Author Archives for Shannon

Barbecue Chicken and Smoked Gouda Pizza

A new brewery/restaurant opened near my house over the summer and it is now my favorite place to go because of a) the proximity to my house (I can walk there!) b) the beer is good and c) the food is fantastic.  So far, one of my favorite items I’ve eaten there was a barbecue chicken pizza with smoked Gouda, green pepper, red onion, and bacon (which I 86’d).  Being a lover of smoked Gouda, I decided I could easily try to make something similar in my own kitchen.  The result was this Barbecue Chicken and Smoked Gouda Pizza.

At the time I made this, I couldn’t remember what the restaurant included in their pizza so I didn’t include any veggies of any kind but you could easily add on anything you like here.  Since you could put smoked Gouda on a piece of cardboard and I would probably eat it, it’s no surprise I love this pizza. And barbecue chicken? I mean, come on, really? What’s not to like?  Since I used store-bought pizza dough and pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, this pizza came together in a flash.  With so many different kinds of barbecue sauces out there, you can get as creative as you want. I used plain old basic barbecue sauce but a spicy or mesquite barbecue sauce would be excellent here too.

Barbecue Chicken and Smoked Gouda Pizza (6-8 servings)

  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons store-bought barbecue sauce
  • 8 oz. shredded cooked rotisserie chicken or precooked chicken strips, chopped (such as PERDUE® SHORT CUTS® Carved Chicken Breast)
  • 2/3 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese (about 3 ounces)
  • 2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3 ounces)
  • 1 package store-bought pizza dough
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
  • Fresh cilantro, basil or parsley for topping, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Unroll pizza dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake according to package directions, approximately 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine shredded chicken with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce until chicken is lightly coated. Spoon remaining barbecue sauce onto pizza crust and spread evenly. Top with shredded chicken and red onion (if using).  Sprinkle shredded smoked Gouda over chicken, followed by shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with chopped cilantro, basil or parsley (if preferred).

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The ingredients:

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Unroll pizza dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake according to package directions, approximately 8 minutes.

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Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine shredded chicken with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce until chicken is lightly coated. Spoon remaining barbecue sauce onto pizza crust and spread evenly. Top with shredded chicken and red onion (if using).

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Sprinkle shredded smoked Gouda over chicken, followed by shredded mozzarella cheese.

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Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with chopped cilantro, basil or parsley (if preferred).

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Witches’ Brew

When I first started this blog, I made a cocktail each week and posted it every Friday.  After all, when you’ve had a long week at work, what a better way to unwind than to sit down with a new tasty beverage? I love trying new drinks but as a result of making a cocktail each week, I ended up with an overstocked liquor cabinet and needed to slow things down.  Well, as the weather gets a little cooler, it’s got me in the mood for trying more new drinks.  With Halloween being this week, there is no better time than now to try this Witches’ Brew.

White beer (like Blue Moon) is jazzed up with pomegranate liquor and pomegranate juice.  That’s it.  Being a lover of white beer, I was curious to try this concoction but at the same time freaked out.  Why ruin a perfectly good beer? But it doesn’t ruin it. Instead, the pomegranate adds a little something-something and mellows out the beer’s flavor which makes this taste more like a cocktail than a beer. Pomegranate has a hearty flavor which you may or may not like.  I personally love the flavor of pomegranate so I think this works well with a white beer that already has citrus tones to it. Now, I have no idea why this is called Witches’ Brew as there really isn’t anything particularly Fall or Halloween-y about it.  But who cares? While I’m cuddled up on the couch shivering from watching Halloween for the millionth time, I’ll be glad I have this to calm my nerves a bit.

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The ingredients:

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Stir together beer, liqueur and juice in a pitcher.

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Serve in a glass over ice.

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Garnish with pomegranate seeds, if desired.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Family Circle magazine

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I hope that putting vegetables in your baked goods doesn’t freak you out.  Some people are no stranger to zucchini bread, muffins or pancakes while others, who’ve never tried it, cringe at the very thought. These just might be the same people who can’t stand any fruit in their salad.  (Sorry, I just don’t get it.)  I know someone who would never go near a cake with zucchini in it like this Chocolate Zucchini Cake, but I’m all for it.  Would I ever sit down and make a chocolate cake for no reason if I couldn’t justify it?  Well…probably.  But regardless, somehow in my whacked out brain, zucchini justifies it.

Chocolate cake batter, flavored with cocoa, reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat buttermilk, is made even more healthy with the addition of shredded zucchini.  An extra toss of chocolate chips in the batter along with the mocha-like chocolate drizzle on top only establishes this a decadent chocolate cake.  The zucchini not only adds a healthy component to this cake but it also helps it to stay moist so your aren’t left with a dry clunky dessert.  If you handed a piece of this cake to someone and didn’t tell them zucchini was in it, they’d never know unless they inspected the tiny green flakes in each piece. So why not give yourself a break and make yourself a chocolate cake? You really don’t need to justify it.

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The ingredients:

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Preheat oven to 350°F. To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust pan with 1 tablespoon flour. Place sugars, cream cheese, and vegetable oil in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

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Lightly spoon 2 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and next 5 ingredients (2 1/2 cups flour through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

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Stir in zucchini, 2/3 cup chocolate chips, and nuts.

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Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

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To prepare glaze, combine 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons cocoa in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

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Combine milk, 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, coffee, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a 1-cup glass measure. Microwave at medium 45 seconds or until chocolate melts, stirring after 20 seconds. Combine powdered sugar mixture with chocolate mixture, stirring with a whisk.

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Drizzle glaze over cake.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light magazine

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