I cook this when I don't have the time to sit in the kitchen preparing an entire meal, but I do have time for prep-work.

I mix up the homemade BBQ sauce, chop up the onions and garlic, plop the chicken into the crock pot- turn it on, and let it GO!

And I am rewarded with a ready for later dinner for that night. It only gets better with age, and the leftovers seem to be better than the first night.

I'd never heard of adding chocolate to BBQ sauce, but when I tasted it, it seemed Oh so right! (Just make sure it's the dark variety).

I paired this BBQ pulled chicken with a toasted bun. Enjoy.

Spicy-Sweet-Smoky BBQ Slow Cooked Chicken

 

Ingredients: 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup minced red onion 1 yellow onion-sliced into thin slices 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups ketchup 2 tbsp molasses 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce 2 tsp chipotle chili pepper, ground 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ¼ tsp Ancho chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder ½ cup Adobo sauce 2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon Siracha 3 tablespoons soy sauce Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup water 8 ounces dark chocolate squares (I used Godiva) or 1 cup cocoa powder 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast   Directions: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire, adobo, honey, vinegar, siracha, soy sauce, water, olive oil and spices. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add in the ketchup & spice mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat.   Turn crockpot to medium. Add chicken, chocolate squares, and then cover with sliced onions, & pour BBQ sauce over the top.  Cook for 4-6 hours, turning heat down to low after the first hour. Stir chicken about once an hour. In the last hour, shred chicken, and then place back into sauce. Stir again. The longer you let it simmer in the sauce, the better your chicken will taste. The sauce will thicken as it cooks down. Taste before serving and make any seasoning adjustments. If the BBQ sauce gets too thick, dilute with water until you get the desired consistency.

 

Roasted Vegetable White Pizza

Roasted Vegetable White Pizza & Quick Pizza Dough

 

Pizza Dough:

1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp. Sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 ½ cups (Approx.) All-purpose white flour, plus more for dusting & rolling pizza

Toppings:

1 Medium Butternut or Acorn Squash-seeds removed & sliced to 1 inch slices

½ bag baby Spinach

½ head Cauliflower

1 large Yellow Onion-sliced

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Red Pepper flakes

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

 

This really is easy pizza dough to make. Although the directions call for a mixer, I usually hand mix the dough with a large wooden spoon, then set it aside to rise. It seems less cumbersome, faster, and you don’t have a mixer to wash when you‘re done. The entire process took me maybe 10 minutes, & another 45 to rise. I top each pizza with whatever veggies we have in the house, along with some mozzarella cheese.

 

Pizza Dough:

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

 

Turn the mixer on low (or just use your arm & a wooden spoon) and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. Or, if you are mixing with a wooden spoon, just add it all at once & mix until just combined.

When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine
periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a
small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1
tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5
minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times;
kneading until it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly
oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise
in a warm spot (i.e. over a gas pilot light/warm oven) until doubled in size, about 45 min. to 1 hour.

 

Toppings:

As for the veggies, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. You will want to cook the butternut squash first, as it will take the longest to cook. I don’t peel mine. In fact, once it’s been cooked for about 20-25 minutes drizzled with olive oil, salt & pepper (turn each piece over half way through cooking), the skins become tender enough to eat, & are quite tasty. Remember this is where most of the vitamins are. I get that this isn’t everyone’s preference though. Once the squash is fully cooked, remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, then chop into small bite sized pieces. Set aside.

 

Wash cauliflower & cut into bite sized pieces, dry with a paper towel & transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then toss with salt, pepper & red pepper flakes (optional). Sometimes I sprinkle with a little grated parmesan. Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing frequently. Remove when tender & golden brown. Set aside.

 

I also added some caramelized yellow onions, which consists of peeling, & cutting into slices a yellow onion, then sautéing it on medium heat in butter until golden brown. Once the onions are ready, I toss the spinach on top, mix, then salt & set aside. The heat from the onions will wilt & cook the spinach.

 

Once you have followed the directions to prep the pizza dough, cut the large ball of dough in half. This makes two good sized pizza’s that will feed about 3.

 

This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.

Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and
stretch the dough into a cylinder and divide into 2 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out (this is an optional step that I rarely follow).

Roll or pat out a piece of dough into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Dust a pizza
paddle with flour and slide it under the pizza dough. Brush the crust with a thin layer of
olive oil, and top with cheese, then layer with veggies that have been previously cooked. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining dough. If you don’t have a pizza stone, don’t fret. I frequently use a metal cookie sheet, greased with a little olive oil. Enjoy & be creative!!

 

 

Chicken-Mushroom Stroganoff

I think everyone has heard me say that my hubby doesn't eat red meat or pork. That still leaves a lot of options for me to cook for dinner, even by eliminating it from our diets. There are so many other options, I find that I rarely miss it.

If I ever do, I may order a steak when we go out, or since we are in Bison country, possibly a spicy Bison burger. That usually satisfies my temporary craving, & I can go back to a seafood, chicken, & fish diet....which by the way, is quite delicious!

One of his favorites is egg noodles, with stroganoff. I replaced the red meat for chicken, and it still hits the spot!

Chicken-Mushroom Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 pound Chicken breasts-cubed

3 cups chicken broth

3-4 cloves fresh Garlic-minced

1 yellow Onion-diced

2 tablespoons Butter

½ cup red Wine

4 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

1 & ½ cup low-fat Sour Cream

1 pound Mushrooms-washed & sliced

½ cup fresh Italian flat leaf Parsley-minced

1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

1-2 large sprigs fresh Rosemary

Salt & Pepper to taste

Olive Oil (for sautéing chicken)

Directions:

In a large pot, heat olive oil & sauté onions & garlic. Add herbs. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, & onions are clear in color. Add chicken, & cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, spices, chicken broth, and stir well. Simmer on medium-low for about 15 minutes.

In a small frying pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add mushrooms & a pinch of salt. Sauté & toss frequently until the edges of the mushrooms caramelize & have a golden brown color. Add to pot with chicken.

In a glass, add wine & flour. Mix well to remove any lumps. Add to chicken, mixing well. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, as the sauce thickens. Mix in sour cream, and then remove from heat. I served my stroganoff over the top of buttered homemade egg noodles.

**Recipe for homemade Egg pasta to follow!

Caramelized Onion & Portabella Pizza

Caramelized Onion & Portabella Pizza

Okay folks, this really is easy pizza dough to make. Although the directions call for a mixer, last night I hand mixed the dough with a large wooden spoon, then set it aside to rise. The entire process took me maybe 10 minutes, & another 20 to rise. You cannot beat that.

AND, I topped it with whatever we had in the house…..of course Mozzarella cheese….and I added a little Brie.

Mine was topped with sliced Portabella Mushrooms, sautéed for about 3 minutes in olive oil & a few garlic slices, salt & pepper…done!

I also added some caramelized yellow onions, which consists of peeling, & cutting into slices a yellow onion, then sautéing it on medium heat in butter until golden brown. Salt & set aside.

Follow the directions below for the pizza dough. Once ready, cut the large ball of dough in half. This makes two good sized pizza’s that will feed about 3.

Pizza Dough

1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 ½ cups (Approx.) All-purpose white flour, plus more for dusting & rolling pizza

Directions:

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Turn the mixer on low (or just use your arm & a wooden spoon) and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated.

When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine
periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a
small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1
tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5
minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times;
kneading until it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly
oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise
in a warm spot (i.e. over a gas pilot light/warm oven) until doubled in size, about 45 min. to 1 hour.

This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat them to 425 degrees F.

Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and
stretch the dough into a cylinder and divide into 3 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out.

Roll or pat out a piece of dough into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Dust a pizza
paddle with flour and slide it under the pizza dough. Brush the crust with a thin layer of
olive oil, and top with your favorite flavors.

Slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the
oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp. Repeat with the
remaining dough.

Cranberry-Apple Herbed Stuffing

Cranberry-Apple Herbed Stuffing

1 large loaf French or other white bread
1 yellow Onion-diced
1 cup fresh flat leaf Parsley-Minced
2 ½ cups Celery-Chopped
2 large Garlic cloves-peeled (for stock)
2 fresh Garlic cloves-minced (for stuffing)
3-4 sprigs fresh Rosemary
1/8 cup fresh Sage-chopped
2-3 large sprigs Thyme
3 tablespoons Butter for sautéing veggies
3 tablespoons Butter for topping stuffing
1 quart Chicken or Vegetable stock
½ cup golden Raisins
1 red Apple-peeled & chopped into small pieces
1 cup dried Cranberries
¼ cup Olive Oil
1/8 cup green Peppercorns
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

**Make ahead of time:
Cut French bread loaf (large) into large bite sized pieces. Toast at 275 degrees in oven after drizzling with olive oil. Remove once golden brown & crispy. Cool & store in large zip lock bags.

Chop all herbs. Place peppercorns, herbs, whole peeled garlic, cranberries and raisins into chicken stock over stop top & simmer on medium low heat for about 30 minutes. Season. Set aside.

Over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter& 1/4 cup olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic until golden brown. Add parsley, celery, and apples. Cook until tender, season.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a large, deep baking dish. In a large bowl, combine bread and veggies. Gradually add chicken stock, mixing well, until all ingredients and well combined, and bread is damp, but not soggy. Place into baking dish. Pour remaining stock over stuffing, and drizzle remaining melted butter over stuffing. Cover & bake for about 45 minutes.