Tuscan Roma Pizza

This is my favorite pizza at the local pizza joint.  It's easy to make at home.  Fresh tomatoes take it over the top!

Tuscan Roma Pizza

Your favorite Pizza Crust or my grilled pizza dough that has been made ahead and frozen**
One 1/2 recipe of Garlic Cream Sauce
Fresh Spinach leaves
Thinly sliced Roma Tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella or other Italian blend cheese, shredded
Grilled chunks of chicken (optional)

Spread sauce onto pizza crust.

Place spinach leaves down, use as much or little as you like. I tore the stems off mine so they weren't chewy.

Layer sliced tomatoes

Chicken next if you are using it.  True "Tuscan Roma" does not have it but my husband likes a little meat on his pizza. I used fresh mozz here.

Bake according to your pizza crust directions until lightly brown.

** Preheat pizza stone in an oven at 450*.  Assemble pizza and slide onto hot stone.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Slide back onto flat cookie sheet.  Allow to cool a bit before cutting.  Enjoy!

Garlic Cream Sauce

Garlic Cream Sauce                                                                      Printable Recipe

Olive oil
1 T flour* 
1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine (less if yours is strong flavored)
1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach (can omit if using for the pizza topping)
2 cups half and half (or a good whole milk)
1-1/2 cups shredded Parmesan (not the stuff in the shaker)


Drizzle a little olive oil in pan, add garlic and saute for just a moment or two so as not to burn the garlic. Add the flour, cooking for a moment.

Add the half and half, wine, and spinach to the flour mixture. Bring to a boil. Add Parmesan.

And stir until blended.

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Serve with stuffed chicken and pasta,

 primavera, 

and/or pizza. Enjoy!

* (use GF or a bit of cornstarch slurry to make it gluten free)

Gluten Free Oven-Fried Chicken

Gluten Free Oven-Fried Chicken

1 Tablespoon butter
2 cups Bisquick Gluten Free baking mix (You can also use regular for a non-gluten-free chicken)
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs, beaten
8 chicken thighs (or 1 cut up whole chicken)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Melt butter in 9x13 glass baking dish.

Beat eggs in medium dish.

 Mix together Bisquick and spices in separate dish.

 Dip chicken first in eggs,

 then flour,

 then eggs again,

 and the flour one more time.

Yeah yeah yeah, I know.  One hand for wet and one hand for dry.  Never works for me I always mess it up and then I end up with "Hulk" fingers.

 Chicken complete.

 Place skin side down in baking dish.  I had to use more than 1 dish as I was not sure if them touching would make them steam instead of crisp. (ETA...use more than one dish or the breading will steam some and fall off when you turn the chicken.) You could probably use a Pampered Chef Stone baking dish too.

 Bake for 35 minutes, flip and cook for 15 minutes more or until 165 degrees inside.   

Feel free to change up the spices to match your style!

Chicken Primavera

Chicken Primavera

You will need 1 recipe of Garlic Cream Sauce

which includes:

Olive oil

1 T flour
1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach
2 cups half and half
1 to 1-1/2 cups shredded Parmesan (not the stuff in the shaker)


3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 onion
1/2 green pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
6 ounces of your favorite cooked pasta (I used Tinkyada brand Penne for our GF version)
1 cup Italian blend cheese or mozzarella

Cut chicken breast so they are even thickness and take the tips off. Save the extra bits for another dish.

Add to a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Coat evenly and then grill.  Cut into chunks.

Dice or chop your veggies and saute in a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper until they are soft.  You can use other favorite veggies like zucchini and yellow squash, broccoli.  Ideas are unlimited.  If  your kids don't like those then dice them finer.  I am not a fan of zucchini or the squash but I can tolerate them cut small. :)

Mix together your cooked pasta, cooked chicken chunks and veggies and the sauce.

Spread into a baking dish and

cover with cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until cheese is brown and dish is bubbly hot.

** Don't see the green?  No worries its not your eyes, I didn't have any spinach in the freezer to use last night. Another note...I used 8 oz pasta and the pasta soaked up too much sauce and was a little drier than I like. So either use more sauce/milk or use less pasta. I am currently freezing the 2nd recipe I made and will let you know how it turns out!

Chiles Rellenos de Pollo

Chiles Rellenos de Pollo

2-4 medium poblano peppers
1/4 cup water

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts (I am sure you could use ground beef)
(I just wing it with these spices...you'll soon figure out  what and how much you like of each)
cumin
cayenne pepper
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder

Approximately 1 cup of a combo of diced onion and diced red, green, and/or yellow peppers
Pkg steamed brown rice
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1-1/2 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese (or Mexi-blend)




If you want some heat but not too much cut your peppers in half (like mine) taking out the seeds and use 1/2 pepper per person.  Otherwise slit them on one side and take out the seeds.  Put in baking dish and cover with saran wrap.  Microwave for 6-8 minutes or until soft.

Dice veggies and add with chicken to a non-stick pan and cook until veggies are soft and chicken is cooked through.

 Meanwhile steam your brown rice.

  Mix cooked chicken, veggies, about 2 cups of rice, and 1-1/4 cups of cheese.

 Place poblanos in bottom of baking dish, pile on the stuffing as best you can or stuff your pepper.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and filling is hot.

Chicken and Dumplings

 or Creamed Chicken and Biscuits depending on the route you go!

Chicken and Dumplings

Onions

Carrots

Celery

4 bone in, skin on chicken breasts

10 cups water (you only use 6 c broth for this recipe)

salt and pepper

1/4 cup butter

6 Tablespoons flour

optional...1 T cornstarch and little bit of water

For dumplings:

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 -  1 Tablespoon dried parsley

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup butter, melted

OR you can use refrigerated biscuits or make your own

Optional is frozen corn and peas (I used these with our biscuit dish)

If you save your vegetables from the chicken and broth method you won't need to do the following steps.

Dice onions, carrots, and celery.  About 1/2 cup each.

Add a little salt and pepper

and cook until completely soft.  If you add a little water to the pan you won't need to add oil.

Melt butter in large pot.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute.

Add 6 cups (you can save the other in 2 cup measures in the freezer)broth and bring to boil, stirring while it thickens. If you need it to be more thick mix about 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with water and whisk into the broth mixture. You can always do that again after you add the chicken.

Add chicken

and vegetables (whether freshly cooked or saved from your chicken and broth method.)

 

Add the corn and peas and heat. Stop and serve here if you are using biscuits

To make dumplings...Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and parsley in a bowl.

In another bowl combine eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk.

Add to dry ingredients.

Mix to form a stiff batter.

Using cookie scoop add to simmering chicken and broth. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Do not lift lid while it is simmering.

They will puff up as they cook.

Scoop a dumpling into a bowl (or a biscuit) and dump on the creamed chicken.

YUM!!

 

** I have frozen the creamed chicken mixture before.  Thaw and reheat before doing dumplings or serving over biscuits.