Chicken Club Pizza

Hi Everyone!  I have several recipes to be published in the next couple of days, but before I post them, I just wanted to remind everyone that I have an awesome giveaway going on right now!  Click here for details and for your chance to win a Pillsbury Sweet Moments prize pack!  


Now, onto the recipe!  I got this recipe from my friend Shannon who has been making it quite a bit for her family lately.  She says it's a big hit!  This chicken club pizza definitely was a hit in my house!  I made a few changes, like using homemade pizza crust instead of store bought, and I used leftover pesto chicken instead of buying a package of pre-cooked chicken.  Here's the recipe, my modifications are in red.


Chicken Club Pizza

• 1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust (I used a homemade crust)
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup  Ranch Dressing 
• 1 to 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
• 1 to 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken (I used leftover pesto chicken)
• 8 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled
• 1 to 1/2 cups finely shredded lettuce
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• • 1. HEAT oven to 400ºF.
    2. UNROLL pizza dough on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; press into 15x10-inch rectangle. Bake 10 min. I rolled my crust out onto my rectangular baking stone and then baked for 10 minutes.  
    3. MIX mayo and dressing; spread onto crust. Top with half the cheese, chicken, remaining cheese and bacon. I also topped with the tomato at this point too.
    4. BAKE 5 min. or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and tomatoes; I put the tomatoes on in the previous step and baked them with the rest of the toppings.  I topped it with the lettuce after removing it from the oven.  Shannon said she also adds sliced avocado to hers. 

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  Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas

Hello Everyone!
I hope you have all been enjoying the last part of your summer!  It's still hot here in Iowa, I am hoping the air will cool off soon and we might get a little more consistent rain!  I love rain, it is an amazing gift! Rain makes me happy.  If there is too much sun, I tend to shy away from the outside.  I love to hear the sound of the rain on the roof when I am going to sleep, I love to sit out on the porch and watch the rain fall. I love to feel the raindrops on my face.  I guess it is the North westerner in me...I always say, you can take the girl out of Seattle, but you can't take the Seattle out of the girl!
Anyway, I apologize for this hiatus I have been on.  I went back to work part time, teaching French and working in the local district's Home School Assistance Program.  It's been really fun so far and very flexible, which is good because then I can be at home most of the time with Daniel still.  
Today's recipe is one that I just threw together and it turned out SO YUMMY!  I call it Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas.  Basically, I took what I had on hand and made a fabulous meal.  Check it out, I am sure you will love it too!


Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas

• 4 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large green pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 large red pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 cup cream of chicken soup (or 1 10oz can...be sure that if you are using a can you make sure that it is HFCS and MSG free- HyVee brand is good).
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 envelope taco seasoning mix (again, MSG free)
• 10 fajita sized flour tortillas, warmed
• 2 cups long grain, brown rice, cooked
• shredded cheddar and/or jack cheese, sour cream, olives, extra salsa (for serving, optional)

Place the chicken, peppers, onions, green chilies and garlic in the crock of your slow cooker.  In a bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, salsa, and taco seasoning mix.  Pour over the chicken and vegetables.  Set your slow cooker to low and cook 4-6 hours.  Shred the chicken using two forks.  Spook chicken mixture into warm tortillas with brown rice.  Garnish with cheese, sour cream, olives and/or extra salsa if desired.  YUM!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

And the heat goes on....Chicken Souvlaki Sandwiches

It is so hot here that there have been reports of concrete buckling.  Last night the worst possible thing could have happened.  The power went out.  It went out at around 7:30 last night and didn't come back on until after midnight.  At 10:30 last night the temperature outside was a lovely 93 degrees and without air conditioning, the temperature in the house was quickly rising to unbearable levels.  Yuck.  What is worse is that only our block was out of power, all the houses around us were on!  Fortunately the power came back on before it got too miserable in the house.  
Tonight I made Chicken Souvlaki sandwiches.  I got this recipe from Betty Crocker and made a few changes.  You will find my changes to the recipe in RED.


Chicken Souvlaki Sandwiches

• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a roasted chicken)
• 1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion (I can't eat raw onion, not even raw green onion so I roasted the onions in the oven and then finely chopped them.  Raw onion literally makes me sick, I don't know why, but I just can't eat it).
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (I was out of red wine vinegar so I substituted apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 6 pita fold breads (5 inch) (I used the folditbread and it worked perfectly!)
• The original recipe also called for 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, but I do not like feta, so I left it out.

In medium bowl, place all ingredients except pita breads; toss until evenly coated. Divide mixture evenly down center of each pita bread; fold in half.

STAY COOL, and until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Oven Barbecue Pineapple Chicken

Oh my goodness it is hot!  They said on the news that the heat index hit 129 degrees today!  David, Daniel, and I went to Abbe Hills Farm to pick up our vegetables this afternoon and it was so hot we could barely stay outside long enough to get our loot!  Daniel and David were drenched in sweat by the time we got back to the car and we were only out about 10 minutes.  Poor Daniel doesn't understand that we can't go outside, he keeps saying "Mommy cool down sun."  I wish I could, if only it were that simple.  I will be so glad when this heatwave is over, although it isn't supposed to end until AT LEAST Thursday.  Yuck.  I think it might be time to go back to Seattle now :).  
Anyway, tonight, even though it is miserable to cook, I made Oven Barbecue Pineapple Chicken served over brown rice and with broccoli on the side.  This recipe is very yummy and very popular in my house!  It is perfect for a hot summer when you don't want to deal with the heat of the grill on top of the heat of the air outside.  


Oven Barbecue Pineapple Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved or 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, juice squeezed out and reserved
• 1 (16 oz) bottle honey barbecue sauce (watch for HFCS on the label, I recommend Stubb's or Trader Joe's brands)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13X9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread the onions and pineapple along the bottom of the baking dish and place chicken on top.  In a small bowl mix together the bbq sauce, the pineapple juice, and the garlic.  Pour over the top of the chicken.  Bake covered for 30 minutes then remove the cover, turn the chicken in the sauce, and bake an additional 20 - 30 minutes until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees or is no longer pink in the thickest part.

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING - and STAY COOL!

What's For Dinner? Book Review and Giveaway

Well HELLO from Seattle where the weather is absolutely PERFECT! I hope all of you are doing well!  I am having SUCH a nice vacation! 

Last Saturday I attended the WHO (Washington Homeschooler Organization) Convention and had the pleasure of meeting the author of a wonderful cookbook called "What's for Dinner?"  Jana Schofield has written, I believe, a very useful tool to helping busy families plan dinner and make time to sit together for a nightly meal.  I LOVE this cookbook and I cannot say enough good things about it!  The book provides 30 weeks (that's over 6 months) of weekly dinner menus and provides easy recipes as well as tips for planning ahead.  The best part?  There are NO REPEATS!  Love this book!  The recipes can and menus can easily be switched around to provide for even more variety in weekly menus!  Each menu includes a main dish, a vegetable and a dessert, so you could make as much of the menu or as little of it as you like!  In addition, it is really easy to substitute some ingredients for lower fat or whole grain options.
Since I am staying with my mom, she and I decided to pick a week and make the recipes for that week!  It was really easy to go through the recipes and find the ingredients we needed to get at the store, we did our shopping and then we made the recipes!  We chose to go with Week 15.  We opted to skip the desserts but made the main dishes.  Here's the menu:

• Sunday- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, Crunchy Green Beans, Pomegranate Cream Salad, Cherry Pie
• Monday- Taco Soup, Pretzels, Peach Cobbler
• Tuesday- Chicken Supreme, Paprika Whipped Potato, Broccoli Salad, Banana Pudding
• Wednesday- Barbecued Beef on a Bun, Three Bean Salad, Caramel Chocolate Cake
• Thursday- Salmon Patties, Potato Fans, Corn, Cabbage Carrot Slaw, Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Friday- Leftovers, Go Out, or Try New Recipe
• Saturday- Soft Tacos, Bean Dip, Picnic Cake

Now many of you know that I like to mess with recipes, but for the sake of reviewing I made the recipes exactly as printed by the author.  The only thing I did differently in the following recipe is that I used 12 grain crackers instead of saltines for the topping.  This was a very easy recipe that can be made ahead of time and frozen.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

• 2 cups cooked rice ( I used brown rice)
• 3 cups cooked chicken cut into pieces
• 6 slices ham
• 6 slices swiss cheese
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used homemade, there is a recipe in this cookbook for homemade cream of chicken)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 10 saltine crackers, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. parsley

Spread rice in a 13X9 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Arrange chicken over the top of rice.  Layer swiss cheese on top of chicken followed by a layer of ham cut into bite sized pieces.  Mix soup, milk and sour cream together and spread on top of ham.  Crush saltine crackers and add spices.  Sprinkle on top of soup mixture.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  

Jana Schofield sells her book for $15 but she has agreed to give away one copy to a lucky Foodie Mommie reader!  Here's how to enter:

1.  Leave a comment on THIS entry telling me how this book would make your life easier!

2.  Get an extra entry for becoming a follower

3.  Get another extra entry for "liking" me on Facebook

Winners will be chosen from Random.org on SATURDAY JUNE 26th!  Be sure to leave your e-mail address so that I can notify you that you have won!  Book will be sent directly from the author!  

Easy Stir-fry Chicken and Noodles

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY I WILL BE IN SEATTLE FOR A MONTH!!!! YAHOO!!!!

Here's a really quick recipe that uses the best vegetables of the season!  You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand.  Tonight I used asparagus, red and yellow peppers, and onions.  You could use any variety of stir-fry veggies or greens.  


Stir-fry Chicken and Noodles

• 1 pkg linguini or fettuccini noodles cooked according to package directions and drained.  
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup chopped asparagus
• 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

Heat oil in a large, deep sided skillet.  Coat the chicken in the granulated garlic and pepper.   Saute the chicken and the onion in the skillet until the chicken is no longer pink.  Add the rest of the vegetables and saute until tender crisp.  Take the skillet off the heat.  Add the cooked noodles to the skillet and mix in the Hoisin and the Soy sauce.  Toss to coat.  Serve topped with sesame seeds to garnish if desired!  YUM!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

It's too Hot to Cook!!!

Happy Summer everyone!  I hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather (if you have it where you are).  Here it is just too darned hot to cook.  Yesterday I made the tequila lime chicken, but substituted rum for the tequila because I was out of tequila.  I served it over salad.  Usually I do this recipe on the grill but our grill died, so I used my indoor grill.  It was still quite yummy though!  Give it a try!

Chicken Stuffed Shells

Happy Wednesday All!  Thanks for stopping by!  Here's an awesome make ahead recipe for Chicken Stuffed Pasta Shells that you can just pop in the oven.  It is ALWAYS a hit in my house, and using cottage cheese instead of ricotta makes it more budget friendly!  This is a recipe that I found on another website awhile back, and played with it a little bit to make it work for my family and our tastes.  I hope you will try it and like it as much as we do!  


Chicken Stuffed Shells

I know this isn't a great picture...I forgot to take a picture until the end.

• 1 box jumbo pasta shells
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I usually use leftover baked chicken, or roasted chicken)
• 1 (16 oz) tub small curd cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups tomato pasta sauce (if you don't have any homemade on hand, I like Newman's Own)
• 1 cup Alfredo sauce (see note above for tomato pasta sauce as it applies for the Alfredo too).
• 1 tbsp. Italian Herbs
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta shells according to package directions and set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In the bottom of a 13X9 inch baking dish, mix half of the two sauces together and spread evenly over the bottom.   In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, cottage cheese, eggs, italian herbs and half of the parmesan cheese.  Stuff each pasta shell with a heaping tablespoonful of the chicken mixture and place in the baking dish on top  of the sauces.  Top with the remaining sauces and the remaining parmesan.  Bake 35-45 minutes covered, uncovering during the last 10 minutes of cooking.  

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Teriyaki Chicken Pizza

HELP WHIP CANCER GIVEAWAY AND PROMOTION GOING ON UNTIL FRIDAY MAY 20TH!!!  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Well Hello Bloggy Friends!  

I have four recipes I need to post for you!  I am playing catch up!  Seems like the story of my life lately!  On Friday, my friend Andrea came over and brought her boys Eli and Isaac.  Eli is a month older than Daniel.  I was really excited because Daniel was actually interacting with Eli, which is HUGE for him!  

Anyway, since David was working late and Andrea's husband was doing the same, we decided to have a dinner play date.  I found a recipe similar to this Teriyaki Chicken Pizza on All Recipes.  I had been meaning to try it for awhile, but at the same time was a little apprehensive because well...teriyaki and pizza don't really seem to be very good partners.   I made some adaptations and WOW was I impressed!!!  In fact, not only was I impressed, but it got rave reviews from the toddlers at the table!!!!  I will DEFINITELY make this pizza again and highly recommend it!  I might even try grilling it next time!!!

Teriyaki Chicken Pizza

• 1 recipe white pizza crust
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken (I used leftover Barbecue Pineapple Chicken but you could use any cooked chicken you have on hand, even rotisserie)
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spread the pizza crust out over a large, lightly greased pizza pan or stone (I used my rectangular bar pan for this pizza recipe).  Spread the teriyaki sauce evenly over the pizza crust.  Add the chicken, pineapple and green onions, distributing evenly over the crust.  Sprinkle the grated cheeses evenly over the pizza.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust golden and cheese is hot and bubbly.  YUM!!!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and Eating!!!!

Ranch Chili Lime Chicken Tacos

Only one more day to enter the Mega Giveaway!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Here is a great taco recipe that is SUPER easy and way quick, coming together in about 15 minutes!  Not only is it quick and easy, it also features my favorite Chili Lime Rub!  Be sure to stay tuned because I have TONS of chili lime rub to give away, starting next week!


Ranch Chili Lime Chicken Nachos

• 3 cups cooked chicken (I like to use leftover roasted chicken, or you can use a store bought rotisserie chicken)
• 1 box crunchy taco shells or a package soft taco tortillas (or a mixture of the two)
• 2 tbsp. chili lime rub (or equal parts chili powder and lime zest)
• 1 (6 oz) can diced green chilies
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup homemade or store bought ranch dressing (I like Newman's Own when I use store bought)
• shredded cheese, olives, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and extra ranch dressing for garnish

Heat taco shells or tortillas according to package directions.  In a medium sized microwaveable bowl, mix the chicken, salsa, chili lime rub, and diced green chilies until the chicken is well coated.  Microwave chicken mixture on high for 4 minutes or until heated through.  Add the ranch dressing to the chicken mixture and stir until well incorporated.  Serve chicken mixture in crunchy taco shells or soft taco tortillas, top with shredded cheese and shredded lettuce.  Add additional toppings, such as diced tomatoes, extra ranch, and olives, as desired.  

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Tomato Soup with Tortellini Two Ways

Be sure to check out this month's Mother's Day Giveaway and Sale! Going on NOW through April 29th!

Last week my friend Melissa made a whole load of homemade tomato soup with tortellini and she brought some over to share with us.  It was really yummy so I asked her if I could post the recipe!  Last week, I decided to make another batch, but made a few changes, making it Creamy Tomato Soup with Chicken and Tortellini.  Equally yummy, and now make one tomato soup two ways!

Melissa's Tomato Soup with Tortellini

• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 large carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
• 8 cups chicken stuck
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 (1 lb) bags frozen cheese tortellini

In a large stockpot over medium high heat, saute the onions, garlic, and celery in the oil until very soft.  Add the tomatoes, the chicken stock, and the tomato paste.  Stir together and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Temporarily remove the soup from the heat and puree with an immersion blender (or you can puree in batches using a food processor).  Add the tortellini and cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through.

Elizabeth's Creamy Tomato Soup with Chicken and Tortellini

Same ingredients as above, and add:

• 2 large or 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into small pieces
• 2 tbsp. italian herbs
• 2 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 1 (8oz) tub chive and onion cream cheese

Prepare as above until the stage where the tortellini is added, adding the italian herbs and the granulated garlic with the tomatoes and the chicken stock.  After pureeing with the immersion blender, add the chicken and simmer for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the tortellini and proceed as indicated above.  In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the cream cheese and stir until completely incorporated.  Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese if desired.  Yummy!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!!!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

This is a quick chicken sandwich recipe that is super yummy.  It is always a big hit in my house!  I serve it with homemade oven fries or raw mini carrots.  The leftovers are great too!


Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

• 1 whole roasted chicken (homemade or store bought), meat removed and pulled apart (to pull the chicken apart, place in a large bowl and pull apart using two forks)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp. molasses
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 hamburger buns (I used whole wheat), toasted (if desired)
• Your favorite condiments for serving (I like relish and mayonnaise)

In a large deep sided skillet cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until onions are soft.  Add the vinegar and allow to reduce by half, about 1 minute.  Add the ketchup, mustard, and molasses and whisk together.  Add the chicken and stir, cooking until heated through.  Spoon chicken mixture onto toasted hamburger buns and top with your favorite condiments.  

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Slow Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Soup(can you sense a theme here?)

Ok, so Pampered Chef came out with this Chili Lime Rub that I just LOVE!  There is something about the flavor of chili powder and lime that just makes sense.  I have been making Chili Lime EVERYTHING lately!  Today I decided to make a slow cooker white chili featuring the flavors of chili and lime.  It was SO yummy!  Of course, if you don't have the PC Chili Lime Rub, you can always use equal parts of chili powder and lime zest.  Top this chili off with shredded jack cheese, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, and a little lime juice to make it fancy!

Slow Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Soup

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large green pepper, diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern beans (or you could use pinto beans too)
• 1 (6 oz) can diced green chilies
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 3 tbsp. PC Chili Lime Rub (or equal parts chili powder and lime zest)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• juice of 1/2 lime (for a stronger lime flavor, use juice from a whole lime)
• Grated jack cheese, extra sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime wedges for serving (if desired)

Place first 9 ingredients in the crock of your slow cooker.  Set for 8-9 hours on low setting.  During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir the lime juice into the sour cream and add to the crock pot.  Set the slow cooker to high and heat through for last 30 minutes of cooking time.  Serve in a bowl with any of the topping options or your favorite soup topping!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Chili Lime Chicken Nachos

David and I LOVE nachos.  I guess my love of nachos comes from when I was a kid.  My parents used to make these fantastic nachos piled high with cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.  Even though I don't make my nachos the way they did, I still have fond memories of nacho night when I was a kid.  I have been making these nachos quite a lot lately for Pampered Chef parties, neighborhood get togethers, and this week, I made them for dinner.  They are SO yummy and SO POPULAR!


Chili Lime Nachos

• 2 cups cooked chicken (I either buy the cooked chicken strips in the package or I use leftover roasted chicken.  You could also get a deli rotisserie chicken and use that)
• 2 cups grated cheddar and jack cheeses
• 1/2 of a large red pepper, finely diced
• 2 tbsp. + 1 tbsp. Pampered Chef Chili Lime Rub or equal parts chili powder and lime zest
• juice of one lime
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 large bag tortilla chips (I usually make nachos with blue corn chips but I like to use yellow corn chips for this recipe)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl, stir together the cooked chicken, the red pepper, and the 2 tbsp. chili lime rub (or the chili powder and lime zest).  Place one layer of chips on a large bar pan or sheet pan (I like to use my large bar stone for nachos, I find that the stone makes the chips very crispy), then layer with half of the chicken mixture, and half of the cheese.  Place another layer of chips, then the other half of the chicken mixture, and the other half of the cheese.  Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Meanwhile, while nachos are cooking, mix together the sour cream, the lime juice, and the rest of the chili lime rub until smooth and creamy.  When the nachos are done, serve with the chili lime sour cream.  Sometimes I like to be fancy so I put the sour cream in my Easy Accent Decorator and pipe it directly onto the nachos.  

Enjoy!  Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Zippy Salsa Chicken Pizza

Every week we have pizza.  Pepperoni pizza.  David LOVES his pepperoni pizza.  He just can't get enough!  I, on the other hand, like a little variety.  This week I decided to change it up a bit and instead of making pepperoni pizza I decided to get creative.  I wanted not only a new type of pizza, but a pizza with a new and interesting flavor.  This pizza turned out REALLY yummy!  I made the pizza crust in my bread machine, but to make things easier you could use a store bought refrigerated pizza crust (just watch out for those Yucky No No ingredients!) I used white crust for this recipe but you can just as easily use wheat.  


Zippy Salsa Chicken Pizza

• 1 recipe white pizza crust (see below) or one refrigerated store bought pizza crust
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/2 green pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 thinly sliced onion
• 1 cup cooked diced chicken 
• 2 cups cheddar jack cheese blend, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a large pizza pan or stone (or I used my large rectangular bar stone) with olive oil. Spread pizza crust out on pan.

Spread the salsa evenly on the crust, and then add the green pepper, onion, and chicken, distributing evenly on the pizza. 

 Sprinkle the cheese over the top.  

Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.  

White Pizza Crust

• 1 cup warm water
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. dry active yeast

Place ingredients in your bread machine as recommended by the manufacturer and set to the dough cycle setting.  Go and relax while your bread machine does all the work!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Super Easy Balsamic Chicken

For those of you who are regular readers of my blog, you know that I don't really like chicken.  Or...I guess I should say that it's not really that I don't like chicken, it's just that I am very picky about the way chicken is prepared.  I love the flavor of Balsamic vinegar and I also happen to love Balsamic chicken, so I was trying to figure out a way to put those two things together in a fairly hands off recipe.  The results were awesome!  I baked this chicken in the oven and it came out so moist and flavorful, and my husband thought I slaved over it! I served it on a bed of steamed spinach and buttered noodles to make it look fancy, but it would also be great with rice, couscous, quinoa or even just a tossed green salad!































Super Easy  Balsamic Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like to pound them out thin, but it's not required)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 (15 oz) can petit diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
• 1/8 cup honey
• 1 tbsp. Italian herbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13 X 9 (preferably glass) baking dish generously with cooking spray.  Place the chicken breasts in the dish.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the  vinegar, the tomatoes, the honey, and the herbs.  Pour sauce mixture over the chicken and turn chicken to coat evenly with the sauce.  Bake 30-45 minutes, turning occasionally in the sauce to coat evenly, until the internal temperature is 165 degrees at the thickest part of the chicken.  Serve each chicken breast drizzled with a generous helping of extra sauce.  YUM!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Chicken Fajitas

Tonight I made my chicken fajitas.  Instead of putting them in a salad though, I served them on warm flour tortillas with sour cream and cheese!  So yummy!

Super Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan

Here's a really easy, budget friendly, and fairly hands off recipe that is great for those busy winter days!  Slow Cooker Chicken parmesan is also fairly friendly on the waistline!  Serve it up with some pasta, and green beans and you've got a perfect meal!  You can make it even more special by adding some garlic bread.   To make garlic bread, I just buy a French loaf at the grocery store bakery and cut it in half lengthwise. Then I take 4 tbsp softened butter and mix that with about a tablespoon of either Parmesan Garlic or Sundried Tomato Herb oil dipping seasoning from Pampered Chef.  I spread the butter on the bread, put the two halves back together, wrap in aluminum foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Voila!

Super Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella and/or parmesan cheese

Place chicken in the crock of your slow cooker and pour sauce over.  Set to cook on low for 8 hours.  30 minutes before serving, sprinkle with the cheese and turn on high until cheese is melted.  

YUM!


Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Chicken Soup with Acini de Pepe

Here's a super easy and delicious soup that can be whipped up in no time!  I got this recipe from my mom, and it is so delicious served up with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and some crusty bread!  Yum!


Chicken Soup with Acini de Pepe

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup uncooked acini de pepe  or other small pasta
• 1 lb bag baby spinach
• 2 tbsp. dried Italian herbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Saute the onion, garlic, carrots, and the celery about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Add the chicken and saute another 2-3 minutes.   Add the stock, the herbs, and the tomatoes.   Bring to a boil, turn down heat to medium low and simmer 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the acini de pepe and cook another 7-10 minutes or until al dente.  Finally, add the spinach and simmer in the soup until just wilted.  Serve with a sprinkling of delicious Parmesan cheese!


Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Chicken Pesto Alfredo Manicotti- SUPER YUM!

Last week, as I was preparing my grocery list, I came across a recipe that looked intriguing.  The recipe was from one of those little brand name cookbooks that you can get in the checkout aisle at the grocery store.  Sometimes I pick those up when there is something on the cover that catches my eye.  Anyway, I decided to give it a try, changing it to suit my tastes of course, and it was incredibly yummy!  And not only was it incredibly yummy, but also incredibly EASY and inexpensive to make!

Chicken Pesto Alfredo Manicotti

• 1-2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins (or you can just take 4 chicken breasts and slice them into about 1 inch strips)
• 1 pkg. uncooked manicotti (tube pasta)
• 2 cups homemade or store bought alfredo sauce (I cheated last night and used Newman's Own)
• 1/2 cup homemade or store bought pesto sauce
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. italian herbs
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese or a mixture

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 13X9 inch baking dish with cooking spray, butter, or olive oil (I like to use my stoneware, it holds the heat in really well). Spread half of the alfredo and half of the pesto in the bottom of the dish. In a small bowl, mix the chicken, the italian herbs, and the garlic powder until chicken is well coated.  Stuff the chicken strips into the uncooked manicotti noodles and line each in the baking dish on top of the sauce.  Top with remaining sauce and cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake approximately 1 hour or until the noodles are soft and the chicken is cooked through.  

And now...the gratuitous picture of the Pumpkin Pie I made for David.  We are not having Thanksgiving this year, because David has to work and we don't have any family here in Iowa.  Our family is about 7 hours away by plane.  Still, David really loves pumpkin pie, so I made him one as a surprise!  I used my Easy Accent Decorator to decorate it- LOVE LOVE LOVE my Easy Accent Decorator.  Probably my favorite thing in my kitchen right now! LOVE!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

and also...HAPPY AND HEALTHY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE OUT THERE!