Italian Cheese Flatbread

I wanted something to go along with my Tuscan Chicken & Corn chowder.  I decided to stay with the Italian flavors and make a flatbread.  It takes over a little over an hour and a half to make this so I started the yeast as I was starting my soup.  I added ground red pepper flakes to the bread but if you don't like heat, they can easily be left off.  

Italian Cheese Flatbread

1 cup warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar

Mix together in a large glass measuring cup or glass bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.  

In a large bowl, combine the following ~

2 cups bread flour
1 tsp sea salt

After the 10 minutes, stir in the yeast mixture and 2 tbsp garlic olive oil in the flour with a wooden spoon.  Mix until the flour is all incorporated and the dough naturally forms a ball and pulls away from the sides.  Cover and let sit for a half hour or until the dough has doubled.  

Knead on a floured surface (it may take up to another 1/4 cup of bread flour) for 5 minutes.  Roll out the dough to the size of your greased baking sheet.  Lay down on the sheet and top with the following ~

1/4 cup Fontina cheese, shredded
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground crushed red pepper flakes

Bake at 350° for 22 minutes.

Tuscan Chicken & Corn Chowder

It's been on the chilly side outside and unfortunately snow has made a reappearance.  Time to make soup to help keep you warm inside and out.  I had some frozen corn and carrots from summer that worked great for this soup and dried herbs to add an Italian taste.

Tuscan Chicken & Corn Chowder

1# chicken breasts, cubed into bite size pieces
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cups sweet corn, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf 
2 dashes hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in the bottom of your soup kettle or dutch oven.  Add in cubed chicken and cook until it's no longer pink, stir often.  Once cooked, add in chicken brother, carrots, corn and herbs and cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender.  Add in milk and hot sauce and reduce heat to a simmer.  Add in the salt and freshly ground pepper to your taste.  Allow to cook for another 15 minutes before serving.

Apple Butter Meatballs .

It's already time to use some of that fresh apple butter that I made and what better way to use them but for snacks for watching football and hockey.  And the sauce is so delicious that I'm going to make some ribs with the same simple recipe.

Apple Butter Meatballs

1# extra lean ground beef
1 large egg
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp parsley
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Place all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Hand mix until all the ingredients are combined.  Form into 1 1/2" meatballs.  Bake on a baking sheet for 25 minutes at 350°.  Place in a crock pot or large saucepan that has the following combined in ~

1/2 cup apple butter
1/2 cup bbq sauce ~ I used Minnesota Lakes BBQ Sauce

Stir to coat the meatballs and allow to cook for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Dr Pepper Roast Beef

Don't worry...that roast that you just spent a small fortune on will not taste like Dr Pepper but it will be moist and tender.  Plus all you do is put all the ingredients in your crock pot early in the day, turn it once halfway through and it's done.

Dr Pepper Roast Beef

1 - roast beef - I used a 2 1/2# Eye of Round Choice Roast
1 cup beef broth

1 cup Dr Pepper

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the beef broth and Dr Pepper in your crock pot.  Add in roast and season.  Cook for 4 hours at a medium low heat.  Turn the roast and continue cooking for an additional 4 hours.  

Apple Butter

It's that time of the year again.  Actually it's a little late but the apples are still good so it was time to get some apple butter made for the winter.  I made it in the crock pot so the apples cooked down overnight and were ready to go first thing in the morning.

Apple Butter

3 lbs apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ginger

Put sliced apples into a crockpot with water and lemon juice.  Cook until apples are tender. Puree apples in a food mill or I took an easy way and used an immersion blender.

Add sugar and bring to a low boil.  Add spices and stir well.

Put into clean, dry jars leaving 1/2" head space.  Put into boiling water bath for 12 minutes.

Buttermilk Chicken

There's a lot of ways to make buttermilk chicken and I've made quite a few and will continue doing so because it always is the most moist and flavorful chicken.  Today I used bread crumbs instead of the typical flour breading and it turned out great.  I marinaded these for 8 hours but it works leaving them overnight in the refrigerator too.

Buttermilk Chicken

3-4 bone-in chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp lemon juice

Place the chicken breasts, buttermilk and lemon juice in a gallon size plastic bag that seals and place in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours.


1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Place all these ingredients in another gallon plastic bag or empty bread bag works too.  Close the opening and shake so they are all mixed together.  Add in chicken breasts, one at a time, and shake.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

Sweet Potato Marshmallow Dip

A wicked strong wind in the valley and a neighborly state football game is a good time to stay indoors and watch tv with a fun snack.  Today's snack is a tasty combination of marshmallows, honey & cinnamon to dip sweet potato fries in.  The fries today are plain but you can easily spice them up with a little cumin, paprika and garlic powder.  The dip only takes a few minutes to create so you have plenty of time while the fries are baking.

Sweet Potato Marshmallow Dip

3/4 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan.  Stir frequently over a low heat until the marshmallows melt and the dip is warm.