Monthly Archives: April 2010

BBQ Chicken Pizza

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Is it summer yet?

Until today (when the temp dropped a whole lot) it was starting to feel like summer. Beautiful weather, running down by the mall (dodging tourists) and long fun days with the bf.  (Of course, my idea of summer will be completely different this year since I’m out of school.)

So with the windows open and the sounds of Dupont flooding in, some of Sam Adam’s Summer Ale, and the Caps game on in the background, I made BBQ chicken pizza for dinner last night. And it tasted like summer.

Drumsticks smothered in BBQ sauce are one of my most memorable summer flavors. I even love that it’s sticky and gets all over your hands when you eat one. Add some corn on the cob and iced tea, and the whole family eating outside….just perfect.

I wanted to channel those flavors and make a fun weekend dinner that goes well with the lovely weather and sports watching night ahead. (We even watched the 6.5 hour Mets game!) I’ve made this pizza before, but I did it better this time around, and it was really good. I definitely think it’s important to use the three types of cheeses…and a lot of them. And I love the sweetness of the caramelized onions.

Are you anticipating summer with certain foods?

BBQ Chicken Pizza

  • 1 Trader Joe’s pizza dough – or make your own, but how can you resist stocking up on these?
  • About 1 lb chicken breast
  • 1 yellow onion, cut into slices (gave this job to the bf, ha)
  • A lot of cheese! I used mozzarella, cheddar and pepper jack
  • BBQ Sauce
  1. Preheat oven to 425°
  2. Roll out pizza dough on to a baking sheet. Mine turned out more square, than round
  3. Cover chicken in BBQ sauce and grill over medium heat, until cooked through.
  4. Sautée the onion slices until caramelized.
  5. Drizzle a little BBQ sauce on the pizza dough and spread out evenly for a thin layer.
  6. Cut the chicken into bite sized-chunks and arrange evenly on pizza dough.
  7. Sprinkle the cheese on top, then add the caramelized onions.
  8. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

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Fancycakes

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Most friends would get you alcohol for your 21st birthday…tie a big pink bow around a bottle of vodka. My best friends got me a cupcake stand. With little pink bows tied to it.

Oh cupcake stand, how I love you. You turned my cupcakes into art.

Two years have passed and girls, don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE my first cupcake stand. But I’ve graduated. I’m in the big leagues now. Because for my 23rd birthday, I got this cupcake stand…

And no, it’s really not a chandelier…and, this is art in itself! (Don’t you feel like trumpets should be playing in the background?) Now I just have to deal with the pressure that my cupcakes will have to be as elegant and beautiful as the stand….and find some royalty to come over and eat from it. I’m in the new business of making fancycakes.

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Mad for Mad Mac

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I have to be honest. I didn’t love my first French macaron…possibly because it was rose flavored, which tasted like eating perfume. But it has been two years since I studied abroad in Paris for a semester and had that first macaron, standing outside Ladurée on the busy Champs-Élysées so the memory of the popular cookie has faded.

For my birthday this weekend, my mom gave me two boxes of macarons from Mad Mac, an “authentic French madeleine and macaron” company based in NJ. Biting into a hazelnut one, I remembered immediately what I learned to love about the delicate and sweet cookies in Paris. They actually aren’t too expensive ($18 for a box of 12) and I think they’re totally worth it if you aren’t up to trying to make them yourself. I loved the hazelnut, but the lemon and vanilla were also fantastic. (Also, I have to note that they’re gluten free, which is great for my friends over at Delight!)

I’m officially mad for macs again. (Watch out French Twist DC!) Have you had a Mad Mac? What do you think?

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The Best Birthday Cake

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Thank you Martha. Thank you, thank you. For my most incredible birthday cake ever. Weeks ago, my mom asked what kind of cake she should make for my birthday. It fell on Easter this year, so even though I knew there would be plenty of cheesecake and peanut butter eggs, I couldn’t say no to my absolute favorite food…chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. My mom baked Martha Stewart’s one bowl chocolate cake and I frosted it with her best chocolate frosting (halved this recipe).

So rich and creamy and just simply chocolately amazing.

Go make it right now.

I’ll be eating leftovers for breakfast, lunch, dinner, middle of the night snack for the rest of the week.

YUM.

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Easter Basket Tablescape

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Ok, I don’t like using the word tablescape. Reminds me too much of Sandra Lee. But still, I had so much fun creating this dessert table for Easter. Most everyone who got an Easter “basket” was between 15 and 30 years old, but it was still a cute way to send everyone back (to college or DC) with some sweets. I separated the colorful candies into different glass bowls and printed garden “stakes” with their names on them. Of course, the dyed eggs were the center of it all. I’d love to get the chance to do more things like this more often! Check out the photos below.

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