Barbeque Chicken Pizza October 20, 2008

I’ve been wanting to make this for a long time now.  But, I love my pizza sauce so much that I never want to stray away from it when I make pizza.  I came across this recipe  on AllRecipes which combines marinara sauce and barbeque sauce.  This was a great way to combine my love of pizza sauce and try the barbeque sauce, too.  I meant to buy a red onion to go with the chicken but I completely forgot it. So, I used what we had on hand and tend to put on pizza anyway- sweet red peppers on my no-cheese half and mushrooms on Scott’s half. I really liked this sauce- the flavor of the barbeque sauce was good but wasn’t too overwhelming.  Scott- who normally eats sausage, pepperoni, bacon (anything but chicken!) loved it and said he would like to try chicken again now.  I will definitely make this again!

Ingredients

• 4-5 chicken breast tenders, cut into chunks
• salt [and pepper
• italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup barbeque sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 1 pizza crust
• 1 cup pizza cheese
• desired toppings
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Cook salt and peppered chicken in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle with italian seasoning. Add a couple tablespoons of barbeque sauce while cooking.
2. Mix remaining barbeque sauce and pizza sauce in a small bowl. Spread evenly over pizza crust.
3. Sprinkle pizza cheese. Arrange chicken and any other toppings on top.
4. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 45o degree oven or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro while hot.

Modified from AllRecipes

It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere Martini Glass October 19, 2008

Behold the second glass in my hand painted martini glass collection.  I love it!

 

 

Happy Birthday Martini Glass October 19, 2008

Several months ago, I saw a story on a morning show about Lolita Martini Glasses. They showed some really pretty and unique hand painted glasses. I made a mental note to buy one someday. A few months later, I was at the mall with Patrice and discovered that Macy’s had started selling the glasses. I told her about how I saw them on tv and loved them. In August, she bought me one for my birthday.  I was so excited! I finally had one. When I saw the box, I hugged her and told her I loved it before I even looked at it. She asked me how I knew I would like it and I told her I would like any of them! And I really did love it. Thanks, Patrice!

So, I decided to start collecting them. Periodically, I will buy one for myself and maybe I’ll get more as gifts for special occassions. (helpful hint to any family and friends that need a gift idea for me! )

Girl’s Night In October 12, 2008

Here are a few pics from my girls only get together. It was a Sex and the City pajama party. It was nice to kick the boys out for the night for some girl time!

We had cosmos, flirtinis, champagne and wine. Everyone brought an appetizer, snack or dessert and we ended up with a variety of foods- and a lot of it! I regret not taking pics the way I normally do! I only have pics of the food that I made and took before the party.

I made shrimp cups that were inspired by this recipe. I baked wontons in a mini muffin pan and filled them with salad shrimp seasoned with Garlic and Herb Old Bay and cumin, fresh salsa, shredded cheddar cheese.

 I also made mini chocolate cupcakes.

 And here are the red velvet cake balls that no one saw!

I didn’t have enough white chocolate, they were a mess and they didn’t set in time for the party. But Scott ate them the next day and said they tasted great. Oh well. Maybe next time! 

I can’t wait to plan my next event!

Herb Crusted Salmon with Mixed Greens Salad October 4, 2008

This recipe is very healthy and yummy! It’s the kind of salad I could eat every day and not get tired of.

Ingredients

• Salmon:
• 1/2  cup  dry breadcrumbs
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh oregano
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh rosemary
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick), skinned
• Cooking spray
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• Salad:
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1  tablespoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 1  teaspoon  Dijon mustard
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 4  cups  mixed salad greens

Preparation

 

1. To prepare salmon, combine the first 7 ingredients in a shallow dish or pie plate. Lightly coat both sides of fillets with cooking spray, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Dredge both sides of fillets in breadcrumb mixture.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fillets to pan; cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; carefully turn fillets over. Cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

3. To prepare salad, combine juice, oil, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add mixed greens; toss gently to coat. Place 2/3 cup salad on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 fillet.

From: Cooking Light