DAY 34 RECIPE: SPICY CHICKEN AND PEPPER PIZZA

Homemade pizza.....SO delicious! This is a favourite of  my husband James. You can make this a healthier version of pizza if you roll or pat out the crust on the thin side, I usually make it about 1/4inch think. I also use a lower fat mozzarella, and the chicken is better for you than traditional pizza meat toppings. Totally tasty and pretty good for you! Enjoy!

DAY 34 RECIPE:

SPICY CHICKEN AND PEPPER PIZZA


CRUST:
1 Cup Lukewarm water
2 & ¼ tsp Quick Rise Yeast
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tbsp Cornmeal
Cooking spray ( like PAM)
1 & 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 & 1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 & ½ Tbsp Butter or Margarine
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder

SAUCE:
1 14oz Can Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp Oregano
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper

TOPPINGS:
2 Cups Cooked Chicken, cubed or shredded
2 Cups Bell Peppers, your favourite colors; diced
½ Small Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Barbeque Sauce
2 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tsp Liquid from jarred Jalapenos
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Chilli Flakes
½ Tsp Ginger
1 & ½ Cups Mozzarella Cheese, Grated

DIRECTIONS FOR CRUST PREPERATION:
In a small bowl, dissolve sugar in water. Add yeast. Cover and let rise about 10 minutes.
In the meantime Combine flour, salt, oregano, and garlic powder. Cut in butter or margarine until crumbly.
Add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Stir slightly with a fork. Knead together until dough gathers into a ball.
Pour oil over and roll the dough ball to evenly coat in the oil.
Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
Spray Pizza pan, or sheet pan with cooking spray. Lightly dust with cornmeal.
Place dough ball in the middle of the pan. Press out with your fingers towards the sides. Make as thin or as thick as you like at this point. I prefer a bit thinner. Remember that it rises as it bakes, to about double the original size. Cut any excess off the sides. (Extra dough makes great breadsticks!). Prick with a fork all over, and bake just the dough for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.


DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE PREPERATION:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir.

DIRECTIONS FOR TOPPING PREPERATION:
Heat oil in a non stick fry pan over med high heat. Add onions, garlic and chicken. Sauté for 5 minutes.
While the chicken sautés, prepare cooking sauce. In a small bowl, mix together barbeque sauce, water, salt, brown sugar, jalapeno liquid, ginger and chilli flakes.
Now pour cooking sauce over the chicken mixture, cook for another 7-8 minutes.

ASSEMBLY OF PIZZA:
Top partially baked crust with sauce (as much as you like).
Next step: toppings.
There is some debate here. Some like everything underneath the cheese. Around here we put the majority of the cheese on top of the sauce, then we put on the topping then a scant layer of cheese over the toppings. You can choose whichever is best suited to your family.
After the pizza is assembled, bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until all the cheese in the centre is melted. A nice finish to the pizza is to broil for about 5 minutes to brown it up nicely.

DAY 34 RECIPE: TOFFEE HAZELNUT BROWNIE CHEESECAKE

Am I lazy? I odn't think so, sometimes I just don't feel like making alot of dinner. I had no new creations or inventions for my leftovers, so I just heated up our leftover pasta. So I thought it would be nice to have a lovely dessert. I decided it should be cheesecake...but what kind? I looked to see what kind of ingredients I had kickin around and I cam up with tonights fabulous dessert! I hope you enjoy it! It is SPECTACULAR!!!

DAY 34 RECIPE:

TOFFEE HAZELNUT BROWNIE CHEESECAKE


CRUST INGREDIENTS:
½ Cup Butter or Margarine
¼ Cup Cocoa
2 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
¾ Cup Flour
¼ tsp Salt
½ Tsp Vanilla
CRUST DIRECTIONS:
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Put butter and cocoa in a small sauce pan over a medium low heat. Stir constantly until everything is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Without stirring, add sugar, flour and salt. Now, pour the cocoa mixture in and stir to combine.
Line a 10” spring form pan with parchment paper. Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, and remove from oven

FILLING/TOPPING INGREDIENTS:
2- 8 oz Pkgs Cream Cheese
1 Cup Sugar
4 Tbsp Butter or Margarine
2 Tbsp Flour
4 Tbsp Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla; or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1 Pkg SKOR toffee chips
1 Cup Crushed Hazelnuts
1 Cup Chocolate chips
2 Tbsp Butter or Margarine

FILLING/ TOPPING DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and cream cheese until smooth.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Add milk, flour, and vanilla. Mix well.
In a small bowl, toss together toffee chips, and hazelnuts. Spread about ¾ of this mixture over the brownie crust. Reserve the rest for the top.
NOW, Pour the cream cheese mixture in the pan.
Return to the oven for another 40 minutes. At this time, take out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining toffee/hazelnut mixture over the top and return to oven for another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and chill for at least 4 hours.
When the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled, melt chocolate chips and butter in a small sauce pan or in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the cheesecake and return to the fridge until set, about 10-15 minutes. Serve!

DAY 33 RECIPE: CHEESEY CHICKEN AND VEGGIE PASTA

I can't tell you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE pasta!  I think there may be 100 different kinds of pasta that I make....It is so versatile and allows for such funb and experimentation. This is a really nice dish. The sauce has a really subtle and tasty hint of garlic, it is so yummmmmmy! A great way to use leftovers and veggies that are not going to last much longer! Quick and easy to make, it is a huge hit with my whole family! Hope you all enjoy it as much as we do!

DAY 32 RECIPE:

CHEESEY CHICKEN AND VEGGIE PASTA


INGREDIENTS:
2 & ½ Cups Penne Noodles
8 Cups Water
1 Tsp Salt
1 & ½ Cups Cooked Chicken, cut into smallish pieces
I used leftover roasted chicken. Whatever you have on
Hand will work though.
1 Cup Cauliflower Florets
1 Cup Broccoli Florets
2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
2 Cups Milk
4 Tbsp Butter or margarine
4 Tbsp Flour
¼ Tsp Nutmeg
½ Tsp each Salt and Pepper
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
1 Cup Mozzarella, grated
¼ Cup Fine Bread Crumbs

DIRECTIONS:
In a large sauce pan bring water to a boil. Add salt and Noodles. Continue to cook for 6 minutes. Add broccoli and cauliflower. Cooke for 3 more minutes.
Drain and pour into a casserole dish. Put chicken in with the noodles and veggies. Toss together.
Return sauce pan to a medium heat, add butter and garlic cloves. Cook stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Remove garlic, and discard. Add flour to the melted butter. Stirring constantly for another minute. Add milk all at once. Whisk until smooth. Stir frequently and cook for about 6-8 minutes, until thickened. Add cheddar, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir until smooth.
Combine sauce with the noodle mixture in the casserole dish. Toss together ensuring that the sauce is coating everything.
Spread mozzarella evenly across the top. Sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs.
Transfer to 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Turn on broiler to brown up the top, should take about 5 minutes, but watch closely!

DAY 32 RECIPE: BBQ PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

A nice way to use leftovers, has a bit of kick and is really easy to make!
DAY 32 RECIPE:

BBQ PULLED PORK SANDWICHES


INGREDIENTS:
3 to 4 Cups Shredded Cooked Pork
1 Small Onion, minced
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
1 28OZ can Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Vinegar
2 Tbsp Molasses
½ tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp EACH Chilli Flakes, Rosemary, and Cumin
8 Kaiser Buns
Butter or Margarine

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium sized sauce pan, combine everything EXCEPT pork in a medium sauce pan on a low heat. Stir Until sugar is dissolved and everything is mixed in thoroughly. Add Pork and continue to cook on low heat until everything is heated through.
Butter your buns and put some of the pork on the buns, and you are ready to eat!
This can actually be left in a slow cooker or simmering on the stove for hours and hours. It all really depends on how tender your pork is, or how long you have already cooked it for. I had made a pork roast and when we were done with our dinner I put it back. The next morning I took it out and it just pulled apart with a fork into the perfect pieces for this recipe. Even with that tender pork I still cooked this recipe with that pork for another two hours. Turned out wonderfully! So this would probably be a great recipe to get together and put in the slow cooker before you go to work in the morning and have for dinner when you come home!

DAY 31 RECIPE: SAGE AND ORANGE ROASTED CHICKEN

I can't believe it! It is the last day of my first month of "blogging"! Has gone quickly! Hubby is happy, kids are happy. LOTS of food kicking around here now! I made this "nice" dinner in celebration of this mini landmark day! Incidently, I also made some delicious cupcakes this afternoon in celebration as well! When you look at the recipe foir this chicken it will probably seem like a pain in the ass, but honestly, it's not that difficult and the results are SO worth it.
I just discovered "brining" a few years back, and oh, what a difference it makes! Try it out, hopefully you will enjoy!

DAY 31 RECIPE:

SAGE AND ORANGE ROASTED CHICKEN

A beautiful, ultra moist chicken, picking up subtle, tasty flavours from the oranges and sage. Nice to have for a family dinner or a dinner party!

INGREDIENTS:
1 3- 5lb Whole Chicken
2 large Onions, quartered
2 Stalks of Celery, coarsely chopped
10-12 Baby Carrots
6 large Garlic cloves, crushed
3 Medium sized navel Oranges, quartered
½ cup Table Salt
¼ cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Dried Sage leaves
2 Dried Bay Leaves
2 Tbsp Peppercorns; or
2 tsp Ground Pepper
2 Sprigs of fresh Sage
2 Tbsp Butter
* 2 cups of hot water plus about a gallon of cold water

DIRECTIONS:
Remove gizzards and neck from cavity of chicken.
Rinse chicken inside and out. Pat dry with paper towel.
In a large stock pot or a clean bucket, mix 2 cups of hot water with salt and sugar until dissolved.
Add enough cold water to have your container about ½ full. Add 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 of the oranges (8 quarter pieces), sage, bay leaves and peppercorns. Mix it all up and add the chicken.
Make sure the chicken is entirely covered with the brining solution, if it is not, add more cold water.
Cover the container and place in the fridge, let it sit untouched for about an hour a pound. Never leave it sit longer than that, as your chicken will become much too salty. It can be taken out sooner, if you don’t have time, making sure to leave it for a minimum of 2 hours.
About 20 Minutes before you are going to take the chicken out of the fridge pre heat the oven to 350 Degrees.
When the brining is done, remove the chicken from the solution, rinse and pat dry.
Put the butter, a few slices of the onion, the remaining oranges and garlic cloves , and the sage sprigs into the cavity of the chicken.
In your roasting pan put the rest of the onions, celery and carrots on the bottom.
Add about 1 & ½ to 2 cups of water.
Place chicken on top of vegetables. Brush chicken with a bit of vegetable oil.
Placein oven. After the first hour or so of cooking, baste every 20 to 30 minutes. If chicken is browning too fast cover loosely with foil and return to oven to continue roasting.Roast for about 30 minutes per pound. Internal temperature should read 175 degrees when it is done.