BBQ Chicken Pizza with Smoked Gouda and Caramelized Onions

Has anyone tried the new Domino's pizza crust and sauce (well, I guess it isn't all that new anymore)? Not gonna lie, it is pretty freaking good! I used to be a Domino's hater (or rather a Papa John's lover) but I might be a convert after trying their new and improved pizza. The best part about ordering Domino's delivery is the pizza tracker! You can go online and add whatever toppings and sauce you want. They then tell you exactly when your pizza is being created, placed in the oven, quality checked and finally out the door on its way to you! What does this BBQ pizza have to do with Domino's? Not too much, but this pizza is pretty amazing and could beat any delivery pizza any day of the week!

You Will Need:

• 1 ball of pizza dough (I prefer Whole Foods)
• 1 1/4 cups BBQ sauce 
• 1/2 of a 12oz bag of mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 sweet onion, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup smoked gouda, finely grated
• 1 bonless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Here We Go:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F
• Roll out dough using your hands or a rolling pin if you have one
• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in small skillet and cook chicken 7-10 minutes, or until no longer pink and set aside
• Heat remaining Tbsp of olive oil in skillet and saute onions for roughly 10 minutes, or until clear and caramelized
• Place dough on pizza stone or baking sheet
• Top dough with bbq sauce, cheeses, chicken and onion
• Bake for 10-12 minutes on top rack, or until golden brown




Yields 8 slices (depending on size of pizza)
Happy Feasting!

 

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

It is supposed to be in the mid 50's in Charlottesville this weekend, but with that being said, the mornings have still been in the high 20's/low 30's. I still think that warrants making all things warm and hearty for at least the next few weeks. It might be March but it definitely does not feel like spring yet.

My husband came down with a horrible cold this week, leaving him with all those flu like symptoms - achy, tired and congested. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for me to be a "good wife" and make my first batch of homemade chicken noodle soup. The thought seemed pretty daunting, but with this fabulous recipe it turned out better than any chicken noodle soup my husband would of dumped out from a can (he thought so too!)

Recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride (originally adapted from allrecipes.com)

You Will Need:

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken ( I used garlic and herb)
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• 2 large stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 3 cups egg noodles
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

Here We Go:

• Bring broth and water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large pot
• De-bone the chicken and separate the meat from the skin and bones
• Set the meat aside and add the skin and bones to the simmering broth
• Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer for an hour
• Strain broth through a colander into a large bowl; reserve broth and discard skin and bones
• Set the pot over medium-high heat and add the oil
• When hot, saute the onions, carrots, and celery until soft, 8 to 10 minutes
• Add chicken, broth and thyme and bring to a simmer
• Add the egg noodles and simmer for 20 minutes
• Stir in parsley, reserving some for garnish, and remove from heat
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary
  



Makes Roughly 10 Bowls
Happy Feasting!



Guacamole



I am definitely one of those people who could eat guacamole on almost anything - chips, tortillas, crackers -all delicious! I was craving some guacamole with my chicken fajitas and about 10 minutes later I was dumping spoonfuls of this recipe on top of my dinner. I didn't have any cilantro on hand so I didn't end up adding it to this recipe. Nonetheless, I was very pleased with the results and might not put cilantro in my guacamole moving forward as I think cilantro can sometimes overpower the other flavors.

You Will Need:

• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
• 2 avocados (feel to make sure they are fairly soft/ripe)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lemon, halved

Here We Go:

• Dice onions and cherry tomatoes and put into medium sized bowl
• Peel avocados and remove pit
• Coarsely chop avocados and add to bowl
• Add salt, garlic powder and pepper
• Squeeze the juice from one lemon (be careful of seeds)
• Mix all ingredients together delicately as to not completely mash up the avocado (it should be somewhat chunky)


Serves 2-4
Happy Feasting!