What's for Dinner? BBQ Chicken Pizza, Roast Beef, Sandwiches, Chiles Rellenos, Apple Pie

I've been slackin' on my "What's for Dinner" posts. I've been cooking {honest!} and I've been pretty darned good about taking pictures, just not so good about posting about it! So here is a mash-up post of a few of our past dinners.

First up is homemade Pizza. Yum! {I love Pizza, who doesn't?} It's really super easy if you keep those little packets of pizza dough mix on hand (they're like $0.50 a packet and can be found near the spaghetti sauce, all you do is add water.) I like to use 2 packets for my smallest pizza pan (I think it's a 12-incher) otherwise it's really thin.


I hate to brag {ok not really, I like to brag... sometimes} but I make a good BBQ chicken pizza. Or so I've been told by a wonderful couple that used to own a restaurant {I'm talking about the Hawks, for my TN peeps.} Ok so you use some KC Masterpiece Original BBQ sauce {accept no substitutions!!!} then top with some cooked chicken, add some chopped onion (white or red, I'd say about a 1/4 cup) , and top with cheese (I like the Mexican blend) - Yum! Then bake as directed on the pizza crust package. I think I added mushrooms this time, just cause I had them lying around.

About cooked chicken
Anytime a recipe calls for cooked chicken I cook it this way: boil in a pot of water, add 1/4 to a 1/2 small onion (no need to chop it so you can easily scoop it out later) and add salt to taste. When your chicken is cooked remove the chicken and wither chop or gently pull apart with your fingers to use in your recipe. I like to use my fingers to pull it apart because you tend to get more volume this way and therefore need less chicken per recipe. Throw away the onion from the broth and store the broth in the fridge or you can even freeze it for use in your recipes.


Up next is Roast Beef Sandwiches with a spicy Horseradish sauce, oh and tomatoes too!
This is your typical roast beef sandwich but it is taken to the next level with a horseradish sauce and fresh tomatoes. My husband mixes it up but it is similar to this recipe here.


Next we go to Mexico for some awesome Chiles Rellenos. I make mine using Chiles Poblanos and stuff them with Queso Fresco.
I found these 2 recipes if you want to give it a try (recipe 1, recipe 2). I don't use a recipe I just make them the way my mami taught me! The sauce is processed in the blender and consist of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and seasoned with salt, cumin, oregano, and pepper.

An easy way to peel the peppers is to put them under the broiler and turn them every couple of minutes until the start popping and fizzing, then turn them every 30 seconds until they are uniformly blistered. Pull them out and peel the skin with your fingers. Then make a slit down one side and (using gloves) under running water pull out the seeds and veins so they aren't so spicy!


Lastly we have Apple Pie {no we didn't actually have Apple pie for dinner, very very tempting, and one day we might make Apple pie for dinner, we did have cake for dinner one night though!} So I know nothing about making pie, I think this was only the 2nd time I've ever made Apple pie. Honestly it wasn't that hard! I did use the Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust to save some time and that made it a breeze.


I hit a roadblock before I even started making my pie! I was at the store and they had like 10 varieties of Apple on sale. Not knowing a thing about apple pie {I know better now} I chose Gala Apples! Once I came home and looked on the internet I learned that Gala apples aren't considered very good for apple pies. Doh! They tend to be too juicy once you cook them so your pie doesn't set up and the bottom crust doesn't hold up. Or so I read, but look at this beautiful Gala Apple Apple Pie!!!


The fix? {cause I was too lazy to go back to the store for 'better apples"} I used cornstarch instead of flour in the filling recipe and doubled the amount called for (I dissolved it in a tiny amount of water.) It came out perfect! And look at that flaky crust. The secret? Brush the crust with milk before baking, cover the edges of your pie with aluminum foil strips and remove the aluminum 15 minutes prior to the end of baking. this will keep your edges from burning to a crisp (or use one of those handy dandy pie crust shields.) This pie wasn't as sweet as other pies I've had which was a plus for me, not as sweet but still sweet though.

Look I even made little cute-sie hearts!

So, you hungry yet? What have you been cookin' up lately?