Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pizza

Here it is, in all its glory. Here is the story of how I came up with it...


Remember this delicious recipe?

Well, I entered it into the Soul Food and Southern Cooking contest. And, I'm so excited to find out the results in the beginning of May.

Then, I started to think of ways I could enter it into the Pillsbury Bake Off contest. In order to qualify, you have to include some specific ingredients, like pizza crust or dinner rolls from Pillsbury.

One problem...that delicious recipe doesn't call for pizza crust or dinner rolls. It calls for noodles. But, it is just so delicious, I wanted to see what I could come up with.

Drum roll please...






I came up with this! My Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pizza. 

I savoured every bite of my slice for dinner tonight. The rest is for lunch tomorrow! YUM!!!

It isn't very pretty yet because it was my first try, but I'll keep practicing and get it down to a science before I enter it into the contest. Who knows...maybe I'll get lucky and be a contestant out of the thousands of entrants.

I can't say the recipe details quite yet because of contest rules, but if you want some pointers, send me a message, and I'll help ya out!

Peanut Butteriffic Popsicles for Dogs

Want to spoil your puppy? Make this sweet treat and throw it in the freezer. Then when you need to reward him (or distract him for 5 minutes), give him one of these popsicles.

Here is what you need:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, reduced fat and low sodium
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, reduced fat
• 2 tbs honey, no sugar added
• 1 ice cube tray

Here is what you do:

• Mix peanut butter, yogurt, and honey until well combined
• Portion the mixture into the spaces in the ice cube tray
• Place in freezer for 8 hours
• Serve one cube to your dog as a reward or as a distraction
• Keep remaining cubes in tray in freezer until you need to use them

Super Durable Dog Toys

For added minutes to the distraction, place cube inside a toy with a little bit of it sticking out the top and have dog try to get it out or lick it to death. (lol) Just make sure it doesn't fall inside the toy otherwise you AND your puppy won't be able to get it out.

Your puppy will LOVE this treat! (And you'll love the 5 minutes you have to do the dishes while he is distracted!)

Goldenrod Eggs and Toast

My friend, Tresha, shared this recipe with a group of our friends, and I have to admit that I was a little worried at first. I even said so as she was teaching us how to make it. (lol) However, I also have to admit that I LOVED it when I tasted it! I bet you will, too.

Doesn't that look delectable? Trust me, it is!

Here is what you need:

• 12 eggs (I use 8)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 cups milk

Here is what you do:

• Be ready to multi-task while making this dish. It isn't difficult; I just wanted to prepare you. :-)
• Boil eggs. As eggs boil, get the rest of your ingredients measured out and ready to go. (See my How-To post about making perfectly boiled eggs.)
• When you have about 5 minutes left of cooking time for your eggs, melt butter in a large, deep skillet for your gravy.
• Whisk flour in butter and cook on medium heat for 1 min, whisking constantly.
• Gradually whisk in 1 cup of milk until thickened. Continue adding 1 cup at a time, waiting each time until that round gets thick. (This is also when you multi-task, so keep reading...)
• Whisk in a little bit of pepper and salt with each cup of milk that is added.
• While you wait for each cup of milk to thicken in your gravy, separate egg whites from yolks. Place in two separate bowls. (Keep an eye on your gravy.)
• Peel the eggs; let your kids help!
• Chop whites into chunks and smash yolks until crumbly. Set aside. (Keep an eye on your gravy.)
• Stir in egg whites to the gravy. By now, you should be finished adding the milk. 
• Serve over two pieces of buttered toast that have been broken into pieces. Let your kids help break the toast into pieces, after they wash their hands, of course. :-)
• Sprinkle yolks and salt and pepper on top, as desired. 

This breakfast is super filling and makes several servings based on how much gravy you want over your toast.

How To Make Perfectly Boiled Eggs

Ever wonder how to boil your eggs perfectly so the yolk in the center is yellow instead of that greenish hue? Well, I've searched and searched for the answer and found this technique from Melissa d'Arabian on the Food Network. I tried it, and it works!

Here is what you do:

• Place eggs in one layer along bottom of a large pot.
• Fill pot with cold water, making sure to cover eggs completely by at least 1 inch.
• Bring water to a simmer over low heat and cook for 1 minute.
• Cover pot with a lid, turn off the heat and allow the eggs to sit for 15 minutes.
• Rinse with cold water.
• Roll the eggs between your palm and the counter top to crack the shell.
• Peel under cold, running water.

Hard Boiled Egg

How To Tweak Recipes To Tempt Your Tastebuds

Ever stumble across a recipe that sounds mostly good but it has one or two ingredients that make you say "no way!"

For example, maybe there is a noodle dish that you see advertised on a commercial for your favorite Italian restaurant, and then they say it has (insert dramatic pause) shrimp. SHRIMP! Of all things! Well, if you're me, you immediately start to gag. Then, once you've recovered, you are slightly bummed because the rest of the ingredients sounded so tempting.

The fix is simple: Just switch out that nasty shrimp for some delicious chicken or steak or maybe even salmon.

Another example: What if a recipe calls for celery, but you can't stand the texture of it? You can still get the flavor of celery without actually having the celery pieces in the dish. Simply use a dash of celery salt instead so you get the flavor but don't have to worry about the texture.

Another example: What if you are making a sauce and need a bunch of veggies to add the layers of flavor, but you don't have the cash to go buy all of the necessary items? Hey, sometimes veggies are expensive! Instead, buy a bit of vegetable stock and add that to your sauce. Immediate, bold flavor for way less cash!

You get the idea. It sounds like a pretty simple concept because it is. Sometimes it just takes a little reminder that we really can tweak any recipe to fit our needs.

So, take a look at the ingredients in the recipe and next time there are one or two that you don't enjoy, think of ways to work around those bad-news ingredients to make a dish your tastebuds will love!

What tweaks have you made to recipes to turn them from drab to fab?

Foodie Blogroll

The foodie blogroll site was created in 2007 by a food blogger named Jenn because she wanted to create a networking community especially for food bloggers. She had been searching for a community of food people that she could relate to, trade recipes with, get pointers from, and so on. She couldn't find one, so she created one. Go her! Impressive.

You don't get paid to be part of their community. It's simply a place to network with other foodies around the globe. I became a member of the Foodie Blogroll Sunday night and it has been so fun browsing the site! I even saw my blog mentioned in their list of new blogs. Weird.

I've already had 144 people visit my blog since I started it. (130 have probably been me, lol)


Cool, huh? 

Creamy Chicken Noodles and Bacon

Everything is better with bacon! Especially chicken and cheese. Sounds fattening, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be with this easy meal. Instead of using regular ingredients, try making this creamy noodle concoction with low-fat or fat free items.

The recipe is super simple to make, especially if you precook and shred your chicken on your prep day. Or, you can use a can of chicken. If you use canned chicken, be sure to rinse the chicken with water so that you remove some of the fluid from the can. (The fluid can be full of sodium, and rinsing it eliminates some of that.)

Here is what you need:

• 1 lb chicken, shredded from your shopping/prep day
• 1 bag no yolk noodles
• 2 cans condensed chicken soup, 98% fat free
• 1/2 cup sour cream, fat free
• 3 cups broccoli pieces
• 5 strips bacon (or turkey bacon)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated and low-fat
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Here is what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook noodles in one pot and and warm your precooked, shredded chicken in a skillet.
3. While noodles and chicken cook, place bacon on baking sheet with grooves and bake for 12 minutes or until mostly crispy but not too crisp. 
4. Mix condensed soup, sour cream, broccoli, garlic, and seasonings. Set aside. 
5. By now, the noodles and chicken should be finished. (About 15 minutes should have passed by now.)
6. Run noodles under lukewarm water to bring their temperature down a bit and then combine with chicken and soup mixture.
7. Place mixture in 9 x 13 cake pan then sprinkle cheese on top.
8. Cut cooked bacon into pieces and drop over cheese.
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese starts to bubble.
10. This makes 6 large servings or 8 medium servings.

Enjoy! And remember, everything is better with bacon, even if it is turkey bacon.

PS ~ Fair warning, you will CRAVE the leftovers.

How To Precook Chicken

A friend asked how I cook my chicken, so I thought I'd share the answer here in case anyone else is wondering...

To cook the chicken, simply put, I boil it then shred it. But, there is a little trick I do to give the chicken incredible flavor. Instead of just boiling it in water, I mix it with some chicken stock. Sometimes I have my own chicken stock leftover from when I make chicken with the bone still in. Or, if I don't have that, I just use the canned chicken broth. Either way, the chicken stock/broth adds great flavor.

If I use canned broth, I don't add extra salt to this mixture because the canned chicken broth already has sodium in it and I'm trying to watch my sodium intake. But if you want to add salt, feel free!

So anyway, I boil it in the water/chicken stock mixture for about 20 to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken and how many pieces I have in the pot. Last night, for example, I had 5 really thick chicken breasts in the pot, so I left them in the boiling water for 30 minutes because I am paranoid about under cooked chicken. Also, I check the thickest piece to make sure there isn't any pink left in the center. I look for the the center meat to be white and the juices to run clear. If you're cooking other types of chicken, like thighs or with the bone in, I found this handy chicken cooking guide.

Once it is cooked and I've checked the thickest piece, I let it cool a bit before I shred it. It does seem a tad easier to shred it, though, when it is still warm. I just put it in a bowl and take two forks to it. (Or, you can shred it in your Bosch!) Then I portion the meat out into labeled freezer bags (with the date) based on the kind of portion sizes I need for the meals I make. It may be different sizes for you and your family.

Then, I throw the bags in the freezer until I'm ready to use them. The last batch I did lasted a month because I used about 1 bag per week.

To reheat the chicken, you have a few options. I love options!

1. Take it out of the freezer the night before and leave it in the fridge.
2. Put the chicken in a skillet with a tish of water then put the lid on it and keep it on medium heat. It will steam it and thaw it. Then, you're ready to cook it with whatever else you're making.
3. If you're making pasta, put the chicken in the boiling water, then scoop it out before you put your pasta in the water.
4. Just put it in the microwave and defrost it. This is my least favorite option because I can't seem to get it just right, but it may just work the best for you depending on what your making. If you're making a cold chicken salad, this may just be your best bet. Either this option of #1.

Lemon Chicken and Pasta

I was craving pasta and broccoli, so I thought I'd play around with some ingredients and create a delicious, fresh dinner, all while pretending I worked as a chef in a restaurant. LOL. It was fun and the end result is phenomenal!

Here is what you need:

• 1 box garden spiral pasta (some will be for this dish and some will be for a pasta salad that I'll post about on another day)
• 3 medium heads broccoli, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbs butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3 thick slices bacon, cut into strips
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 lemon, squeeze all juice
• 1 tbs lemon zest
• lemon pepper, to taste

Here is what you do:

1. Cook pasta in well salted water in large pot. 
2. When pasta is half way done, add olive oil and 3 tbs of butter to skillet. Start cooking bacon then add chopped onions. Season with a little lemon pepper.
3. Fill large bowl with ice water. Set next to stove.
4. Remove pasta from water with slotted spoon, but keep pasta water boiling. Add broccoli to pasta water. Boil broccoli for 1 or 2 minutes then remove with slotted spoon and place in ice water. 
5. Drain pasta water. Add 3/4 of pasta back into large pot. (Save remaining pasta for that dish that I'll tell you about later.)
6. When bacon and onions are almost done, add garlic, lemon zest, half of lemon juice, and broccoli. Season with a little lemon pepper. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add chicken, remaining tbs of butter, and remaining half of lemon juice to skillet. Season with a little lemon pepper. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Add veggie and meat mixture to pasta. Stir well, making sure all pieces are lightly coated with sauce. 

Here are some hints for making your cook time less than 30 minutes:

1. On shopping day, precook chicken, shred it, and then portion it and place in freezer bags for later. Chop onion and store in tightly sealed container in the fridge. You can then use the onion as needed during the week. And finally, clean broccoli, pat it dry, cut large stem off, and place broccoli florets in sealed plastic bag.
2. Use a food chopper to dice onions instead of slicing and dicing it with a knife and cutting board.
3. Start boiling pasta water as you get the rest of your ingredients ready.

I took one bite of this lemon chicken creation and was in heaven! The pasta is lightly coated with the flavor-packed sauce. Then you get fresh and tasty bites of chicken, bacon, and broccoli with a hint of the caramelized onions. YUM!

Let me know if you try it!

PS ~ You may want to crack open your windows while you cook the bacon and caramelize the onion; otherwise, your clothes may smell like the dynamic duo. It's not a bad smell, mind you, but your friends may want to eat your clothes because it will smell like delicious food. hahaha.

Refreshing Pasta Salad

Last night I made some spiral pasta for my Lemon Chicken and Pasta dinner, so I went ahead and saved some of the pasta to use for this refreshing salad. That makes it super quick and easy to throw my lunch together the next day!    

Here is what you need:

• 3 cups of spiral pasta, cooked (leftover from dinner)
• 1/2 cup broccoli, cooked and chopped
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 cup peas
• 1/2 cup fat free zesty italian dressing
• 1 tbs ranch dressing
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Here is what you do:
Mix it all together in a large bowl and then put in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Really and truly, that's all you do. Easy!

PS ~ If you wanted to add chopped tomatoes, it would be delicious! I just didn't have any at the moment, otherwise I would have added some for sure.