Friday, September 28, 2012

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pizza

This is cRaZy good!  My fav pizza and my Kido's fav pizza.  I was a bit concerned the first time I prepared it for Keith (my husband) and Keebryn (my son)... because when I sat it in front of Keebryn, he says "is THAT pizza?" :)  Crack me up as he normally does... Now he requests for us to have it for supper, often!  So here goes the recipe.

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pizza: 



What you will need:

1 ready to go pizza crust (you can make yours homemade or use store bought)
        or three mini individual crusts
1 jar buffalo sauce (we used mild)
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp. season salt
1 lb of chicken breast or strips (thawed)
1/4 +1/8 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp flour
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 1/2 tbsp ranch dressing POWDER
1 jar banana peppers (optional)

Step 1:  Prepare Your Chicken:

Place following ingredients in a crockpot-
*1/3 cup of buffalo wing sauce
*3 tbsp milk
*1/2 tsp. season salt
*1 lb. chicken (salted and peppered)

Cook on low 2-3 hours until tender. 

Step 2: Make Buffalo Cream Sauce:

Melt 2 tbsp butter in saucepan on 3-4 level
Add 1 tsp flour and brown, stirring.
Add 1/4 + 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream and stir
Add a couple dashes of garlic powder
Add 3/4 cup of parmesan and 3/4 cup of mozarella
Melt and stir together
Add 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buffalo sauce
     *  This creation is mainly from my own mind, but the base began from a recipe on www.kitchentrialanderror.blogspot.com (Creamy tomatoe pasta:  If you like this sauce, you may also like her pasta dish: :)

Step 3:  Pulling it all together:

*Prepare your crust with olive oil and preheat oven to crust instructions.  (I used one large round the first time I made this pizza, and three small rounds the second time.  Use whatever suits your fam.)
*Pour and spread a layer of the buffalo cream sauce on crust. 
*Scatter the shredded buffalo chicken from crock pot (drained) on the cream sauce.
*Add banana peppers (optional)
*Top with cheddar and mozarella cheese
*Add ranch powder to 1 cup of cream sauce and pour sparingly on cheese

Bake at crust instructions for allotted time.

You know what to do from here :)

P.S.   You may have buffalo cream sauce left over.  Make some pasta and pour cream sauce over!  Oh man, that sounds good.



Saturday, September 22, 2012

Raspberry Truffle Cake in a CuP: To-go Please




Raspberry Truffle Cake Cups (to-go please)

This recipe is for a cake fix,,, that I "fixed" for a church event.  I cannot ever remember to bring a spoon to buffet events, so I made the portions self-service.  Put it in a cup, and no one will need a spoon. Problem solved. 

The layers of cake and such...

-layer of cake
-squirt of buttercream
-spread of raspberry preserves
-layer of cake
-blob of truffle filling
-squirt of buttercream
-layer of cake
-topped with buttercream, raspberry and raspberry preserves

wheeeew! Now that's a buncha layers. But it's simple, once you get the roll of it. So that means you need four elements (three recipes). 

What you will need:

18-24 plastic cups (tall)
1 jar of raspberry preserves
2 pastry bags and tips or sandwich bags with hole for filling
Basic vanilla cakes: suggestions for recipes below
Buttercream:  ingredients below
Truffle Filling:  ingredients below

Vanilla Cake: 

You can use any vanilla cake recipe or boxed cake mix for the recipe.  I use my favorite, by awesome cake decorator, Elisa Strauss (Vanilla Cake Recipe). It's found from The Confetti Cakes Cookbook:  Spectacular cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes. The buttercream can also be from any source, but I recommend a specific one from http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/ButtercreamRecipes.htm  or Kay's Buttercream from CakeCentral.  These are both meringue buttercreams that are high concentrate of butter which makes them crazy good and smooth! 

My Homegrown Basic Buttercream:

3 sticks butter
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup water (hot)
1 1/2 tsp salt
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup powder coffee creamer
1/8 cup corn starch

Beat the butter, then add shortening and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.
Heat the water in the microwave and add salt, powdered sugar, creamer and corn starch.
This will create a paste.  Add the paste to the mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and formed (not runny).  If the buttercream is runny, add sifted powered sugar until thickened.  If it's too sweet, add a small amount of corn starch. 

Truffle fillings are super simple and rich.  It's a simple combination of chocolate, butter and heavy cream.  This filling recipe is a converted version of a truffle recipe I use from www.inspired-by-chocolate-and-cakes.com/chocolate-truffle-filling.html  inspired by Michelle Cake Designs.

Truffle Filling:

3 tbsp unsalted butter in sections
1/2 bag semisweet chocolate chips
about 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate chips and butter in a saucepan, slowly to avoid burning.  When they are completely combined and smooth, add the whipping cream.  Stir until combined and place on counter to cool.  This will harden to a truffle state if refridgerated too long and you don't want it hardened.  You want the filling in a pourable state, but not hot. 

Instructions to pull it all together:

1)  Bake two 11 x15 inch cake pans to regular fill level. You will be slicing horizontally to make the cakes smaller in thickness. 

2)  While they are baking, make your other elements. 
     Open the raspberry preserves and whisk until smooth.
     Create your buttercream and truffle filling.
     Lay out your clear plastic cups.

3)Let the cakes cool.  Then slice with a long bread knife horizonally to make 4 cakes out of your two thick cakes.  I used a large mouth medicine cup for the smallest and it worked well.  Then I found two other larger biscuit cutters or mason jar lids to cut the remainig layers.  Cut out three round cake slices with your tools.    Now, we have to make three cake layers for each cup filled.

4)  Layer the Cake Cups: 
       *Place the smallest cut out of cake in your first plastic cup
       *Squeeze buttercream in piping bag and cover top of the first cake
       *Layer raspberry preserves in a bag and cover top of the buttercream with a thin layer
       *Place another cake circle on top
       *Spoon out a tablespoon of truffle filling on the cake
       *Top with buttercream from piping bag
       *Place last layer of cake
       *Top with buttercream
      *Add a drizzle of raspberry preserves and two raspberries to FINISH !

Repeat until you are out of cake.  **** you may want to use the remainder to make cake balls or chop into small pieces for chocolate dipping squares.  I cannot remember how many cups this filled, but it's probably between 18-22. 



If ya use it, let me know how it went.  If you republish the work, just let people know where they can find my blog.  Thanks !  :)


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Berry Good Cereal Treat Bars

Here GOES... My first posting for this blog.  I'm a person of way too many words when I'm passionate about a particular subject... but if you wanna hear me ramble, this is not the spot.  My other blogs are where I ramble and make some kinda... point.  But not here.  Food IS a passion for me, but I have never understood the point of ramble with food.  When it comes to recipe time... it's time to cook and eat... not ramble.  So, with my recipes, you will not get the "blah blah blah".  You will get the "here it is"!  So I'll stop rambeling... :) My first recipe is..............
BeRRy GoOd CerEaL TreAt BaRs!  Woooo HOOOo!

BeRRy goOd CerEaL TreAt BaRs



1 bag mini marshmallows
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 cups (barely crushed) berry treat cereal
1 large bar of white chocolate or apx. 1/3 bag of white chocolate

It's simple...

Instructions: 

*over low to medium heat, melt the marshmallows and butter.
*remove from heat when melted and add vanilla
*pour in berry cereal
*now... you can either pour into a greased pan and cut into squares OR use a spoon to drop by mounds onto wax paper. 
*after they are a bit formed/hardened...
  melt white chocolate and drizzle over the bars or mounds.

EaT :0