Veggie Pizza

Oh hello there!  I have totally been neglecting this wittle bloggy baby, but I promise to be better this week!  I feel like sometimes I go through these waves where I'm like "I CAN COOK EVERYDAY", and then there are the lulls where I'm all "Ugh I just want Mac and Cheese for the 3rd time this week".  That's what's been happening and I hope this pizza will make it up to you!

My new favorite thing to do is buy the fresh pizza dough from the deli section of the supermarket.  The rolled pizza dough by Pillsbury is just as yummy, but there is something about the fresh pizza dough and rolling it in flour that makes it feel fancy (to me anyway- there are probably fancier things in life such as caviar, champagne and butlers named Chauncey).  Last week I had a ton of leftover veggies from my Sunday shop and didn't want them to go to waste.  So, when it doubt, make a pizza :)

What you will need to serve 4

For the pizza:

• 1 ball of fresh pizza dough
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of marinara sauce
• 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil

For the veggies - at least 1 cup of the following:

• Zucchini, chopped
• Asparagus, chopped
• Red onion, chopped
• Green pepper, chopped
• Red pepper, chopped
• Corn
• Black beans

Preheat the oven as per the instruction on the pizza dough bag (I think mine said 450 degrees).
**Make sure to let the dough come to room temperature before you are ready to cook!

Prep the veggies by chopping them into small cubes, and mix them together in a large bowl.

Lightly flour the surface where you will be rolling out the pizza dough.  Add the dough to the middle of the surface, and lightly flour the dough.  Using a rolling pin, spread the dough out until your desired pizza shape is achieved (I don't have a pizza stone, so I made the dough fit the baking pan that I was using).

If you are using a baking pan, lightly oil before placing the dough on top.  Spread the marinara sauce on the dough, leaving 1/2 to an inch of space plain for the crust.

Add the mixed veggies, and drizzle on some olive oil.  Add the mozzarella cheese.

Bake as per the package instructions, and serve immediately.

Like all pizza on this fine earth, it tastes just as awesome the next day - or I would imagine - we inhaled the entire thing ;-)

Xoxo

Jillian

Buff-Chicken Pasta

So the the whole buffalo chicken thing is starting to grow on me.  Slowly but surely.  By the way I just tried to spell "surely" as "shirley".  I should probably not have another glass of wine.  Said no one ever.  Heehee :)

Anyway.  Buffalo Chicken.  For me it started as a dip.  Then there were the wings.  THEN there was the pizza.  AND THEN (no "and then"! <--- name that movie!) there was the pawsta pasta!  Brian special requested "something buff-chicken" for our date night dinner (#again), and I didn't want to do the pizza or the wings, so I started pondering.  I wanted a real dinner, but I didn't want something "regular" like pizza, etc.  AND THEN (sorry, last one!) I saw my "One Pot" cookbook by Martha Stewart and was all "I need pasta in my face", even though that cookbook is not all about the pasta.  Oy!  The things that run through my mind on the daily.

I love this dish because there is just enough buffalo chickeneyness.  Not too hot, but spicy enough to feel the kick.

What you will need to serve 4:

• 3/4 pound of rotini pasta
• 1 to 1 1/2 pound of chicken breasts
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of your-choice Buffalo Sauce (depending on your spice tolerance), plus a little more for drizzling later on
• 2 - 8 oz bags of shredded mozzarella cheese (that sounds so much better than saying 1 pound of cheese)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 package of chunky blue cheese

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Cook the pasta as per the package instructions, drain, and set aside.

Chop the chicken into small cubes and season with salt and pepper.  Heat a nonstick pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil, and add the chicken.  When the chicken is just about cooked, add the chopped scallions and the buffalo sauce.  Stir to combine, and turn off the heat once the chicken has finished cooking.  

In a large baking dish, add a thin layer of pasta (around 2 cups) and top with a large handful of mozzarella cheese.  Add some of the blue cheese chunks on top and half of the chicken mixture.  Top with another thin layer of pasta, mozzarella, and blue cheese.  Add the last half of the chicken mixture, and the remaining mozzarella and blue cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown AND THEN stuff yo face.

Xoxo

Jillan

Screen Capcha Friday

As I scroll through Instagram/Facebook on the hourly daily, I find myself screen shotting things that make me LOL, things that make me get a little teary, and things that I screen shot and immediately send to Boyfriend with a "please buy me onneeeeeeee" text (it's usually a puppy FYI).  Here are a few screen shots, or screen caps as I call them, that I had in my Camera Roll this week.

Snap Chat from Brian - I HATEEE when he does thisss!!

So facked

Me when I'm a mom, according to Brian - he may not be wrong 

How I feel when I stub my toe.  This account is AMAZING by the way.

The caption made me laugh :)

So true!

So pretty!!

Have a great weekend!!

Jillian

Cold Brew Iced Coffee

Are you one of those people that drinks iced coffee all year long?  Even if there's 45 feet of snow on the ground and you just spent all day shoveling said snow?

I am a drink iced coffee in the spring/summer and hot coffee in the fall/winter kinda gal, BUT this coffee may make me think twice about having zero iced coffee during the colder months.

Let me just say first, there is a HUUGEEE difference between cold brew iced coffee and hot coffee that you let cool and pop in the fridge/ hot coffee that you pour over ice.  Cold brew coffee is stronger, not watered down, and deeliciousss.  In my opinion, hot coffee that has been iced is bitter and doesn't provide the kick that I look for in the AM.  The only downside of cold brew coffee is that it takes about 12 hours total to prep, BUT I PROMISE that it is #worthit.

What you need:

• 1 cup of whole coffee beans
• 5 cups of cold water

Coarsely grind the coffee beans and place into a large bowl.  Add the water.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.  When you are ready to drink, pour the coffee through a coffee filter once or twice (depending on how many grinds get through).  Prep the coffee to your liking and draaaank!!!

If you are feeling fancy, set some coffee aside and make coffee ice cubes :)

The coffee Gods are shining dowwnnn

Cawfeeeeee <3 <3

Xoxox

Jillian

Fried Zucchini

In an effort to demonstrate some self control last night, I told myself that before I could have ice cream, I needed to eat some sort of vegetable.  I had a bridal shower earlier in the afternoon and lunch was a little late, so I wasn't in the mood for a full meal - just a little snackie.

These little nuggets take about 30 seconds to make and only a few ingredients.  By  the way, does it count as a vegetable if they're fried?

Yes.  The answer is yes.

What you will need to serve 2:

• 2 zucchinis
• Salt, pepper and garlic for seasoning
• Olive oil

Cut the zucchinis into 1/4 inch slices.  In a nonstick pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil, and allow to heat for about 30 seconds.  Lay the slices down in an even layer, and season with the salt, pepper and garlic.  Allow to cook for 5 minutes, or until golden brown, then flip, seasoning the other side.  You may need to cook the zucchini in batches depending on the size of your slices.

Serve immediately.

See?! Super Simple Stupid.  Now go have some ice cream!

Xoxo

Jillian