I love me some pizza. Always have. I’m pretty laid back when it comes to pizza toppings; I guess you can say I’m not very particular (with a few extreme exceptions). However, one pizza that never really sparked an interest for me was BBQ chicken. It just seemed like an odd combination. I can be adventurous with toppings but when push comes to shove, I want my mozzarella cheese and marinara style pizza sauce.

But it’s a new year. And I felt like stepping out of my comfort zone. (If BBQ Chicken Pizza is my adventure…then you can only imagine how uncultured my comfort zone is! haha)

So I made it.

And… well…

…well shut my mouth!

I owe an apology to every BBQ Chicken Pizza that I never gave a chance.

So I thought it would only be fair to pay this recipe forward.

Now y’all, don’t skip out on making the crust! It is the best homemade crust that I’ve ever tasted!

I found it here but will take you through the steps pictorially.

Here’s what you’ll need for the crust:

1 packet of active dry yeast

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

3 1/3 cups flour

AND

Ingredients for BBQ Chicken Pizza

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cooked and Cubed

1 cup of BBQ sauce

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup of chopped sweet red onion

chopped cilantro to taste

Let’s get started on the crust!!

Combine the warm water, brown sugar and yeast in a bowl. Let the yeast dissolve for approximately 10 minutes.

Stir in Oil and Salt.

Add 2 1/2 cups of flour.

Mix the flour in.

Next, prepare to turn out the dough on a clean, WELL floured surface.

Knead the dough, adding more flour until it is no longer sticky. I put at least 1 1/2 cups of flour onto the counter and try to knead at least a cup of that into the dough.

Knead it into a big ball.

Next, transfer the dough into a lightly greased bowl.

Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise for approximately an hour.

While the dough is rising, we will start making our topping ingredients.

Cut up two chicken breasts into big cubes and transfer to a skillet that has a tablespoon or two of olive oil in it.

Cook until their is no visible pink and the juices are running clear.

Y’all know how weird I am with chicken… so after I see there is no pink, I chop up the chicken (in the skillet) to make sure it is cooked thoroughly. I wanted smaller bite size pieces for the pizza anyway… so might as well chop it up in the skillet.

Once the chicken is cooked, take off of the heat and set aside.

Next we will chop up our red onions.

Some people like chunkier slices of onion on their pizza, but I prefer mine chopped finely.

Besides, it just gave me another excuse to use the Slap Chop we got for Christmas.

1 cup of chopped red onions in about 30 seconds… courtesy of the Slap Chop.

Chopped up some cilantro (a few tablespoons worth).

Next I grated 2 cups of Monterey Jack Cheese.

And measured out a cup of BBQ sauce.

Now that all of my toppings are ready to go… let’s check on the dough.

Peek-a-boo!

The dough has just about doubled in size… so it is time to give it a good punch.

Punch it down and let it relax for a few minutes before you roll it out.

Transfer the dough back to the floured surface.

And break out the rolling pin.

I have to say… I LOVE my Paula Deen rolling pin. LOVE IT. (Got it at Walmart)

Transfer the dough over to a lightly greased pizza sheet.

Let it rise for another 15 minutes before the toppings.

It would be a good idea to preheat the oven at this point. 425*

Now let’s top!

BBQ sauce.

Cheese.

Chicken, Onions, Cilantro.

Now toss it in the oven! 425* for 15-20 minutes!

Slice it up with a Pizza Slicer.

And you have hot, delicious BBQ pizza!

Easy to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Enjoy!

…and a side of Whole Wheat Linguine in garlic butter sauce.

Chicken Parmesan doesn’t have to be ridiculously unhealthy.  And isn’t that what we are all seeking during the beginning of every year? To incorporate healthy changes into our eating habits? Small omissions can make a big difference over the course of the week. For instance… Chicken Parmesan minus the Parmesan? What!? I know.

Give it a chance…you might not even notice the extra fat and calories are absent. Baby steps.

Here is what you’ll need:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

1/2 cup of Italian Bread Crumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup skim shredded mozzarella

Marinara Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

Let’s make some Parmesan-less Chicken Parmesan!

-Preheat oven to 400*.

First, trim off the excess fat from the chicken. (Who needs that anyway?)

Next, put the chicken inside a big zip lock bag and roll over the chicken breast with a rolling pin until it is in between 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick. I’m a big weirdo when it comes to chicken and I can’t stand the thought of uncooked chicken touching my rolling pin, hence, the big piece of plastic in between.

Beat the egg and then dip the chicken into the egg… fully covering the chicken.

Then dip the egg covered chicken into a bowl of bread crumbs, covering both sides.

Next, prepare a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat.

Transfer the bread crumb covered chicken to the skillet.

Cook the chicken on the skillet for 3 minutes on each side.

While chicken is in the skillet, prepare an oven safe baking dish by lightly greasing with cooking spray.

Next, fill the bottom of the dish with Marinara Sauce. You can use any store bought spaghetti sauce or make your own… this can be as quick or customized as you would like to make it.

When the chicken is done cooking (3 minutes on each side) transfer it into the marinara sauce.

If you choose, use the left over crumbs and create another layer on top of the chicken (as demonstrated on the chicken on the right). Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Scoop extra Marinara sauce on top of the chicken and top with shredded skim mozzarella cheese.

Put back in oven for an additional 5 minutes or until all of the cheese is melted.

Transfer onto a plate and scoop extra warm marinara sauce onto the chicken.

While all of this is going on… you can simultaneously boil whole wheat linguine.

To make the garlic butter sauce, here is what you will need:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp parsley

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

Simply combine olive oil butter and butter in a saucepan.

Sautee the garlic,  stirring often.

After boiling linguine per package instructions drain and return to pan.

Stir in garlic butter sauce. Mix well. Add in parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Easy peasy! And a great side for Chicken Parmesan!

Yummy!! Now tell me if you can even notice the missing Parmesan cheese! That is an instant 40+ calories and 3 grams of fat taken off your plate. It may not sound like much, but it adds up over the course of a week. Like I said before… BABY STEPS.

Buon Appetito!

What can be better than classic monkey bread?  How about adding yummy cinnamon apples. And crunchy pecans. And juicy raisins. Yup, I’d have to say the apple raisin pecan spin to the classic monkey bread definitely kicks it up a notch.

Here is what you will need:

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup chopped apples

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3 (10 oz) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Go ahead and grease up your pan (I like to use butter or butter flavored shortening). You can use a bundt pan or just a plain ol’ 8 inch round cake pan.

Chop up your pecans (or use chopped pecans or pecan bits based on your preference).

Sprinkle pecans on the bottom of your greased pan.

Peel and chop up approximately two apples into bits.

Sprinkle apples and raisins onto the bottom of cake pan as well. Set aside.

Cut up buttermilk biscuits into quarters.

Next, mix cinnamon and sugar well in a bowl.

Toss the quarters of dough (a few at a time) into the cinnamon and sugar mixture and coat evenly.

Pile the cinnamon sugar quarters on top of the apples, raisins and pecans.

Next, mix the melted butter and brown sugar together.

And pour the brown sugar mixture over the dough.

Now you are ready to bake!

*Important!!!* If you are using a bundt pan or an 8 inch pan that has a removable bottom, be sure to place on an edged cookie sheet. HOT cinnamon and sugar liquid will leak through the cracks and will not only make a mess out of the bottom of your oven, but can potentially burn you when removing from the oven.

Bake at 350* for 30-40 minutes.

When done, let stand for 10-15 minutes.

Flip over onto cake plate and enjoy warm.

This is a yummy dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a great alternative to coffee cake for a sweet breakfast.

Monkey bread can be made without the apples and raisins by simply omitting them and proceeding with the recipe as instructed.

Either way, it is a perfect winter treat!

Enjoy!