BBQ Chicken Pizza
Posted on June 13, 2008 - Filed Under Breads, Salads, Main Dishes, Recipes | 8 Comments
After you make the BBQ sauce and pulled chicken for the pulled chicken sandwiches of my earlier post this month go ahead and make this pizza. I don’t think you’ll be sorry. I served with a simple salad of baby Spinach and juicy Bing cherries, Parmesan and Pistachios dressed with a simple Balsamic vinaigrette.
I made a quick pizza crust in my bread-maker- just the dough- and then Rick put this together using it and the BBQ sauce and chicken. Here’s the recipe:
Bread Machine Pizza Dough
(you can make it without you’ll just have to work harder for it ) 
In a bread making machine that makes at least a 1-1/2 pound loaf and has a dough only setting add to the machine in the following order:
-
1-1/8 Cups warm water
-
1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
-
3-1/3 Cups all purpose flour
-
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
-
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
-
1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Set the machine to dough setting and let it do the work. It takes about 1-1/2 hours for my machine to run the program. The dough can be kept in the fridge for a day or two or frozen for a month or two tightly wrapped until ready to use.
If you don’t have a machine you’ll have to mix all the ingredients together and knead it until it’s smooth and place in a warm place until risen and punched down twice.
For the BBQ chicken Pizza:
-
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce of your choosing
-
Chopped or shredded cooked chicken, about a cup
-
Chopped red onions about 1/2 cup
-
Cubed or sliced ham about 1/2 cup
-
Mozzarella cheese about 2 cups
-
fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
Preheat your oven or grill with a pizza stone to 450F. Roll and stretch the dough out to about 1/4″ thickness. Assemble your topping ingredients and then sprinkle a peel or rimless cookie sheet with cornmeal or rice flour. Place your shaped pizza crust on the cornmeal or rice flour. Quickly top the pizza with the first 5 ingredients, in the order given, amounts to your liking and slide onto the stone. Don’t take too long or the dough will begin to stick and you’ll have a hard time sliding it off even with the cornmeal or rice flour. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is browned and the cheese is bubbling- make sure it’s done in the center. It helps if you don’t get too heavy handed with the toppings. Top with chopped cilantro.
Spinach Salad
-
2 cups well washed and spun dried Spinach
-
1 cup ripe Bing Cherries, pitted and stemmed * see tip below
-
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
-
1 small handful shelled roasted salted pistachios
-
Balsamic Vinaigrette, recipe follows
-
Freshly ground black pepper
Make the vinaigrette in the bottom of your salad bowl. Add the Spinach and cherries and turn to coat. Top with the cheese and nuts and grind a bit of pepper on top.
*Tip: a chopstick works great as an impromptu cherry-pitter- just stick the small end of the chopstick in the bottom of the cherry and push the pit up through using the stem as a guide.
Balsamic Vinaigrette for the salad
-
1 small clove garlic
-
2 Tablespoons Pear Balsamic vinegar or other Balsamic vinegar
-
salt
-
4 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive oil
-
Pepper
Rub the garlic clove over the tines of a fork or use a mincer to mash into the bottom of your salad bowl. Add the Balsamic and a pinch of salt and use a whisk to mix. Slowly drizzle in the EV olive oil in whisking constantly. Crack some pepper in and add the salad as above.
Hope you enjoy!
xoxo
The glory of Mother Nature in June
Posted on June 12, 2008 - Filed Under faves, Hearth and Home, Gardening | 5 Comments
This post is mostly just to record the beauty of Mother Nature in June- I hope to look back at the pictures when the Winter months inevitably come or even in the hotter months ahead when all of the blossoms have passed and we are wilting in the Sun. Right now I revel in the glory of bud and blossom and the promise of more to come.
Flowers, fruits and herbs abound and what’s not to love about life when there is so much beauty before us?
Peonies in Blossom and buds
Golden Celebration Roses
Cranesbill Geranium
Mexican Poppies in Orange and Salmon
Foxglove
Sea Pinks
Snapdragons
Hens ‘n Chicks
Hydrangeas are coming soon
The Green Man watches over the Clematis on the arbor
Small Merlot Grapes climb a trellis
Over the arbor more small Thompson grapes getting some sun
The Blackberries, Raspberries and Gooseberries are coming soon too!
The citrus I keep on the porch during Winter are in the garden now and blossoming like mad…
Orange Blossoms
Lime blossoms
Baby Lemons growing now
Mandarin Oranges pollinated last fall and growing through the Winter are ready to get big now!
The Herb Bed grows wild with
Lemon Balm
Oregano
Tarragon and Garlic about to be engulfed by the Lemon Balm
Around the front to our parking strip on the street Dusty miller, Catmint and Lavender next to the Red Sandstone walk
California Poppies amongst the Lavender that’s ready to bloom
Creeping St. Johns Wort
A yellow Columbine looks like a shooting star in my neighbor Bryan’s yard
Roses and Wisteria leaves on my neighbors Robin and Maurice’s porch
My neighbors Kim and Ron invited me to take picture of their spectacular Iris
I love Ron and Kim’s two cats lazing in the yard
Such a sweetie….Puff
And playfully curious Eve
The cat who owns me, Kipling asks me what I’ve been doing outside whilst he’s been napping on the carpet.
Well that was a long one- if you made it all the way here- thanks for touring some of my garden- which by the way is undergoing a remodel soon. More on that later…
xoxo
Gabi
How do you Tuna Fish?
Posted on June 11, 2008 - Filed Under health focused recipes, Salads, Main Dishes, Recipes, Uncategorized | 8 Comments
Even though I support the movement of eating locally and the idea of limiting your consumption to a 100 mile radius, I must admit that one of the nice things about our modern world is the availability of fresh ingredients and the exposure we have to new flavours. As I was growing up the only fish we ever grilled was Rainbow Trout caught fresh from a stream or lake. Then much later we graduated to Salmon and Halibut and other purchased fish. Still, the only Tuna I ever ate then came from a can.
Nowadays, you can get good quality fresh fish even at the membership warehouse type stores like Costco. It’s not super cheap but as an occasional treat it doesn’t break our budget.
The Ahi Tuna I’ve grilled here cost just over $13.00 and gave us just over four servings.
I immersed the Ahi in an Asian inspired marinade for about ten minutes and then Rick grilled it to what I would call medium rare. We sliced and served it over a slaw of Napa cabbage, carrots, scallions, fresh pineapple and mandarin orange topped with toasted almonds and sesame seeds with a sweet/sour vinaigrette. With grilled asparagus on the side it was a fresh dinner that really hit the spot. I served a couple of pieces of purchased California roll sushi for an appetizer. Mmmm. Check out your local Asian market for any ingredients you’re not familiar with- you may be delightfully surprised at what you find there!
Marinade for Ahi
- one large lime, juice and zest
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Nuoc Mam (Fish sauce)
- 2 Tablespoons Black Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha chile paste sauce
- 1/4 cup Shao Xing cooking wine
- shredded carrot
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
Mix all together and put into a glass pie plate. Put the fish into the marinade for only about 10 minutes- fish doesn’t endure long marinades well - particularly if acidic ingredients are included.
Grilling Tuna-
You can grill it or sear it. To sear you want higher heat for less time on each side so that only the outside of the fish cooks. Use only fish you’re sure is really fresh and has been handled correctly for this method since the interior is basically raw. To grill use med high to high heat and about 3-4 minutes on each side- cooking past med rare will make the outside of the fish much drier and more the texture of canned tuna. I don’t love either dry or raw fish so I stay at medium rare.
Napa Slaw
- 1 head of Napa Cabbage cleaned and shredded
- 2 medium carrots, julienned
- 2 green onions, white and green parts sliced
- 2 radishes sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup chilled bottled mandarin orange segments drained
- 1/4 cup cilantro washed and minced
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/8 cup sesame seeds, toasted
- Gyoza wrappers cut into quarters and pan fried in a little canola oil (or can use egg-roll or wonton wrappers cut in strips)
- Dressing
Put all of the ingredients except the nuts, seeds and gyoza wrappers in a bowl. Pour half of the dressing over and toss. Add extra dressing if needed. Garnish with almonds, sesame seeds and gyoza triangles. Serve the tuna on top.
Dressing
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 Tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- pinch salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in a blender and whiz up until blended and it becomes a bit emulsified. It will be pretty and pink and a nice sweet/sour foil for the salad.
Enjoy! xoxo
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and Potato Salad
Posted on June 8, 2008 - Filed Under side dishes, Herbs/Spices/Condiments, Cookbooks I like, Salads, Sandwiches, Main Dishes, Recipes | 12 Comments
When your life is busy and you want to grill something tasty that doesn’t require that you stand endlessly in front of the grill- let me recommend this pulled chicken. I first learned this technique from a recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks The Hay Day Country Market Cookbook by Kim Rizk-
I’ve since modified the recipe a bit but the principle is basically the same.
You use chicken thighs-bone-in -skin-on chicken thighs. This is one of the more economical cuts of chicken and also one that is moist and flavourful. You use a dry rub and then grill the thighs skin side down for 45 minutes over low heat before they require any attention from you- that’s a keeper in my book. Once they’ve cooked that long you finish them off for another 15 minutes basting with BBQ sauce and then skin, bone and shred the meat and you’re set.
I make a Southern mustard and vinegar style BBQ sauce for these - the mustard just seems to complement the chicken. Serve on a grilled onion roll with a little (or a lot) of potato salad on the side and it’s a BBQ Feast.
Dry Rub for Chicken
- 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon spicy Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon toasted and ground cumin seeds
- 1 Tablespoon Chile Powder
- 1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 large pinch dried Thyme leaves
Mix all together and pat on rinsed and dried chicken before grilling. The easiest way I’ve found is to mix in a large bowl and then put the rinsed and patted dry chicken in the bowl and press the rub on all sides. Discard any left over rub at the bottom of the bowl when you’re finished.
Pulled Chicken
- (10) Bone in-skin on chicken thighs, rinsed, patted dry and rubbed with spice rub.
- Canola oil for brushing on grill
- Barbecue sauce- recipe follows
Heat the grill and either turn to low or if using charcoals move a spot so that you have low heat in an are large enough to place the chicken thighs skin down in a single layer. Cook skin side down without turning for 45 minutes, COVERED. Cook 15-20 minutes longer, turning and basting with barbecue sauce on both sides. Remove to a clean plate. Remove the skin and bone and pull the chicken into shredded pieces. Dress with more barbecue sauce and serve on a buttered and toasted onion bun.
Gabi’s BBQ sauce
- 3/4 cup catsup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup coarse grained Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup minced red onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- a couple of dashes of liquid smoke
- a pinch of chile powder
Combine all and simmer over low heat while chicken is cooking for the first 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings, add salt and pepper if desired. Will keep indefinitely if stored in the fridge. It never makes it long at our house.
Potato Salad- My update of Gran’s
Gran always made enough potato salad to feed an army- we don’t need that much so I’ve scaled it down to make a small bowl and added a few adjustments to my own taste.
- 2 large Idaho Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- 3 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
- 2 ribs of celery
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 1/2 cup of sweet pickle relish
- Mayonnaise
- Season with Old Bay seasoning, salt, pepper, celery seeds, sweet Paprika, Za’atar (Za’atar is a blend of Sesame seed, Thyme, Sumac, Salt some add Oregano and Lemon Peel)
Cover the potatoes with water in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until a fork pierces fairly easily, Drain and return to pan to cool. Meanwhile cover the eggs with cold water to an inch above the tops, bring to a boil then place the cover on the pan and remove from the heat, leave covered for 20 minutes then plunge eggs into an ice bath. Peel and put in bowl. Mash with a potato masher to break up. Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces and add to the bowl along with the onion, celery and relish. Sir in enough mayonnaise to coat and add seasonings to taste- add a pinch of each at a time and taste until you like it. I like lots of everything. Sprinkle the top with extra Paprika and Za’atar so it’s pretty and chill.
The pulled chicken is also excellent for a Barbecue Chicken Pizza- we usually make one with some of the left overs. Make a pizza crust or use a purchased one- spread a little BBQ sauce, chicken, onion, Mozzarella and sprinkle with cilantro bake for 15-20 minutes at 450F- excellent!! Pictures later….
The Year of Living Deliciously
Posted on June 4, 2008 - Filed Under blog events, faves, What I'm Reading Now, Fun Stuff | 19 Comments
I have been so fortunate this past year to have this blog. It has been a magic portal for me- a conduit around the world for meeting new friends, finding inspiration and sharing good fellowship with kindred foodie, gardening and creative spirits. I have been so amazed at the kindness of strangers and the common threads that bind us together.
This all started with a recipe search. I had been using sites like Epicurious and All Recipes but one day a search for sugar mice led me to Sam at Becks & Posh. It led me to a whole new world that I had no idea existed. These were people I wanted to know better. I felt like an ugly duckling plunked down in a beauty of swans.
In the beginning- I didn’t know how to proceed I just knew I loved this format and I visited as many great blogs as I could find soaking in the vistas of glorious food and photography presented by amazing people who not only prepared amazing food but shared it with the world. I longed to join in and play.
I quickly became a daily reader of Danielle at Habeas Brulee (whose energy must only be outrun by her creativity.) So I gathered up my courage and asked her a few questions about the how-tos of blogging. She was so kind and informative and pointed me towards a few tools to use. I am SO grateful!
I want to also thank two very sweet and kind women who passed on a couple of awards to me a few weeks ago- I’m sorry it has taken me so long to put them up- life got a little hectic right about then.
PheMomenon passed on the “E for Excellent” award - Thanks amazing Holly!-what a nice of you thing to do :)
Dhanggit’s Kitchen has also awarded me a with a “Yummy Blog Award”! Thank you, lovely Hilda, I appreciate your thoughtfulness and kind compliments!
I’m allowed to pass these on to others of my choosing. Here are the fabulous bloggers to whom I’m passing these. They are allowed to pass them on if they choose as well. It’s hard to choose just a few -there are so many wonderful bloggers out there who merit kudos… I’ve tried to pick blogs that I read regularly that also didn’t display these badges yet- if you’ve already been awarded one please excuse and just consider this a double vote 
And- don’t feel obligated to pass these on if you don’t want to -but I do think everyone appreciates a little pat on the back now and then.
So, in no particular order I’ll go on and pass the love… I think you are all excellent and yummy too!
E is for Excellent is passed on to:
- LisaRene at Unique Little Bits
- Breadchick at The Sour Dough
- Deborah at Taste and Tell
- Natalie at Gluten a Go-Go
- Brilynn at Jumbo Empanadas
The Yummy Blog Award is passed to:
- Bellini Valli at More Than Burnt Toast
- Holly at Phemomenon
- Danielle At Habeas Brulee
- Tempered Woman at Tempered Woman
- Maryann at Finding La Dolce Vita
- Courtney at Coco Cooks
- Kristin at Dine and Dish
- April at Cookworm
- Laurie at Quirky Cupcake
- Emiline at Sugar Plum Sweets
- Kaylyn at Kaylyn’s Kitchen
I also want to tell you about The Hive - Holly at PheMomenon has put together a group for Utah food bloggers where we can support each other and hopefully get to know each other better- if you’re interested please contact her for access to our Google web group page.
Well after all that, I’m looking forward to another year of exploration and joy- thank you very much for joining me in my journey.
xoxo
Gabi
« go back — keep looking »
