Pizza Pizza!

Well we were at that point where there was not much left in the fridge.... at all. I thought about making pizza. We had crust ingredients: check, mozzarella cheese: check, pizza sauce: ummm... no. But we had tomatoes. Then I thought, who needs pizza sauce?!? I whipped up the most delicious, easy pizza dough recipe. Brushed on some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, spread a bit of minced garlic. Topped with sliced tomatoes, some dried basil (fresh would have been awesome if I had it), and mozzarella. Crack some fresh pepper and salt. And bake.

And then... light bulb! What do you do with bread at Italian restaurants? Dip in EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar of course! Why not dip my pizza? So it's like a caprese salad/pizza/italian dipping bread. I know, genius, right? ;) just kiddin'. But really, it was pretty yummy.

Chicken and Dumplings

I love easy go to recipes and this is definitely one in my book. If you have some basics on hand it's easy to throw together when you don't have much energy to prepare something elaborate. Plus I'm kind of a huge fan of biscuits. So... ya...

Ingredients:
Butter or oil
garlic and or onion
carrots
celery
flour
chicken stock
chicken
bisquick & milk

Coat large pot with oil or butter. Sauté the onion and garlic a few minutes. Add chopped carrots and celery. Sauté another few minutes. Add enough flour to start a roux. (about 2T-1/4C) Stir in a let bubble for a bit. Add stock and chicken and boil till chicken is cooked. Meanwhile mix bisquick with milk till moistened. Shred or chop chicken and return to pot. Drop in scoops of bisquick, cover and simmer till biscuits are done. (maybe 5-10. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention. he he) You can top with parsley. You can also add seasonings when sauteing the veggies: parsley, oregano, thyme, basil... whatever you like. Salt and pepper to taste.

I didn't have celery or onion when I made it last night but that's the marvelous thing about cooking. You can improv with what you have. That's how I came up with this recipe in the first place. :) Happy Cooking!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

One of my favorite ways to cook is with the crock pot! There's something about getting dinner started at 9am. Today I am doing chicken tacos with homemade taco sauce. I just googled a recipe (like I do) and this is the one I use:

(similar to the one found here)

Right now, so as not to hurt T's tummy, I omit the onion. And for B and myself I omit the ground red pepper. If you've seen A eat Tapatio you know she could probably handle it. he he.

This is a great way to stretch your chicken as well. I am using only one frozen chicken breast. Pour the sauce over the top. Add 1 green pepper, chopped. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Till done. Then Shred the chicken and return to crock pot. Serve with whole wheat tortillas, shredded lettuce, cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, rice and beans.... whatever you want, really.

Here's a picture of mine right now. Minus the bell pepper because I didn't have one. :(

We returned home from the park/Costco outing and as I am hauling in the goods I am attacked by the most ferocious dinosaur I've ever seen! he he... But dinner smelled great!

I was a little low on toppings but they were still yummy. After i assembled them I realized I should have put the chicken on top. Maybe next time I make it I'll update the finished product picture.

But delicious all the same!