B.A. Gourmet Favorite: BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is the recipe that started it all, the first thing I ever learned to cook for myself in college. I really believe that it's the perfect student meal, based on three outstanding principles. First, it's incredibly easy to make. The ingredient list is minimal and everything is pre-cooked. Second, it's quick. After the first couple times you make it, the entire process shouldn't take much longer than 20 minutes. Third, it's pizza!

BBQ chicken pizza has been a hit with everyone I've made it for. My former roommates have often requested it and gone as far as to purchase the supplies for it. If you are currently in college, do yourself a favor and make this tonight. You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 Boboli Pizza Crust

1 Package of Purdue Short-Cuts Chicken Breast

Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (There's really no reason to ever buy any other brand, trust me)

Shredded Cheese (Mexican Blend)

Optional:

1/4 of an Onion

Small Handful of Sliced Button Mushrooms

Steps/Analysis:

The bare bones recipe is delicious by itself, so, by all means, ignore the onion and mushrooms if you're just getting a handle on the pizza or if you're exceptionally pressed for time. I find, though, that their inclusion really bumps the dish up to a whole different level.

Preheat your oven to 415 degrees. I like to prep the pizza crust by putting it in the oven by itself for about ten minutes. That's going to crisp it up a little bit and make it a firmer foundation for a pile of barbecue goodness to rest upon.

Dice the onion and give the mushrooms a rough chop. Saute together in a little olive oil until the onions are a golden brown and set aside.

In a bowl, deposit your chicken and douse it with the Sweet Baby Ray's. Mix with a fork until each piece has a nice layer of sauce. (When you get good enough, I've found it's actually possible to complete this step right on the pizza crust, so you won't even have to clean a bowl afterwards.)

You can spread the chicken over the crust at this point, but I like to add a base coat of barbecue sauce first. There's no reason to skimp. With your chicken in place, you can spoon the onions and mushrooms on top and then cover everything with fistfuls of shredded cheese.

Place the pizza on a baking dish or pizza stone and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty.

Serving/Notes:

Fight the urge to immediately cut the pie into slices. If you wait a few minutes for everything to set up, the process is going to be much easier and less messy. I like a little hot sauce on my slice, but that's true of just about everything I cook, so suit yourself.

This dish reheats incredibly well the next day, too. As a matter of fact, I think it's pretty tasty cold, out of the fridge as a midnight snack. There's no bad way or time to eat it.

Once you have this basic recipe down, it's easy to play around with it and make all kinds of interesting pizzas. You might remember the Mexican Pizza I wrote about some weeks ago. I've also done a Buffalo chicken pizza that rocks my socks off. I plan on sharing that gem with you next week.

B. A. Gourmet Favorite: Shepherd's Pie

Want to know how to turn $10 into a home-cooked, satisfying meal for 4-5 people? The answer, my friends, is shepherd's pie. I've checked with Webster and this is the definition of comfort food: meat and veggies smothered in mashed potatoes and cheese. Make sure to take note of this recipe; it's a winner!

Ingredients:

1 lb of Ground Turkey

1 Bag of Frozen Mixed Vegetables (16 ounces, more or less)

1 Packet of Instant Mashed Potatoes (enough for approximately 4 servings)

Shredded Cheese*

1 Onion

Parsley

Steps/Analysis:

The first objective is to get the mashed potatoes underway. It's not going to matter if they end up sitting around for a little while, but if you put it off until the end it's going to slow things up a bit. Follow the instructions on the packet/box, but be prepared to have milk, butter, and a sauce pan on hand.

When the potatoes no longer require your undivided attention, put a large pan over medium-high heat. Dice up an onion (depending on the size and your own personal taste, you may only want a half) and start sauteing with a little olive oil. After a couple minutes, add the ground turkey to the pan. Break it up into roughly bite-size pieces with a large spoon or spatula, salt and pepper liberally, and cook until no longer pink. Then, drain off the liquid and return to the stove.

Next, add your veggies, straight from the freezer. Use your best judgment. 16 ounces is probably too much, but it was the most conveniently sized bag at my grocery store. The end result shouldn't be more vegetables than meat, so put any extra back in the freezer. I'm sure you'll find a use for it later. Stir to thoroughly incorporate everything and drop the temperature down to low. You may want to cover the pan with a lid to help the vegetables heat through.

Once that occurs, chop up a small handful of parsley. Add that and a couple handfuls of shredded cheese and stir.

*I didn't specify what type of cheese to use because, in my estimation, it doesn't really matter. The recipes I looked at for reference called for cheddar, but there was a bag of Mexican Mix already in my fridge (as is often the case), so I subbed it in. It worked out fine. I also left the amount vague because people can be particular about cheese.

When the cheese is melted, carefully scoop the contents of your pan into a large casserole dish. Spread it out into a single, even layer and do the same with your potatoes - directly on top of the meaty, cheesy goodness. Sprinkle another handful of cheese on top of the potatoes as well as a little more parsley.

Place the casserole onto the top rack of the oven for 10-15, or until the top layer is just a little crispy.

Serving/Notes:

Side dishes are completely unnecessary. Everything you could possibly want in a meal is in the pie. Shovel out generous portions, add a little salt and pepper, and dig in.

Really, I couldn't be happier with the outcome of this recipe. I might play around with different spices/herbs in future iterations, but otherwise I can't imagine more bang for your buck. This will easily serve four people and (depending on how your supplies are packaged in the grocery store) you may have almost enough supplies to do it all over again.

Shepherd's pie stores and reheats beautifully too. If you're only cooking for yourself, prepare for delicious lunches and left-over dinners for a good three or four days to come.

Ultimate Mexican Pizza

I'll admit in advance that I had been enjoying several margaritas while preparing this dinner. I understand that, because of that, you may be suspicious about this next statement. Mexican Pizza is, quite possibly, the best dish I've ever made for dinner.


Also, please forgive the quality of this post's pictures. They were taken with my phone, rather than my usual camera.


Ingredients:
2 Boboli Pizza Crusts
1 Can Refried Beans
1 1/2 lbs. Ground Turkey
1 Onion
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
Mexican Blend Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes
Black Olives
Jalapenos
Guacamole
Shredded Lettuce


Steps/Analysis:
Preheat the oven to 415 degrees. Put a large pan over medium heat on the stove. Slice the onion into very small pieces; a dice would be even better if you're confident enough in your knife skills. Lightly sautee the onion before adding the ground turkey.


Once the ground turkey is nicely browned and broken up, add the taco seasoning to the pan, according to the directions on the packet.


Around this time, lightly brush the pizza crusts with oil and place them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes. There's going to be a lot of Mexican goodness piled on these crusts, so it's a good idea to crisp them up a bit first. The process gives them a bit more structural integrity. While waiting on the crusts, open up your canned goods and get a couple baking sheets ready for the payload.


Pizza crusts at the ready, spoon on a healthy amount of refried beans and spread it out like tomato sauce. On top of that, apply a thick layer of the ground turkey/onion mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top of everything and put the pizzas back in the oven. Once the cheese is melted and bubbly, they're done. It'll take about 15 minutes or so.



While you're waiting, get your guacamole ready and slice up all your veggies and toppings. Lay them out nicely on a serving plate and mix yourself another drink.


Serving Suggestions:
A layer of guacamole applied on top of the pizza is the best kind of edible glue there is. Press your olives, tomatoes, jalapenos, and lettuce into that delicious mortar and enjoy. If you've done it right, the slice will look incredibly unwieldy. Your crust should handle it nicely, but a fork and knife is always an option if you're scared. Salsa and hot sauce should be invited to the fiesta as well.

B.A. Gourmet Instant Classic: Enchiladas

Since it's going to become very apparant within a few more posts anyway, I may as well fill you in; I have a weakness for Mexican food. Chipotle Mexican Grill is easily one of my favorite restaurants and Taco Bell is my favorite fast food. If there's a burrito on the menu, chances are I'll order it.



As a result, many of my early dinner attempts naturally leaned south of the border. I consider those recipes some of my greatest successes. Case in point, my enchiladas.


Ingredients:
10 8"-10" Tortillas
2 Packages of Purdue Short-Cuts Chicken Breast Strips*
1 Medium-Large Onion
1 Bell Pepper
10 Ounce Can of Enchilada Sauce
16 Ounce Can of Refried Beans
1 Packet of Fajita Seasoning
Shredded Cheese (I prefer a 'Mexican blend' for this and most other applications)
Sliced Olives
Sliced Jalapenos (Canned works well in this recipe)


Steps/Analysis:
A simple sautee: oil in pan over medium heat, sliced onion and bell peppers in pan until slightly browned and just a little soft. You're going to finish everything up in the oven, so you still want them to have enough structure to withstand that.


Dump your chicken and fajita seasoning into the pan. The seasoning packet will have its own instructions for the proper ratio of water to seasoning. Stir to warm the chicken strips and coat with the seasoning mixture.


Find a large, rectangular baking dish (look for something that will fit your rolled up tortillas snugly) and pour half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom. Open up all your cans and packages at this point and arrange them close to the pan and baking dish; there will be some dripping during the preparation.


Enchilada Filling and Rolling Instructions:
1. Spread a thin layer of refried beans onto the center of the tortilla.
2. Spoon chicken, onion, and peppers on across the diameter of the tortilla.
3. Sprinkle on a generous layer of cheese. This is going to help seal everything up and hold it all in place.
4. Place jalapenos and olives on top of the cheese. This is optional and interchangeable, of course, depending on what you like on your Mexican food.
5. Roll and place seam side down in your baking dish.
6. Repeat until you run out of tortillas or space in the dish, whichever comes first.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and cover with another layer of cheese.


Place dish into a 400-415 degree, preheated oven. Everything in your enchiladas is already cooked, so you're really only looking for all the cheese to melt. This should take approximately 10-15 minutes.



Serving Suggestions:
Chips, salsa, and guacamole are always welcome to the party. (Why not use the Spruced-up Guac I told you about a few posts ago?) Hot sauce is good too.


Notes:
Literally no complaints. I got rave reviews from my girlfriend and my family, including a mother who doesn't like heat and a brother who can't stand olives. If you're cooking for people with a taste for Mexican, this will knock it out of the park. This will definitely be a repeat performance.


*Purdue Short-Cuts are a must for any beginning cook. They have about a million uses and come in a variety of flavors. In addition, they cut huge chunks of time out of meal preparation at a reasonable price. Look for these to show up in future recipes.