Thursday, June 13, 2013

Summer is a time for grilling and who doesn't love pizza? So why not combine the two? Here's a recipe for an easy grilled pizza topped with ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmigiano reggiano grated cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, pancetta and sun-dried tomato pesto. Super easy and yummy!


Ingredients:
1 Boboli ready made pizza crust
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 jar sun-dried tomato pesto
Ricotta cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Pancetta
Sun-dried tomato halves or slices
Fresh basil

Rub bottom side of ready made crust with olive oil. Spread as much sun-dried tomato pesto on top of crust. Have fun and get creative adding the rest of your toppings! If you have kids, this is a fun way to make fun memories in the kitchen. Place on grill for about ten minutes checking often to make sure crust doesn't burn. When it looks done to your liking, remove from grill, cool, cut and serve.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Looking for an easy, fresh, delicious salad for the summer? Here's a recipe that'll be sure to make your taste buds go crazy.
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers
1 tomato
1 small/medium red onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
4 tsp sugar
Add as much dill as you'd like for taste. Dry or fresh both work.

Slice cucumbers fairly thin, slice onions thin, and rough chop tomato. Mix vinegar and sugar together and pour onto vegetables. Add dill and salt/pepper to taste. (I added some capers to add a little extra taste and texture but that's completely up to you) Toss together and voilĂ ! Easy, delicious, fresh summer salad.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Today I found a couple different chicken enchilada recipes and decided to combine two of them. My husband and my mom were my guinea pigs and both of them didn't leave a trace of food behind. And my husband tends to eat at a much slower pace than a few people we know but he was the first one finished. That was my "oh yeah! I did good!" moment. I paired the enchilada with some stovetop Spanish Rice and some homemade salsa.


Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts
32 oz chicken broth
3 Tbsp butter
1 small onion (red or cooking) chopped rough
1/4 Cup flour
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 can diced tomatoes (I used a 14.5oz can with garlic & onion)
1 can enchilada sauce (I used a 10oz mild sauce)
1 bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 package of tortillas (size selection is completely up to you)

Boil chicken breasts in chicken broth, leaving at least a cup of chicken broth reserved for the sauce mixture. Drain chicken and with forks in separate bowl.

In a saucepan melt a Tbsp of butter and add onions, only softening them. Add onions to shredded chicken.

Sauce: You'll be making a rue but not to worry! It's a lot less scary than you think.
Melt 2 Tbsp butter and on low heat slowly start to sprinkle in flour little by little mixing it with the butter. It should resemble a paste. Gradually stir in a cup of reserved chicken broth making sure to stir out any lumps. Add chili powder and cumin to sauce mixture. Turn heat up a little and make sure to continue to stir sauce until it looks thick.

Stir in half of sauce mixture to chicken/onion and save the other half for bottom of casserol dish. At this time you'll also want to add half of each can of diced tomatoes and enchilada sauce. You can also add some shredded cheese to chicken mixture but be sure to save enough for the top of the enchiladas.

Tortillas: Heat oil in pan and fry each side for about 10-15 seconds. Seperate each tortilla between papertowel layer to absorb excess oil.

Spread remaining sauce mixture on bottom of casserol dish.

One at a time, sprinkle small layer of cheese in middle of tortilla and add chicken mixture. Roll-up and lay in casserol dish with the "seam side" down. Once all tortillas are rolled up, top with remaining enchilada sauce and diced tomatoes. Top with the rest of the cheese, cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and place back in oven, setting it to broil. Keep an eye on it. The cheese will bubble up pretty quickly. Garnish with fresh cilantro.