Pizza Part 20: Chicken Fajita Pizza

So, here we are again with another pizza. I can’t help it; I love pizza! If I had the chance to open a restaurant, my top choice for what kind would most likely be a pizzeria. No big surprise there, huh? This recipe is one of my originals. I decided to try making it one night when we were thinking of making pizza for supper and I wanted something different than the usual. I looked up the basic ingredients for fajita seasoning since I didn’t have a packet of it on hand, then adjusted it to my liking. I’ve heard that it’s less expensive to make different seasonings yourself, which I want to do at some point, but there’s nothing wrong with using a pre-packaged one from the store. Anyhoo, I hope you like this. ☺

So, let’s get cooking!

First, cut up the chicken breast into smallish pieces, about ½ inch squares. Place it in a bowl and add the fajita seasoning, store bought or homemade. In a skillet with a little oil (1-2 Tbl), sauté the chicken cubes until just done and tender, then set aside.

Now for the sauce: In a smallish sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. Whisk in the milk, stirring continuously until thickened. Toss in the sugar and sriracha sauce and set aside to cool.

Dice the tomato and slice the onion and green bell pepper into pieces about an inch long.

Spread the pizza dough into the greased pan, and then spoon the sauce on and spread around. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top, then the fiesta blend. I almost always use at least some mozzarella because I love that cheesy stringy yumminess!

Distribute the onion and pepper slices, then the tomatoes and chicken. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes exactly. The underside of the crust will be a beautiful golden brown.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Chicken Fajita Pizza

 pizza dough

1 lg chicken breast

1 packet fajita seasoning

*OR make it, recipe below

1 c milk

3 Tbl butter

2 Tbl flour

½ tsp sugar

1-2 Tbl sriracha sauce

1 lg tomato

½ lg green bell pepper

½ lg Vidalia onion

1 c shredded mozzarella

1 ½ c fiesta blend cheese

Fajita Seasoning

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cayenne

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Cheesy Ham & Broccoli Rolls

This is such a nice recipe and perfect for a cool fall night or the next church potluck supper. It’s a recipe my sister Kris made ages ago and I always loved it. Well, ham...broccoli….and cheese! Anything with cheese is okay in my book! :-) I’m not exactly sure what Kris put in hers, but this is how I make it and it’s downright tasty, if I do say so myself. ;-)

So, let’s get cooking!

Assembling the rolls is easy; just lay out a ham slice, put the broccoli crown in it with the top sticking out, and roll, roll, roll away. Place the rolls in an 11X15” baking dish. You can spray the pan with cooking spray if you’d like. Put the rolls with the tops of the broccoli in towards the middle.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium pan and stir in the flour with a whisk until bubbly. Add the milk slowly while you constantly whisk it, until it thickens. Stir in the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and the salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, melt the butter and add the bread crumbs, stirring until thoroughly coated. You can use seasoned crumbs or plain; I use whatever I happen to have on hand.

Next, lay the slices of Swiss cheese on top of the ham. Pour the cheesy sauce on top of that, leaving the broccoli tops uncovered. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the sauce, and bake at 400° for 30-40 minutes, until edges are bubbly and golden brown.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Cheesy Ham & Broccoli Rolls

22-24 slices ham (deli cut)

2 bunches broccoli crowns,

separated from the core

3 Tbl butter

¼ c flour

2 c milk

½ c sharp cheddar grated

½ c Parmesan cheese

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

5-6 slices Swiss cheese

¾ c bread crumbs

2 Tbl butter

Pizza Part 19: Valerie's Calzone Pizza

So, here we are again with another of my original recipes. Have I ever mentioned that I love pizza?? Oh my, how I love pizza! It’s one of my four food groups. ;-) I have eaten it for breakfast, lunch, and supper, and can never get enough. This pizza came about one night when I was going to make my calzones for supper, but Timmy had said he wanted pizza instead. I had thought of making a small pizza for him and calzones for the rest of us, but then inspiration struck and here we are! ;-)

So, let’s get cooking!

Cut up the sliced ham into small squares, about ½ inch square. Dice the onion and chop the mushrooms a little bit.

Grease your pizza pan with Crisco and spread the dough to fit. Sprinkle on 2 c of the shredded mozzarella cheese.

Place the sliced pepperoni---you can use one layer, two layers, whatever you want. Personally, I prefer 2 layers of it.

Spread on the little cut squares of sliced ham. Add the diced onion (we like a LOT!) and then the mushrooms.

Confession time: The next step is to sprinkle on the remaining 1 ½ c mozzarella cheese, but I failed to take a pic. I commit this error sometimes, and this was one of them. But go to the next step and you can see for yourselves that this is a VERY cheesy pizza! ;-)

Bake at 425° for 18 minutes exactly. The crust underneath should be golden brown and scrumptious!

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Valerie’s Calzone Pizza

1 pizza dough

3 ½ c mozzarella cheese

pepperoni slices

½ lb sliced ham

1 md Vidalia onion

1 lg can mushrooms

Spicy Orange Chicken

Lately I’ve been craving some chicken with an Asian flair to it, and my dear assistant cook Miss Megan has also been asking for something like that too. I thought Orange Chicken would fit the bill. There are many recipes for Orange Chicken out there, but since I didn’t feel like looking any up, I just let it roll around in my head a little while and then went with it. This is what I came up with.

Just so you know, it is VERY spicy with 2 tsp red pepper flakes, so it may be a little too hot for some children. You might want to use just 1 tsp, and then add a little to your own portion so the kids’ tongues don’t burst into flames. Or God forbid one of them burps---someone may have their eyebrows singed! ;-) 

So, let’s get cooking! 

Peel and mince the ginger root. Don’t you just love working with fresh ginger?? It’s so juicy and fragrant! 

Peel and mince the garlic, and slice the red pepper into 1 inch lengths. 

And peel and dice the carrots small. My lovely assistant cook Miss Megan did the “cawwots,” as she says.

Next, cube the boneless skinless chicken breast into chunks about ¾ inch size. 

In a gallon size bag, with the cornstarch in it, coat the chicken chunks. Shake off the excess cornstarch in a sieve and return the cornstarch to the bag for the next handful of chicken chunks. 

In a large skillet, sauté the coated chicken in the oil, using a Tablespoon at a time. You can do it in batches, adding more oil when needed. Cook until all sides of the chicken are sautéed. They’ll finish cooking in the next steps.

Add the orange juice concentrate, water, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Mix well and simmer for about 6-8 minutes, stirring several times. 

Add the dices carrots and simmer about 4 minutes, covered. You can really see how it thickens now. 

Add the red bell peppers and broccoli florets. Cook for about 4-5 minutes more, covered.

Serve over rice if you’d like. It can be eaten by itself, of course, but it does go very nicely with rice. This is an excellent dish to make when you have leftover rice from another meal.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Spicy Orange Chicken

1 ½ lb chicken breast

¾ c cornstarch

¼ c oil

1 red bell pepper

24 oz broccoli florets

2-3 cloves garlic

1 ½ inch ginger root

1 c carrot, diced small

½ can frozen orange juice concentrate

½ c water

¾ c rice vinegar

¾ c brown sugar

2 tsp red pepper flakes

Dilled Seafood Salad

This recipe comes from Recipes.com. It caught my eye because I love seafood salad, and I was curious about using the sour cream in it, as well as the dill. I’ve never been a fan of dill, and now I must admit...I’ve never used it in my cooking! Oh the shame I feel now! ;-) But I did use it and liked it, then went on to create a simple soup recipe using it, which will be forthcoming in the near future.

The changes I made: I didn’t add the hard boiled egg (my kids wouldn’t have touched it if I had), the scallions, or the salt. I actually don’t use much salt in my cooking anyway. I used slightly more imitation crab meat, doubled the celery, and I halved the dill. Not because I’m not a fan, but because I wanted to see how it looked before I added the other teaspoon of it, and it looked plenty dilly. ;-)

So, let’s get cooking!

Chop up the imitation crab meat and the shrimp, and dice the celery. These are all great food prep tasks for the kids; even a four year old can use a butter knife and do the shrimp. :-)

Put it all in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Again, another great way to get the kids involved in cooking with you, and teach them about measuring and mixing.

Stir thoroughly, and serve! I made subs out of it with lettuce, but I also ate some rolled up in a nice green lettuce leaf.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

My lovely assistant Megan :-)

Dilled Seafood Salad

8 oz shrimp

8 oz imitation crab meat

½ c celery (diced)

¼ c mayonnaise

3 Tbl sour cream

1 tsp dill

Savory Rice on Fire!

I love rice. Do you love rice? I just love it, especially Arborio rice! So one night as I was thinking on what to make as a side for the baked chicken I had planned, this recipe popped into my mind and down through my hands. It looks innocent enough, but it’s got a kick. ;-) It is my original, by the way. :-) 

So, let’s get cooking!

First you want to do the veggie prep: dice the onion, julienne the carrots, and mince the fresh ginger and garlic.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the carrots and onion in the toasted sesame oil and vegetable oil, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, cooking a minute more.

Add the rice and about ½ c of the chicken stock, stirring continuously, until liquid is absorbed. 

Add another ½ c stock and do the same, until the rice has absorbed it. 

Repeat until all the chicken stock has been absorbed. It won’t be dry, it’ll be slightly saucy. Toss in the parsley flakes and soy sauce. Viola! (I really do know it’s voilà; I just can’t help thinking of someone's Aunt Viola and laughing!) 

Enjoy! ~TMMF

My lovely assistant cook, Megan. ♥ 

Savory Rice on Fire!

½ Vidalia onion

2 big cloves garlic

1” fresh ginger

2 carrots

1 Tbl toasted sesame oil

1 Tbl vegetable oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1-2 tsp parsley flakes

1 Tbl soy sauce

1 c Arborio rice

3 c chicken stock

Kielbasa Zucchini Sauté with Couscous

This recipe is one that had been rolling around in my head for a while until I felt ready to create it. I had actually been thinking of a recipe to enter in a contest, but then I never entered it. I wanted something easy, with a fresh light taste, and I also wanted it to have something a little different than the usual bed of pasta, and couscous seemed to fit the bill. I hope you enjoy it.

So, let’s get cooking!

Cut the zucchini into strips and then chunks. This is a great job for younger cooks in the house!

Dice the red pepper and onion, and peel and mince the garlic. I have a habit of mincing the garlic with my garlic press when it’s time to add it to the pan. ;-)

Slice up the kielbasa on the diagonal. Or just be a rebel and slice it into straight up circles. You alone will bear the responsibility of the shape of your sausage in this recipe. Just don’t come crying to me if your perfect circles ruin the dish. ;-)

Now, in a large skillet, sauté the peppers and onions in the oil for about 3-4 minutes, until just tender.

Add the minced garlic and zucchini, along with the red pepper flakes, oregano, and the ½ c chicken stock, and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.

Toss in the kielbasa and cook just long enough to heat the meat.

Cook the couscous in the chicken stock. I used tri-color couscous, but it ended up looking like it was just 2 colors. Oh well. ;-)







Serve the kielbasa veggie mixture on top of the couscous. Voilá!

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Kielbasa Zucchini Sauté with Couscous

1 lb kielbasa
2 zucchini
½ lg red pepper
½ lg Vidalia onion
3-4 cloves garlic
2 Tbl oil
½ c chicken stock
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 c couscous
1 c chicken stock

Pizza Part 18: Loaded Steak Pizza

I *love* steak. We rarely have it due to how expensive it is, but I love it and if we get a gift card for a restaurant, usually I’ll order steak. I love mine rare, and loaded with sautéed peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Just thinking of it makes my mouth water!

So anyhoo, one night when I was going to make pizza for supper and throwing ideas around in my head for making up a new pizza, I thought of steak with all the extras on top, and thus my Loaded Steak Pizza was born. It took a few tries to get it to where I was satisfied it was perfect, and I hope you enjoy it.

So, let’s get cooking!

Set the frozen Philly steak on to cook in a large skillet or griddle, depending which brand you use. When done and cooled, you’ll want to make sure it’s pulled apart either by hand or chopping with a knife.

While that’s cooking, prepare your veggies: slice the onions and peppers into 1 inch lengths. Use whatever color you have on hand, but I love using green, red, yellow, and orange. Peel and mince the garlic.

Mix together the A1 Steak Sauce and mayo. Now, here’s a decision you need to make: do you want to add the minced garlic to the sauce, or would you rather struggle with sprinkling the sticky little varmints on top along with the vegetables like I did? It’s your choice. Make the right one. <whispers: put it in the sauce!>

Now, spread the pizza dough in the greased pan. Spread the sauce mixture on top, and then sprinkle the shredded mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses on.

Distribute the lovely assortment of bell peppers on the pizza…..

…..and the sweet Vidalia onions, along with the mushrooms.

Now for the tender shaved steak, and you’re ready to bake! You know my rules for making homemade pizza and calzones: 425° oven for exactly 18 minutes and not a minute more. ;-)

Serve up and savor the flavor.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Loaded Steak Pizza

1 pizza dough
½ green bell pepper
½ red bell pepper
½ yellow bell pepper
½ Vidalia onion
1 huge clove garlic
1 c sliced mushrooms
7 oz Philly steak (frozen)
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 c mozzarella cheese
½ c A1 Steak Sauce
2 Tbl mayonnaise