The Hazel Bloom

Chocolate Chocolate Ice Cream

July is National Ice Cream Month.

Don't get me wrong - celebrating ice cream is an idea I can get behind - but I have to wonder, who comes up with these things? It's the special days that really get me. For instance, today is I Forgot Day. How do you celebrate this (other than with my general absentmindedness that needs no special day)?

"Hey! Frank! Happy... oh crap. I have no idea what I was going to say."

We have holidays to look forward to pretty much every day this summer. You can view the whole schedule here. Want some highlights?

• Tomorrow, July 3 - Compliment Your Mirror Day
• July 10 - Don't Step on a Bee Day
• July 27 - Barbie in a Blender Day (really?!). It's also Take Your Houseplants on a Walk Day and Walk On Stilts Day. Big day!
• August 6 - National Fresh Breath (Halitosis) Day
• August 8 - Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night (I love this one)
• August 10 - National Duran Duran Appreciation Day (nice!)
• September 9 - Wonderful Weirdos Day
• September 19 - Talk Like a Pirate Day (okay, fine, I also love this one)

Back to... what was it again?

Ice cream! Right!

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine's Double Chocolate Ice Cream recipe, this one is chocolatey - an extremely rich ice cream that hits you upside the head. In a good way. The secret addition of a little coffee helps highlight the chocolate flavors even more.

This may just be the perfect dessert for your Fourth of July Celebration, or anytime during Ice Cream Month. Or for National Duran Duran Appreciation Day, even. 

Here's the recipe!

Chocolate Chocolate Ice Cream

Adapted from Cooking Light

Serves about 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I like 70% or so)
• 3 tablespoons strong coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the cocoa and sugar.
   
   
    
2. Over medium-low heat, stir in 1/2 cup of the milk along with the egg yolks, and mix well. 
3. Add the remaining 1 cup of milk, and 1 cup of the half and half (save 1/2 cup of the half and half for later).
4. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and registers 160 degrees on a thermometer. This takes me about 15 minutes.
   
   
    
5. Remove from heat.
6. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the half and half to boiling.
7. Remove the bowl from the microwave and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
   
   
   
   Chocolate is so messy, but so worth it.
    
8. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the pan, along with the coffee and vanilla. Stir well.
9. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
10. Add to ice cream maker (I use my beloved Cuisinart) and freeze according to manufacturer instructions. Serve soft, or place it in the freezer for at least 3 hours for harder ice cream. Garnish with a little chopped chocolate if you really want to send it over the top.

Pizza on the Barbecue

Last summer, I settled in with my new (and always beloved) Sunset magazine and flipped open to a piece about grilling pizzas. "It's easy!" They said. "SWEET! I believe you and must try them!" I said. And so my guy and I made pizzas on the BBQ, and the rest was history. Well, if "history" means we've been making them ever since, and we've served them for family get-togethers and parties (they're perfect for entertaining), and everyone loves them, and they're so, so good.

The most important piece of the grilled pizza equation is the dough. The Sunset recipe has lots of olive oil, plus with the use of oiled parchment paper, they're a breeze to flip on to the grill (and nope, the dough doesn't fall through the grates). You cook one side for a few minutes, then flip it back on to a cookie sheet, add your toppings to the grilled side, then place it back on the barbecue to finish cooking.

And is it actually easy? Actually, yes. It's a little time-consuming, though. You're making your own dough and need to give it about 3 hours to rise. I also believe in making your own pizza sauce - it's just so much more flavorful. Though - I do often used canned tomatoes, except for when fresh ones are in season.

This time, we made margherita pizza, a classic with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. We also made a pepperoni pizza - my guy's perennial fave, and something he even gives a coveted grunt. "One grunt up! It's pizza and BBQing - two great things that I would never have thought would go together."


Ready to give it a try? Here's the recipe!

Pizza on the Barbecue

Slightly adapted from Sunset Magazine

Makes 6 pizzas

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (100 - 110 degrees)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (or one packet) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus a little more for oiling the parchment paper and working with the dough
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Toppings for Margherita Pizza

• One medium tomato per pizza, sliced
• Fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained and sliced
• Several basil leaves, cut into strips - and more for garnishing, if you like

Toppings for Pepperoni Pizza

• Pizza sauce (recipe below)
• Pepperoni slices
• Grated mozzarella cheese, or fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained and sliced

Directions:

Make the crust.

1. Stir together the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
   
   
    
2. Let sit for 5 minutes, until the yeast dissolves.
3. Turn the mixer on low and add the olive oil, salt, and flour.
4. Once the ingredients are fairly well incorporated, turn the mixer on to medium to knead.
   
   
    
5. Knead (continue the mixer on medium) for 8 - 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be very stretchy, and just kind of stretch and fall off of the hook.
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
6. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. If you're making the pizza sauce, I suggest you start now - it needs to simmer for an hour and a half, itself.
   
   
    
7. Punch the dough down, and let rise again for 30-45 more minutes, until doubled again. (Whenever I read "punch the dough down" I take it kind of literally and really give the dough a good punch or two. That probably isn't a great idea, is it?)
   
   
    
8. Prepare six sheets of parchment paper. Lay the sheets on the counter or table, then drizzle each with a little olive oil.
   
   
    
9. After the dough is finished rising for the second time, remove it from the bowl and place it on a floured surface.
   
   
    
10. Cut the dough into six pieces.
    
    
     
    
    
    
11. With your hands, smear the oil on a piece of parchment paper, then grab a dough ball - you want spread the oil on the paper and handle the dough with well-oiled hands, so it all works out.
    
    
     
    
12. Now you're ready to shape the crust! You can place the dough on the parchment paper and just kind of spread it out into a circle with your fingers, or you can do like I do and shape it in the air first. I hold on to the edge and quickly rotate the dough so that it stretches and forms a nice flat shape, and then I place it on the parchment and stretch it out the rest of the way. I like to keep the dough about the size of a dinner plate. Much bigger and it can become difficult to handle on the grill. Note: If your dough shrinks and won't work with you, let it sit for about 5 minutes and try again.
    
    
     
13. Let the shaped crusts rise on their parchment paper for about 10 minutes, until they start getting puffy.
    
    
    
     
    
14. Now start grilling! With the grill on medium-high (about 350 degrees), flip a round onto the grill - dough side down, parchment side up. Peel off the paper.
    
    
     
15. Cook covered for 3 - 4 minutes, until it gets puffy on top and grill marks on the bottom. If the dough sprouts any big bubbles, go ahead and pop them if you can.
    
    
     
    
    
     
16. Transfer the crust to a cookie sheet or large platter, grilled side up.
    
    
     
17. The fun part - add the toppings! For the margherita pizza, add the tomatoes, then pile on the fresh mozzarella. Top with the basil. You can also start with a little pizza sauce if you want (I prefer without).
    
    
     
    For the pepperoni pizza, spread the sauce (I go a little light - it's very flavorful), add a layer of pepperoni and then top with grated mozzarella or the slices of fresh mozzarella.
    
    
     
18. Transfer the pizzas back on to the barbecue, and cook, covered, for 5 - 6 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bottom is crisp. You'll probably want to rotate the pizzas a couple of times to ensure even cooking.
    
    
     
     
    
    
    
19. That's it! Enjoy - trust me, it's amazing. 
    

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (one or two cloves) minced garlic
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes, or 2 pounds diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (reduce for less kick)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium-low.
2. Add the garlic, and cook for about a minute. If you're using dried oregano, add that with the garlic. If you're using fresh, add it to the sauce later.
3. Increase the heat to medium, and add the tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. 
4. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Simmer uncovered for an hour and a half. Seems like a long time, but this allows the sauce to develop wonderful flavor and thicken nicely.
6. If using fresh oregano, stir that in after the hour and a half cooking time.

Ridiculously Easy Brownies

So yeah, this having a wedding and going on a honeymoon thing is quite the time suck. So is the whole having-a-demanding-job thing. Now that I'm hitched and back from my honeymoon, the fact that I quit my full-time gig the week we got married (unrelated, the feminist in me wants you to know!) - it's all sinking in. All of the sudden, I've got a lot of time on my hands. And I've actually got time to ponder the fact that I've got a lot of time on my hands. Both novel concepts. We'll see how I do with this.

Rewind a couple of weeks. Back when time was a scarcity, I managed to eke out 20 minutes and whipped up these Ridiculously Easy Brownies - my favorite brownie recipe for when time is scarce and a homemade treat is in order.

These are everything a brownie should be - chewy, dense, melt-in-your mouth chocolatey. My guy gives 'em a coveted One Grunt Up. And, as I keep mentioning, they're ridiculously easy - one bowl, one sheet of foil, one pan, done.

Here's the recipe!

Ridiculously Easy Brownies

Makes 24 brownies

Adapted from the Baker's One Bowl Brownies recipe on Kraft.com

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I like the Ghiradelli 100% Cacao unsweetened chocolate bars)
• 3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups sugar (that's 1 cup plus 3/4 cup more, just to clarify)
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans (toasted with a little kosher salt adds an interesting, and even better, twist)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 13x9 pan with piece of foil long enough to extend over the ends of the pan, and grease the foil and the rest of the pan.
   
   
    
3. In a large microwaveable bowl, add the butter and the chocolate (break the chocolate into pieces).
   
   
    
4. Microwave for about a minute, removing and stirring to judge how much the chocolate has melted, then nuke in 15 second increments after that. It usually takes me about a minute and a half to completely melt the chocolate.
   
   
    
5. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
6. Stir in the flour, and if using, the pecans. Mix well.
   
   
    
7. Spread the batter into the pan.
   
   
    
8. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out crumby.
9. Let cool, then remove the brownies from the pan with the foil "handles."
10. Cut into squares, and enjoy!
    
    
     
11. Store in an air-tight container at room temp.

Pain Perdu (Caramelized Louisiana French Toast)

Pain Perdu is a sticky, chewy, caramelized version of french toast that will forever be a part of my breakfast arsenal. 

I wish I could say this recipe was passed down through the generations. Or that I ate it on an amazing trip to the French Quarter where it changed me forever. Or that I perfected it through years and years of trials and tribulations.

But really, I had a craving for french toast, but I didn't have any milk. So I googled, and I found this recipe.

I know. I'm so boring and unremarkable. Plus: Unfathomable, right? French toast without milk? Heck no! My friends, the beauty of the internet is not only that you can find just about anything you set your mind to (and for each one of those, about 50,000 things that never, ever would have crossed your mind), but you can "visit" areas of the world from, yes, that very armchair in your living room.

Okay, well, fine, I really have been to New Orleans in real life, technically... exactly once, four years ago, not that it really counts. I'd hopped a red eye out of Seattle and flew in to the New Orleans airport, rented a car, and set out to pick up my girl Lizzie up in Mississippi. Yeah yeah, the closest I came to the city and its amazingness was being stuck in standstill traffic on what is apparently the longest bridge in the world, for two hours, and when I'd ventured ONTO the bridge I had to potty, so let's just say it ranks right up there with the two most agonizing hours of my life.

So what I'm trying to say is:

1. I found this recipe on the internet.
2. It's really yummy - you should try it.
3. Be sure you empty your bladder prior to venturing onto the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway.

Here is the recipe for Pain Perdu, which, by the way, gets a coveted One Grunt Up from my guy.

Pain Perdu (Caramelized Louisiana French Toast)

Adapted from a recipe posted on Recipezaar

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5-6 slices day-old french bread or other nice crusty bread like Pugliese
• Butter for frying (This is not low fat. Need I mention that?)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and the vanilla extract well.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Heat a frying pan or griddle to medium.
3. Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in the pan.
   
   
   
   (Not low fat!)
    
4. Coat the bread in the mixture, letting the excess drip back into the bowl.
   
   
   
5. Add to the frying pan/griddle and cook until golden brown on both sides. Watch carefully; it'll burn easily!
   
   
   
   
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. I use a little tea strainer to sprinkle powdered sugar on things - works so perfectly!
   
   
7. Drizzle with syrup, if you want. But it's terrific and plenty sweet enough without. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Caramel Sauce

Well, it's official. I am, 100%, without a doubt, absolutely NOT allowed to make anything like this again until mid-June, AFTER our wedding. I'm trying to lose weight, not tempt myself into gaining 5 pounds in one sitting.

Because this stuff? This Buttermilk Caramel Sauce? This is tasty stuff. It's also known as Buttermilk Syrup, but really it's a caramel sauce in my book. Folks do serve it over pancakes and french toast for breakfast, but I think it's going to remain a dessert-only ice cream sauce for me.

It's rich, sweet, buttery, and has the teeniest hint of tanginess... and served warm over a couple scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream? I need some plain celery and four hours on the elliptical machine, stat.

But you - I'm sure you have more self control than I do. So go ahead, make this for your friends, your family, yourself. And enjoy.

I'll just be here on the elliptical gnawing on a stalk of celery.

(My guy awards this recipe TWO Grunts Up. "It was tasty, and I wanted more!")

Buttermilk Caramel Sauce

Adapted (barely) from this recipe for Buttermilk Syrup on Allrecipes.com

Yields two glorious, sinful cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, baking soda and salt in a medium to large saucepan (it will foam up, so don't use a small one!)
   
   
   
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to simmer.
   
   
3. As soon as the mixture starts simmering, set the timer for 7 minutes.
4. Continue cooking (it'll start boiling soon), stirring frequently. The mixture will gradually become a light amber color as the sugar caramelizes.
   
   
5. When the timer goes off, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
   
   
6. Let cool slightly, then serve over ice cream (or if you really want to go the breakfast route: Pancakes, waffles, french toast, fruit, you name it.)
7. This stuff thickens as it cools, but it should still be pourable. If it gets too thick, just set the container in some warm water or nuke for a few seconds, it should thin right back out.

Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Last Friday, I invited a few friends over. And I made them Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches. Here's a photo.

But before I talk anymore about the Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, I'm going to talk about something else.

Pom-poms and great friends.

I'm a DIY freak. So when it came to planning our wedding (less than two months away - eek), the ultimate in Do-It-Yourselfishness, I leaped at every DIY opportunity.

I realized about a month ago, though, that I was in a little bit of trouble. Our smallish, somewhat low-key wedding was becoming a little DIY much. So I invited some close friends over to help make a few things.

Not the least of which was tissue paper flower pom-poms. Put my friends to work, and they deliver, I tell ya.

Well, Brian protested a teensy bit, but deep down I know he was enjoying the creative opportunity.

See? It's obvious. (Plus I think he was behaving because he said he wanted to appear in my blog. Gotta love guy with such lofty aspirations.)

Vix and Brian and some other wonderful family members and friends created pom-poms, a cake topper, banners, return address labels, favors... oh, and they even tasted some wine to help us pick what to serve on our big day.

I've got the best friends. 

They smile even when they are under threat of drowning in pom-poms, even when they know they're taking part in yet another harebrained scheme of mine.

I'm a lucky gal, and I love 'em.

So... anyway... I made them Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken. It's tangy, tasty, and so easy to whip up for a crowd - virtually no maintenance. And folks love it. It even gets a coveted grunt from my guy - he says, "One grunt! They go great with friends, beer, and potato chips."

Here, finally, is the recipe!

Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken

Adapted from this recipe on southernfood.about.com

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 32 ounces (4 cups) ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoon cider vinegar
• Liberal pinch of red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, and garlic.
2. Place chicken breasts in a Crock Pot.
3. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and give 'em a toss to coat.
4. Cook on low for 7 - 8 hours.
5. When the chicken is cooked through, remove the meat from the Crock Pot and put on a platter to let cool for a bit.
6. And then shred those suckers with a fork or with your fingers (they should be pretty much falling apart at that point).
7. Put the shredded chicken back into the Crock Pot with the sauce. 
8. Give it a stir and cook on low for another hour or so.
9. Serve in big crusty sandwich rolls (extra delish with sliced sweet pickles), or you can even serve it on top of rice.
10. Enjoy!

 

Berry Crisp

I feel as though I've committed a serious crime. A foodie crime, if you will.

Oh, there is such a thing. In fact, this may be my third strike. First, I used Velveeta, and admitted to loving it. Then, I made macaroons instead of macarons. Strike two. And now... a fruit crisp made with frozen blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries?!

I think I need a lawyer, stat.

Hey, the winter made me do it, man. It's not like farms are just overflowing with berries right now. And I had a hankerin'!

Really, this stuff is very good, frozen berries and all. This particular crisp has a bottom crust, which is terrific. The oats, butter, and berries are criminally good right out of the oven, plopped with a melty scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. And hey, even the guys give it two grunts up.

So why don't you make some and join me in jail? I'll need some good company.

Here's the recipe:

Berry Crisp

Adapted from the Triple Berry Crisp recipe posted by Polly Giebler on allrecipes.com

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of frozen berries, thawed and drained (I used a mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (1 and a half sticks) unsalted butter

Instructions:

• Pour frozen berries into a colander and set in sink for about an hour, so they can thaw and drain at the same time. See! Not all law-breakers are dumm.
  
  
   
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix the berries and the 3 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.
  
  

 

• In another large bowl, mix the flour, oats, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  
  

 

• With a couple of knives, a pastry blender, or just your hands, cut in the cold unsalted butter.
  
  
  
 

• You want your mixture to look like very coarse crumbs.
  
  

 

• Press half the mixture into the bottom of an 8x8 pan.
  
  
  
 

• Pour the berries on top and lightly push 'em around so they evenly cover the crust.
  
  
  


• Sprinkle the rest of the flour/butter mixture over the top.
  
  

 

• Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.
  
  
  


• Well hello there. I see you've joined me on the dark side.

 

French Toast

I haven't talked about the Grunt Rating System lately. But trust me, it remains in full force. It was invented by my guy as a way to communicate the true male-friendliness of a particular dish.

• One Grunt Up: My guy really really likes this and deems this recipe most definitely dude friendly.
• Two Grunts Up: My guy thinks it's amazing, and he wants to eat it every day for the rest of his life. See: Drunken Pot Roast. 
• Three Grunts Up: The pinnacle of pure man-friendly excellence. Only one food shared here at The Hazel Bloom so far has received three grunts, and that is Butterscotch Pudding.

Today, I'm sharing my go-to basic French Toast recipe, which earns One Grunt Up. Yes, only one, but that's still high guy praise. After all, he is very careful when doling out even one lonely grunt. My guy takes this job very seriously.

This French Toast recipe is almost exactly what you'll find in the ever-wonderful Joy of Cooking. Just a couple small adaptations. I use a hearty, whole-grain bread to make it a little healthier. If you want healthier still, consider serving with a heap of fresh fruit instead of syrup. Yum. Note: Fresh fruit may negate the previously awarded grunt.

French Toast

Adapted from "Joy of Cooking"

Makes approx. 6 slices

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of bread (a little on the stale side works best)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (go for 1/4 if you really like nutmeg)

Instructions:

1. Beat together the eggs and milk.
2. Add the sugar, vanilla, salt, nutmeg.
   
   
   
3. Dip the bread into the egg mixture. Let soak for just a couple of seconds on either side.
   
   
   
4. Cook on a buttered nonstick skillet heated to about 350 degrees.
5. Cook both sides until golden brown.
   
   
   
6. Top with butter and/or syrup and/or fruit and/or whatever you want. And enjoy!

Becky's Award-Winning Turkey Chili

Becky is my guy's mom. She's awesome. And I'm not just saying that. She really is. She was also the first person to notice, almost immediately, when I didn't post five stories last week. I got an email: "Where is today's story?! I'm having withdrawals!" Alas, I'm finding five stories - one every weekday - is kind of hard to keep up, what with all my other life stuff being so goshdang busy right now. So I'm shooting for a minimum of three stories per week for a little while. Sorry, Becky! Here's a story singing the praises of your awesome turkey chili recipe to help make up for it! :)

 
This chili is terrific, and incredibly easy to put together. Some ground turkey (or fake meat veggie crumbles, as the case may be), a bunch of cans of stuff, some chili seasoning, done. A perfect healthy meal for when you just don't have the time or energy to chop up a bunch of stuff. Like, most weeknights for most everyone.

And, as the name implies, Becky even won a few cook-offs with this recipe!

Here it is:

Becky's Award-Winning Turkey Chili

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey (if you prefer to go the veggie route, try veggie protein crumbles like these from Smart Ground. They're great!)
• 2 cans chili beans
• 2 cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 six ounce can tomato paste
• 1 large can diced tomatoes with jalapenos (or one can plain diced tomatoes and add a small can of chopped jalapenos)
• 1 package chili seasoning

Instructions:

1. Brown and drain the ground turkey. If you're using Smart Ground, no need to brown - just skip to step 2.
   
   
    
2. In a large pot, mix the turkey and all the other ingredients together. 
3. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and let simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.
   
   
   
   (In our house, you often instead see one meat and one non-meat version brewing at once in smaller pans.)
    
4. Serve with a light dusting of pepper jack or cheddar cheese, scallions, sour cream, jalapenos, or whatever else your heart desires.

Bachelor Pockets

Back in October, while we were munching on piroshky at Oktoberfest (which I'm only now realizing is kind of an odd thing to eat at an Oktoberfest celebration), my guy mentioned these foodstuffs-in-dough reminded him of one of his food specialties. A food specialty that I've since named Bachelor Pockets, and a food specialty that I'm sharing with you today.

But first of all, let me mention that it's become clear to me that my guy, who I've been dating for 21 months, with whom I've been shacking up for the last six, and to whom I've been engaged since Christmas Eve, seems to have several of these specialties that he is very, very slowly rolling out one... by... slow... one.

(Yes, to digress upon a digression, we are getting married! I am thrilled and apologize in advance for my wedding over-obsessing over these next few months.)

So anyway, my guy - my fiance (getting used to that) - whipped out this particular gem a few days later back at home. He and his buddy used to make them a lot back in the day – his bachelor days, that is. When I asked, "What did you guys call it?" He shrugged. "We just made it." So I named it. A chick would totally do that. I added veggies to the mix, too. I know, I know.

Basically, you take some pizza dough from a can and you cook up some chicken and you throw the chicken and some Velveeta on the pizza dough and you wrap it up and bake it.

So… how do we feel about Velveeta, ladies and gents? Have I lost any credibility I may have had here? The truth is, I do feel like it’s such a monstrosity... but... a glorious, delicious, and indeed sometimes appropriate monstrosity. I feel guilty about it, but the truth is, I do rather love it, even if I only allow myself to eat it on rare occasions. There. I said it.

Anyway (and I apologize for all my trains of thought here today) here we have two versions of the recipe – Cheesy Chicken and Veggie. Try 'em! My guy was onto something - they're easy enough to whip up for a weeknight meal for one or many, and they're darn tasty. (I wonder what else is up his sleeve?)

Cheesy Chicken Bachelor Pockets

Serves 2 hungry bachelors (or four less hungry folks)

Ingredients:

• 1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (like Pillsbury)
• 1 chicken breast, cubed
• 1/2 - 1 cup cubed Velveeta
• Stuff to add to the chicken breast to give it a little flavor while it’s cooking – minced garlic, a pinch of thyme, a dash of dried basil, some salt and black pepper. Whatever floats your boat.
• Optional veggies – onion, pepper, whatever

Instructions:

1. Cube the chicken breast and sauté with garlic and spices until it’s cooked all the way through. Set aside.
2. Cube the Velveeta. Again, so wrong. But soooo right.
3. Unroll the pizza dough onto a cookie sheet, and cut it in half. Save the pizza dough container, because you’ll want to read it in a minute. Or better yet, read it now, so you know what to preheat the oven to.
4. Sprinkle half the chicken and half the cheese onto half of each dough square. Top with optional veggies, if you’re using (you can cook these ahead of time too, if you want, but I found it wasn't necessary).
   
   
   
5. Lift up the empty half of the dough square and cover the stuff. You want to seal the edges together, but don’t worry about trying to make it look neat, because it’s most likely not going to happen. This is rustic, manly fare!
   
   (And it's really, really hard to make these good-looking.)
   
   
   
6. Follow the directions on the pizza dough container for temperature and time to cook. We cooked ours at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. Start checking a couple minutes early though, just in case.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes or so.
8. Eat! Goes good with beer. But of course it does.

Veggie Bachelor Pockets

Serves 2 (if you’re very hungry) to 4

• 1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (like Pillsbury)
• 1/2 - 1 cup cubed Velveeta
• 2 medium red potatoes
• 1/2 cup broccoli, broken into small pieces
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced red or green bell pepper
• Or you can try cauliflower, celery, whatever you want.

1. Scrub the potatoes and pierce with a fork. Microwave on high for about two minutes.
2. Cube the Velveeta. Watch it wiggle, see it jiggle, try not to get weirded out. It’s goooood.
3. Unroll the pizza dough onto a cookie sheet, and cut it in half. And save the pizza dough container, because you’ll want to read it in a minute. Or better yet, read it now, so you know what to preheat the oven to.
4. Add the Velveeta to the dough halves.
   
   
   
   Our cookie sheets were so filthy here. It's embarrassing.
    
5. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, dice ‘em up.
   
   Yummy veggies, all in a row.
   
   
   
6. Sprinkle the potatoes, other veggies, and cheese over one half of each dough square.
7. Lift up the empty half of the dough square and cover the stuff. You want to seal the edges together, but don’t worry about trying to make it look neat. As you can see, we didn't.
8. Follow the directions on the pizza dough container for temperature and time to cook. We cooked ours at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. Start checking a couple minutes early though, just in case.
   
   
    
   
9. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes or so before eating. Enjoy!