Breakfast Pizza

Ummmm, it’s the end of May. How did this happen?

It’s been nearly a month since my last blog post. A MONTH! I didn’t intend to take a break, but May happened, that’s what.

My beautiful state decided it would thaw out this month. It was a loooooong winter. I bet you can agree if you’ve been following my posts and listening to (or is it reading about?) me gripe about it. But I survived my first South Dakota winter! I scooped boat loads of snow. I rocked a down, to-the-calf-length coat with a fur-lined hood on a daily basis. I endured frozen nose hairs walking through the grocery store parking lot. And I lived to tell the tale.

So what has May been like?

I can see my grass, my beautiful green grass. My neighborhood trees are covered with pink and white blossoms. Grape hyacinths and tulips are blooming everywhere. The sun rises before 6:00 and sets after 9:00, which means long, glorious days. Temperatures are perfect. My biggest dilemma is deciding whether or not to wear a sweatshirt on our evening walk. I know. Life problems.

May has been incredible.

So what has my family been up to? This month we traveled to Nebraska twice. The first visit was for a high school graduation. I used to babysit the graduate, and her family is great friends of my family. I seriously can’t believe I’m old enough that kids I babysat are now adults. So weird. And if that’s not weird enough, the second trip to Nebraska was spent reconnecting with my old classmates at our 10-year reunion. We met at a townie bar in our county, and I had so much fun. And yes, we did talk about how impossible it seemed that 10 years has passed since receiving our diplomas from good ol’ Fillmore Central High School.

On Mother’s Day, we welcomed a black lab puppy, Ruby Mae, to the family. Ruby is a great addition; we all love her. She is growing before our eyes, and the boys are learning to deal with a rapidly changing puppy. She enjoys running with (chasing now) Garrison, and she and Kase share an interest in sidewalk chalk, although I’m certain for different reasons. We are so thankful she is a well-behaved puppy. She still has her puppy-ness, but overall she is a calm girl who loves a good belly rub and wants nothing more than to sit on your feet/lap/wherever on your body she can. She’s going to be a great family dog.

Now that’s it finally spring, we have enjoyed many outings to our neighborhood parks. We have visited a local lake and had a picnic. So pretty. We have explored our town’s walking trails. They are perfect for a little boy who now has a big-boy bike and wants to practice his new skills.

But enough about us. How about this pizza? You already know about my family’s love of pizza. I’ve had this Breakfast Pizza in my blog-pocket for some time now, and it would be selfish not to share it.

This pizza has amazing flavor. Between the sausage, green chiles and cream cheese, it’s simply irresistible. So irresistible that we can polish off this bad boy in one sitting. And I’m not ashamed to admit it. And know that I won’t judge you if you do the same.

My favorite sausage, medium-spiced ground pork sausage, is sold by the pound. What I like to do is fry all the sausage, just as I cook ground beef, and drain the excess grease. I freeze half the sausage, and I use the other (warm) half for the pizza. The next time I get a craving for this pizza, all I need to do is thaw the sausage. So easy, and it is definitely a time-saving method.

I will try to post regularly again. I’ve been cooking and baking some great things, and I need to share them with you. I also have an idea for a blogging series that is just too fun and so me. I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Stay tuned!

Breakfast Pizza
Ashley’s Recipe Box

Recipe for your favorite pizza dough (for a 12-14 inch pizza)
1/2 pound pork sausage, any spice level
1 cup frozen hash browns, thawed
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into small cubes
4 oz. can diced green chiles, drained
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/8 tsp. ground pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. In a large pan, cook the sausage and drain. On a pizza pan or baking sheet, top the pizza dough with sausage. Sprinkle the dough with hash browns and green chiles. Place cream cheese cubes evenly over hash browns. Top with the shredded cheese. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over the pizza. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese and eggs are browned on top. Makes one 12-14 inch pizza.

Dijon-Herb Chicken Breasts

I’m a mustard girl. I’ve always been that way. There’s no room for ketchup on a hot dog. And mustard on my fries? Oh yes. Eric Church was onto something there. So now that you know my love affair with mustard, it totally makes sense why I am obsessed with this chicken.

Dijon-Herb Chicken Breasts are so flavorful, delicious, and mustard-y. Yes, mustard-y is totally a word. At least it is today.

The ingredients come together effortlessly—I do not lie—to create a tangy, creamy sauce that pairs so wonderfully with chicken. Dijon mustard, cream cheese, chicken broth, canola oil, a garlic clove and fresh parsley are whisked together. The sauce is poured over chicken breasts, and it is baked.

Whoa. Talk about easy. You know that I’m all about easy meals. Things can get a liiiiiitle crazy around here, so the easier, the better. I’m sure you know exactly what I mean.

I’m always on the hunt for easy and delicious recipes that are perfect for taking to a friend on the mend. Dijon-Herb Chicken Breasts is one of those recipes. Serve this chicken with some hot, buttery vegetables and dinner rolls, and it’s a fantastic meal.

Enjoy!

Dijon-Herb Chicken Breasts
Adapted from: French’s

1 to 1-1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
4 oz. cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
6 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, roughly sliced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. canola oil

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Butter or spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Lay chicken breasts in the dish.

In a medium bowl, warm the cream cheese in the microwave until it can be stirred smooth. Add mustard, garlic and parsley and whisk until well incorporated. Add chicken broth and oil and continue whisking until the ingredients are blended. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180F degrees. Using a spoon, gently stir the sauce and spoon over the chicken. Serves 4-6.

BLT Pizza

Ok, I’m thinking warm thoughts here. And I’m thinking reeeeeally hard. Summer. Oh, summer.

Winter storm Walda has decided to rear her ugly head. When I went to bed last night, I could see my yard. Like, all of it. The grass was even beginning to green. We planted asparagus in our garden on Sunday. And then…

I woke up to sleet/snow pelting our windows and over an inch of the white stuff on the ground. The boys and I about got leveled this morning walking through the grocery store parking lot on our quest to get milk. And those thick, frosted sugar cookies. We definitely needed those. Garrison, my three-year-old, told me so. I’m sure you can agree with him that cookies are a necessity.

We’re expected to get 14 inches of snow. 14! It’s spring. It’s April. I’m over it.

Enter, BLT Pizza. It’s summer on a plate, and it’s delicious. And it’s perfect for telling a winter storm, who shall remain nameless from here on out, to take a hike.

You already know about my family’s love of pizza when I shared with you my Simple Pizza Dough recipe. Pizza is such a fun food, and I love that the end result is whatever you want it to be. My tastes and mood drive how much of each ingredient I put on the dough.

You can use whatever pizza dough you prefer. Slather the dough with your favorite ranch dressing. Then layer the bacon pieces and Colby jack cheese on top and bake it until bubbly and nicely browned. Pretty easy so far.

After the pizza is out of the oven, top it with chopped, leafy greens and diced tomatoes. Sprinkle on grated Parmesan cheese. Still easy, right?

Then close your eyes, take a bite, and imagine it’s 80 degrees outside. Yelling at the chaos out the window is completely optional. I might or might not be speaking from experience.

BLT Pizza
Ashley’s recipe box

Recipe for your favorite pizza dough (for a 12-14 inch pizza)
1/2 cup to 1 cup of your favorite ranch dressing
8-10 strips of bacon, cooked and in pieces
1 cup cup shredded Colby jack cheese
1 cup to 1-1/2 cups chopped lettuce
2 medium Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Top the pizza dough with ranch dressing. Layer bacon and cheese on top of the dressing. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is slightly browned.

Remove from the oven and top with lettuce and tomatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes one 12-14 inch pizza.

Spicy Peanut Spring Vegetables and Noodles

You know what’s not fun?

A teething toddler. Oh, man. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it’s the worst. For nearly the past two months, little Kase hasn’t been his goofy-smiley self. He’s in pain, and it’s making him irritable. And clingy. And tired. And hungry.

And it’s making me irritable. And clingy. And tired. And hungry. Except the difference between Kase and me is that I actually eat when I’m hungry.

My poor husband.

It’s amazing how kids are so different. When Garrison got his 2-year molars, we had no clue. Sure, we brushed his teeth. Well, as good as you can for a small but chompy child. We just didn’t study the back of his mouth. So when the dentist shared that his molars were in, we were happy surprised.

So you can imagine our sad surprise when we realized Kase has a bad, bad case of molar teething. After ruling out double-ear infections (which he is prone to getting), we accepted this teething business. We are trying our best to power through it and find the good. Sooooo…

You know what is fun?

Finding in-season asparagus at the grocery store! I know I said we are trying our best to find the good, but I can assure you that fresh asparagus is not a stretch. I love this time of year. To me, fresh asparagus exudes spring. I am craving spring more than ever this year. With at least nine inches of snow still on the ground, I’ll take whatever I can get. I’ll take asparagus.

Spicy Peanut Spring Vegetables and Noodles is an excellent dish that incorporates fresh asparagus. It also includes other vibrant vegetables, so it’s a visually appetizing. Julienned red peppers and shaved carrots add great color. The secret to shaving carrots is using a vegetable peeler; just run the peeler over the carrot, and voila! Perfect carrot ribbons.

The spicy peanut sauce is so good. And so spicy. You might remember that I have a thing for spicy peanut sauces (and in case you don't remember, check out my Spicy Peanut Chicken Cups). If spicy sauces aren't your thing, cut back on the jalapeno. I should make a note about the sauce. It will thicken, so don’t panic if it seems liquid-y. Be patient. Let it boil. Stir it frequently. It will happen!

This post wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory jalapeno warning. I just love cooking with jalapenos. I can’t get enough of their spice! When you chop them up, wear gloves and be extra-careful. I would suggest that if you do cut them without gloves, don’t rub your eyes. Or pick your nose. At least for awhile. Ouch.

If you are trying to find any sign of spring you can, I hope buying asparagus and making Spicy Spring Vegetables and Noodles does the trick. And if you’re dealing with a teething toddler, would you like to start a support group?

Spicy Spring Vegetables and Noodles
Adapted from: Taste of Home

Spicy Peanut Sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp. lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp. brown sugar

6 oz. thin spaghetti
18 asparagus spears, cut into 1” pieces
1 red pepper, julienned
1 medium carrot, shaved
1/3 cup green onions, sliced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Dry roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish

In a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, jalapenos, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken. Turn the burner off, but keep the saucepan on the burner to stay warm.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté asparagus and red pepper in oil for 6-8 minutes. Add carrots and green onions to the asparagus mixture; sauté for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are crisp-tender.

Drain pasta, toss with vegetable mixture and sauce. Garnish with dry roasted peanuts, if desired. Serves 4.