BBQ Chicken Flatbread

You know that feeling of utter and complete relaxation? When your muscles are loose and your nerves have taken a vacation? Well that feeling hasn't payed me a visit in quite sometime. Basically if you live with anxiety that feeling never really comes until you have two or three days of absolutely no responsibility, living in a cave, netflix marathoning bliss. But who has that luxury? I love having alone time with my favorite shows, a great meal that I just made, a nice beer and snuggling with my cat. This is how I unwind, this is how I feel relaxed. Call it introverted, or socially awkward, or what have you. I honestly just don't care, I'm still coping with Bowie and Rickman dying.

Ingredients (for one pizza):

• 1 flatbread
• 4-5 tbsp your choice of BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cooked chicken, cut into strips
• a handful of shredded mozzarella 
• 1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/8 cup thinly sliced and sautéed red onion

I'm in the mood for some good 50's vocalists. June Christy is over looked a lot, probably because she lived amongst the Ella's and Judy's of the world, but the girl can hold her own. So here's one of my favorite Duke Ellington songs, performed by the lovely Mrs. Christy.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread BBQ sauce on flatbread
3. Add your chicken and onion evenly over the flatbread.
4. Sprinkle your cheese on top, then bake for 8-10 minutes or until flatbread is crispy.
5. When cooling, add your cilantro and slice the flatbread.
6. Serve!

Happy Eatings Everyone!

Gin and Jam

I have been knee deep in prerequisites. That is, I have started school and it's been a tad overwhelming. It's been four years since I was a student and I am learning to be in a classroom again. All I know is that it's about time, my dreams of becoming a teacher are about to become a reality. In the meantime, I will try not to leave you dangling without delicious new things to try! I found this recipe and knew instantly that I did not have all the ingredients but that I wanted it right away. So I improvised and think I stumbled upon something just as good. Let's do this thing.

Ingredients (makes one drink):

• 2 oz gin
• 4 oz tonic
• 1 tbsp blueberry jam
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

I have been listening to almost too much Motown lately, I say almost because there's no such thing as too much. Sing it Jackie! Love cooking/shakin' drinks to this. 

Directions:

1. In a martini shake, shake all of your ingredient together.
2. Strain drink of any jam bits that are in there.
3. Pour over ice.
4. Serve!

Happy and Safe Drinking Everyone!

Gingerbread Cheesecake Balls

Holy cow, it's been a whirlwind the past three weeks. Sinus infections, last minute gifts, power outages on Christmas, no heat, a crap ton of snow, ect. It's all been fun winter but can you give it a rest? If these events have reminded me of anything it's that sometimes things just don't go as planned or the way we wanted them to go. The holiday season is not something I take lightly and when you're forced to have christmas morning by candlelight because the power is out you just have to think 'se la vie', and enjoy the fact that you get to have yet another beautiful morning with the people you love.

Something sweet to keep us upbeat!

Christmas Morning :)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup cool whip
• 1 tbsp gingerbread coffee creamer
• 1 cup ginger snap cookies crushed into crumbs (set aside)
• wax paper

I just need some good old fashioned nitty gritty music to help ease the anxiousness:

Directions:

1. Line a 9X13 pan with wax paper.
2. Mix with an electric beater the cream cheese, sugar, cool whip and creamer. 
3. Pour into your lined pan. Freeze for 1 to 2 hours.
4. After freezing start scooping the mixture into little balls and roll them in the ginger snap crumbs.
5. Freeze them again or serve right away. Take them out 30 minutes before you want to serve if you're re-freezing. 
6. I also found that if you just wanted to skip the freezing and making them into bites, you could just mix everything together and serve as a dip with graham cracker!

Happy Eatings Everyone!