Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

|
By
|
9 comments

We’ve been having pizza night on the regular here. There’s always a new fun twist that I’m coming across in my daily blog reads, and making a note to try. We’ve had weirdo winners in the past, so I’m always anxious to try different topping combinations that wouldn’t normally come to mind. I’d had this chicken ranch pizza from Annie bookmarked for too long, and finally gave it a spin last week when we had some extra chicken hanging out in the fridge.

And, we have another winner! I went ahead and added bacon, simply because I had some of that hanging out in the fridge too. And really, when it comes to bacon – why not?  I loved that that the sauce of the pizza was buttermilk ranch dressing.Kind of white pizza-ish, but far less heavy. I  loved the tomato on top too. Tomato can be so good on pizza, if done right – but can easily turn into a soggy mess if overdone. Will definitely be putting this one into pizza night rotation from now on! A great summer pizza.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

Pizza dough
¼ cup Ranch dressing
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2-3 green onions, chopped
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500° F.  Allow the stone to heat for at least 30 minutes.  In the mean time, cut a round of parchment paper the size of your pizza stone.  (Alternatively, use a pizza peel.)  Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal or semolina flour.  Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust.

Spread the Ranch dressing in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust.  Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.  Top with grilled chicken, tomato and green onions.  Sprinkle with shredded cheddar.  Once assembled, carefully transfer the parchment round and pizza to the preheated baking stone and return to the oven.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

|
By
|
5 comments

Last week, Shawnda of Confections of a Foodie Bride devoted a whole week to pizza. I happened to have pizza on the menu for Friday evening, and I couldn’t help but be inspired by all the fun twists on pizza that she’d shared during the week. I’ve been in the mood for wings for a couple of weeks now. So, I thought, why not a buffalo chicken pizza? Yum!

I looked around on a few different recipes, and there are several variations out there. I settled on Racheal Ray’s version. Say what you will about her “stoups” and sammies, but what recipes I’ve tried of hers have yet to let me down. I liked the idea of a Buffalo pizza sauce, versus just a buffalo sauce, or ranch dressing as the base. I didn’t have blue cheese, so I just mixed in a little bit of cheddar. I was thinking feta might be a good substitute as well, with the nice salty kick it lends. And last, but certainly not least, the red onions. Which, get nice and charred under the intense heat in the oven.

Everyone really enjoyed it, in fact we ate the whole thing that night. Usually, on pizza night, there’s always at least a half a pizza left over between the traditional pizza I make for the boys, and the more adulterated pizza I’ll make for us. I’m already craving this again, so I have a feeling it won’t be long before it’s making an appearance on our dinner table soon. Make sure you have plenty of ice cold beer to serve with it, as they go down too easy together!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

3/4 pound chicken breast cutlets
olive oil, for drizzling
2 teaspoons grill seasoning
1 pizza dough
Cornmeal or flour, to handle dough
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce (I like Frank’s Red Hot)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Monterey or Pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Preheat grill pan to high.

Place chicken on a plate and drizzle with olive oil , then season with grill seasoning. When grill is hot, add chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Once chicken has cooled, slice it into 1/2″ thick strips.

Stretch dough to form pizza using cornmeal or flour to help you handle it. Set pizza on pizza pan to the side and clean board.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in Worcestershire, hot sauce, and tomato sauce. Remove from heat. Add chicken strips to sauce and toss to coat, then remove and set aside.

Cover the pizza dough with remaining  pizza sauce, then top with the cheeses, chicken pieces, and red onion. Bake 15 minutes or until crisp.

Source: adapted from Racheal Ray

Poblano Burgers with Chipotle Cream

|
By
|
1 comment

A couple weekends ago, my girlfriend and I ventured out to the local flea market. I was hoping to find some unique vintage plates, flatware, linens, etc. to use as props. I’m happy to report that I did, flea markets and yard sales are a great source for stuff like that. There’s also a produce cart there, that a very nice Hispanic lady runs. Most of what she had to offer were things that one would use in Mexican food – chiles, tomatillos, dried beans, cactus (!!), garlic, onions. Everything was gorgeous too. I’m not stretching the truth when I say that it was the most gorgeous spread of produce that I’ve seen around here. I will definitely be going back!

At any rate, I bought a basket of 6 gorgeous, big, dark green poblano peppers for the small sum of $2. I knew I wanted to make chile rellanos for dinner, but we weren’t going to eat that many of them. I sat down to browse my favorite cookbooks and food sites when Courtney from Cook Like A Champion mentioned on the site’s Facebook feed that they were having these burgers for dinner. It was a sign, and I was sold. They were relatively quick to bring together, and absolutely hit the spot. Jon died and went to Heaven. We just had them last week, and he’s already asking for them again.

Poblanos are a relatively mild pepper, so I was worried the flavor would get lost in translation. But, it doesn’t! The flavor of the pepper shined right through the beef. And, the chipotle cream on top is just the perfect complement. Ant leftovers make a delicious dipping sauce for fries! I went full on pig style – and added a slice of Pepperjack cheese. But, eh, you hardly knew it was there. Next time I probably won’t bother. With all this gorgeous weather everyone’s been having, I know you’ve got to be itching to fire up the grill. These burgers are the perfect way to kick start the grilling season!

Poblano Burgers with Chipotle Cream

2 poblano peppers
1 tablespoon milk
1 slice white bread, crusts removed, and torn into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground sirloin
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 chipotle chile, finely chopped
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
Cooking spray
4 hamburger buns, toasted on the grill
Lettuce, onions, etc. for serving

Directions:
Preheat broiler to high. Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil about 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Alternately, place in a plastic bag and seal. Let stand for 15 minutes. Remove skin and discard seeds and ribs. Finely chop peepers and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine milk and bread pieces. Mash with a fork until a smooth paste is formed. Add poblanos, half of cilantro, cumin, coriander, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper and beef. Gently toss to combine, taking care not to overwork the meat. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into a 1/2-inch thick patty. Press gently in the center of each to form a small indention. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat or prepare coals. Meanwhile, make chipotle cream by combining the sour cream with the remaining cilantro, salt and pepper. Stir in shallots, lime juice, chipotle and adobo sauce. Set aside.

Coat the grill rack with cooking spray and place the patties on top. Grill for 3 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn and continue cooking an additional 3 minutes or until burgers reach desired stage of doneness. Serve with chipotle cream sauce, lettuce and any other desired toppings.

Source: adapted from Cooking Light, via Cook Like A Champion

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream

|
By
|
16 comments

In case you hadn’t taken notice, St. Patrick’s Day is this weekend. I love all the glittery shamrocks, leprechauns, and Irish booze. What better way to mark the occasion than by baking cupcakes laced with two of the green isle’s two favorite spirits? Bailey’s and Guinness.

A quick Google led to several different variations. Many recipes called for a whiskey ganache filling for the cake, which sounded divine, but I was kind of pressed for time.  So, I went with a basic recipe for a moist, chocolate Guinness cake topped with a Bailey’s buttercream frosting.

I made these for my ladies book club that I hosted last Friday night, and everyone really enjoyed them. There is just enough of a boozy bite from the frosting to give it a kick, and the Guinness cake was just perfect – light, airy, and moist. I was honestly a bit worried about the cupcakes before putting them in the oven. With a whole bottle of beer in the batter, it’s very thin. Next time I might try using a batter bowl to fill the cupcake liners, instead of a scoop. Whether you’re creating an Irish celebration at home this St. Patty’s Day, or going out for a wild night on the town…try to squeeze in some time to make these cupcakes!

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream

1 bottle Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey’s buttercream:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sour cream. Add Guinness-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until combined.

Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely before frosting.

For the frosting, place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.

Gradually add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is the consistency you desire. I like it relatively stiff for piping purposes. You may not need to add all of the sugar at this point.

After all sugar has been added, add Bailey’s and milk and blend until just combined. Add remaining sugar if the liqueur has made the frosting too soft.

Source: cupcakes from Dave Liberman, Bailey’s buttercream from Smitten Kitchen