Pizza Bites

I'm still on the fence with this one. While it was a cool technique it was nothing special and would probably be better as an appetizer.

You may have gathered, I considered this more a technique than a recipe. I say this because you can put any toppings you want in the dough and you can use any dough recipe you want.

So, what did I do? I started with a box of jiffy pizza dough. I followed the directions on the box. I used a flour-dusted board and a glass to make circle-shapes pieces of dough. I stuffed the dough with 2 pepperonis, as much cheese as I could fit, and a sprinkle of olives. I used regular pizza sauce for dipping.

How to improve? First of all, make sure you grease the pan really well. It was my bad...I was using stoneware so it stuck a little. Second, cover the whole dough bite with the butter topping. Maybe even melting the butter first would have been better. I think a sprinkling of some garlic powder, oregano, and salt would have been good. Also, one box of jiffy won't get you very far. It wasn't even enough for the two of us (Addi wasn't interested in eating any pizza bites). I would suggest 2-3 boxes to fill a bundt pan. Last, you don't have to fill them all the same. Fill them with your favorite pizza toppings!!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 lbs pizza dough (I used this recipe because it makes enough for two pizza)
• 6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (you'll need ~48 pieces)
• 48 slices of Turkey pepperoni (from 1 package)
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce, warmed, for serving

Instructions

• Heat garlic and butter over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and let sit.
• Lightly brush the inside of a bundt pan (or other oven-safe dish) with garlic butter.
• Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten (a kitchen scale makes this very easy). Top with a slice of pepperoni and a cube of mozzarella.
• 
  
• Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese, pinching well to seal.
• Very lightly brush the pizza ball with garlic butter and place into the bundt pan (I dabbed the pizza balls on a butter-dipped silicon brush to keep butter use low - there will be 1+ Tbsp leftover - and my hands butter free. Buttery hands make it hard to get the pizza balls to seal).
• Repeat until all of the dough is used.
• Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 400.
• Bake for ~35 minutes, until the top is very brown.
• Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Turn out onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/7195

Santa Fe Chicken

This recipe was as expected. It was good but not over-the-top amazing. What IS great is that it's another low-fat recipe. Id give it a solid 4 1/2 stars.

I opted to serve it on tortillas and sprinkled a little cheese on it.

The only thing I did differently was I used white onion instead of scallions.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 24 oz chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes wtih mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion pwoder
• 1tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt in the crock pot.
• Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
• Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half an hour before serving, remove the chicken and shred. Return chickent ot he slow cooker and stir in.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken-425-pts.html?m=1

Pizza Casserole

...really should have been named "easy lasagna topped with pepperonis". The recipe was good, but needs some tweaking to become more pizza-like. I give this recipe 4 stars. It was good, but a bit of false advertising. I will tweak it and repost at a later date.

The only thing I did differently on this recipe was I changed the cook time. By the time I had it made, my stomach didn't have the patience to wait 30+ minutes so I turned up the temp and shortened the cook-time. Honestly, probably should have stuck to the recipe. It's better to wait!!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 bag of egg noodles
• 1 extra large can of Ragu sauce
• 3 cups shredded mozarella
• 1 1/2 lbs hamburger meat
• 1 pkg pepperonis

Instructions

• preheat the oven to 350
• brown the meat and drain
• boil the egg noodles
• spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 dish
• layer as follows: half the noodles, half the meat, half the sauce, half the noodles, half the cheese, rest of meat, rest of sauce, rest of cheese
• top with pepperonis
• bake, covered with foil for 30 minutes
• remove foil, bake for 5 more minutes
• let settle for 10-15 minutes before serving

http://formamas.blogspot.com/2011/08/pizza-casserole.html

Chicken Bruschetta

I had originally found this recipe on Pinterest, but when I went to make it I couldn't find the recipe so I made up my own.

I used chicken breast tenderloins and it worked great, but it would probably have been better had I used whole breasts (more surface area for the toppings).

Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound chicken
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
olive oil
Balsamic vinaigrette
2 tomatoes on the vine, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 TBSP basil, chopped
1 cup mozzarella

Marinate a pound of chicken with a light drizzle of olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette, salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil and then mix in olive oil and vinaigrette to taste.

Pan fry or grill the chicken. Top with mixture and cheese.

Broil for 5-7 minutes to warm the topping and melt the cheese.

Enjoy!!!

Avocado Chicken Soup

I am not a soup person at all, but this soup was AMAZING! I even went back for seconds. And to add another layer of amazingness, it is a low fat recipe. 5 stars!

I did modify the recipe slightly. First, I used a small white onion instead of scallions. Also, after I shredded the chicken, I added it to the broth and let it simmer for an extra 10 minutes or so.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 cups scallions, chopped fine
• 2 ripe hass avocados
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped fine
• 4 lime wedges
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt + pepper to taste
• pinch cumin
• pinch chile powder

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add 1 cup scallions and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes and then add tomatoes and saute another minute, until soft. Add chicken stock, cumin, and chile powder and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered on low for 15-20 minutes.

In four bowls , fill each with 1/2 cup chicken, 1/2 avocado, remainder of scallions, and cilantro. Ladle 1 cup chicken broth over the chicken and serve with a lime wedge.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/chicken-and-avocado-soup.html?m=1

Cheddar Beer Chicken

This recipe was good, but could use some minor tweaking...3.5 stars

Really, the only thing I did "off-recipe" was use a different beer. Obviously, you would want to follow the rule "dont cook with it unless you'd drink it" but I suspect any beer would work. In case you're wondering, I used Yeungling's traditional Lager (delicious, I might add).
I think the recipe would actually be heartier with less bite if you omit the peppers.

Ingredients

Makes: 4 servings

Cook: 31/2 to 41/2 hours

• 1 large onion, peeled and diced large

• 1 package (16-ounce) diced red potatoes, Reser’s®

• 1 cup frozen diced green pepper, Pictsweet®

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry

• 11/2 teaspoons garlic salt, McCormick®

• 11/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• 1 can (10-ounce) condensed cheddar cheese soup, Campbell’s®

• 3/4 cup Bass Ale®

• 3/4 cup bacon crumbles, Hormel®

• Fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish

Directions

1. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine onion, potatoes, and green peppers.

2. Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker on top of vegetables.

3. In a small bowl, stir together cheddar soup, Bass Ale, and bacon crumbles. Pour over chicken.

4. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 31/2 to 41/2 hours.
   
   Serving ideas: Serve hot with chive garnish.

http://sandralee.com/recipes/slow-cooker/cheddar-beer-chicken/547

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Is it really as amazing as it sounds??

YES!!!! I give this recipe 5 stars!

This recipe is courtesy of thepioneerwoman.com
So first, I didn't follow the recipe to a T --
I used a slow-cooker instead of the oven.
I did get "pork butt" but it came in the form of ribs and I only used 3 pounds instead of 5 because that was all that would fit in my slow-cooker.
After that, it was a piece of cake. I used half the can of peppers and omitted the brown sugar.
I served the shredded pork on small tortillas with fresh cilantro, black beans, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. They were not only delicious the first night, but they were great as leftovers!

RECIPE:

Ingredients
1 whole Large Onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 Pounds
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Instructions
*Cut the onion into small chunks and place in the bottom of the slow-cooker
*Salt and Pepper the pork and place it on top of the onions
*Pour the can of peppers over the pork (CAUTION: If you are a weenie when it comes to spice, only use half the can)
*Pour the Dr. Pepper over the pork
*(Optional) sprinkle brown sugar over the top
*Cook on low for 6 hours turning the pork every couple hours
*Shred the meat and serve as you choose


Recipe website:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/spicy-dr-pepper-shredded-pork/

Amanda Sue's Kitchen

Good morning!

I have recently become obsessed with Pinterest, but really...who isn't??? I have found tons of fun craft projects that I will never do and places that I will never visit. The one thing I CAN do is cook! I love to cook and I have found Pinterst to be my place of inspiration for trying new recipes. I was really getting tired of having the same boring recipe deck, so I ventured out and tried what I was seeing. I am going to post the recipes that I have tried and the minor tweaks I made and what I think could make it better.