Tag Archives: pizza

Spring Break Eats ~ Shrimp Po’ Boys & Orange Cilantro Coleslaw

Well, we definitely didn’t starve over Spring Break.

We finally went to Toppers Pizza and managed to eat there 4 times in 5 days. I’m addicted to the salad bar, but the pizza is fabulous, too! We took Jay there yesterday for lunch as he was unable to join us in our numerous earlier visits.

During Lent we don’t eat meat on Fridays so we enjoyed a roasted garlic, fresh roma tomato & mushroom pie…

pizza

Like, WOW! Like I could never eat meat again, WOW.

I like the pizza because it is thin, but not too thin and the crust is crispy and not too doughy. They also have a nice, fresh salad bar and a different selection of dressings like maple vinaigrette and chipotle ranch.

Last night for dinner we needed something meat-free, too. While Elliott & I were getting our toes done {finally!?!} I watched an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives and witnessed Guy Fieri inhale a shrimp po’ boy. Bingo. Our dinner idea was taken care of. I had also gotten a recipe from my chef friend, Leslie, for some Orange Cilantro Coleslaw that I’d been dying to try and thought it’d go well with the po’ boys.

When Googling the sammies, I got a little overwhelmed with several recipes and finally just went with Rachael Ray’s version for the shrimp and another one for the remoulade. I used cornmeal rather than the bread crumbs. I had originally wanted Jay to grill the shrimp to make them a little healthier, but then I figured I’d try the traditional way first and then if they were a hit, I’d try to health-ify them the next time around.

Let me just say, they were a TOTAL hit.

poboy2

I ended up kind of making up by own remoulade ~ mayo, spicy brown mustard, lemon juice, sweet relish & Tabasco. Just dump all those things in a bowl, stir it up and spread some on your rolls before building your sandwich. I also used some super fresh Sara Lee French Rolls that were perfect for this. I heated them up slightly under the broiler first, too.

Here is how to prepare the shrimp:

Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, deveined
Salt
1/2 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal or bread crumbs
2 tablespoons seafood seasoning a couple of palm fulls (recommended: Old Bay) —–> I used cajun seasoning

Preheat 1-inch of oil in a deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. —–> I used about half that and it was plenty {shallow fry}

Pull shells & tails off shrimp. Beat egg and milk together. Salt shrimp then soak in milk batter. Mix together the flour, cornmeal or bread crumbs and seafood seasoning in a bowl. Using tongs, remove a few shrimp at a time and coat in breading. Add breaded shrimp to the hot oil and fry them 5 to 6 minutes or until firm and deeply golden all over. Place on a paper towel lined plate.

Spread some sauce onto your rolls followed by some lettuce and tomato slices. Add several shrimp and you have yourself a taste of Louisiana.

So good.

poboy1

Orange Cilantro Coleslaw 

{ recipe courtesy of Leslie Babikan by way of Jo Lafferty 😉 }

1/4 cup fat free plain yogurt {I used Greek}

1/4 cup light mayo

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup orange juice {I used the juice of one orange and the zest, too}

3 tbsp. white vinegar {I used rice vinegar}

1 1/2 tsp. honey

7 cups shredded green cabbage

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup chopped red onion

salt & pepper to taste

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients for dressing. Add cabbage, carrot and onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to blend flavors.

So light and summery. I love different variations on coleslaw and will be making this lots.

Thanks, Leslie!

Thanks, Rachael!

Thanks, Toppers!

Because of you all, our Spring Break eats were super great.

Back to eating bananas, yogurt, kale smoothies, grilled chicken and boring salads.

And drinking more water.

Papa John’s Copycat ~ Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I love buffalo chicken anything.

Yes, I do love going to Hooter’s for some HOT boneless buffalo wings, fried pickles and a cold beer or two.

Julie instagrammed a Papa John’s buffalo chicken pizza one evening and I immediately knew a large flat box housing one of these would make it’s way through our front door not too soon after that.

Enter the day before our mud run and an excuse to carb load…

It was yum.

I can or cannot say if the carbs in it helped or hindered my performance in the mud run, but that’s not important.

Weeks later, my friend Richelle, made one on a Boboli crust and also tormented her followers by posting it on IG.

Last night I grabbed the essentials and whipped one up for us…

Here’s what you’ll need on your shopping list:

Refrigerated pizza dough in a tube, Trader Joe’s awesome dough, or a Boboli or the like {I used the [compare to Boboli] thin crust two to a package brand from Albertson’s}

Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing

Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce

Mozzarella or cheese of choice {I used half mozz and half colby jack}

Cooked chicken, chopped {I used 4 grilled tenderloins}

Red onion slices

Tomato, chopped

Blue Cheese crumbles

Cilantro, chopped

Spread about a tablespoon each of dressing and Frank’s sauce onto your pizza dough. {If you use a dough that is not already cooked, please follow directions on package before adding your toppings and follow cooking instructions} I was trying to keep it semi-low cal, but you can add as much or as little {sauce} as the base to your pizza. Then add your cheese. I used about 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup colby jack…again as much or as little cheese as you wish. Scatter the red onion, tomato and whatever other veggies you’d like to include. Toss the chicken in a little more Frank’s sauce and then spread it around. Add just a bit of blue cheese crumbles before popping in the oven. I baked ours for about 8 minutes based on package directions. Remove from oven and drizzle with more Frank’s and/or Ranch and sprinkle with cilantro confetti before slicing and enjoying!

Wish I could say I only ate these two pieces…….

Pizza Explosion

Hi friends!

Since I haven’t blogged in a million years, I thought I’d post a fun little recipe to make up for my absence.

PoP Up PiZzA

It’s a unique take on things and is the cousin of the Bubble Up Enchilada.

First grab the ingredients shown above: package buttermilk biscuits {10}, your favorite pizza toppings {I used 4 ounce bag mini turkey pepperonis, 2 red peppers, 1/2 onion, 8 ounces white mushrooms, 6 garlic cloves}, 15 ounce can pizza sauce {I had a little extra leftover in the fridge that I added in}, 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.

Chop your veggies of choice and sauté in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes…

While those are cooking, cut your 10 biscuits into quarters, like this…

Add the sauce and stir…

Add the pepperonis, biscuits and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and mix gently…

Spray your 9X13 pan and dump mixture in. Bake in a 350* oven for 25 minutes. Remove, sprinkle with another 3/4 cup mozzarella and place back in over for 10 more minutes.

{makes about 6 servings}

Top with a dusting of parmesan cheese and serve!

*****

It’s delish…as the biscuits cook, they puff up and act as the crust. There are so many different options here ~ just be sure whatever meat you use is cooked first!

I’m thinking next time I want to try the TJ’s garlic and herb pizza dough and drop that in instead of the biscuits for added flavor.

Enjoy!

Wanna Be CPK ~ BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

Always trying to duplicate the Original BBQ Chicken Salad from California Pizza Kitchen…

This will just have to do ~

1 bag romaine, chopped into smaller pieces

1/2 of a rotisserie chicken {or leftover chicken}, cooled and chopped

1/4-1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup {or so} sweet white corn {I use frozen, thawed}

1/4 cup shredded cheese {I used Mexican blend, light}

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped

Chopped cilantro {however much you like ~ we like A LOT}

1/2 of an avocado, sliced or chopped

red onion, finely chopped {optional}

Squeeze of lime {optional}

Dressing:

I just mix a little store bought light ranch and some bbq sauce and toss!

{You can also get fancy and drizzle bbq sauce over the salad like CPK does, but the brand I bought wasn’t a squeeze bottle and I didn’t want to over-do the sauce/dressing}

They have a new Caramelized Peach Salad that I will try to recreate soon!

*****

Nighty Night!

A Little Bubbly

Wanted to share this random meal that I made over the weekend…

Bubble Up Enchiladas!

Apparently these were all over Pinterest at one point or another, but I stumbled upon them on a little blog, but I cannot for the life of me remember where…

If sweet, cinnamonny monkey bread were to have a savory cousin, I think this would be it.

Again, completely random, but they were yummy. I added some sautéed onions, red peppers and garlic to the ground turkey to get some veggies in there.

Just brown a package of ground turkey along with some chopped onion, peppers and garlic {if you wish}. Once the meat is browned, add an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and a 10 ounce can of enchilada sauce. Cut your biscuits {10 buttermilk ~ I couldn’t find reduced fat ones, but Ralphs brand buttermilk biscuits are like 2 grams of fat for 3 biscuits so I was good with that} into quarters so you have 40 little bits o biscuit and throw it in with the meat/veggie/sauce mixture. At this point I added 3/4 cup of grated low fat Mexican blend cheese and reserved the other 3/4 cup for the top which I added the last 10 minutes of baking. Mix the biscuits and cheese thoroughly with the meat and then pour into a casserole dish sprayed with PAM or the equivalent and back at 350* for 25 minutes ~ remove, add the other 3/4 cup cheese and put back in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve with a small green salad, additional veggie or fruit.

Makes 6 servings. Believe it or not, this is a Weight Watcher recipe. I believe it’s 8 points/serving on the new point system, but don’t quote me on this.

I’m going to try a {Bubble Up Pizza} but substitute the ground turkey with turkey pepperoni, replace the enchilada sauce with pizza sauce, use low fat grated mozzarella and add lots of veggies like mushrooms, onions, peppers.

Should be interesting, but I will report back….

Hope your Monday is {bubbling} with good things!

XO

Percentages

100% of our out-of-town guests have arrived.

90% of our gift shopping has been achieved.

25% of the food shopping for the next 3 days has been completed.

Absolutely 0% of the 90% of the gifts have been wrapped.

That leaves lots of stuff to do today!

Factor in a haircut for Elliott, 4pm mass and 11 guests for lasagna dinner tonight.

Jay will get the turkey in the brine and help Santa by picking up a surprise for under the tree…

Coffee is brewing.

Lots of it.

*****

Night One was a success with Ameci’s pizza and Sonoma Salad : Chardonnay and Blue Moons : A plate of Italian Wedding Cookies, macaroons, jam thumbprint cookies and saltine toffee.

And Toy Story 3.

{Elliott & Holden enjoying the movie with Grunc, their Great Uncle}

*****

Spending the holidays with family……

110% HAPPINESS

Merry Day Before Christmas!

Adios Dominos!

We did pizzas on the grill again last weekend and they were even better than the first time.

This time I used only one package of Trader Joe’s dough, divided it in half and made two thinner crust pizzas. This resulted in a much more crisp crust and not so filling….yum!

We tried the garlic & herb variety this round and it was out of this world. I had some leftover meat sauce in the freezer that I thawed out and used. Jay grilled some zucchini, a rainbow of peppers and an onion which we added to one pizza. The other was my all time fave ~ pepperoni & pineapple!

I don’t think we’ll need to dial out for Dominos or Pizza Hut anytime soon.

Sorry delivery boy!

*****

Flip Flop Fitness Update ~ Monday, 7.12.10

1 cup coffee with 2 tbsp. creamer: 2 points

Oatmeal with 1/2 banana: 3 points

Grilled veggies, cucumber and 1 tbsp. chive cream cheese on sandwich thin: 3 points

Same sammie for snack later in the day because it was SOO good!: 3 points

Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken meal: 7 points

Skinny Cow mint ice cream sandwich: 2 points

Total: 20 points

Workout:

Stayed home because Holden had a fever. ;-(

DIY Pizza Pie

We grilled our first pizzas over the weekend.

They were fantastic. Very rustic, but fantastic!

BBQ Chicken & Grilled Veggie with Fresh Mozarella

1. Pick up some pizza dough at Trader Joe’s.

2. Follow direction on package and roll out dough, prick with a fork and brush with olive oil.

3. Cook dough directly on the grill first and then add your toppings.

4. We grilled some eggplant, peppers, onions and chicken.

5. Spread on sauce, toppings and cheese.

6. Put back on the grill until cheese is melted and bubbly.

7. Sprinkle some cilantro confetti onto the BBQ Chicken Pizza.

8. Cut and enjoy!

Dia Del Mama!

Ahhhh…yesterday was Mother’s Day…the one day where I don’t feel guilty calling ALL the shots and taking a little time to sit back and take a moment to appreciate being a Mother, but also take a brief break and just BE.

My Mom was here to celebrate, of course, and we started celebrating early with our favorite neighbors on Saturday evening since we wouldn’t see them on Sunday. I made crock pot carnitas and a new dessert pizza with Nutella, bananas and strawberries! I do believe it was a hit. Super easy with the help of Trader Joe’s pizza dough…I just rolled it out, pricked with a fork, brushed with about 2T melted butter and baked as directed ~ I think 450* for 20 minutes. Then I dusted it with powdered sugar once it came out and let it cool a bit:

Then I spread Nutella over it, added sliced bananas and strawberries and finished it off with another dusting of powdered sugar. Cut it in slices as you would a “normal” pizza and serve it up!

The recipe was inspired by one of Giada’s which you can find here.

Sunday morning was greeted with some mimosas:

with our favorite, Wilson Creek Almond Champagne.

We drove into Beverly Hills for my long-awaited reunion with “Bobbie” from Capriotti’s. It was just as I remembered…all the tastes of Thanksgiving on a roll! Couple with some kettle cooked sea salt & vinegar and BBQ chips and you can’t go wrong.

My Mom and I shared so we still had plenty of room for cupcakes!

It was a toss up between Crumbs & Sprinkles, but Crumbs won this time:

We decided on Fluffernutter, Boston Cream, Vanilla/Vanilla with sprinkles (always MY fave) and Candy which the kids chose and was covered in mini M&M’s.

The cupcakes are ridiculously HUGE. They have a $30 cupcake that could serve a small village!

This is what $14.20 worth of cupcakes looks like:

The cupcakes were so good they deserved their own chair…no, we brought this old chair of my Gam’s along because I wanted to try to get some of the kids outside at a park using this special chair as a prop. It was as if Gam (my Mom’s mama) was there celebrating Mother’s Day with us!

Here I am sitting on the park bench indulging in some cupcake love:

NO shame in my game!

The ‘cakes were delish…I only have one complaint, though. They predominantly use cream cheese frosting and I am a buttercream girl through and through. I’m anxious to see what Sprinkles has to offer! Will keep you posted.

Gramma K and the kiddos played on a ginormous tree:

A few of the chair pics:

It was a gorgeous day. I just sat on the bench in the breeze watching the kids play and Jay snap pictures. I looked at the amazing homes lining the Beverly Hills park and thought “What if…?” How would it be to live on one of the breathtaking tree-lined streets off Santa Monica Blvd. with a Rolls parked in the driveway. A private chef. A live-in maid. A nanny. You know, all the things that come along with the 90210 zip code.

Yes, it would be a nice life, but it wouldn’t be MY life. I HAVE the life I envisioned I wanted as an adult. A sweet, understanding, supportive husband and two energetic, funny, curious, happy, healthy, and at times frustrating pip squeaks. All the 9o210 stuff doesn’t matter when you have what I have.

So, back to Santa Clarita we went. Jay made lumpia and we had leftover Chinese food for dinner followed by Golden Spoon!

See, I don’t ask for much. Just about 30 minutes to sit back, watch my family run and play in front of me, nibble on some cupcakes and remind myself that being a Mom is the best gift ~ a gift that I am so proud of.

{Cute matching jammies from Auntie Bucky}

Everyday is Mother’s Day to me, and I LOVE IT!

Milestones & Munchies

This weekend Elliott was invited to her first official sleepover.

She was so excited.

Disney Princess suitcase on wheels packed with her Christmas pajamas, toothbrush and “Monkey”, her lime green, long-armed, long-legged stuffed primate.

Disney Princess sleeping bag rolled nicely inside the matching DP backpack over both shoulders.

Mermaid pillow under her arm.

We walked two doors down to Emilie’s…..Holden in tow and me with some nibbles for the Mommies to enjoy as we chatted and sipped on margaritas and eventually wine!

The four girlies feasted on mini pb&j’s, chicken nuggets, steamed broccoli, fruit salad and the ever popular nacho cheese Doritos.

Once the girls changed into their jammies, Holden immediately called out, “Jammies on! Jammies on!” So, he and I walked home, suited up in his “doggie jammies”, grabbed his “rocketship pi-woe”, zipped up the Buzz & Woody light up boots and headed back down to the girl fest:

Barbie And The Diamond Castle was playing, but not quite capturing all their attention because a pillow fight broke out:

Even though this picture is blurry, I loved it as I thought it captured her pure happiness throughout the night. Sheer excitement as the much anticipated “sleep over” was being played out in real life. A new milestone that I think she will want to relive again real soon.

I talked her through it and reminded her that I was not going to stay. She insisted that she would be OK.

And she was.

*****

I brought a new appetizer that I’d been dying to try…Warm Blue Cheese and Bacon Dip. (Thanks to this cute blog!)

Super easy and super delish.

Here is the line up (minus half&half/milk):

And here is the final goodness:

Highly recommend this is you love the blue!

I also made BBQ Chicken Pizza:

Normally I am a traditionalist when it comes to pizza. Extra sauce, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes…just a simple vegetarian pizza, but I like to make this creation from time to time…reminds me of my BFF, Denise, down in San Diego.

Here’s what you need:

TJ’s Pizza dough (I use the whole wheat)

Your favorite BBQ sauce

Rotisserie chicken or grilled tenders or breast (I grill with a bit of olive oil and Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Red onion slices

Cheese of choice

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Follow instructions on dough package and roll out to desired shape and size. Poke dough with fork to prevent bubbling. Spread a bit of sauce onto pizza. Arrange red onion slices around the pizza and then cut up chicken in small chunks and toss around in a small amount of bbq sauce and sprinkle across pizza. Add shredded cheese and bake at 450 for about 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro confetti, let cool and then cut into small appetizer size squares.