Culinarily Obsessed Pizza Kitchen Open For Business

Everybody loves pizza right? Seriously, I don't think I know a single person who doesn't admit they love pizza. Even the picky eaters I know enjoy cheese pizza at the very least. Me? I can't say I enjoy cheese pizza, but I love it pretty much any other way. Top it with every meat you can think of, I'm in. Just pepperoni? I'm not shy to grab the first slice. You're offering up a supreme? Yum-o! I'm a Carolina girl through and through so I know nothing of that whole NY vs Chicago thing, but give me a slice of each and I'll gladly do a taste test. My most favoritest kind though is hands down barbeque chicken pizza. I can't be sure but I think the famed California Pizza Kitchen may be to credit for the delicious creation. That's definitely where I tried and fell in love with the stuff. But since I live not so close to a CPK and the only one remotely local is in the mall, which everyone knows is a dangerous place for a woman, I figured it best to star making my own. I haven't tried my version next to the CPK version of barbeque chicken pizza, but from my mouth-watering memories my version tastes pretty darn close. The best part? Besides that I'm saving money and potentially serious credit card debt, my Barbeque Chicken Pizza is easy peasy. Somehow even with my serious cookbook addiction I didn't know that California Pizza Kitchen had their own cookbook, but turns out they do. You can preview excerpts of the book on Amazon, so if you love pizza go check out what mouthwatering recipes you can make at home from The CPK Cookbook. And it turns out they've got a new cookbook geared toward family cooking due out in August called California Pizza Kitchen Family Cookbook The ingredients Going in the oven! Can we dig in already? BBQ Chicken Pizza 1 pre-made pizza dough (I suggest Pillsbury in with the refrigerated canned biscuits) 1/4 c bottled barbeque sauce (more or less to suit your taste) 1/2 of small thinly sliced onion pre-cooked chicken, cut into bite size chunks 1-1 1/2 c shredded italian blend or pizza cheese Preheat oven according to dough directions. Grease or spray pan with non-stick spray. Flatten dough into pan, pinching up slight edges. Spread barbeque sauce evenly onto dough using just enough for a thin layer, be careful not to go all the way to edge of dough. Spread chicken pieces evenly over sauced dough, top with cheese. Scatter onion over cheese. Bake according to dough package instructions. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Ok, did I just use two Rachael Rayisms in one post? And I'm not even a fan! That should tell you how much I love this pizza.

Whaddya Know Joe

Growing up I loved Sloppy Joes. But what kid doesn't? The sweet, tangy, and sometimes extremely messy sandwiches were a rare treat around our house so when I did get to eat them, they were all the better. Since I'm the sometimes meal planner these days I try to sneak in much loved treats like Sloppy Joes. And, since I'm a big fan of searching out simple and highly rated recipes on Allrecipes I decided to skip the store-bought stuff and seek out a from-scratch recipe there when I got a recent craving. As with most recipes on the site, there were several variations so I chose the one that sounded like it would suit me and the Big Bad Dad aka my Picky Eater best, which was Sloppy Joes II. I made slight changes to the recipe. After I got everything into the pan it just didn't seem to have enough juice for my liking, so I ended up using a total of 1 cup of ketchup and adding a half cup of water. We didn't really notice the flavor of the bell pepper, which was fine it didn't seem to be lacking because of it, but next time I'll either omit the pepper or make sure I just cut it into bigger chunks. These homemade Sloppy Joes were a little sweeter than the store-bought stuff, so if you think you might not be too keen on that I would suggest cutting back on the brown sugar a bit or adding a little extra mustard. I always remember eating potato chips with Sloppy Joes growing up, and for some reason Ruffles stick out in my mind - don't ask because I really couldn't tell you why. Maybe I just prefer Ruffles to regular chips? Or not even Ruffles, Wavy Lays, yes, it's the Wavy Lays I prefer. But that's so beyond my point. I decided to take a healthier route but still wanted to serve some form of potato, so I seasoned and roasted some Russets. MmmMmmm dinner was so good that night! Sloppy Joes 1 pound lean ground beef 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard 1 cup ketchup 3 teaspoons brown sugar 1/2 cup water salt & pepper to taste In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, and water; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Oven Roasted Potatoes 1 lb Russet potatoes, but into 1 inch cubes Olive oil seasoned salt to taste sea salt to taste Preheat oven to 425. Drizzle cubed potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Toast to coat evenly and place on non-stick baking sheet, sprinkle with salts and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tender and golden brown.