I'm back with something yummy!

It has been a bit turbulent around here the last few months, between work, school and the computer problems I've had, but things seem to finally be settled down and I have time to get back into the kitchen!

Or in this case, the bbq.

And when I finally have time to cook again, to whom would I turn for inspiration but the Pioneer Woman herself, Ree. This is my variation on Ree's CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza.

So good and so simple to make, I only made a few tweeks to it.

The recipe starts with Ree's pizza crust, though you can make any crust you like, or use store bought. I used hers, as I have been for a few months now. It is a good, basic crust, with nothing fancy in it.

Then it moves on to cooking chicken breasts in bbq sauce.

I don't think so - this is BBQ chicken pizza, so I grilled my chicken on my BBQ, and then slathered it with sauce while still on the grill. The chicken was moist and flavorful, but also had a good sticky "skin" from the last minute saucing.

I admit, I also cooked my pizza on the bbq itself. If you have never done this before, it is very simple: stretch and shape your dough out then place it on your oiled grill, over medium heat. It will only take a few minutes to cook the bottom of the dough, which is all you want to start. When you pull the dough off the grill, you will only have cooked one side of it, which is exactly what you want - flip the pizza over so the cooked side is on top. Add your toppings then put the pizza back on the grill, uncooked side down, close the lid and wait just a few minutes for your pizza to finish cooking, your cheese to melt and pizza goodness to come together. Yummy!

(This method makes having a Make-Your-Own-Pizza-Party a breeze, since you can prepare everything in advance, precook the crusts in individual sized pizzas for people to customize, then pop several on the grill at once. Since the pizzas take minutes to cook in the closed, hot, bbq, no one wait for too long for their pizzas. Easy as can be and you don't need to heat up your house by turning on the oven!)

I added more bbq sauce to this pizza to the cooked top of my pizza before adding the chicken, red onion and cheese. A few quick minutes on the bbq for everything to come together and this was amazing!

I didn't have any cilantro to top my pizza with, but it would have been a nice touch. Instead, I served it with a salad consisting of mixed greens, oranges, strawberries, green onions and some shredded Cheddar cheese. Left overs did not make it to the next day.

I'm not sure if Food Fans of the Pioneer Woman is active right now, I hope it is. I'm going to submit this for Debby and Muneba, and whomever is co-hosting for the month.

Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman: Have a 3 pack

It wasn't hard to pick a selection for this version of Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman. What was hard was finding one with a picture I was willing to show anyone!

First up we had the Rib Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce, on pages 166 and 167. Scrumptious, and tasty it was. Wish I'd made more. Will definitely make it again. But if you want to see a good picture of it, open the book up and look at that one. Mine was awful (and I was too hungry at the time to try for better ones.)

Next we have PW's Potato Skins on pages 22 to 24. Much tastier than they sound (cause skins does not sound appetizing), we ate these so fast that no pictures were taken at all! Even my potato disliking children, who only willingly eat mashed potatoes and french fries, had seconds.

But at last we come to a recipe that I got a picture of!


Here you go, PW's Perfect Pie Crust, used to make my apple-caramel crumble pie, and found on pages 128-129.

I admit I wasn't as happy with the end results of this, though I suspect it was because I made this in my mother's kitchen, without my pastry cutter, my rolling pin, or my measuring cups. That and I had the very firm belief that the pie could have used another 10 minutes in the oven, something everyone else told me I was crazy about.

Ree's pie crust was fine, but I suspect it would have been better had I made it in my own kitchen. Oh well, maybe next time.

I think with these three, I've run out of back up recipes for my Pioneer Woman folder and I had best get into the kitchen and do some cooking!

Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman: Make this cake

Ree's Chocolate Sheet Cake, found on pages 218, 19 and 20. A lovely chocolate cake with chocolate icing, plenty for a crowd.


I must have made this cake a good half dozen times before I ever got a picture of it. It isn't a picturesque cake, nothing fancy, but people dive into it and it's hard to take a pretty picture of something that people are inhaling.


The only reason I didn't have to fight off my kids to get this picture is because I hid my slice and then I waited until they were busy with their own pieces. My kids are pretty good about letting me get pictures of food items, either mine or their own, but when there is chocolate cake, with a decadent, gooey icing, why tempt them?


I like it when the theme for Food Fans of the Pioneer Woman is any recipe. Makes it easier for me to justify making yet another dessert as my submission.

Thanks Deb and Muneba for this selection.

And thank you Ree, Pioneer Woman, for a great cake recipe that will be make many, many more times for my family and friends.

Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman: Desserts

Muneeba's back this week, and found my weak spot for this week's theme: Desserts.

It's not that I don't like or make desserts, its just I've been forgetting to take pictures alot lately. Plus my tripod is broken, so when I do remember, my pictures aren't doing what I'd like them to do. (I don't have Ree's ability to keep my camera steady with my hip or arms, which is a pity.)


Patsy's Blackberry Cobbler, found on pages 212 to 213 of Pioneer Woman Cooks.

With blueberries instead of blackberries, cause I like them better.

My husband wasn't even interested in trying this, since it has blueberries in it, and my kids, who love blueberries, just said, "No thanks, can we have a cookie?" So I had the entire thing to myself.

I wouldn't call this a cobbler, but more a Clafouti. It certainly made a good breakfast, warmed up a bit. I never did try it with whipped cream or ice cream, just ate it plain, and I liked it - good thing since I am the only one who ate it.


I will make this again sometime, with a different fruit, but I will reduce the amount of sugar on top entirely as my sugar did not melt on top and make a golden crispy top, and really wasn't necessary.

And that's my contribution to Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman. Go check it out yourself.

Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman: Meatballs for comfort

The theme for this round of Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman was "Main Courses" and there are so many good ones to choose from. A few I've even remembered to take pictures of.

My choice for this theme was Ree's Comfort Meatballs, found on pages 172 - 173 of The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

I admit, the first time I made this recipe, I doubled it and threw half of it in the freezer for later. I just assumed it would be good and we'd all like it. How could we not? It was meatballs. With a sticky sauce.


I served this, the first time, with buttered Parmesan tortellini, and the frozen batch was served later with mashed potatoes. Yum, yum, yum.

Unfortunately, I have none left in my freezer now.

PS to Debby - I'm only now actually reading the last round up (my bad), and see you called for help. Sorry I missed that and have been unable to jump in an volunteer!

Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman: Wildcard breakfast

Debby pronounced it Wild Card for this rounds theme of Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman, my favorite theme. It lets me do whatever I want and this time, this is what I wanted:





Found on pages 36 to 39, this recipe for Cinnamon Rolls makes alot of rolls. We had 2 pans at home, I gave away 2 pans, and I still have one in the freezer. Think I'll pull them out tomorrow morning and surprise the kids with them for breakfast. (I foresee very happy children in my future.)

We like raisins in ours, so I added some in, and next time will reduce the icing and switch out some of the white sugar for brown sugar.

Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman: It's a Wild Card

This week Debby called it a Wild Card, and Muneeba was absent, but probably enjoying her new baby and very short on sleep. Very good reason to be absent.

Since we could make anything we wanted from Ree's book or website, and Debby mentioned Muneeba having a baby, I was thinking back to when my boys were babies.


I used to make them alot of pancakes, something they still love to eat.

Recently we ran across a video clip of my oldest son, as a baby, sitting in his high chair, eating. Hands on, messy as can be, shoving his food into his little mouth.

And singing as he ate. "Mmmmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmmmm......"

He's outgrown that habit, but still loves to eat pancakes. Breakfast is his favorite meal of the day. So last weekend I made them a double batch of these, Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes, found on page 76-77 of The Pioneer Woman Cooks.


He went back for thirds of these pancakes. His brother went back for seconds.

I admit, they didn't really "do it" for me - they start out so light and fluffy, but as they cool, they seem to collapse slightly. And I've noticed, over years of making pancakes, that the person making the pancakes never gets to eat them when they are at their best, fresh, hot and fluffy.

Hey Ree! Can I come visit the Lodge and have you make these for me please? I bet they taste even better coming from your griddle.

Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman: Veggies a cowboy eat

In this round of Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman, Muneeba and Debbie chose the very general theme of salads and vegetables.

Did you know cowboys ate veggies other than corn on the cobb from the bbq? And salads? Do cowboys really eat salads?

It's been awhile since I lived in Alberta and spent alot of time on a farm, with horses, cows, chickens and turkeys. And, yes, cowboys and cowgirls.

I was neither a cowboy or a cowgirl back then, though I was a tomboy, and from what I recall, those cowfolks ate just about everything, including salad.

Despite knowing this, I went vegetable and made PW's Pico de Gallo, along with her Guacamole, found on paes 16 -17, and pages 20-21.

Ree does a fine job of detailing this very simple recipes, so I'll follow her cues:


About equal amounts of tomato, onion and cilantro.


Enough jalapeno for flavor for the hubby and I, not so much that the kids run from the room screaming in pain.


Just imagine I took a picture of my seasoning this bowl with salt and squeezing lime juice on it. Then testing it with a tortilla chip, a black corn one. Tasty!


Ignore the funky shape of my corn tortillas - I don't own a tortilla press and this was the best I could do with my rolling pin and my 7 year old helping me.

My pico de gallo, along with the guacamole, made with the pico de gallo, sat on top of a rib eye steak I had seasoned with cumin and chili powder, before grilling to medium rare, thinly slicing and mounding on top of a Monterey Jack laced tortilla. Yummy!

Poor hubby, though. He had to work late, and homemade corn tortillas do not sit well, so they weren't so yummy by the time he got home. Fortunately I had some flour tortillas in the freezer, so he got yummy for his lunch the next day, except for the guacamole.

I ate it with tortilla chips for my lunch instead.

Foodie Fans of The Pioneer Woman: Cowgirl Food that everyone will love

I have to admit - I was a fan of The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, long before she came out with a cookbook, so I was thrilled when my copy of the book showed up in the mail. I ignored my family and ran off with my new book, curled up in my bed and spend the rest of the night reading.

Some cookbooks are more fun to read than others. This one was too short for me. Or I read it too fast.

Either way, just about everything in it looked great to me (except the Sangria, I just don't get Sangria.)

I wasn't especially surprised when a blogging group came out celebrating this book and PW Ree. How can you not? Between the food and the "easy on the eyes" cowboy photo's, this book was bound to have fans everywhere!


I'm just a little late in getting into joining this lovely group, Foodie Fans of The Pioneer Woman, established by Muneeba, of An Edible Symphony, and Debbie, of A Feast for the Eyes, who have decided that this round up's theme is Cowgirl Food.

If you have your own copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, you know there is a section called Cowgirl Food, pages 194-209, where Ree provides recipes for things that Cowgirls love and Cowboys pretend not to love.

I chose to make creme brulee, a "low fat, no calorie" treat for my hubby, in belated celebration of his birthday (I was sick on his birthday and he was out at tkd with our boys.)


My only problem with this dessert was the little torch I have to brulee with - it was a thoughtful gift from my grandfather and hurt my hands trying to keep it on long enough to brulee the tops of these little babies.

Actually, I had another problem - eating more than two of these (my ramekins were much smaller than Ree's, I got 14 out of the recipe, just a few more than she did,) is overwhelming, but they are so good you want to eat more!

I'm hoping to be able to join in with this group on a regular basis, assuming I can remember to take pictures of the recipes I have made from this book.

Thanks Debbie and Muneeba for taking on the job of hosting and giving me an excuse to get the camera out again!