Chicken Popper Wrap

I stumbled upon PLAIN CHICKEN when the Everyday girls and I were looking at ideas for our blog. I was immediately addicted for a couple reasons.  First, the writer's recipes are simple and look delish; and second, she's an Auburn fan--War Eagle!  I do love a local girl!

I started browsing her recipes and thought, "Hey. These are the kind of recipes that any busy girl/family would love to have." I will be trying more than just this one recipe.

The Chicken Popper Wrap is so easy to do--even if you don't have a panini press (I don't).  Another plus is there are very few ingredients.  My taste buds approved of this recipe, and i'm sure yours will, too. You can find the link to the recipe HERE and her original blog.  I tried it in a skillet and pressed it down with a spatula to "cook" the tortilla a bit, since I don't have a panini press--but if you're looking for a gift to give me I'll gladly accept :) kidding, kidding.

Even if this is not the recipe for you, browse this site.  She has some good ideas and great looking recipes.  Happy eating!
Andie

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I love pizza. I mean, I love it. I can easily put away my fair share of any pizza, any time. Unfortunately, ordering pizza can get a little pricey, especially if you are trying to feed my family.  I also love hot wings, and the spicier, the better. Unfortunately I haven’t mastered the art of making the perfect hot wing. I have, however, mastered the art of making the perfect hot wing dip (but that’s another post). As I was pondering what to make for dinner on a sleepy Saturday afternoon, I thought, why not combine the two? Buffalo Chicken Pizza, coming right up!

This is a recipe for a quick and easy meal that is perfect for any night of the week where you don’t want to spend a lot of time on dinner, and you probably have most of these ingredients on hand. All you need is:

1 Pillsbury Pizza Crust (Or whatever type of crust you prefer)

2 10oz cans Chicken Breast

Franks Hot Wing Sauce

Sour Cream

Ranch Dressing Packet

Mozzarella Cheese

Start off by mixing your sour cream and ranch packet. Set aside.



Feel free to snack on this while your cooking. There's plenty!



 Next, roll out your dough. Press it all the way to the edged of your cookie sheet.  Dock it with a fork so it won’t puff up in the oven. Place in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. Pre cooking the crust a little helps to ensure the crust cooks through. If you are like me and like to pile on the toppings, this is a must. Otherwise, your crust will still be doughy in the middle.

While the crust is cooking, open the chicken and drain off the liquid.

Mix the chicken with the wing sauce. You can add as much or as little as you want, depending on your taste. Set aside.

 After 8 minutes, remove your crust from the oven. It will still appear to be a little raw, but we will finish cooking it through shortly.



You will already be able to see where the crust is starting to brown on the bottom.



Spread the ranch mixture on the crust just as you would pizza sauce.



Note the awkwardness: It's hard to spread with my left hand and take a picture at the same time.



Top with chicken mixture.

Top the chicken with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese and crust is browned. I ended up turning on my broiler for a few minutes at the end to allow my cheese to brown nicely. I added a little more sauce to the top of the pizza as garnish. Depending on your taste, add more or leave it off.

Serve with a side of the ranch dip or ranch dressing.



Add some celery sticks to the side for extra crunch.



This pizza was really yummy. It was a great way to satisfy my craving for pizza and wings. This is definitely a winner!

Anna

C'est la Vie!!

The girls and I had a few guests for dinner...we do love a party!  Upon the request of one of our guests, we decided to have a French meal. Oui oui! {envision French man with beret, mustache and big gestures.} 

Anna signed up to make Coq au vin (pronounced coke-o-van), a traditional French dish of braised chicken in a red wine sauce.  The preparation of coq au vin is very similar to that of beef bourguignon, which Kirby showed us how to make back in February.  You can find the link by clicking here.
Kirby found a recipe for Parisian potatoes (pommes parisienne) to bring to the party.  These potatoes are different from the many varieties of which we've become accustomed (baked, mashed, french fried, scalloped, potato salad, etc. ...do i sound like Bubba on Forrest Gump?).  These potatoes are in little balls, thanks to the use of a melon baller.

I opted for chocolate mousse for dessert and used the mousse portion of Anna's Six Layer Dreamy Chocolate Mousse Cake.  Click the link to see the recipe. I kid you not it took me less than five minutes to whip up this rich dessert.  I did it the night before, so all I had to do the day of the party was serve it up in cute martini glasses and top with some whipped cream I had left over!

Ok...so this was an overview of our planned meal.  Now I'll let the others give their recipes and explain what happens when the power goes out a couple hours before the party and doesn't come back on until 3 minutes before our guests arrive.  The meal was great...but maybe not very French.  Let's call it dinner with a hint of French cooking :)
--Andie

Anna's Coq Au Vin:
I was so pumped about this dish. I had all my ingredients prepped and the chicken had been marinating in red wine over-night. We had a classic Southern summer rain storm come through about lunch time. I returned home to no power. No prob! Alabama Power says power should be restored by 3:30, which is perfect since my dish has to cook for 2 hours. While waiting on the power to return, I prepped all my ingredients and re-read the recipe so I would be able to rock and roll at 3:30. Well, 3:30 came and went.  I was in a slight panic by 5:00 when there was still nothing. I considered just calling off the whole sha-bang when I stopped to think that we could make this work. All me needed was a grill and some aluminum foil. The hubs fired up the grill for us. We packaged up all the veggied into foil packets and cooked them along side the chicken. Although, this is not our traditional coq au vin, it's the best we could do. The meal turned out fabulous, although not French. But, if we were in France and the power went out this is what we would do, so I guess you could call it a French BBQ'ed Coq Au Vin!
Click here to see the full Coq Au Vin recipe.

Kirby's Parisian Potatoes:
I was so excited to try this new process of making potatoes. It seemed so easy, and that was what I was most excited about. I knew it would be a recipe that I could re-create numerous times in my home when we aren't having a "French Dinner".  You'll need a melon baller for this, and you use it to cut out the potato. Then, place in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for four minutes. Then, melt your butter and some oil (and salt and pepper) in a pan and toss to coat. Lastly, you place them in oven for about 25-30 minutes. And, Voila! They're ready! Sounds easy and yummy, right? I'll let you know how they turn out next time!
Click here to see the full Parisian Potatoes recipe.

Here's the final product!!



This dessert was to-die for!!



Considering our we were all having a panic attack about 5pm, everything pulled together nicely. We had a nice grilled meal with great company and even better sangria (thanks Lucy!!). Maybe next time we will actually be able to fulfill their request for dinner. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!

-Andie, Anna, & Kirby 

Pizza - fied Chicken

I know it's hard to stay on the straight and narrow when trying to eat healthy. I am generally one that believes none of these count when dieting: eating standing over the sink, anything taken from other people's plates, and anything you eat when noone is watching. My conscious reminds me that they all indeed count, but unfortunately, it is almost always too late. I have already indulged in something that is a no-no. One of the hardest things to avoid when watching your waistline is pizza. Its so hard to say no to because it's pretty much on everyones list of favorite foods and because it is so easy to just pick up a $5 Hot-n-Ready on your way home.

Believe it or not, I have found a recipe that will give you the pizza fix we all need without making you feel guilty.This recipe comes from Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien. Her cookbook and website have both been a regular go-to for me. She has recently expanded and has a show on Food Network. She knows how to take foods that we all know and love and turn them into something healthy we can love just as much. This particular recipe is for Pizza-fied Chicken. Trust me...this is delish!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pizza-fied-chicken-recipe/index.html
http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/you-wanna-pizza-me-pizza-fied-chicken-recipe

You will need:

5oz. Chicken Breast
1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 Cup Onion, chopped (I omitted because I think we all know how I feel about onions)
1/4 Cup Sliced Mushrooms (I used canned this time, but recommend fresh)
1/4  Cup Crushed Tomatoes
4 Turkey Pepperoni, chopped (these are just as good as the original, just less greasy)
Low-Fat String Cheese
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan Cheese

**NOTE: The quantities of these ingredients is to top one chicken breast. Adjust quantites accordingly. I didn't realize this at first and used this for all 3 chicken breasts, and it was still plenty. Just use your discretion.

Pound out your chicken breast to 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and set aside.

Season the tomatoes with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and set aside.

Now, the original recipe says to use 2 nonstick skillets. One to cook the veggies and one to cook the chicken. It's totally up to you how many dishes you want to dirty. If you opt to just use one, cook the veggies until soft and set aside, Then cook the chicken.

Spray the skillet and cook chicken over med-high heat until cooked through. About 3-4 minutes on each side. When the chicken is done, spoon the tomato sauce on top of the chicken.

Tear or cut the string cheese into small pieces and add to the chicken.

Top with veggie mixture and pepperoni.

Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with parmesan cheese (and crushed red pepper if you are feeling frisky) and enjoy!

I thought this was awesome! The chicken was tender and the topping was truly a pizza party in my mouth. I think this is definitely worth a try. You'll be surprised how yummy this is, and you can add any pizza toppings you like (i.e.sliced black/green olives, pepperoncini, etc. ) to make it your own. Give it a try, and let us know what you think.

Anna