BBQ Chicken Pizza

I am a little obsessed with California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken Pizza, so I decided to make up my own that is very similar to the one I crave. This is by far one of the most requested recipes from my husband. It is so easy to throw together and uses simple ingredients that I always have in my pantry and fridge. I love the taste of the homemade crust and the simple sauce ingredients. This is an extremely versatile pizza that can be added to/changed depending on various preferences and tastes. (Picture courtesy of Biggest Menu)

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3 cups flour

Whisk together egg, oil, salt, and sugar. Slowly pour in boiled water, stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly. Add in flour, one cup at a time, until smooth (Dough will be very thick and hard to stir after all of the flour is added). Knead dough and roll it out until it fits the size of your pizza pan (a cookie sheet will also work here). Spread light coating of oil over dough in pan.

Pizza Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 c. bbq sauce
• 1 large chicken breast, cooked and cut into small pieces
• 1/2 red onion, chopped finely
• 1 medium tomato, cut into small pieces
• 1-2 cups cheddar cheese (pepperjack is also amazing)
• 1 bunch cilantro

Mix spaghetti sauce and bbq sauce together in small bowl. Evenly spread over crust. Sprinkle all ingredients except cilantro over pizza and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is a light brown.

Take out of the oven and sprinkle cilantro on right before serving.

Chicken Balls

Aside from the strange name, these really are good! Yet another fabulous recipe my mom often cooked growing up, these require simple ingredients and are easy to throw together for a quick meal. The balls are soft and cheesy on the inside, and are served with a chicken gravy that can be thrown together from a can or from homemade chicken broth. These frequent our dinner table at least once a month and my husband requests them more often than that. Picture courtesy of Becky Higgins.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (or canned chicken if short on time)
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 c. onion, diced into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
• parmesan cheese, powder form
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup milk

Mix first chicken, cream cheese, onion and butter together in medium bowl. Unroll crescents and add a spoonful of mixture in the center of each roll. Wrap around and pinch the edges. Roll in paremsan cheese and place on baking sheet. Cook according to crescent roll pacakge directions. Serve with chicken sauce (Stir soup and milk over medium heat until smooth).

Russian Cranberry Chicken

This is one of those comfort-food recipes that my mom used to make on those cold, snowy nights. It is also perfect for a Christmas meal because of the cranberries and the bright red color it adds to the menu. I also love the combination of the sweet cranberry sauce with the tangy Russian dressing. This recipe is very simple and can be done in the oven or in a crockpot. Picture courtesy of Taste of Home.


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 jar cranberry sauce
• 1/2 bottle Russian salad dressing (Catalina or French work well too)
• 2 cups rice

Crockpot: lay chicken breasts on bottom of pot. Mix together cranberry sauce and salad dressing and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve warm over cooked rice.

Oven: Lay chicken breasts on bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix together cranberry sauce and salad dressing and pour over chicken. Cook at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve warm over cooked rice

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'll admit it- I am in love with chocolate chip cookies. I actually went through a phase after I was married where I tried a new recipe every week, determined to find "the ultimate recipe." And I have to admit, these have been by far my favorite! They are the Cook's Illustrated version and they are a.maz.ing. They are thick and chewy which are two musts for any cookie. And the bonus? It calls for melted butter so you don't have to worry about softening the butter an hour before you want to make the cookies. (Picture courtesy of myrecipes.com.)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 12 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1-2 c. chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix flour, salt and baking soda together in a large mixing bowl, set aside. Either by hand or electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Form dough into balls and place on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake, reversing cookie sheet's position about halfway through, until lightly golden brown and soft and puffy, about 15-18 minutes (Start checking at 13 minutes). Serve or store in air-tight container.

Tip: These cookies are also fabulous with 1 cup of oatmeal or shredded coconut.