Are you looking for a yummy, tasty, and easy meal? Try this recipe for BBQ balsamic flatbread pizza. You can buy flatbread pizza crust at your grocery store in the bread section, I got mine at Super Target, they had a few different sizes and seasonings. You can also add whatever toppings you'd like to the BBQ Balsamic sauce, I chose to use chicken, pears, Gorgonzola, and walnuts. My friend Nikki recommended this recipe for the BBQ Balsamic sauce, it is delicious, thanks Nikki! BBQ Balsamic Sauce
From Giada De Laurentiis-Food Network Website
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, about 15 to 20 minutes.
You can choose to grill your chicken and use a basting brush to apply the BBQ sauce, or you can simply use the BBQ sauce as the sauce on your flatbread. Either makes a delicious flatbread! Spread the sauce on the pizza and apply whatever toppings you'd prefer. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Pat had Guys' Day yesterday, so I thought I'd better make some new recipes that would appeal to guys and that go well with beer. I made some Spicy Turkey Meatball Subs and Chicken Tortilla Soup, they all seemed satisfied, as I came home to empty platters! These recipes are fairly easy and seemed to be pretty tasty, I can't attest to their taste, as they didn't save any for me, so they must have been good! These recipes were recommended from a blog that I follow, Thyme for Wine. She suggested using turkey instead of pork, which I think was a great idea! Spicy Turkey Po'Boys
Preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the ground turkey with paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Form the turkey into twelve 1/2-inch thick meatballs. Grill the turkey meatballs over moderate heat, turning once, until they are cooked through (about 8 minutes).
Meanwhile, mix the mayo with Dijon mustard, pickles, and shallot; season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayo mix on both sides of the baguettes. Place 3 turkey meatballs on the bottom of each baguette and top with lettuce, tomato, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Close the sandwiches and serve warm.
In a large stock pot, combine chicken, stock, tomato puree, tomatoes, corn, chili beans and water. In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes; then add it to the chicken mixture. Add chili powder, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Top each serving with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled tortilla chips.
Are you looking for the perfect salad to bring to a dinner party? This Pear and Blue Cheese Salad is always a hit and it is very simple to make, but the taste is to die for!Pear and Blue Cheese Salad
Serves 4
Betty Crocker's Entertaining Basics
Cider Vinaigrette (below)
1 medium bunch romaine
2 medium red or green pears
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 oz)
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Cider Vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground pepper
1. Make Cider Vinaigrette.
2. Remove any limp outer leaves from the romaine and discard. Break remaining leaves off the core, and rinse with cool water. Shake off excess water and blot to dry, or roll up the leaves in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to dry. Or use a spinner to dry leaves. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. You will need about 8 cups of Romaine pieces. Place romaine in the bowl.
3. Cut each pear into fourths. Cut the core and seeds from the center of each fourth. Cut each fourth into 1/4 inch slices, add to romaine. Add the cheese and walnuts to romaine.
4. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad ingredients, and toss. To keep salad crisp, serve immediately.
Every year I make a New Year's Resolution to workout and I can promise you it never continues for more than a week into the new year. After enjoying a great Christmas in Wisconsin with my in-laws and watching the movie Julia and Julia, I became inspired to continue to do something I enjoy, bake and cook, and share it with others! So this year, I decided to make myself more accountable for my resolution and do something I actually enjoy and stand a fair shot at actually completing....enter this blog!
For those of you who know me, you know that I LOVE to cook and bake! If I could become a professional baker, I'd quit my job in a heartbeat! While I do vear from recipes from time to time and add my own twist, I owe a lot of credit to family recipes, the food network's website, and my favorite, Rachel Ray! Yesterday was my first day off for Christmas break that I was home for, Pat came home to find three cookie recipes going on at the same time, as well as some carrot bars and mashed potatoes! I can't get enough. There is something about cooking that calms me and gives me self confidence, it is pretty hard to screw up a recipe when you follow it! :) Plus food brings people together and who doesn't love to eat!
My goal is to workout again this year, but I can't promise that will happen, but hey, it is worth a shot! It is the thought that counts, right? I thought that going to the gym was what made me not want to workout, the whole process of getting ready and going out again after I am home from work was too much for me to handle. Pathetic, I know! So we bought a used treadmill off of Craigslist and put it in the basement, I thought that would do the trick, but now it seems I have convinced myself that walking down to the basement is too much work, so we will see how it goes this year! Our dog uses the treadmill more than we do, but hey at least we have gotten our moneys worth!
In the past, I have tried to make myself try at least one new recipe a week, but my goal is now to try two or more new recipes a week. I plan to dust off my cookbooks that have been more like decorative pieces and find some good ones to share with all of you! I also follow a few other blogs that have some amazing recipes that I have already tried, but don't worry, I will give credit where credit is due! My grandmother is an amazing baker, so I'll definitely share a few of my favorites from her. I can't promise you specific days of the week that I will update my blog, or that some of my dinner meals are blog worthy, everyone knows how to make a BLT with soup, but I will promise to update it at least two or more times a week! I need to keep it suspenseful so you will check back often. Sometimes the recipe may even be for a cookie or baked good!
When I told my husband my idea about blogging, he was a little apprehensive, you see I am one of those people who likes to do a million things at once and he was worried I'd have little time for him. However, like I mentioned above, food brings people together and we always have our best conversations over dinner at the dinner table. I have a little side business that also keeps me busy http://web.me.com/institchesdesigns/In_Stitches_Designs/Welcome.html so you can see why he was worried.
