Grilled Naan Bread Pizza

I've been trying out all kinds of things on my new grill this summer.. From grilled pineapple and kabobs to honey dijon chicken with crazy corn! This week I decided to make grilled pizzas. I haven't been very successful lately with making homemade pizza dough so I thought a grilled flat bread pizza would be easier...and it was!  I found the crust or "dough" that I wanted at Target... Stonefire Tandoor Baked Naan.  It's already cooked and ready to go..and comes with two in the package.  Easy enough, right? 

I've been cooking a lot this summer with San Marzano tomatoes. They taste a little bit sweeter to me than other kinds. I can only get them at one specific grocery store where I live. I found San Marzano pizza sauce at the store.. so I picked some up to give it a try.  With the two Naan breads I made two kinds of pizza.. cheese and pepperoni. I thought maybe I'll be more daring with ingredients the next go around for grilling pizzas if they turn out good.  (next on the list is grilled chicken and roasted pepper pizzas!) 

After spreading on the sauce, and sprinkling on mozzarella cheese..I drizzled some Oregon Olive Mill Extra Virgin Olive Oil that  I received in my A Kitchen Box. 

Here is what the package looks like.  I bought it at a regular Target, not a Super, and it was near the bagels and french bread. 

I also added some Italian seasoning on top of the pizzas. It only took about five minutes for the pizzas to heat up and the cheese to melt! 

Delizioso!!  The crust was slightly crispy and made a nice crunch sound when cut and the cheese was melted and not the slightest bit burned! 

 It tasted like the NY pizza place down the street, which my family likes.  I cut the pizza into slim triangles and served it with a mixed garden salad. I used my Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette by Willamette Valley Mustards from Taste Trunk. It's running out and that makes me sad.. I will have to buy more..I so love it...it's zesty yet sweet!  This is such an EASY weeknight meal that took no time at all!  I think I will make my pizzas like this from now on..it's so easy, why not?

I want to try making a chicken grilled pizza and this recipe for balsamic-bleu cheese-steak grilled pizzas from Bobby Flay! 

Summertime Grillin'

I am so excited about my new toy..a grill! A grill? whaat? That's a manly gift.. well no..not if you've stored up hoards of Pinterest recipes labeled in a pinboard called TO GRILL and have yet TO GRILL! When I was a little girl, my favorite toy was my kitchen set. I would play with it for hours lining up the little food cartons in the built in shelves and pretending to make soups and sorts on the plastic pretend stove.  As I stood there yesterday in the 90 degree heat, face burning, swatting pesky flies, I thought to myself ...hey this is like a grown up kitchen set! And honestly the grill I have now is not that much bigger than my kitchen set from long ago.  I'm really enjoying it though and it is a Cha-Broil TRU-Infared Grill which means I'm not burning my hands over an open flame. The food cooks extremely fast and it has a temperature gauge on it.   So here is the first recipe I tried...

Grilled Crazy Corn

I boiled the corn first because I didn't know how this new grill would work out..Then I buttered the cobs and placed them on the rack.  I sprinkled the cobs with McCormick's Cajun Seasoning and a  little bit of salt and pepper.  I kept them on the grill till they started to brown a little.  In a dish, I rolled them in more butter (some people like to use mayonnaise..but my husband hates mayonnaise), and some parsley.  I squeezed a drizzle of lime over top and sprinkled on some crumbled Mexican queso fresco cheese.  This crazy corn was CRAZY GOOD!! So good..we've had it for the past three nights.. my brother in-law now is requesting it!  The first night I made it, we ate it with some nice ribeye steaks and turkey burgers. 

Yesterday I tried another recipe. I saw this recipe where they used a jar of Marzetti's Honey Dijon salad dressing to marinate the chicken and fresh basil.  I did not have either of those and while I was at Target I looked for the dressing which they did not have nor did they have anything like it. I did not want to make three more trips searching for this dressing, which one day I hope to try, so I grabbed a bottle of Ken's Honey Mustard Sauce.  I knew I had a bottle of Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette by Willamette Valley Mustards at home that came in my Taste Trunk which contained BASIL by golly so I figured it would be a close enough match. 

Sweet Honey Dijon Grilled Chicken

 I mixed a cup of the balsamic basil vinaigrette with about four tablespoons of the honey mustard and then added in two tablespoons of Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard. I coated four boneless/skinless chicken breasts with the mixture and let it marinate for a couple of hours.  I grilled the chicken until it was white in the center and it had the most perfect grill marks...The chicken was SO juicy, sweet, and zesty all at the same time! I served it with rice pilaf and some more crazy corn..of course! 

Here it is! My husband snuck into my craft supplies and wrapped the grill in my most favorite chevron burlap ribbon.. wasn't that cute? I like how he tied the bow : )  I hope those recipes gave you some inspiration and motivation to get those TO GRILL pins accomplished this summer! I look forward to bringing you more grillin' recipes in the weeks ahead! 

Mon voisin, ma mère, mon ami....

Mon voisin, ma mère, mon ami  ...loosely translated means "my neighbor, my mother, my friend."

My mother and I always joked and made references to one of our favorite movies "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." In the movie, the parents buy a house for their daughter and new husband that is right next door to theirs. We've laughed and dreamed..and said "wouldn't it be fun if..."  Well, it did one day happen!  Last summer, my husband and I moved right next door to my mother and grandmother.  It seemed to be the perfect little starter home for us and living next door to relatives was a plus! And still is!  My mother and I have a special relationship and are the best of friends. We have that sort of Lucy/Ethel thing going on where she comes over to chat and have tea and I'll go over her house to return a dish and have dessert!  We have a perfect picket fence that divides our backyards where we often meet to trade back tupperware, borrow eggs, or send plates over  to taste test new recipes we've tried.

Just the other evening we went to the market together. She wanted to make beef soup and I wanted to make a French ham and cheese sandwich recipe that I'd been admiring on Pinterest.  We came back home, made our dishes, and traded over the fence.  We found a fresh olive tapenade at the market and I paired it with leftover Gruyère cheese and some feta over French bread.  (The bechamel sauce for the croque monsieur took me a bit longer to make!) ..then she traded me some of her beef soup. I looooove her beef soup. It is made with simple ingredients but so good that I can eat three bowls of it!  French bread goes along nicely with it too!  In her soup she uses stewed tomatoes, broth from short ribs, potatoes, celery, vermicelli noodles (boil seperatly, then add to finished soup), and carrots.

I look forward to our summer together trying out recipes! 

Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur - Bonnie Ruth's Cafe Trottoir et Patisserie

Croque Monsieur - la Madeleine Country French Cafe

Croque Monsieur has become my new favorite this season! It is a warm toasted ham and gruyere (sometimes swiss) cheese sandwich with an overlay of creamy bechamel sauce. It is usually so dense that it must be eating with a fork! As I am writing, I can almost taste it, and I'm tempted to run to the store to try making it at home tonight! I first had Croque Monsieur at Bonnie Ruth's in Texas. Along with the sandwich I had French onion soup which was delicious!  There were so many tasty things on the menu I wanted to try!  Yesterday, I had lunch at La Madeleine and I usually order the Chicken Madeleine but decided to try out the Croque Monsieur. It is usually served at la Madeliene on wheatberry bread but I asked if I could have a croissant instead.  It was delicious as well!  La Madeleine's version did not have as much sauce as Bonnie Ruth's, so I did in fact like Bonnie Ruth's better.

Here is an easy recipe to make a Croque Monsieur with Bechamel sauce ...by Elise Bauer from Simple Recipes.  I just might have to make it tonight! Delish!!

Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes!

Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes:

1. Grab yourself a box of Jello No-Bake Cheesecake mix 

(It's THAT easy!!)

2. Follow the directions on the box for the crust and filling.

3. Press graham cracker mixture into 24 mini cups 

(bought at Walmart in the party section)

4. Pulse one cup of raspberries in food processor and fold into cheesecake filling.

5. I added in a couple of tablespoons of regular cream cheese..and blended it with a hand beater.

6. Pour two tablespoons of filling into each cup.

7. Last step! Garnish with a squirt of Redi Whip, fresh raspberry, and a mini spoon.

(purchased spoons at Hobby Lobby!) 

Next time I am going to try adding lemon zest! Oooh and how about blueberries? 

Mason Jar Summer Trifles!

1.  Cut a Sara Lee pound cake into slices. (Cut the brown edges off.)
2.  Cut a Duncan Hines orange cake into slices. (I made the boxed cake mix.)
3. Mix together a container of Cool Whip and Cool Whip Cream Cheese Frosting.
4. Layer the cakes, whipped cream mixture, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries..and you done!

Garnish tip:  Tie mason jars with raffia (or ribbon) and a wooden spoon OR use cute gingham printed cupcake liners over the lid and twist on the ring over the liner and present your mason jar trifles in a wicker basket!

Pinterest Success! ~ Ritz Cracker Chicken with Cheesy Cream Sauce

1. Crumble one sleeve of Ritz crackers in the packaging.
2. Melt half a stick of butter.
3. Dip chicken in butter then coat in crumbled crackers.
4. Place in a baking dish and drizzle leftover butter on top.
5. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
6. On the stove top mix a can of cream of chicken soup with milk and sour cream.
7. Stir in shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives or green onions.
8. Pour sauce over the chicken when done and serve over rice! YUM!

Easy CHEESY potato soup!

1. Add half a bag of Oreida Potatoes O'Brien hashbrowns (I like to use this kind because it comes with onions and peppers..you can add more onion if you like), two cans of chicken broth, one can of cream of chicken soup, a couple tablespoons of chives, and two stalks of celery (thinly sliced) to your crock pot/slow cooker.

2. I cooked my soup for 4 hours on med, and then one more hour on high.  During the last twenty minutes add half of a 8 ounce package of cream cheese, stir...and add in a few handfuls of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (depending how cheesy you want it.) ..stir.

3. Garnish your easy cheesy soup with shredded cheese, cooked crumbled bacon, and sour cream! 

Cajun Chicken Alfredo!

EASY Cajun Chicken Alfredo:

1. Coat four Tyson thin cut chicken breasts generously with McCormick Cajun Seasoning and "jazz it up" with Zatarain's Blackened Seasoning.

2. Pre-heat a large frying pan, add butter, cook chicken until nice and brown.

3. Slice chicken and (here's the easy part!)toss with Knorr Alfredo noodles.

4. Garnish tip: use scissors to snip green onion or chives!

midnight snack

Christmas is over..time to play with new toys!  i have been wanting a cake pop maker ever since i tried Starbucks' birthday cake cake pops..which had become a weekly occurance! ...i was surprised to find out this little babycakes cake pop maker can make donut holes as well.. i tried the sour cream donuts recipe off their website found here ...and the vanilla glaze recipe found in the recipe book that came with the maker....the instructions said to fill the wells with two tablespoons of batter.. the first batch overflowed..i filled it a little less on the second and third batches and those turned out better..trial and error... i glazed them and sprinkled with powdered sugar.. they reminded me more of a pancake or funnel cake than a donut.. but very very tasty! and addicting! the babycakes cake pop maker comes with a fork tool and a syringe for fillings.. here is the recipe for the vanilla glaze:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 tbsp hot water

Directions:
Combine melted butter and confectioner's sugar, stirring until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Blend in 2 tbsp hot water and stir until smooth. Add a little of the remaining hot water, if needed, to make a thin glaze consistency.