Goat Cheese Barbecue Pizza

This is a conglomeration of extra foods that I had in my fridge that I needed to use before the Labor Day weekend...and it was a SUCCESS!

Ingredients:
1 Pizza Crust
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
4-6 Basil Leaves, finely chopped
3-4 Tomatoes
1-2 slices Red Onion, quartered
1 Chicken Breast, cooked and cut into chunks
Desired Barbecue sauce
Goat cheese, 1/4" slices


1. Start my preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Take the pizza crust out of the package and place on pizza pan. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the crust and spread it with the back of a spoon until it lightly coats the crust.

2. Next thinly slice the tomatoes and place on the pizza crust until fully covered. Sprinkle the finely chopped basil on the tomatoes and let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients. After slicing the ingredients, add chicken and red onion to the pizza. Then drizzle barbecue sauce till lightly covers pizza.

3. Lastly, add sliced goat cheese onto pizza spaced evenly on the top. Place pizza in oven for 10-12 minutes.

4. Take out of the oven, let sit for a few minutes, cut, serve and enjoy!!

"I'm Pink and Black and Blue for You" : PINK and BLUE

Strawberry Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese Spinach Salad

Yes, I will go ahead and answer your question, it IS as good as it looks. ;)

Strawberry Chicken

Ingredients:

2 (6-8 ounce) containers strawberry yogurt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt...I'm pretty sure regular salt is ok ;)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 large strawberries
1 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh mint leaves
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)

(I reduced the original recipe for two! )

1.  In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, sugar, pepper, cinnamon and salt. Place chicken breast halves in a shallow baking dish, and pour the sauce over them. Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning chicken over half way through.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape the marinade off of the chicken breasts, and place them into the hot oil. Quickly brown the chicken on both sides, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let rest for 3 minutes.

3. While the chicken is cooking, transfer the marinade to a saucepan. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Remove stems from strawberries, and slice thinly so they will fan nicely. Set aside.

4. Slice chicken breasts on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on serving plates, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the marinade over each chicken breast, and fan one sliced strawberry over the top. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh mint and parsley. If you really love balsamic vinegar, finish the dish off with an artful drizzle.

Blue Cheese Spinach Salad

Ingredients:     (based on desired amounts)

Spinach

Pecans

Blue Cheese

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and toss till spinach leaves are covered in dressing. Taste...then enjoy!

This was my first theme dinner! Hopefully there will be more to follow! 

:)

"I'm Pink and Black and Blue for You" : BLACK

Texas Blackberry and Strawberry Empanadas

This is the dessert of the series, "I'm Pink and Black and Blue for You." My inspiration began with strawberries which soon grew into a dedication to the song "Bruises" by Chairlift, which as you may know is all about strawberries...and bruises. Anyways, I thought it was a cute idea. Enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup crisco (yea, even healthy Abby uses crisco)
• 1 cup chicken stock OR water (I used water)
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 cup wild strawberries, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs,
• 2 tablespoons water
• Peanut oil, for frying OR just regular vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and mix well. Add shortening and break it up by hand until it resembles cornmeal. Add chicken stock or water and knead until all is incorporated. Let it rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes in cooler.


Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine blackberries, strawberries, goat cheese and sugar and mix well.


When the dough has chilled, roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin (if you don't have a rolling pin you can also just pat it out with your hands). Cut circles out of the dough with a 4-inch round cutter. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each dough circle. Beat the eggs and water together in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash all around the edges of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling to make the circles into half moons. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork to seal the dough closed. Should make about 4-8 depending on chosen size.

Heat a pan, filled half way up (or even a quarter is fine, that's what I did) with peanut oil or vegetable oil, to 350 degrees F. Fry the empanadas until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes, turning them over occasionally with tongs.

I suggest serving immediately after cooking. If not the next best thing is to keep them refrigerated and microwave them a bit. Just putting it out there but they are not so good cold, but fresh made...AMAZING.