Garlic Chicken Pizza

A major tweak of a great new recipe we found. Soooo yummy.

Garlic Chicken Pizza

1 16" pizza crust (store bought or home made)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped or shredded
4 tbsp ranch dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp garlic powder
8 green onions, minced
5 roma tomatoes, diced
2-3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Prepare pizza crust. If making dough from scratch, spread on cornmeal dusted pizza pan, drizzel with olive oil and bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine chicken, ranch dressing and garlic. Let stand. When crust is finished in the oven, sprinkle with the garlic powder, green onions and tomatoes. Top with chicken mixture and spread evenly. Spread thickly with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Refried potatoes

This was supposed to be a recipe for potato patties, but they didn't hold together too well - fortunately, it makes a really yummy mashed potato side :)

Refried Potatoes

5 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cubed
1 8oz package cream cheese
4 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, grated
generous dash pepper
olive oil

Peel and boil potatoes until crumbly (about 10-15 minutes). In bowl of mixer, place potatoes, cream cheese, butter, onion and pepper. Mix on low speed until creamy. Chill thoroughly. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Place potatoes in pan, spread evenly, and fry until bottom turns golden. Flip potatoes and fry until bottom is golden. Stir and serve.

Peach Pie

One of my favorite summer desserts

Peach Pie

1 unbaked double-crust pie crust
6 cups peaches, peeled and sliced (about 5-6 large peaches)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 tbsp flour

Combine peaches, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Pour into prepared pie shell. Top with lattice crust. Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting or pie will be soupy.

Chicken Stew

Hoping to get into more slow cooker cooking since I'm spending way too much time in the kitchen lately. Here's a recent favorite.

Chicken Stew

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed or shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup green peas
1 cup brown rice (or 1/2 cup brown rice + 1/2 cup wild rice)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp marjoram
dash savory
dash pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Add chicken, rice and veggies to slow cooker. Cover with broth and wine. Top with spices. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours. In the last 30 minutes, add cream of mushroom soup and stir well.

*When I'm in a hurry, I'll often add a bag of frozen mixed veggies instead of carrot, celery and peas.

Summer Squah Sautee

Summer Squash Sauté

2 yellow summer squash
2 zucchini squash
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp Mrs. Dash
olive oil

Wash squash well. Do not peel. Slice thinly. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Add onion and sliced squash. Top with Mrs. Dash. Sauté until brown and tender (about 12 minutes).

Fried Eggplant

This is the only way I'll eat eggplant. Our 2 year old also loved it - he kept calling them 'cookies.'

Fried Eggplant

1 eggplant
1/2 cup flour
5 eggs
3 cups cornmeal*
3 tsp Italian seasoning (or any combination of Italian spices)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup canola oil

2 hours before cooking, peel eggplant, slice thin, and place in large bowl of water. Top eggplant with another heavy plate or bowl to keep submerged. Soak for 2 hours to remove bitterness.

At cooking time: Set out three medium sized bowls. Fill one with the flour, one with the eggs, and one with the cornmeal and Italian seasoning. Heat oil over medium low in large frying pan. Heat marinara over medium low heat.

Drain eggplant and place between layers of paper towel to dry. Take each eggplant slice, coat in flour, coat in egg, then coat in cormeal mixture. Drop into pan of oil. Fry on each side until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve fried eggplant slices with marinara for dipping.

* You may also substitute seasoned breadcrumbs for cornmeal mixture for a crunchier texture.

Sauteed Kale

Kale is considered a superfood - but when we juiced it, it tasted like lawn. This sautee is actually pretty good and super healthy!

Sauteed Kale

1 bunch Kale, washed and chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 small cloves garlic, grated
3 tbsp shelled unsalted sunflower seeds
3 tbsp shelled unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup brown basmati rice
2.25 cups water

In a small saucepan, add rice and water, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook 30-40 minutes.

In frying pan, heat olive oil. Add onions and garlic and sautee until tender. Add sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and kale. Cook until kale is tender and has reduced in size.

Serve sautee over rice.

** We have also made this recipe with swiss chard (another superfood) and it was just as tasty, a little less mild.