Barbecue Chicken Pizza

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We all have traits that we inherit honestly.  For instance, I inherited my sense of humor, love of cheese,  and coloring from my father and my sweet dance moves, sociability, and cheek bones from my mother.

We also have traits that we are unable to account for their roots. Like my inability to whistle. Or my love for sentence fragments.

I don't think I inherited my pizza obsession.  It is a personal trait that is not genetic: My husband is happy as long as he has a slice in his hand. I think his trait has rubbed off on me and I cannot even begin to complain. 

Because of this, I make pizza a lot. Since I make pizza a lot, I often feel the need to experiment.

Usually when I experiment, I decide to treat my friends as if they were guinea pigs and try out my new recipes on them. This one received rave reviews, so I have decided to share it with you all!

Happy Pizza-ing!

Barbecue Chicken Pizza (beer not included, but encouraged)

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 chicken breast, pan fried and shredded

½ cup caramelized onions

1 cup kale, chopped

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

2 TBS butter, melted

Cornmeal (for a pizza peel)

 Pizza dough:

1 TBS instant yeast

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup water (at approximately 115 degrees) 

2 + cups bread flour

Directions:

1. Combine the yeast, sugar, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add the water, whisking the ingredients altogether, and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes (to proof the yeast!). 

2.  Add the flour and mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl (depending upon the humidity, you may need more than 2 cups of flour), kneading it a few times. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and allow it to rise for an hour.  

3. Punch down the pizza dough to deflate it.

4. Preheat your oven (preferably with a baking stone) for 500 degrees. If you do not have a baking stone, grease a pizza pan. 

5. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the kale and cook until it has softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside. 

6. Once the oven as completed preheating, pull the dough from the bowl, and knead it a few times on a well-floured surface. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thickness. 

7. Pour the melted butter on top of the rolled out dough (ooo, yum, decadent). Drizzle on half of the barbecue sauce. Top with the caramelized onions, kale, and chicken. Finish with drizzling the remaining barbecue sauce. 

8. (If using a baking stone, cornmeal your pizza peel) Put pizza into the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it every minute or so after you hit the 5 minute mark, to make sure it doesn't overcook! 

9. Slice and enjoy!

A Neighborhood Chili Cook-Off & Smoked Gouda Crackers

Pin It Now! My beautiful boss and I decided to enter our neighborhood Chili Cook-off recently under the name of the flower shop.

I had so much fun coming up with this recipe with my boss. I sat on the flower shop floor as we talked it into existence. We created this beauty out of thin air. And giggled along the way.


Did I mention that I love my job?!

There was a ton of great chili to be had entered by restaurants and other non-restaurant businesses, as well as neighborhood folks! 

We made a chili using ground buffalo. Delicious!!! We won People's Choice! I did a happy dance. Twice. 

We had a secret ingredient. Secret ingredients require a James-Bond-like stealthiness. You want it to enhance your recipe, but be undetectable as it is a secret! I always wanted to say that there was a secret ingredient in something that I had created and now I can!

I would share with the recipe for our super amazing chili, but I'd have to kill you. Remember I said there was a secret ingredient?! And I like having you around.  Also, I may need to use this recipe as a bargaining chip in the event I am kidnapped by a mob of bandit ninjas.

.....But I will totally fork over the cracker recipe.

The crackers ended up being a perfect accompaniment to the chili. Everyone is used to eating cornbread with their chili. I love cornbread. It's delicious, but pretty typical. And I live to be a-typical. So, these crackers were a great way of introducing a cheesy cornmeal flavor without being cornbread!

Smoked Gouda Crackers

Adapted from Allrecipes

Yields: A ton of crackers. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup smoked gouda, shredded
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
3. Sift together the cornmeal, flour, and salt.
4. Cut in the butter (I recommend using your fingers.. you get to play with your food. I need any excuse I can to play with my food. And you get to make sure that the butter is really well incorporated, which is an added bonus).
5. Stir in the cheese and add the milk.
6. Knead the dough a few times to make sure it's well incorporated.
7. Roll out on a well-floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into your desired cracker shape.
8. Place onto your prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes.

Scrambled Falafel Pitas

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Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying that “beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” This is potentially the most profound statement ever made. However, I find Benjamin Franklin’s thought process to be incomplete. There are several other items that he neglected to mention that are gifts from on high illustrating that we are to be joyful creatures, and they are as follows (and in no particular order):

         1. Duane Allman's guitar

         2. Downton Abbey

         3. Nude high heels

         4. Chickpeas

Chickpeas are awesome. Chickpeas make hummus possible… and veggie burgers… and falafel.

Falafel is delicious. I was unaware of falafel’s existence until I was in college.  When I would hear people talking about it, I thought that they were referring to a foot fungus they had caught in the community shower.

Boy was I wrong....

Scrambled Falafel Pitas
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup of dried chickpeas, **soaked in water overnight**
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 cup kale, chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup hummus
4 pitas, halved
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Drain the chickpeas and place into a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, cumin, and coriander until they are broken down, make sure not to puree them. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, cooking until translucent (about 3 to 5 minutes).
3. Add the chickpeas and stir to combine with the onions (think scrambled eggs). Allow the chickpeas to lightly brown, stirring occasionally (may be 5 to 7 minutes).
4. Add the kale and peppers, cooking until the kale softens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Spread hummus on the pitas and add the falafel scramble.
6. Nomnomnom.