Sweet BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza is one of those things that I'm always sort of shocked by how easy it is. Every time I go to make it, I'm expecting some long, arduous process, and then it never actually is. In fact, making a pizza of your own takes about the same amount of time as ordering one and waiting for it to be delivered. It's just not hard.

Anyway. This pizza is an homage to sweet and smoky. I love BBQ pizza, and I decided to add some pineapple, just to make it a little more funky and yummy. To my surprise, this worked beautifully. 

Make this. Eat it while you watch Grey's Anatomy. Then come talk to me because that show is ruining my life.

Sweet BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
1 pizza dough
1 chicken breast, cubed and cooked
2/3 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pineapple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Spread out the pizza dough into your desired shape.
2. Spread sauce around the dough. Top with toppings, except for cilantro.
3. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
4. Top with cilantro. Slice and serve.

Beer Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon & Caramelized Onion

Hiiiiii. I'm back. I survived finals, after some blood sweat and tears. I had a merry Christmas and I hope all y'all did too. I'm home on break and have baked countless cookies and read too many fluffy YA novels.

I also made this:

I think most of us like a nice bowl of mac n cheese, right? And whether you prefer yours to be homemade or out of that cute little blue box, there's something comforting about it. It's delicious.

I can't leave well enough alone though, so I added some stuff to mine. Bacon. Beer. Caramelized onion. They sing in harmony and create a nice, savory blend of flavor. It's truly a delight, and was fun to eat while listening to Mariah sing about giving away her heart on Christmas.

I highly recommend making this. I mean, really, you deserve it.

Trashed-up Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
1 box macaroni, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup dark beer**
1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dry mustard 1 lb cheddar cheese (I used half extra sharp and half medium)
5 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
1 onion, sliced thinly and caramelized (see below)

1. Start out by making a roux. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the flour, stirring. Once thickened and slightly browned, add the beer, milk, and spices. Stir.
2. Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture boils. Allow to boil for 3 minutes, then add cheese.
3. Stir until cheese has completely melted.
4. Add bacon and onion.
5. Carefully fold in pasta, then pour into a buttered casserole dish.
6. Bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees. The top will get brown and crunchy.

To caramelize onion:
Slice thinly, then add to a skillet with 1 tbsp butter or oil. I used the leftover bacon grease. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are nicely browned (not burned). This took about 20 minutes for me.

**if you don't want to use the beer, just add the same amount milk instead

What Should I Eat? 7

Let me tell you about this new, cute, little place that just popped up on University. It's called 3 Natives and I'm a fan. They have these little things you see above, called smoothie bowls. They're fresh, they're fruity, and the bottom is frozen, so it's like healthy (dairy-free) ICE CREAM. Me gusta mucho. The one I got had pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and peanut butter. I wasn't sure how those flavors would gel with the granola and acai berry smoothie base, but it totally worked. I had mine for breakfast, and it was surprisingly filling. The only downside is that these are sorta expensive (like $8), considering what they are. However, I'll probably recreate them in my kitchen at some point, so get excited for that. In the mean time, splurge and get one of the ones from 3 Natives.

Thankful

So so many thanks.

Thankful for:

grace and mercy.

family.

my sweet boy.

being an RA and my beautiful, sweet, funny residents.

growing closer to all the friends I adore.

my university because even though it's hard at times, education is a gift.

food, glorious food.

this blog and anyone who takes the time to read each post.


Happy Thanksgiving, lovelies. Eat that extra piece of pie, you deserve it.

EPCOT Food & Wine

Hawaiian Kahlua Pulled Pork & Pineapple Chutney 

So. A couple weekends ago I did something y'all might think is a little weird. I went to EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival all. by. myself. And it was GLORIOUS. Yes, going to a theme park alone is sort of unusual, but so few of my friends have Disney tickets and the ones that did were busy. So I took myself on a little date to Disney, because the way I look at it is this: if you want someone to fall in love with you, you take them on dates. I'd like to fall in love with me, hence the date. Beautiful.

Anyway. I love this event. I'm not 21 and I don't drink, so for me it's just a food festival, but goodness, the food they serve is great. Pricey? Yes. But so worth it. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of everything I ate, but that would probably get boring anyway.

My favorite kiosk was definitely China. They had a beef slider that was fantastic.

The weird little dessert you see above was probably my favorite thing I ate all day. It's a chocolate truffle frozen in liquid nitrogen(!) and topped with caramel. It had an amazingly silky texture (think a really good chocolate mousse), and I was just so intrigued by the idea of eating food prepared with liquid nitrogen. Like, I've used that stuff in labs, but never in the kitchen.

This soup is an oldie but a goodie. It's Canadian cheese soup and I've eaten and even made it so many times, but I'd been craving it, so I bought some. Also, never fear, that little cup was filled to the brim at first, I just didn't snap a pic until I was half done.

Overall, let me just say this: Food & Wine is expensive and crowded, but in my opinion, it's a fantastic way to spend a day. Although I loved my solo time, I would recommend bringing a buddy so you can try twice as much food. Unfortunately, it ended last weekend, but honestly, it gets better every year. Start planning your trip now.

Chili

I'm baaaack! Sorry for disappearing like that, I was briefly swallowed up by exams. But now I'm back with a pot full of chilly weather (well, not if you live in Florida, good Lord) love.

When I make chili, I sort of just throw stuff into a pot until it looks or tastes right. I also like my chili garlicky and spicy. You can dial back either one and it should still be a good bowl of chili.

I served this with garlic bread because who doesn't like garlic bread? You can find the recipe in my very first post. Such a good combination. Love.

Also recommended: watch Hannibal while you eat this. That's what I did and it was a great decision.

Chili
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
3 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1.5 lbs ground beef
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes (the bigger can, 24 oz)

1. Add the onion to the pot with the oil. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cook another minute.
2. Add the ground beef, stirring to break it up into pieces.
3. When the meat is browned completely, add the beans and tomatoes. Stir.
4. Simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!
   

What Should I Eat? 6

Look at this food. Oh my gosh. Go to the Flying Biscuit and get it all, as soon as possible. It's so freaking good. If you go on a weekend, call ahead, because there's usually about an hour wait. However, the above is a pancake with peach compote, grits, a biscuit, eggs, and bacon. The biscuits here are fantastic. They are huge and the texture is like a pillowy cloud. I like them with just butter, or they have homemade apple butter, which is also incredible. THE GRITS. Oh my goodness. If you're from the South, I'm sure you'll agree that restaurant grits are often lackluster. THESE ARE NOT. They are creamy and buttery and so good. Love.

I cannot recommend this place enough.