A Most Dee-lish Pizza

One of my favorite pizzas in the whole wide world comes from Brixx restaurant. They make their pizza with a very thin, crispy crust. They have a ton of different topping combinations, and I'm sure they're all fantastic. My favorite option is the roasted chicken. Fresh mozzarella cheese topped with thinly sliced tomatoes, roasted chicken, and oregano. I could eat it all day long. And I usually eat a 10" pizza by myself. Oops!

This pizza was the inspiration for dinner last night. Using this pizza crust, the hubs and I topped it with everything Brixx uses. The pizza crust fit with it perfectly. We grilled the chicken instead of roasting it. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. The tomatoes and mozzarella, of course, are a perfect combination. However, I think my favorite part of this pizza is the oregano. It gets dried slightly from the heat of the oven and tastes just amazing. I recommend loading it up!

Grilled Chicken Pizza

adapted from Brixx Restaurant

pizza crust (fresh, frozen, store-bought, or homemade)

mozzarella cheese

two tomatoes, thinly sliced

4 sprigs fresh oregano

chicken
1/4 c. olive oil

2 tsp. italian seasoning (dried)

salt & pepper

The chicken can be prepared however you like it. This is how we prepared ours. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Preheat the grill on medium. Cook the chicken for about 5 or 6 minutes. Mix about 1/4 c. olive oil with 2 tsp. italian seasoning. Brush the chicken generously with the olive oil mixture. Finish cooking the chicken through completely. Remove from the grill and cut into bite-size pieces. Brush with olive oil again.

Top the pizza crust with the mozzarella. Place the tomatoes on top. Scatter the oregano around the pizza. Lastly, top with the bite-size chicken and season with salt and pepper. Bake according to the directions for the pizza crust. In our case it was 15 minutes at 425 degrees.

Trust me, you will not regret making this!

A Southern Staple

The hubs and I are trying not to be out of control with our eating. Thus, we have decided to try to keep dessert down to once a week, specifically on Sundays. That's not to say that we won't eat something that's put in front of us, but we're trying to be good a majority of the time. Hubs had a special request this weekend, and since I love him so much of course I acquiesced. I grew up with a mostly neutral to Northern family, while the hubs grew up decidedly Southern. I don't believe that I've ever had banana pudding before, but that is what we decided to make this past weekend.

We were feeling pretty lazy on Sunday, so we opted not to make our own pudding. You certainly could, and I'm sure it would be delicious. However, we enjoyed this dessert with instant box pudding as well. So no pressure, let this be something you can relax and enjoy on a Sunday evening with family and friends. I know we did!

Southern Banana Pudding

3 bananas (sliced)

Nilla wafers

1 box vanilla pudding

1 box banana pudding

2 c. whipped cream

4 tbsp. sugar

Mix the pudding according to package directions. You can do both in the same bowl, as we chose to do.

Make the whipped cream. Combine cream and sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a 2 qt. dish, put a layer of pudding. Follow that by a layer of bananas and a layer of Nilla wafers. Repeat this process until you have used all of the pudding. We got about three layers. Top this with whipped cream and add a few Nilla wafers in as a garnish.

Dig in and enjoy!

My Favorite Summer Soup

I know soup in the summer time seems a little strange. Except when you really think about it, we spend most of our time in the nice, cool air conditioning (if you are lucky enough to have it!) anyway. AC is actually the perfect weather for soup! Still, I don't think I could handle anything too heavy. Even my beloved potato and leek soup is a bit much for the most doggiest days of summer. Minestrone is my go-to.

I'm not sure what actually makes minestrone minestrone. Most of the time I know it's supposed to be made with beans, more specifically garbanzo beans. I don't really like garbanzo beans, so I left them out. I could use white beans as a substitute, but I really like the soup the way it is, so I haven't been bothered to make any changes. The veggies are delicious in this, and I think the beef flavor is fantastic. Be sure to load it up with some parmesan on top, it definitely helps the flavor!

Minestrone
adapted from some old cookbook of my mom's!

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 c. celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

8 c. beef broth (can use bouillion or Better than Bouillion)

1/2 tsp. dry basil (I have used 1 tbsp. fresh)

1/2 tsp. dry oregano (I have used 1 tbsp. fresh)

3 ounces pasta of your choice

1 package frozed, chopped spinach (thawed)

1/2 c. grated parmesan

In a large, 6-quart pan, brown the meat. Don't drain it once it has finished. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the beef broth, basil, and oregano. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat, and cover. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Add the pasta and spinach and increase the heat slightly to about medium-high. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Add 2 tbsp. of parmesan and stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan over soup in bowls. This should make about 6 to 8 servings. Slurp it up!

My Favorite Summertime Dessert... Maybe?

I think strawberry shortcake is my favorite summer dessert. Or maybe it's blueberry pie. Or any pie, for that matter. But seriously, I think it's strawberry shortcake. What is it about fruit and pastry that is so delicious?! Add a little whipped cream or a little vanilla ice cream, and you've got perfection, in my humble opinion. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to find another excuse to make this today.

Every part of this is easy and delicious, even on it's own. Although you might garner some stares by eating an entire bowl of sugar berries by themselves. I won't say the thought didn't cross my mind. Originally I wasn't planning on making whipped cream, but I forgot to buy any at the store. I'm SO glad I did, because it was easy and way worth it to just whip (!) some up. Actually, I keep asking hubs if we can make more whipped cream to put on just about everything. He keeps saying no.

Strawberry Shortcake

slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Berries:

1 qt. strawberries

1 c. sugar

Mix the berries and the sugar in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Shortcake:

1/3 c. shortening

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the shortening into the flour, 2 tbsp. sugar, baking powder, and salt using your hands, a pastry cutter (my preferred method), two knives, or a mixer until you get fine crumbs. Stir in the milk slowly until the dough just comes together. Smooth the doung into a ball on a lightly floured surface and knead 20 - 25 times. Roll it out to 3/4 to 1-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 3-inch cutter. Place an inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Whipped Cream:

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 tbsp. sugar

Using an electric mixture, whip the cream and the sugar until stiff peaks form. Don't overhwip!

Spoon berries and whipped cream over the biscuits and savor for a perfect summer evening.

Dijon Pork Chops

Not a very creative title. After a long day of work, gym, and cooking I have to say the creative juices are just not flowing. So I will just let the title reflect the awesomeness of this easy and delicious meal. The hubby and I have been making this one for years. This was actually one of the first recipes we discovered and cooked together. It hasn't lost it's greatness over the years. We love this with simple sides, like potatoes or roasted veggies. It's easy on a weeknight and full of flavor. Enjoy!

Dijon Pork Chops

not really adapted from kraftfoods.com

4 pork chops, approximately 1/2 inch thick

4 tsp. dijon mustard*

1/2 c. Shake n' Bake pork seasoning coating mix

Preheat the oven to 375. Slather the chops with the mustard. We use quite a bit on this because we looove mustard, but do this to your taste. Cover the chops with the coating mix. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Note: We have always used Shake n' Bake for this, but I'm sure any other coating mix, breadcrumbs, or whatever you like to coat meat would work just as well!

*We used horseradish mustard tonight for a change and it was equally as delicious!

Oops

I know it's been a while since I posted. Life has been in the way, I suppose. We've still been cooking and doing lots of fun things in the kitchen, I just haven't been as good about writing it up. Or taking pictures, in some instances. But I've been enjoying taking it easy and hanging out with the hubby every chance I get. Because that's still fun!

Next up I'm hoping to do some home improvement projects as well. Since we have a brand new house there's really nothing that needs to be done to "fix" it. However, in the words of the hubby, it's a bit bland. We're planning on doing some decorating and some fun little projects in the next couple weeks. If we do anything exciting in the kitchen, I will be sure to post it! Since it's semi-related, and hey, it's just fun!

For the time being, I'm squeaking by with a cheat of a post, but at least I got something up here! I will post something more significant soon, promise! I thought I'd do a little update to the fish with ginger-basil butter sauce post, since I've been doing a lot with it lately (and no pictures necessary!).

-This is a very flexible sauce. I've successfully substituted garlic for the ginger and rosemary and/or thyme for the basil. Next I think I'll try some sage.
-It's also very easy to half the recipe. That makes plenty for the two of us.
- Don't use any lemon juice, even if you don't get a lot of zest off the lemon. It makes the sauce kinda funny!

Feel free to comment if you do anything different to this sauce with success!

Mom's Pizza

Another family staple 'round these parts is Mom's pizza. Every vacation from school or time when the family would gather at home we would request Mom's pizza. The crust is different (and way better!) than any delivery pizza. Plus, making pizza at home is fun! There's so much shredded cheese to eat. That's gotta be the best part!

Emily and I had our first attempt at Mom's pizza when she came down for a visit. Overall I would consider it a success. I definitely needed some extra instruction as far as rolling out the dough. But with some help and a little practice, I managed to roll out a lovely circle, all ready for topping!

Mom's Pizza

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (use very warm tap water)
1 tbsp. sugar
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water, Add the sugar and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes. This will result in a little film or foam, like the picture below:

Add 1 cup of flour and beat well. Sift together the remaining 2 cups of flour and 1/2 tsp. of salt and add it to the bowl. Beat until smooth and if you find your dough too sticky, add some more flour. The dough should be fairly stuff by the time you're done. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and let it sit for 3 - 5 minutes. Knead the dough for 2 - 5 minutes.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and let it stand in a warm place, free from drafts until slightly risen, about 30 minutes. Divide the dough in half and knead each piece slightly. Wrap each piece loosely in plastic wrap. Be sure to wrap it loosely so the dough can continue to rise. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425. Brush two pizza pans with oil. Roll out the dough to fit the pizza pan. Top your pizza with the sauce and toppings of your choice. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes. It's probably best to bake one pizza at a time, or else the crust may not brown properly. Watch it to make sure it doesn't get overdone, you will be able to tell when it's ready. Let the pizza sit for 2 - 3 minutes before cutting into it.

Not so scary for pizza, huh?! Enjoy!