5 chickens!

*** I'm a lettuce snob. I pretty much use green leaf over any other kind of lettuce.

****I went with a mix of shredded pepperjack, mozzarella, and cheddar cheeses.

Recipe:

1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine, or place in a jar and shake. Set aside.

2. To prepare salad, heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle turkey or chicken with salt and add to pan. Saute until done, about 4 minutes.*

3. Arrange 2 c. lettuce on each of 4 plates and divide ingredients among them. If you want to be specific, each serving should have about: 2 t. bacon, 5 T. chicken, 2 T. pico de gallo, 2 T. avocado, 2 T. cheese, 1 T. green onions, and 1/3 c. beans.

4. Drizzle vinaigrette evenly over salads.

*I'm not sure if the 4 minutes is for raw or cooked chicken. My chicken was already cooked. Rather than coating the pan with cooking spray, I cooked my bacon first, removed the bacon, drained the fat out, and then threw in the chicken. Not that that lowered the calories in any way...

Rating: 4.5 of 5

This salad surprised me! I wasn't expecting much since I knew the onion in the pico de gallo was really strong and the pepper hot, but the vinaigrette and every thing else on the salad blended perfectly! LaDon doesn't like vinaigrette very often, so the fact that he really liked this salad including the dressing is saying a lot. Good veggies. Lots of flavor. And very delicious.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Southwestern Cobb Salad

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

about 3 Roma tomatoes

1 smallish jalapeno pepper *

1/2 small onion

Measurements for remaining ingredients are approximate:

1/2 lime juiced (for more flavor juice the whole thing)

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Kosher salt to taste, optional

*our local produce store was out! So, we decided to experiment with pepper tastes and went for an Anaheim pepper.

Recipe:

1. Cut ends off tomatoes and then slice in half lengthwise. Under running water, gently run your finger under the membrane that contains the seed. It's okay if some seeds get in there, but if you have all of them, it's going to get a little sloppy. Cut into small chunks

2. Finely dice the onion. Toss with the tomato.

3. Finely chop the jalapeno, removing the seeds if desired. Toss with the tomatoes and onions.

4. Add the fresh-squeezed juice of 1/2 of the lime. Taste. If you want more lime flavor, add a little more.

5. Add your giant pinch of cilantro. Combine well. Add a generous sprinkling of Kosher salt, taste, and add more if desired.

6. This is best if it stands for a few hours before you serve it, but the juices will run and gather in the bottom of the bowl.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

We like this recipe. The Anaheim pepper was really hot, but I think the jalapeno would decrease some of the fire. I rarely use raw onion in anything (always a dried chopped onion kinda girl) so the onion was a little surprising and strong for my taste. Love the lime and cilantro. In fact, I doubled the called for cilantro and used the whole lime instead of half. Next time I think I will cut the amount of onion in half and definitely try to find a jalapeno pepper!

Source: OurBestBites.com, Pico de Gallo