Spinach Chicken Alfredo Pizza

So, I have a new pizza love in my life!  We have a new local pizzeria that is just outstanding and I took a notion to copy this at home.  Along with some tutoring from Thing #2, I learned to make this tonight and it is a WINNER, WINNER, WINNER - even if I do say so myself!

Here's what you'll need

1 box of Jiffy Pizza Crust Mix
1 cup Alfredo Sauce (I like Classico - any brand is fine)
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 cup of Five Blend Italian Cheese
1 cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken
Two handfuls of baby spinach (rinsed and towel dried)
Seasonings - Garlic Salt, Onion Powder, Oregano, Salt, Pepper
Cooking Spray
4 cups Flour

Start making your dough according to package directions by adding 1/2 cup warm water and whip until well blended (don't judge me for using a mix - it came highly recommended, is inexpensive and I don't have time to sift after work)!  Cover your bowl of dough and let it rest 5 minutes on your cook top while the oven pre-heats to 425*.  Flip the dough out onto a clean and well floured counter top (use about 2 cups of flour).  Knead dough in flour until it starts to set up, make sure you dust your hands with flour as well - this is sticky business!  Add additional flour as needed, you don't want this to stick to your counter top.

I was told by my son, that what makes the crust so good is to cook it on an open hole baking sheet.  I don't happen to have one of those but I do have grill woks that are open hole so I just made two small pizzas and put one in each wok - worked GREAT!  As your dough comes together, just pull it into shape then put it on a well sprayed cooking sheet - or wok :).  Bake just the crust at 425* for 3-5 minutes to get the dough to set.

Remove dough from oven and start adding your ingredients.  I'd cooked my chicken yesterday and seasoned the meat with salt and pepper.  I prefer to boil chicken as opposed to baking it - keeps it more moist.  I'll use the rest of my chicken in another recipe later this week or you can freeze it easily in a zip lock freezer bag.

The first layer is Alfredo sauce (make your own if you just have to - I used a jar and there is more than enough left for another meal in there).  Keep the sauce thin, too much will make your pizza too wet and weigh it down.  Then dab small amounts of Ricotta cheese all around your crust.  Top with 1/4 of the Italian Cheese blend.  Add baby spinach leaves to cover cheese then add chopped chicken.  I added my seasonings on top of the chicken layer, I just very lightly sprinkled with garlic salt, onion powder and just pinch of oregano - no more than a pinch of each will do you well. 

Top the pizza with the remaining Mozzarella and Italian Cheese blend.  I wanted some color on top so I chopped a few more spinach leaves to garnish the top (made it really pretty and I like my food to look pretty - no one likes ugly food!

Bake at 425* for 17-20 minutes until crust is golden brown.  This was WONDERFUL!  It's an easy and quick meal for very little effort and cost.  You probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry anyway so go for it!  I think you'll be glad you did!

You can add onion, or other toppings as desired.  I think I might add shredded Parmesan to my cheese mix on the next round.

Pulled Pork Shepherd's Pie

This recipe caught my eye as we are big fans of good pulled pork!  My style of pulled pork is the Tennessee style, smoked with no sauce.  His style is Kentucky, smoked and covered in sauce.  Somehow, we make a happy medium as he likes my hometown pulled pork and I like the pork bar-b-que here (but I will NOT eat mutton - no way, no how, not ever)!

This is a simple one dish meal that may be just the ticket for this rainy evening.

You'll need:

2 lbs pulled pork
2c bar-b-que sauce
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
3 lbs potatoes (cooked and mashed)
1/2 cup shredded regular Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Velveeta Cheddar cheese

You can smoke a pork shoulder on the grill if you like but the smoker is not my domain so I can't offer any advice on how to do that. The outdoor kitchen is the hubs territory and I'm not about to wander where I don't belong! 

You can also cook a pork loin in your crock pot.  The crock pot is MY tool of choice and I can rock that baby!  Just cover the pork with water and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours then shred it with a fork - season with salt and pepper.  If you're in a hurry, pick up some pulled pork from your favorite bar-b-que joint and you're half finished when you walk in the front door!

Layer the pork on the bottom of a casserole dish.  Cover with two cups of your favorite bar-b-que sauce.  We usually use Allegro bar-b-que sauce from my home town of Paris, Tennessee.  But tonight, I'm using MY Tennessee pulled pork and HIS favorite Kentucky sauce - John's Sweet Heat from Old Hickory Bar-B-Que (this is the sauce that won the Pitmaster's competition last year)!  You'll want plenty of sauce as you do not want dry meat at the bottom of your dish.

Layer the frozen peas and corn on top of the meat.  Top with mashed potatoes (prepare them how ever you normally do).  Mashed potatoes was the very first thing I learned to cook.  I peel and boil my potatoes, drain then mash with an old fashioned masher (I like a few small lumps) then add 1/2 cup evaporated milk and a stick of butter.  I know this isn't low cal but it is delicious. Add salt and pepper then place your mashed potatoes on top of your veggie mix.  If you're in a hurry and don't have to feed more than 4 people, just make it easy on yourself and get the frozen diced potatoes from your frozen food section at the grocery.  Microwave them then add your evaporated milk and butter, salt and pepper.  This takes less than 10 minutes!  These frozen starts to get expensive if you're feeding a large crowd but for 2-4 people, this is an easier way and not any more expensive than the cost of the peel and cook method.

Sprinkle the casserole top with the combined regular and cheddar Velveeta (I really like that brand as it melts so well and does not get stringy.).

Bake at 350* for 40 - 45 minutes.  The sauce will bubble up some and that's a good thing.  I'd place your casserole dish on a baking sheet to spare yourself a messy oven clean up!  You could also divide your ingredients and bake this in individual ramekins (reduce cooking time to 25 minutes).  This is a good solution for a busy family that doesn't eat at the same time. This reheats beautifully so you're good for delayed servings!

As with all meals, adjust this to suite your family's taste.  If I have carrots on hand, I add them to mine.  I might even add baby lima beans as well....I have to use every trick I can to get veggies in the hubs!  You might even bake this in a pie crust to mimic a pot pie for a different twist on this dish!

I'm serving this with a green garden salad and a baguette toasted and buttered. 

This is hearty, wholesome and frankly - darn yummy!  Just enough left over for two lunches!  One for me and one for the hubs!