BBQ Chicken Pizza

Since I have already confessed to you that not every meal I make is as gourmet as Red Wine Risotto with Basil or as exotic as Vietnamese Baguettes, I will share with you some of our good ol' stand-bys.
The first in line: BBQ Chicken Pizza. It goes under the category of so-simple-a-mom-with-a-crazy-schedule-could-do-it. But it is also so good that we sometimes serve it when guests come over.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
serves four adults
- 1 1/2 lb whole wheat pizza dough
- 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
- about 4 cups shredded cheese (we like mozzarella and cheddar blend)
- 1 pre-cooked shredded chicken breast
- 3 slices turkey bacon, cooked 'til crispy, then crumbled
- 1 chopped bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- cilantro and/or green onions for serving
Roll out dough to desired thickness, spread with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, although check after 15 minutes (I don't trust our oven). Top with cilantro, green onion, or both. Enjoy.

I would like to state for the record that my husband had no part in creating the pizza pictured here. I am saying this because he is a pizza perfectionist (he held a job a Papa Murphys take-and-bake all through high school) and, as you can clearly see, the pizza in these pictures is far from perfect (awkward crust shape, uneven topping distribution... it's just pitiful). Luckily for all parties involved, the taste is unaffected by the appearance.

For the little ones at your dinner table, you can use part of the dough to create their own personal pizza and top it with chicken, cheese, and as many veggies as you can hide under the cheese. I chopped some bell pepper really finely and pressed it into the dough of James' pizza.

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As a mother I have learned...

1. A mothers' work is truly never done.
2. Everyone on the road (except me, of course) drives like a maniac.
3. The Raffi Pandora station is actually not that bad.
4. Moms don't eat their food hot. Rarely, they eat it warm. Usually, they eat it cold.
5. To choose a diaper bag that goes with anything (sweat pants, evening gown, etc.) because you will go no where without it.
6. Out of sight and quiet is not a good combination:

7. ...but sometimes you just have to laugh and grab a camera.
8. Exercising is overrated.
9. Coffee is underrated. (I was kinda already on to that one.)
10. White is not a good clothing color choice for mother or child.
11. Parenthood is the most difficult and the most rewarding job you have ever had, will ever have, or could ever have. Hands down. If you don't agree, then you have never raised another human being.
12. Why sleep deprivation torture works.
13. Everyone- and I mean everyone- will give you advise on raising your child (whether or not they have done it themselves). Here is my advise:
14. Don't listen to everyone else's advise. You are the parent, raise your child how you know best.
15. The car floor will always be lined with Cheerios.
16. It takes 2 hours to really clean the house, and 10 minutes to really trash it.
17. I will never regret all the times I let dirty dishes sit in the sink, clean clothes sit in laundry baskets, and dirt sit on the floor while I held my baby.
18. Belly buttons are the most amusing body part.

19. Nap time is never long enough.
20. There is no greater sound than your child's laughter.
21. You can pick up an amazing amount of objects with just your toes.
22. Your life will be easier if you live near a library and within walking distance to a park.
23. Cloth diapers are not that difficult, but if you use them people mistake you for a super-mom.
24. I am closer to understanding the amazing gift of God's sacrificial and unconditional love for His children.

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Earning his keep

James has begun to help with chores.

Okay, by "help" I don't really mean that he assists me at all, or makes housework any easier, but he tries to help, and it is seriously adorable.

His favorite chore to participate in is laundry. I think it is because he can fit most of his body in the machines, and then when he "talks" it echos. Every time I do laundry, he insists on "helping" me. His definition of "help" is as follows:
- Take dirty clothes that have not been washed out of the washing machine, and put them on the floor.
- Take wet clothes that need to be placed in the dryer out of the washing machine, and put them on the floor.
- Take clean, dry clothes out of the dryer, and put them on the floor.

Although none of these tasks make my life any less complicated, I encourage him to do it because he enjoys it and he feels like he is helping. After all, that is what raising a child is all about, right? Children do not make our lives any less complicated, but we hope that they will grow up to be joyful people who want to help the world.

But truthfully, I just hope that one day he will actually help with laundry.

Every once in a while I am able to strategically sneak blankie away from James' grasp and stuff it into the washing machine with the rest of the clothes (it pretty much always needs a wash since it goes everywhere with us). I always let James empty the dryer when blankie is in there. When he finds blankie, it is clean and warm. This results in a dramatic reunion as James giggles and buries his face in blankie, as if it had been years (and not mere hours) since he had seen it.

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White chocolate cranberry coconut oatmeal cookies

Sometimes you have to have something really sweet, so you buy white chocolate chips.

But then you decide you also need some tart in there, so you add cranberries.

However, you also need chewy and flaky, so you throw in some oats and coconut flakes.

And then you start to feel guilty about the complete lack of nutrients coming from your baking endeavors, so you choose a Cooking Light recipe to adapt, to make yourself feel better.

But in the end, you double the recipe because they are that good.

White chocolate cranberry coconut oatmeal cookies
adapted from this recipe by Cooking Light
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup oats
1 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup dried cranberries
In a large bowl, beat together butter and the sugars, add vanilla and the egg and egg white and beat until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, oats, coconut, salt and baking powder.
Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing well. Mix in chocolate chips and cranberries.
Bake on a non-greased cookie sheet for about 10 minutes and let cool on baking sheet 2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy.

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Updates, play dates, and the shift

Well folks, I think it's time for a transition. I am relieved that the name of this blog is versatile (despite being really difficult to remember) because I have reached the point where I need to shift the blog from being one of a billion food blogs to being one of a billion mom blogs. 

You see, James is one-years-old now, and so he is eating "real people food." Thus I have been making and consuming many more PBJs and quesadillas than oh say, chicken, blue cheese, and rosemary ravioli with balsamic vinegar and pinenuts. There is a time for everything, but right now is just not the time for gourmet food. 

However, I know I need to "give the people what they want" as the saying goes, so here are pictures of James, and a few of the things have been doing lately:

Play date with friend Jude who is one week younger than James (but just as huge) and (sniff sniff) is moving to Houston soon:

Reading "Goodnight Oregon" together, the book we got Jude for his birthday before even knowing they were leaving Oregon:

Then we had a little farmers market fun:

We went to visit cousins Elijah and Nathan at their house where we played in the pool (James refused to go in any further than ankle-deep) and had a picnic lunch:

Then we went to the park near Grandpa James' house:

We also met Auntie Kelly at a park:

... oh, and did I mention he's walking? (Kind of.)

Needless to say, it has been a busy past couple of weeks. 

p.s. Looking over these pictures, I can see a theme developing in my clothing choices for James. Let me just state for the record: he does have other clothes, but overalls are nice and loose around the er,um... thick belly. Also, I am a fanatic about protecting his delicate pale skin from the harmful sun, so I force him to wear that hat a lot. He really doesn't like it.

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(edible) Summer host/hostess gift #2

I know its been a while since my first installment in the "series" of edible summer hostess gifts, but here (finally) is the second.

Just imagine: it's a hot summer day; everyone is full from burgers and potato salad, but craving a little something light, refreshing, and sweet. The host/hostess then announces: "Thankfully (insert your name here) brought Creamy Coconut Popsicles." You are now the hit of the party (at least, the popsicles are).

Yeah, you're welcome.

Also, there is no reason you need to tell everyone that the whole gift cost less than five bucks.

Creamy Coconut popsicles
makes 8 popsicles that are about 2 oz each
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) coconut milk (I used reduce fat)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (plus more for the popsicle molds)
Stir coconut milk well, measure out. Whisk sugar into the coconut milk. Add sweetened shredded coconut and mix well. Place a pinch of shredded coconut into the bottom of each popsicle mold. Whisk milk/sugar/coconut mixture again and then pour evenly into each mold. Freeze for a couple hours before bringing to the party. Remind the hostess that they will need to run the mold under warm water to get the popsicles out.
Enjoy.

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Greek stuffed bell pepper

Today was the day that James had to get his one-year-old vaccines and blood work.

There were a lot of tears when the needles went in (seven pokes in all). James was pretty upset as well.

By the time we got home we were ready for dinner and needed something comforting, fast, and filling. For James, that translated into nectarines, cheesy eggs, and cookies. For us "grown-ups", Greek stuffed bell peppers.

Greek stuffed bell pepper
serves 4 (perhaps add a side salad)
4 bell pepper
2 cups artisan bread (doesn't have to be fresh), cut into small cubes
olive oil (I really didn't measure, but here's my advice: you can never have too much olive oil)
3/4 cup chopped canned artichoke hearts
1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Soak bread in olive oil. The more stale it is, the longer it needs to sit in the oil to soak it up.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tops off peppers and remove insides (I keep the tops for presentation). Place the peppers, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Mix together the artichoke hearts, olives, onion, and feta. Stuff each pepper with the feta mixture. Bake 10 more minutes.
Enjoy.

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Goat cheese pasta with lemon-garlic sugar snap peas

Well, the wedding is over. And I- being one of the honored yet exhausted members of the wedding party- have deemed the next six days a "recovery week." I truly believe that everyone in the wedding- groomsmen, bridesmaids, parents of the bride, etc- should all take a honeymoon. We all deserve at least a week of vacation after the wedding and events leading up to it.

It was a gorgeous affair. The weather held up (miraculously).

The couple was jubilant.

All attending were excited to be sharing in their joy.

Everything went perfectly.

But, I am spent.
This week is going to be all about resting. My kind of relaxing means sticking close to home and cooking.

I finally get to catch up with all the recipes I have been jotting down ideas for but never carrying out. This recipe is one of them.

I made the snap peas this way and then threw them in with pasta and some beans a couple weeks ago. The dish was unimpressive as a whole, but the snap peas were crunchy and flavorful. I decided they needed to be paired with something that would complement them, but not overpower. Aha: goat cheese! The result is delicious indeed, and very easy to throw together. Also, if you are like my husband and you don't understand how a meal is complete without meat, simply add a few pieces of grilled chicken.

Goat cheese pasta with lemon-garlic sugar snap peas
feeds two hungry people
1 1/2 tbsp butter
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb trimmed sugar snap peas
juice of 1 large lemon (plus lemon wedges for serving)
2 cups whole wheat pasta (I used rotini)
salt and pepper
about 3 oz goat cheese
Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large sauce pan. Add garlic. When garlic begins to brown, add snap peas. When they are beginning to brown, add lemon juice. Toss snap peas in lemon juice until coated and the juice is starting to evaporate, about 1 minute. Then reduce heat to low and cover.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in case you need to add it to the pasta later) and add to snap peas. Add goat cheese and toss to coat as cheese melts. Squeeze in another 1/2 lemon juice and/or add cooking liquid to pasta until you achieve desired consistency. Season with a little salt and a lot of pepper.
Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy.

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Simple Summer Salad

When I first decided to start a food blog I couldn't wait for the summer months so that I could show case summer produce in all its glory through fabulous recipes and photos (what can I say? I was young and foolish. Ah, to be 24 again!).

However, I haven't really been doing that. There was one burger, and quite a bit of sugar, but not too many fresh veggies. I will blame it on how crazy busy this summer has been already, making the ratio of Costco trips to Farmer's Market trips about twenty to one. That's not good odds. (I really should do CSA, then I would have a huge box of seasonal, local produce waiting for me to pick up every week.)

As a result of our hectic schedule, we have been eating a lot of easy and simple meals: teriyaki chicken with rice and steamed veggies, beans and rice thrown together with cilantro, red onion, and roasted corn- that sort of thing.
Oh, and a lot of grilled chicken salads.

Grilled chicken salads are our staple go-to meal during the hot summer months when no indoor heating appliance should be turned on. They are great because you can throw any veggies or cheese (or fruit) into them, and they taste deliciously fresh and healthy. We often grill up a couple extra chicken breasts that can be used later in the week, making the next meal easier also, because even a crazy busy summer should include leisurely suppers. 

Our last simple summer salad combo that I loved:

serves 2

2 large handfuls of spinach leaves

2 small to medium grilled chicken breasts, cut into slices and pre-seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon if desired

1 large or 3 mini bell peppers, sliced

1/2 cup sliced red onion

3 or 4 radishes, sliced

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

a few slices of left over crostini bread, crumbled into bite-size pieces

dressing:

juice of 1 lemon

juice of 1 grapefruit* 

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp honey

3 tbsp olive oil

Split veggies, chicken, cheese, and crostini croutons evenly onto two plates. 

Whisk juices, vinegar, honey, and oil well until honey dissolves into the liquid. Pour about 2 tbsp of the vinaigrette over each salad. Enjoy.

*I know, they are totally out of season, which is why I had to use it up, it had been sitting around for way too long. You could substitute a couple more lemons or maybe some limes instead. However, the grapefruit-honey-tart-sweet thing totally worked.

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