Pizza Part D: Chicken and Caramelized Onions

It’s that time again. For what? You ask. It’s that time for PIZZA!!!  I seriously could eat pizza three times a week and never get tired of it. So many lovely combinations of sauces, cheeses, toppings….

Today let’s look at one with Chicken and Caramelized Onions. The first time I ever had caramelized onions on a pizza was at one of those brick oven pizzerias, and I couldn’t imagine having something sweet on pizza, especially with tomato sauce. But then, it was love at first bite.

 Before I start drooling and short out my keyboard, let’s get cooking!

First, start the chicken breast cooking in a skillet with a little oil. When done and cooled enough to handle, cut into small chunks.




Meanwhile, you’ve got other things to do! Caramelized onions are made by cooking slowly for 30 minutes to an hour. Go ahead and do it that way if you have the time, but I make them another way that is a lot quicker.

Slice the onions in half, place the cut side down, and cut into ¼” slices. Heat a skillet on high, add the 2-3 Tbl. butter and the sliced onions. Cook for 7-8 minutes on high to brown them, stirring very frequently.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the brown sugar...

                       
             ....and cook until tender, about 5-10 more minutes.

Press the dough into the greased sheet pan or pizza pan. Spread the sauce on.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on, and then crumble the feta cheese evenly on top. I love how the tangy taste of the feta goes so well with the sweet taste of the onions on this pizza.

Distribute the caramelized onions evenly on top now. I just use my hands to do this, because that way I can use my fingers to separate the onions easier. Using a spoon or fork doesn't work as well.

Next layer the chunked chicken.



Bake for 18-20 minutes at 425°, until browned nicely on the bottom. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Chicken and Caramelized Onion Pizza

1 pizza dough
1 chicken breast
1 lrg. or 2 md. Vidalia onions
2-3 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl. brown sugar
1 c. tomato based sauce of your choice
2 c. mozzarella cheese
4 oz. feta cheese

You're Entering the CALZONE...

Okay, almost nothing can cause me to start drooling at the mere mention of it like calzones. I love them! And when the family hears that I’m making them, they get excited and say things like, “I LOVE YOU!” ;)

The first time I ever even heard of a calzone was way back in 1983. I had ordered one from a restaurant in a neighboring town, and while looking at it and eating it, I thought, I can make this! And I did. For the most part, it was just a matter of figuring out how much of each ingredient to use. The ingredients in this particular recipe are my absolute favorite for calzones.

I’ll tell you right now, there will be a lot of pictures. But that’s because you’ll have a clearer idea of the instructions if you can see for yourself what it should look like. So, let’s get cooking!

Chop your onions, and if you want to, the mushrooms.

Lightly grease your working surface (I use my table for this). Grease your hands slightly, and press out the dough into a rectangle, about 16” by 12”.

Sprinkle 1 ½ c. of the mozzarella on the lower half of the dough. :::Psst! Wanna know a secret? Sometimes I use 2 c. of cheese on the bottom and on top too!:::

Layer on the ham, two slices thick on each end and one slice folded in half in between them.

Next comes the pepperoni. I don’t exactly put double pieces on, but I layer them so there’s plenty to give the calzone that characteristic zip.

Evenly spread out the mushrooms and onions. I don't know why I always put the mushrooms first, but I do. ;)

Lastly, sprinkle on the other 1 ½ c. of mozzarella cheese.

Carefully loosen the top half of the dough and flip it over the top of the calzone to cover. Seal the edges by pressing down and pinching. You’ll need another person to help you carefully lift the calzone and place it diagonally on a greased sheet pan.

Bake at 425° for 18-20 minutes. It should be lightly browned on top and will make a “thump” when you tap the top. Slice and serve. I use a rotary pizza cutter.



Calzones

pizza dough
     (store bought or homemade pizza dough)
3 c. mozzarella cheese
5 slices ham
45 or so slices pepperoni
2 small cans mushrooms
1 medium Vidalia onion

Chocolate Pie with Oat Flour Crust

Today I made a chocolate cream pie with an oat flour crust. I have been in love with oats for years. I consider them one of my four food groups. ;) This crust is quick and very easy to make, and it tastes like an oatmeal cookie.

Melt the butter and set aside.

Mix together the oat flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Add the melted butter and mix well with a wooden spoon. It may look like it’s too moist or sticky, but if you press into it with your finger, you’ll see that it’s not.

Press the mixture into an un-greased 9” pie pan, making sure it comes up the sides. Bake in a 350° oven for 10 minutes, and not a minute more! Let cool.

When the crust is cooled sufficiently, mix up the filling. I’ve made pie fillings from scratch, but for this I did use a packaged pudding mix. I used 2 boxes of instant pudding and 2 ½ c. milk. Whisk until the pudding is fairly thick, and then pour into the oat flour crust. Let set in the refrigerator until firm.

While the pie is chillin’ out, make the whipped cream. Beat the cream until firm enough to keep it’s shape when you lift the beaters out. I actually prefer my whipped cream au natural, but if you like, add the vanilla and confectioner’s sugar, and beat another 30 seconds or so to blend it in.

When the chocolate pie is firm enough, slice and serve with a generous pile of the whipped cream. Watch the smiles come out! ~TMMF





Oat Flour Crust                                                         Whipped Cream

1/3 c. butter                                                             1 pint heavy cream
1 1/3 c. oat flour                                                       1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. brown sugar                                                      1/4 c. confectioner's sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon

Winter Veggie Soup

So, most people I know are living in parts of the world where Winter still has them clutched in his icy fingers. That makes me want to cook up something hot and comforting for the family. Recently I came up with this recipe for a soup made with hearty winter vegetables, using a smoky ham stock as the base. The result was quite tasty and I named it Winter Veggie Soup.

Now, the first time I made this, I had taken the gooey drippings from the pan of a baked ham I had made, and froze them just for the purpose of flavoring a soup. I used that lovely little mess of intense flavor and the soup was a hit. The next time I made it, I didn’t have my special baked ham drippings waiting in the freezer for me, so I had to go another route if this soup was going to pass the taste test of my family.

Enter…the ham hock. Only God knows what a ham hock truly is, but all I know is that ham hocks are a suitable stand-in for a ham bone, for flavoring, and therefore I will use them. Now, lest you think I have delusions about ham hocks being the sole flavor and meat source for a soup, rest assured I do not. Trust me, you’re not going to get more than about two tablespoons of meat off of 3 of them combined. So, if meat is important to you, chop up a couple cups of cooked ham and throw that in.

So, now that we know where we stand on the ham hock issue, let’s get cooking! Take said ham hocks and place them in 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer for an hour. When done, you’ll take out the ham hocks and place on a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, set to chopping the vegetables. Dice the sweet onions and slice the celery stalks. Dice the turnip, and peel and slice the carrots into rounds.

Add the onions, celery, and turnip to the ham stock and bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer gently. After about 30 minutes, add the carrot rounds.

Cube the potatoes, rinse them off, and boil until just tender. When the turnip and carrots are tender, add the cubed potatoes, and the ham if you desire it.





Now, if you have no succulent and flavorful drippings from a ham dinner to add to your stock, you’ll need a little help. The ham hocks have given your soup a little flavoring, but not enough. This is where bullion comes in. I use moist Berkley & Jensen (BJ’s Wholesale Club) bullions, or, if I need it, a product called Better Than Bullion; a moist flavorful bullion "spread" in a jar.

For a meat that is neither chicken nor beef, we must tread carefully. Through my years of cooking and experimenting, I’ve come up with a satisfactory combination for pork or ham that imparts essential flavor to the dish, and anyone who eats at your table will believe that you merely work miracles. ;)

Add 2 cubes of a BJ’s chicken bullion, or the equivalent of another brand, and 1 cube of  a BJ’s beef bullion, or the equivalent of another brand. Each BJ’s bullion is worth 2 standard grocery store bullion cubes. Stir well until dissolved. Simmer for a few minutes, and taste, adding 1 tsp. black pepper. Serve with some soft homemade dinner rolls or, for a quick accompaniment, some French bread from a local store. Ham Fat Rolls go wonderfully with this wintry soup. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Winter Veggie Soup
     (serves 8)

1 package ham hocks, OR 1/2-1 c. pan
   drippings from a baked ham
8 c. water
1 medium Vidalia onion
2 stalks celery
4-5 large carrots
1 medium turnip
2 medium potatoes
2 cubes BJ's chicken bullion, or the equivalent of another brand
1 cube BJ's beef bullion or the equivalent of another
brand

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip is one of our family’s favorite special treats for a holiday or get-together. It’s great for potlucks, and you can be sure there won’t be any to take home! One of my sisters first brought it to a family Christmas party, and it’s become a Christmas Eve tradition for us now.

Since we have no buffaloes around here, we'll just use chicken. ;) Let's get cooking!

First, boil the chicken breasts. When they are cool enough for you to handle, place them in a 9X13” baking dish and shred apart with a fork. Coat evenly with the red hot sauce.

While the chicken was cooling, you should have been making the sauce for on top. But I didn’t tell you that, so now I will! ;) In a medium saucepan, melt the cream cheese and ranch dressing together until smooth and well mixed.

Poor the cream cheese/ranch dressing mixture over the shredded chicken in the baking dish and smooth out till even.

Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top, and then the minced celery.

Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes, until slightly browned at the edges and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips. You’ll want a spoon, too! It is SO good! ~TMMF




Buffalo Chicken Dip

4 chicken breast halves
1 12 oz. bottle Frank’s hot sauce
     (you’ll need about 1 c. or to taste)
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese
1 16 oz. bottle ranch dressing
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese
¼ c. minced celery

Ham Fat Rolls

Ham fat rolls? Whoever heard of them? Well, I happened to grow up eating them, and are they ever GOOD!! This is a recipe my mom made that we kids loved, and of course I had to carry on with my own children.

Whenever you have a baked or boiled ham, you need to remember three things: save the bone with any meat on it, save the drippings and gummy goodness on the bottom of the baking pan, and save the fat! Set the bone aside in a freezer bag, and save the fat in a freezer bag separately. Use a spatula to scrape the flavorful  pan drippings into a freezer bag also. This can be used to flavor soups and you will love how they turn out. Nothing is ever wasted!

So, first you want to make your dinner roll dough. You’ll add the sugar to the warm water, and then the yeast. After about 5-10 minutes, add the melted butter, flour, salt, and dry milk. Stir well with wooden spoon. Knead on floured surface for about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, flipping so top is greased, and cover with a kitchen towel.

While it is rising in a warm place (oven, back of stove, etc.), mince the onion, ham, and ham fat. I usually use any ham that happens to be with the fat I’ve saved and frozen, or I may use some turkey ham, which I usually keep on hand. I buy a 5 lb. turkey ham once a month for various recipes and meals.

Sauté the minced onion, ham, and ham fat in a skillet.

When browned and tender, remove from heat and cool a few minutes.

The dinner roll dough will be doubled in 45-60 minutes. Punch down and then knead for about 10 minutes. Using a knife, divide dough into 12 equal pieces. To do this, cut the dough in half. Cut each half in half again. Then cut each of those four doughs into three equal pieces.

Take the finished and cooled ham fat, ham, and onions, and separate into 12 equal piles. They will probably be about a teaspoon each. Take a piece of dough, flatten slightly, and place a pile of ham fat/onion into the middle of it.

Fold the outer edges of the dough over the pile of ham fat/onion, enclosing it all.

Place the filled rolls into a greased 7 X 9” pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a slightly warm place again, about 30-40 minutes.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes in a 350° oven, till browned on top.

Serve while still warm, with butter if you’d like. Enjoy! ~TMMF




Ham Fat Rolls                  

dinner roll recipe
1/4 c. minced ham fat
1/4 c. minced ham
1/4 c. minced Vidalia onions

Dinner Rolls

1 c. warm (80°) water
3 Tbl. Sugar
2 tsp. yeast
3 Tbl. Melted butter
3 c. flour
2-3 Tbl. Dry milk
2 tsp. salt

Pea Soup!

Pea soup is one of my favorite soups, and it’s what’s actually simmering in the kitchen right now, so that’s what’s cooking here at The Magic Meal Fairy!

Boil the dry split peas in the water for two minutes, then add the ham bone or ham hocks, and simmer on a lower heat for an hour to an hour and a half. I used ham hocks for this tonight because that’s what I had on hand. When you make a ham dinner, never throw away the bone; freeze it for later use in soups.

Meanwhile, you can get the chopping done. Slice the celery in half lengthwise and then into ¼ to ½ inch slices.

Chop the onions as you would for most anything else.

And peel and slice the carrots into ½ inch rounds.

When the ham bone or ham hocks are done, remove from the pan and let cool on a plate.

Add the celery, onions, and carrots to the split peas and simmer until tender.






When the ham bone or ham hocks are cooled enough, pick off the meat, if any. Seriously, ham hocks don’t exactly have much meat to speak of, haha. But they do give the soup the wonderful smoky hammy flavor, so I use them if I don’t have a ham bone.

At any rate, I’ve always had to add some meat to whatever I used for this soup, so I just cut up some turkey ham into chunks and added that.

Your pea soup is done when the vegetables are tender and the added ham meat is heated through. Serve with some nice dinner rolls. My favorite bread to serve with pea sou p is ham fat rolls. They are easy to make and compliment this soup wonderfully! I’ll share that recipe next time.

Just a note about pea soup: it is actually better tasting the day after. And since it’s so easy to make, it’s a great little soup to make for the next day while you’re making something else for supper. Hope you enjoy! ~TMMF

Pea Soup
     (serves 6-8)

1 bag dry split peas
8 c. water
ham bone or ham hocks
2 c. ham
1 medium onion
2 large stalks celery
5-6 carrots