Caprese Pizza Toast

It's no secret that we love pizza around here.  And these are pizza-ish, so I had to try them out.  :-)  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) olive oil
• pinches of salt and pepper
• 1  thick focaccia loaf
• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) grated mozzarella
• 6  large balls bocconcini
• 5  plum tomatoes

This is an open-faced sandwich version of the famous Italian Caprese salad with sliced tomatoes, bocconcini and fresh basil.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Place basil, garlic, oil, salt and pepper in a blender. Whirl to a saucy consistency. Add more oil to make it more saucy, if needed. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Cut bread in half horizontally, then cut each half into quarters. Place cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread half of basil mixture over bread, then evenly sprinkle with mozzarella. Thickly slice bocconcini and tomatoes into rounds, then arrange in overlapping slices on top of bread. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper.
• Bake in centre of preheated oven until cheese starts to melt, 7 to 10 minutes, then turn broiler to high. Broil until cheese begins to turn golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining basil mixture. Cut each piece in half diagonally. Best served warm.

First off, the store I went to didn't have a focaccia loaf so I had to settle for regular french bread.  Also, I didn't get the bocconcini balls because I didn't think it was necessary.  (Though it does sound good!)  This still turned out awesome!  I served it with salad and it made for a pretty good dinner, but only do this if you want to eat lightly one night (due to a large lunch or whatever) because it's probably normally best as an appetizer-type food.  Still - very delicious!!!  I will definitely make them again.

Pulled Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I don't normally love regular grilled cheese, but I really really like them when it's more than just cheese and bread.  This recipe looked delicious so I gave it a try.  Here it is:

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup BBQ sauce
8 dill pickle slices
8 slices cheddar cheese
8 slices white bread
butter (for spreading)

Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Add chicken to a sauce pan or a large deep skillet. Fill with enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil. Boil until the chicken is fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). Drain any excess liquid from the pan and shred the chicken using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the sauce pan and mix with BBQ sauce. Cook on low heat until heated through.
Step 2: Heat a skillet to medium heat. Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place two of the slices into the skillet butter side down. Top each slice of bread in the skillet with 1 slice of cheese, pulled chicken, 2 dill pickle slices, and another slice of cheese. Cover with 2 of remaining bread slices, butter side up.
Step 3: Cook the sandwiches over medium heat until browned on the bottom. Flip them over and cook until browned on the other side and the cheese has melted. Repeat the process with the 2 additional sandwiches.
(Makes 4 Servings)

The pickles sounded super, super weird to me, (and kind of gross) but I decided to be brave and throw them in anyway.  I can't say I loved the pickles in there, but they weren't nearly as bad as I feared.  My husband, however, thought the pickles were amazing.  According to him, they made the sandwich.  Haha.  Anyway, this is a great way to add more fun to your grilled cheese and make them more "adult-friendly," so I highly recommend them.  Definitely delicious.  (And if you hate pickles, just omit them.  Still great).

Oh, and I cooked my chicken in the oven, shredded it, and added the BBQ sauce to it before making the sandwiches.  In my opinion, this was easier than cooking the chicken on the stove.

Chicken Ole!

I very rarely make chicken salad, even though I actually really like it.  I found this recipe and it looked really really good because it was made with fresh chicken and really awesome ingredients.  (In my opinion).  :-)  Here's the recipe:

Chicken Ole

Print

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and shredded or diced
• 1 (14.5oz) can black beans, rinsed
• 1 (4oz) can green chiles (don’t drain)
• 1c shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• ⅓c low-fat sour cream or nonfat plain yogurt
• ⅓c light mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp (1/2 package) taco seasoning
• juice of 1 lime
• other: tortilla chips, lime wedges, olive slices to serve

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine cooked chicken, black beans, green chiles, and cheese. Stir in sour cream, mayonnaise, taco seasoning and lime juice. Combine well.
2. Serve with tortilla chips and garnish with lime wedges and/or sliced olives.

I loved this!  We used it as a dip, but you could also put it in rolls or whatever you want.  I followed the recipe exactly (and shredded the chicken) and was scared because it looked nasty but it was actually pretty awesome.  You can also add or take out whatever you want to fit your style.  (For example, I think a lot of people would hate the beans, but would love to add tomatoes or whatever else).  I will definitely use this recipe again.  Oh, and this is a great party food - for all kinds of parties!

And as I mentioned, it looks gross - but don't let the picture fool you.  It's delicious.