Bourbon Chicken Pizza

This recipe has absolutely zero resemblance to the 'Bourbon Chicken' you may find at fast-food joints. That dish is apparently named after Bourbon Street and not after the alcoholic beverage, which it does not contain. This dish is named after the spirit, which it does contain. 

I just had to throw that out there, as it goes toward the story of how this particular recipe was created: Hubby asked me several years ago whether I had heard of something called 'Bourbon Chicken' and if I knew how to make it, as he had just heard someone mention it that day. I told him I had heard of it, and that I had even tried it once, and I asked if he knew that it did not, in fact, contain bourbon. He was shocked and appalled. So he asked me to create a bourbon chicken dish that actually utilized bourbon... and then he said he wanted it to go on a pizza. I asked if there were any other specifics he had in mind, and we talked it through a while, and what follows is what we came up with - which has now become our favorite pizza, we make it almost every single time we make pizza, if that tells you anything about how good it is. 

We start with caramelized onions, because... well, have you had caramelized onions on pizza? But instead of using butter or plain olive oil, we decided to saute them with a Spanish dipping oil we love - sun dried tomatoes are a prominent ingredient in this sweet/smoky/tangy mixture, and making sure to get plenty of bits of those tomatoes into the pan is an important step. Saute the onions over medium heat just until they begin to soften and release their lovely aroma. 

Then turn the pan up to high and add in your diced chicken. Saute just until chicken is about half cooked, then pour in your bourbon and cook until chicken is done and the liquid has absorbed/evaporated. At this point, you really have the bourbon chicken aspect finished; you could enjoy this as is, with rice or pasta or some warm soft tortillas. Add some fresh lime and cilantro and you'd have some yummy tacos...

Back to pizza: I highly recommend you use homemade crust, my recipe can be found here; but if you prefer not to, I'm sure it will be alright. Not quite the same, but tasty anyway. Spread your favorite barbecue sauce thinly over your prebaked crust - we use one that is a bit smoky and spicy, which complements the bourbony chicken nicely. Then sprinkle with your favorite shredded cheese (we actually use rice cheese, as dairy is a no-no, but I bet it would be great with anything you normally use on pizza). Tear up a few big handfuls of fresh spinach to cover the cheese, then top with the bourbony chicken and onions. Pop this into the 450* oven for about ten minutes to melt the cheese and crisp the crust.

Mmmm. Don't you want to try this? Wait - before you answer that - Are you a fan of delicious flavor?

And here's the recipe:

Bourbon Chicken Pizza

One prebaked pizza crust  (find the recipe to make your own here)
4-6 Tbsp barbecue sauce (more if you like it thick)
~1/2 cup shredded cheese (again, more if you like)
Fresh spinach (a few big handfuls)
1 small or 1/2 med-large onion, sliced
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, diced (I use thighs, but breasts would work if you prefer)
~1 Tbsp oil for sauteing **I use spanish dipping oil for the complimentary flavor, but you could use plain olive oil or even butter**
1 oz bourbon **I'm intentionally not specifying the brand here, we've used a couple different brands as we've had them to very similar effect**

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat, saute onions just until softening and aromatic. Turn heat to high and add chicken; saute until chicken is cooked halfway. Add bourbon and cook until chicken is done and liquid has absorbed/evaporated.
Spread a thin layer of barbecue sauce on prebaked crust, top with shredded cheese. Tear up spinach and layer on top of cheese. Top with bourbon chicken and onion mixture. Bake at 450* about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is crisped and golden-brown.

Enjoy!                                            

Sue

Pizza Dough

I know that for many (most?) people, pizza is something you order out, or maybe pop in the oven from a box you find in the freezer. Some people will even go so far as to purchase premade crust and top it at home, for a more customizable option. But make the whole pizza, dough and all, from scratch? Probably not very many would even consider it, let alone make it a habit. 

I'm here to tell you, it is not that difficult, and it is sooo worth it. I've been doing it for years, and I honestly prefer homemade pizza, especially the dough, over any takeout. (The only exception is the food of the gods you find at a place called American Flatbread, but that's a story for another day...) Not to mention this is really the only way to ensure there is no dairy or soy or any of the other ingredients that make hubby sick included. 

Alright, let's get started. First, proof your yeast. This is a very simple process, and truthfully not always necessary. I have skipped this step before without any problems. That said, I recommend that you proof if you are not absolutely certain that your yeast will be active if you skip it. It would be unfortunate to go through the whole process and end up with a lump of play-doh and nothing for dinner. You might have to order out... 

Anyway, like I said, simple process: in a small bowl, stir your yeast and a teaspoon of sugar into a couple tablespoons of the warm (not hot, not cold - comfortably warm) water called for in the recipe. It should mostly dissolve, but you may have a few clumps, and that is ok.

Let this bowl sit on the counter while you assemble the rest of the ingredients, just a few minutes is all it takes. And voila! Bubbly, puffy, and increased volume. This not only tells you that your yeast is active, it gives your dough a head start on rising time because the yeast has already started working! This is especially nice if your kitchen is not very warm, which tends to slow down a dough's rise.

While the yeast has been proofing, you have assembled your flour, olive oil, salt, and the rest of the warm water in a mixing bowl. Now you add the proofed yeast mixture as well. No need for any particular order or extra steps, just put it all in the bowl at once.

Then, using your dough hook, turn the mixer on low and let it do the work for you. It will mix and knead the dough all in one step, just let it go until the dough is cohesive and looks pretty smooth, like this:

If you have a bread machine, you could also do this on just the dough setting and it will work to the same effect. If you have neither, you can certainly mix and knead by hand, it will just take a little longer. If you knead by hand, try putting a little olive oil on your hands before you begin to avoid needing to add extra flour. When your dough is soft and smooth, form it into a mostly round ball; lightly oil a large bowl and roll the dough around to coat the surface. Cover and allow to rise on the counter at least 90 minutes.

You can use the risen dough right away, or refrigerate up to a few days or even freeze it. This is what my dough looked like after spending the night and the next day in the fridge (this is a 2.5 quart bowl):

Now to use the dough: the recipe makes enough for two large thin crust pizzas, or if you like a thick chewy deep-dish crust go ahead and use the whole batch on one. I divide the dough in half and make two pizzas, sometimes both at once, other times I refrigerate the second half to use the next day. Lightly oil a large pizza pan, and (optionally) sprinkle with cornmeal. Stretch the dough a bit by hand into a circular shape, then place it on the prepared pizza pan and pat and stretch it further. Be gentle to avoid making holes. When the dough starts to resist but is not large enough to fill the pan, especially when you have just pulled it from the fridge, let it rest for five or ten minutes on the counter while you go do something else.

When you come back, the dough will probably be more cooperative, and you can pat/stretch it to fill the rest of the pan. Preheat your oven to 450* and let the dough rest again while you wait.

Then use a fork or knife to poke the dough in several places to avoid air pockets, and prebake until you start to see some golden brown areas - about 8-10 minutes, depending on your oven. I like to check on it every once in a while to make sure there aren't any air pockets forming despite my punctures, if there are, just pop them and press the dough down to let the air out (using that fork or knife, not your fingers - it will be hot!).

Then you have a lovely canvas with which to create your very own personal favorite pizza! Top with your favorite combination of sauce, cheese, and toppings. Then back into the 450* oven to melt the cheese and meld the flavors, another 10-15 minutes or so, depending on whether you have toppings that need to actually cook or just heat up. Our favorite topping combo will be my next post, so if you need ideas, check back soon!

I have also used this recipe to make stromboli with great success (I'll have to make it again soon, I've just reminded myself how good it was! I promise I'll post about it when I do.), you are not limited to flat pizza! Really, the possibilities are endless - it even makes great breadsticks.

And here's the recipe:

Pizza Dough

2 tsp yeast (or one packet if you purchase those instead)
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for the bowl and pan
3 cups all-purpose flour (actually, I've made it with whole wheat before and it is also very good)
1 1/4 tsp salt
Cornmeal (optional) for the pan

Dissolve yeast and sugar with a couple tablespoons of the warm water, set aside. Assemble all ingredients in mixing bowl, add proofed yeast mixture. Mix and knead until dough is cohesive and smooth. Turn dough in lightly oiled large bowl to coat surface, cover and allow to rise at room temperature at least 90 minutes. At this point, dough can be refrigerated or frozen until needed.
Divide dough in half for two large thin crust pizzas, or use the whole batch for one large deep-dish pizza, or divide into 4-8 smaller portions to make stromboli. Lightly oil pizza pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Gently stretch the dough into a circular shape, place on prepared pan and pat and gently stretch to fill. When dough resists, allow to rest 5-10 minutes, then resume pat/stretching to fill pan.
Preheat oven to 450* while allowing dough to rest. Poke dough in several places to vent air with fork or knife. Prebake 8-10 minutes, until crust begins to turn golden brown in places. Top with your favorite combination of sauce, cheese, and toppings. Return to oven another 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.

Enjoy!                                            

Sue

Caramel Apple Cookie Bars

Here's another apple recipe as a result of our apple picking adventure. 

A few years ago I made something like this, but this version was much better. I adapted this recipe slightly from one I found on Betty Crocker's website. 

I meant to take a picture of a single piece and zoom in on the caramely goodness on the inside....but these things disappeared so fast I never got a chance. You may start to notice when I am trying to get through a recipe as quickly as possible, as there may be just photos of the end result (or almost the end result as seen here with the lack of picture for the individual piece...) and none of the process. 

My husband and toddler LOVED these Caramel Apple Cookie Bars! My husband really likes sweet food. Where as I prefer things a little less sweet. These were very good though.

 I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Cut your parchment to fit the pan on the long side of the pan and make it longer on the short ends so you can just lift it easily out of the pan once it's cooled.

My husband and I both are not generally corner and edge people. When mine and Sue's Dad is around we save the corners for him. We prefer the middle pieces on brownies, bars and even biscuits, with the exception of my Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies (they will be a post for another time-I assure you they are divine). But the edges on these were so nice and chewy that we didn't mind eating them. 

Just look at that edge....Somewhat crisp, yet chewy, caramely, oaty goodness. The inside pieces were soft and chewy. It was good warm and at room temp, but when we put it in the fridge, that's when it became the nice chewy caramel consistency we were looking for. 

And here's the recipe

Caramel Apple Cookie Bars

1/4 C plus 2 T shortening

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

1 1/2 C brown sugar

1 1/2 t salt

2 1/4 C old fashioned oats

2 1/2 C all purpose flour

1 1/2 cinnamon

3/4 t baking soda

4 1/2 C chopped apples

3 T all purpose flour

1 lb caramels

cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line 13x9” pan with parchment paper. (cut to fit on long sides of pan and make it longer to overlap the pan on both short sides of the pan) In a large bowl combine shortening, butter and brown sugar. Add salt, oats, 2 1/4 C flour, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir to combine. Reserve 2 C of the mixture; press remaining mixture in bottom of parchment lined pan. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over the top. In another bowl stir together apples and 3 T flour. Spread evenly over the crust in the pan. Sprinkle apples with a little cinnamon sugar. In a med saucepan over low heat, heat the caramels stirring occasionally until completely melted. Pour as evenly as you can over the apples. Distribute the reserved oat mixture as evenly as you can over the caramel. Press lightly. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. Bake 25-30 min or until apples are tender and top is light golden brown. Cool in the pan a little so you can handle it safely. Then using the overlapping parchment carefully remove from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge.  

(adapted from Betty Crocker)

Enjoy!                                            

Sandi 

Apple Fritters

Wow. It has been almost a month since my last post. Earlier this month our toddler turned 2. We went home to Maine for his birthday party with family we don't get to see very often. Now there is an abundance of new toys strewn about our living room from his birthday. Lately he has started to actually sit and pay attention to the television for brief moments and he is loving the Bubble Guppies on Nick Jr. They are very cute and actually educational. In fact as I sit here typing this he is sitting on the floor watching them. He has also decided to delay his nap as long as possible and now isn't ready for bed at night until 10-10:30....yikes. Hopefully I can get that sorted out and fixed ASAP. Who knew life with a 2 year old would be so incredibly busy? I certainly didn't.

Well, back to the apples. We don't often eat donuts at my house. While they taste so good they are not so very good for you. Laden with carbs and sugar and not to mention fried.....

My goal here was to create a doughnut like treat that was relatively healthy. We are trying to make-over some of the yummy, not so good for you treats with less sugar and wheat flour for an added  fiber boost. And while my husband and toddler can drink milk with no issues, I on the other hand can not have too much dairy as it makes me feel very ill. So I am experimenting with unsweetened almond milk in place of regular milk for some things. While they are still fried, these apple fritters have very little sugar or butter and I used unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk which bumps up the calcium content.They were a nice little breakfast treat. And toddler approved! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. 

Does anyone have any go-to things your kids love to eat? Or anything you would like to see Sue and I make? Or maybe even make-over so it's a little healthier?

Our toddler loves strawberries. They went nicely with the apple fritters. 

You don't have to use the powdered sugar, but it did add a nice little extra touch of sweetness since there is very little sugar in the recipe itself.

Here's the recipe:

Apple Fritters

1 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/8 t salt

1 1/4 t baking powder

2 T brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1 large egg, beaten

2 T melted butter

1 t vanilla

1 C unsweetened almond milk

1 large McIntosh apple, chopped

powdered sugar

oil for frying

Heat oil to 375*F (use amount needed for electric fryer or about 3 inches in a Dutch Oven). In a large bowl combine all ingredients through apple and stir just until combined. Scoop batter with a muffin scoop about 1/2 full and gently drop into hot oil. Fry about 3 min each side. Test one after your first batch is done and adjust frying time if needed. The larger your fritters are the longer they will take to cook. Fry in batches. (with the size of my fryer I was able to do 4-6 at a time) Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I got 24 fritters.

Enjoy!                                            

Sandi