BBQ Chicken & Bacon Poutine

It's football season and you want great snacks to compensate in case your team isn't on the winning side.  Why not serve a tray of hot bbq chicken poutine to your team of cheering fans...they'll appreciate it and cheer for you.  




BBQ Chicken Poutine

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp extra light virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a small bowl.  Mix spices in a separate small bowl.  Drizzle olive oil over potatoes.  Toss in spices and make sure the fries are evenly coated.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350°.

BBQ Gravy ~

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup bbq sauce

Whisk together melted butter and flour in a small saucepan.  Add in the chicken stock and bbq sauce.  Cook over medium heat until thickened.

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded (approximately 1 cup)
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbles
5 oz cheddar cheese curds

Place baked french fries at the bottom of an oven ready pan.  Top with shredded chicken, bacon and cheese curds.  Return to oven for 5 minutes to a raised temperature of 400°.  Remove from oven and top with 1/4 cup hot bbq gravy.  Serve immediately.

Chicken Milano

Chicken with a creamy tomato sauce on a bed of buttery linguine.  A delicious meal for a weeknight that doesn't take a lot of time to pull together.

Chicken Milano

2-3 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp parlsey, minced

8 oz linguine
1 tbsp butter

In a medium saucepan, melt the 1 tbsp of butter.  Add in the minced garlic and cook for a minute.  Add in the sun-dried tomatoes and chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer until the tomatoes are soft.  Add in the cream and cook until the sauce thickens.  Add in salt and pepper.  

Season the chicken breasts on both sides.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet.  Brown the chicken on both sides until cooked.  Place on a plate, covered with alumunum foil, until the rest of the meal is ready.

Cook linguine per package directions in salted water.  Drain and stir in 1 tbsp butter.  Cut the chicken into slices and place on top of the pasta.  Top with your tomato cream sauce.

Bacon n' Cheese Scones

Happy Sunday morning!  I prefer a savory breakfast most days over a sweet one so I wanted to make a scone using some of my favorites - bacon and cheese.  You can make the bacon the night before because you still have a half hour wait after it's done and it's hard to smell the bacon aroma and not get hungry.

Bacon n' Cheese Scones

2 cups flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1/4 cup butter, cold and cubed
3/4 cup whipping cream 

5 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

1 cup Monterey Jack & Cheddar shredded cheese


Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the dough turns into course crumbs.  Mix in bacon, parsley and cheese.  Add the cream into the dry ingredients and stir until it's completely combined. Turn out on to a floured surface.  Pat into a circle that is approximately 1/2 - 3/4" thick.  Cut into 8 slices and put onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Make sure they are spread out since the scores will spread slightly.  Brush 2 tbsp whipping cream on top of the scones.  Bake for 15 minutes at 400°.  Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.  

Roasted Garlic Bread

What’s better with a steak or an Italian meal than soft, buttery garlic bread?  It’s easy to roast a garlic bulb in the oven or the grill and it melts down into a sweet, garlic paste that’s easy to mix with softened butter and herbs. 

 

Remove the skin from a garlic bulb.  Drizzle 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil on top and wrap in aluminum foil.  Place on the grill (off direct heat) or in the oven for 30 minutes at 350°.  Allow to cool before using.

Roasted Garlic Bread

1 loaf slice bread (Italian, French or Tunisian)

1 stick of butter, softened

1 roasted garlic bulb

2 tbsp fresh  Italian garlic, minced

 

Stir the butter, garlic and parsley together and spread on one side of each of the slices of bread.  Wrap bread in aluminum foil and place on grill (off the direct heat) or in the oven until the butter is melted.

Peach Pizza

Peach season is my favorite time of the year so creating recipes for it are always fun and tasty.  I had made a pizza last week and froze the 2^nd dough ball for later use and decided to make a fruit pizza.  You can make a powdered sugar drizzle but I opted not too since it was already sweet enough.  The juices release enough while baking to give you a nice, crisp crust.

 

Peach Pizza

 

Pizza crust (makes 2) 

2 cups flour
1 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup canola oil

Place the warm water, honey and yeast in a large measuring cup and let sit for 10 minutes Put the flour and salt in a food processor with the chopping blade.  Pulse until mixed.  Add in the yeast mixture and pulse again until it's all incorporated into the flour.  Switch to run and pour in canola oil and let the dough knead in the machine.  Remove dough and place on a lightly floured surface.  Knead for a couple minutes.  Cut in half (one half can be frozen for later use within a month).  Let dough sit for about 30 minutes.  This will give you time to get the rest of your ingredients ready.  Stretch out on a greased pizza pan.

3 peaches, peeled and sliced

¼ cup sugar

Mix peaches and sugar together and let sit for 10 minutes.  Place peaches on top of dough in a circular pattern.

Streusel

3 tbsp butter, melted

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

Combine together and sprinkle over top of the peaches.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°.