Foodie Friday-Camping Edition

A few weeks ago, we took our kids (and mom) on a week long camping trip.  We haven't been for a couple of years so we were uber excited about going.  Whenever we go, we have to have at least one Dutch Oven dinner.  Our most favorite?  That would be Barbecue Chicken Pizza (my mouth is watering just typing the words)

Pizza in a Dutch Oven?!?! Yep!  And, I will show you how yummy-and easy-it is.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza (Deep Dish)

Crust:                                                               Pizza:

1 Tbsp yeast (or 1 yeast pkt)                            1 recipe pizza crust
1 c warm water                                                 1 c bbq sauce
1 Tbsp sugar                                                     2-3 c mozzarella cheese
1/4 - 1/2 c olive oil                                           1/2 onion thinly sliced (I used red onion)
1 tsp salt                                                           1/2 green pepper thinly sliced
3 c flour                                                            1-2 c shredded cooked chicken

For the crust: Mix the yeast, water and sugar, then let sit for 5 min.  Stir in the oil and salt, then add flour and kneed until smooth, adding more flour if needed.  Let dough rest for 10-15 min. 

For the pizza:  Oil a preheated oven.  Roll out the pizza crust and place it in the oven, letting the dough curve up the sides to create a shallow bowl for toppings.  Pour bbq sauce over crust and spread it evenly.  Top with the chicken and veggies and cheese.  Cook at 375 degrees (16 coals on bottom, 10 on top) for 30-35 min.

I pre-grilled the chicken at home.  I also sauteed the the onions and mushrooms before putting them on the pizza (by pre-cooking the veggies, it draws out the extra moisture so you don't have a soggy crust).  We also put tomatoes on top.  Next time, I will add the tomatoes right before we serve it. 

We also made one with just chicken and cheese for my cheese-only-pizza-lovin son.  The crust on that one turned out even better than the loaded one (could be due to the tomatoes). I think I know what we are having for dinner tonight : )

I am linking up to these sites.

http://www.delicateconstruction.com/
http://simplydesigning.blogspot.com/
http://whipperberry.com

Foodie Friday- Recipie included

You may remember that a while ago, I posted about the day we had breakfast for two of our three meals.  Well, you are finally getting the recipes that I used for them.  I will also include the picture of the food as a reminder.

First up:Wake 'Em Up Breakfast Casserole

1 lb sausage, ham, bacon
8 eggs
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder (or 1tsp prepared mustard)
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 c. cottage cheese
1 c. each shredded swiss cheese and cheddar cheese
4 c. frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 c your favorite vegetable-optional (we used onions and tomatoes)

In a skillet, brown sausage or cook bacon til crispy. In a large bowl combine eggs, mustard, green pepper, salt, pepper and cottage cheese.  Mix until eggs are slightly beaten.  Add cheeses and hash browns, mix well.  Add meat and any optional veggies.  Pour into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 deg. for 35-40 min. or til center is well-set and edges are browned.  Let sit for 10 min. before cutting.  Serves 8
**Casserole can be made the night before and kept in the fridge.  Add an additional 10-15 min to the baking time.
**Bake in muffin tins to make individual casseroles that are perfect for brunch. Decrease cooking time to 25-35 min.

Next up: Pancake Sausages on a Stick

16 breakfast sausages links
3 c. pancake mix
1 c. yellow cornmeal
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 whole egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla ( I added maple syrup instead of vanilla)
3 c. water
Canola oil, for frying
chopsticks (or skewers)

Cook the sausage. In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, cornmeal and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
Add the eggs, vanilla (or maple) and water. adding more water as needed for the batter to become slightly thick (but not overly gloopy) Start out by adding 1 c. then work your way up to 3 c. or more.  Heat some canola oil in a large pot over med-hi heat to about 350 deg. Drop in a bit of batter to see if it's ready; the batter should immediately start to sizzle but should not immediately brown/burn. 
Insert chopsticks into the cooked breakfast sausages so that they're are two-thirds of the way through. Carefully drop into the oil (stick and all) and use tongs or a spoon to make sure it doesn't hit the bottom of the pan and stick. Flip it here and there to ensure even browning, and remove it from the oil when the outside is deep brown, 2-3 minutes.
Serve with warm pancake syrup.

And, lastly: Peanut Butter Banana French Toast

**This recipe is for one serving so multiply the eggs per person.
Two slices of day-old bread (only if you have it-still good with fresh bread)
Make a sandwich with peanut butter and banana
Egg mixture:
one whole egg whisked
2 Tbsp orange juice
pinch freshly grated ginger
pinch cinnamon
pinch cayenne

Place sandwich in a heated iron skillet or non-stick pan that has a pat of melted butter.  Allow to brown on each side.
Serve with syrup and powdered sugar.

Foodie Friday- Breakfast All Day!!

Last Sunday, we decided that it would be Breakfast Day.  I found a couple new recipes that I wanted to try out.  Every so often, we have Brinner.  Well, sitting at the table that morning, hubby announces that 'today is special because we are having brinner tonight'.  I was a little thrown off, because I was planning brinner for Wednesday night. But, I just went with it.
This first recipe was found in the book English Trifle by Josi Kilpack.  It is called 'Wake 'em Up Breakfast Casserole.

 The cool thing about this recipe is that you can customize it to your own likes.  We used bacon, onions, green peppers and tomatoes.  You can use any kind of meat: bacon, sausage, ham etc.  And any kind of vegetables: onions, mushrooms. peppers, broccoli, tomatoes etc.  Heck, you could even try it with crab, lobster or salmon (you just might not want to use the cheddar cheese).

For dinner we had Peanut Butter Banana French Toast and Pancake Sausage on a Stick.

{don't know why it's sideways, but you get the idea}

I saw the French Toast on Pinterest here. I just didn't know if {A} wanted a Banana Peanut Butter Sandwich, so I just made regular French Toast for him.  But, he ate it all up and didn't even ask for anything different. 

The other day, while watching The Pioneer Woman, she made Breakfast for Dinner and Dinner for Breakfast.  She made these Pancake Sausages on a Stick-which I thought would be perfect for brinner, since my kids keep asking me to make them. 

All the food turned out to be a hit!  We will be making more of this again!

Recipes to come soon!

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Gwenny Penny {POV}

Foodie Friday-BBQ edition

SUMMER = BBQ

I love when summer comes around because I get to spend my days outdoors; playing with the kids, digging in my garden, relaxing and eating food from the grill.  The weekend of the 4th, we had my family over for a BBQ and I tired a new recipe.  Instead of the tradition bbq sauce/marinade, I found a glaze made from watermelon.  It turned out so good that even my hubby liked it-he doesn't like meat and fruit together.

watermelon glazed chicken served with potato and fiesta salad (recipe to come)

Here' s the best part--the recipe. 

Grilled Chicken with Watermelon Glaze

• 1 recipe Watermelon Glaze, recipe below
• 1 whole chicken or 3-1/2 lbs. meaty chicken pieces (I used 3lbs whole chicken pieces)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• Snipped fresh herbs (optional)

directions

1. Prepare Watermelon Glaze: Cut half of a small watermelon from the rind in chunks (about 4 cups of fruit). Cut remaining half of watermelon into wedges for serving; refrigerate until ready to serve. Place in a food mill or juicer and collect the juice. Or place watermelon chunks in blender. Cover; blend until nearly smooth. Pour mixture into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl; discard solid bits. Reserve 1 cup of the juice and drink or freeze the rest. In small saucepan melt 1, 12-oz. jar apple jelly over low heat, stirring often so it doesn't burn. Stir in 1 cup watermelon juice, the juice and zest of one small lime. Add 2 tsp. red chile flakes, 1 tsp. jalapeño hot sauce, and a pinch of salt. Mix and taste. Adjust seasoning as desired; remove from heat. Use warm, or let cool and transfer to a clean jar. Glaze will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
2. Remove chicken from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. To butterfly, using poultry or kitchen shears cut along each side of backbone to remove it (see "butterflying chicken," below). Turn chicken breast-side up. Open the two sides of the chicken as if you were opening a book, and lay it flat. Break breastbone by firmly applying pressure and pressing down. Tuck wing tips under upper wings.
3. Prepare grill for indirect grilling (see below). Brush chicken with olive oil. Season chicken on both sides with salt and black pepper. Place skin-side down, on center of grill over indirect medium heat.
4. Grill 25 minutes. Turn chicken over. Brush a little of the remaining 2/3 cup glaze on skin. Grill 25 to 30 minutes more, or until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees F, brushing with glaze 2 more times.
5. Remove chicken from grill; brush with the reserved 1/3 cup glaze and let rest 10 minutes. Cut chicken into pieces. Serve with fresh watermelon wedges and sprinkle with herbs. Makes 6 servings.
Butterflying Chicken:Butterflying makes it easy to cook a whole chicken on the grill. Kitchen or poultry shears are the best tool for the job. Make a cut about 1-1/2 inches apart on both sides of the backbone, cutting all the way down, and remove backbone.
Indirect Grilling:This method positions the fire to one side or both ends of grill. Food sits over the unlit part, and the grill is covered so the food cooks from all sides. This is best for thicker cuts that need longer cooking like roasts and ribs.

ENJOY!

Foodie Friday-Pizza Edition

In addition to crafting, sewing (which is still crafting), and dancing (I'm really into zumba right now) I love to cook-and bake.  Hubby and I are addicted to food shows-MasterChef, The Next Food Network Star and Hell's Kitchen-just to name a few.  Back in June, my mom, sis-in-law and I went on a weekend Scrap Retreat (post coming soon) and while there, four wonderful ladies cooked every meal for us-I know, right?  One of the meals was homemade pizza. We just love making pizza around here because the kids get to choose what to put on it and that means they eat it all!!  The crust recipe that was used is so easy and very yummy-hubby said it tasted restraunt quality.  Here is the finished pie (well, what's left of it):

(this pic was actually taken at the retreat. I cook mine on a pizza stone which makes the bottom perfectly brown and crispy)

And, here's the recipe (your welcome)!

Crust:
1pkg highly active yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
1tsp sugar
1 cup very warm water
2 1/2cup bread flour ( or add one Tablespoon vital Wheat Gluten to reg flour)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Put yeast, sugar & water in bowl and let it sit for about 10 min until it's creamy. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients & mix until it's nice & smooth. Then form a ball & let it sit for about 5 min. Then roll it out onto pizza pan. Cover with sauce (recipe below), toppings & bake @ 450 for 15-20min.

Sauce:
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
Pinch of garlic salt
(I add Italian seasoning)

Mix all ingredients then top pizza, no need to heat or let it sit.

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