Bon Appetit!

MMM Food post! I've been doing all kinds of cooking in the new place and wanted to share the goods...well, at least pictures of the goods. First up, we have stuffed pecan chicken that I made for a dinner with my parents.

Stuffed Pecan Chicken

Chicken Breasts, hammered flat

1 pkg Pre-Cooked Bacon, chopped

10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp. Onion Grass, chopped

1 tsp. Fresh Basil, Chopped

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Pecans, chopped

1 cup Pecans, crushed

Mix together tomatoes, herbs, and bacon.

Add olive oil, parmesan cheese and chopped pecans.

Spoon a thin layer of mixture on flattened chicken breast and begin rolling. Secure chicken with toothpicks and place in a greased, glass baking dish. Repeat with each piece of chicken. Drizzle chicken lightly with more olive oil and cover with crushed pecans.

And we can't forget dessert... Blueberry Sorbet!

Blueberry Sorbet

2 cups Frozen Blueberries

3/4 cup Water

1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

2 tsp Splenda

Place berries and water in blender. Blend until smooth. Add cream and Splenda, and blend until well combined. Scoop into bowls and place in freezer until hardened. Remove and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Tonight, I felt like making pizza, from scratch. I even made the dough...yummy!

Pizza Dough (from Food Magizine)

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup warm water

1 tbs sugar

1 packet yeast

3 tbs olive oil

Whisk flour and salt. Create a well and pour in warm water, sugar and yeast. When foaming, add olive oil and knead dough until smooth. Brush dough with a little more olive oil and then place in a dish and cover for an hour and 30 minutes. Dough will double in size within that time. Split dough in half. Recipe yields enough dough for two pizzas.

I made two pizzas: Pepperoni and Peppers and a Spinach and Artichoke  Stuffed-Crust Pizza.

Pepperoni and Peppers

1 cup pizza sauce

1 cup green peppers

1 cup banana peppers

pepperoni

2 cups colby jack cheese

Spread dough out on a pizza pan. Spread sauce out on dough leaving one inch of space all the way around. Place pepperoni over top of sauce. Layer with peppers. Cover with cheese. Brush dough edges with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is browned.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed-Crust Pizza

8 Mozzarella cheese sticks

1 cup spinach

1 can quartered artichokes, drained

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Sauce:

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

2 tbs butter

4 tbs cream cheese

1 tbs heavy cream

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

Spread dough out onto pan. Place cheese sticks along edge of the dough. Fold the dough over the cheese and seal the edges down. For the sauce, saute onions and oregano in butter. Add cream cheese and allow to melt. Whisk in heavy cream. Spread sauce over dough. Place a layer of shredded parmesan cheese over the sauce. Cover parmesan cheese with a layer of artichokes and then a layer of spinach. Cover with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Brush dough edges with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is lightly browned.

And my favorite compliment to any meal...

Delicious!