bbq chicken pizza

"Hey, Ji. This pizza was like, real dope."

That's what the big brother said after he finished eating this.

And, it was dope.

Like for real.

Remember when I said that If I were to ever have a bakery or eatery or something, I would definitely always sell my lemon crinkle cookies?

Well, this BBQ Chicken Pizza would also ALWAYS be on that menu to sell as well.

Fricking delicious it was. And dope.

And that's all I have to say about that. =)

**All photos were taken with my iPhone. My camera broke...AGAIN!**

BBQ Chicken Pizza

• Thin crust  pizza dough
• Favorite BBQ sauce
• Mozzarella cheese
• Gouda cheese
• Cilantro chopped
• Diced cooked chicken
• Sliced red onions
• About 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil for frying

1.Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Coat your chicken with about 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce. Set aside.

2. In a skillet, heat oil and when hot pan fry each side of pizza dough for about a minute per side. When  golden brown, looking kind of like a flat-bread, take off of fire. (You can also of course bake the pizza in a normal way, but this is one of my favorite ways of doing it.)

3. Take fried dough and spread on a thin layer of BBQ sauce. Follow it up with a layer of mozzarella, chicken, red onions, and gouda cheese. Use how little or how much you'd like.

4. Bake for about 9 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melty. Immediately throw on chopped cilantro and serve immediately and enjoy!

challah bread

So, I made challah.

Holla!

Yea, it was kinda cool.

Like, the yeast bubbling up and stuff and then the dough rising and then me having to punch it down? I enjoyed it immensely.

When it was finally ready and I sliced into it I 'm not going to lie, at first I was pretty disappointed.  :\

In my mind I thought I would be slicing into challah that was really sweet and yellow inside; kind of like the ones I get at the supermarket bakery. When I sliced into my challah, it was white inside and had only a bit of sweetness.

After further investigation, I found out that I had made traditional challah. The stuff that I get at the supermarket is dyed yellow, has a ton of extra butter and eggs added to it, and is generally inauthentic.

Word?

I was kind of shocked when I found that out. In any event, after my discovery was made I enjoyed my challah 1000x more.

It is super soft and very tender and tastes great alone or slathered with butter or other spreads.I ate my piece(s) with apple butter smeared on top of salted butter. YUM.

I used this recipe, but next time I make it I'll  probably look for another one that calls for butter instead of oil and a bit more sugar or honey.

So, that's my challah story. It is absolutely not difficult to make and I'll probably make it over and over again.

Holla!   :)

For recipe and how to braid challah, go HERE.

vanilla cupcakes w/ vanilla-marshmallow buttercream

This is not my kind of cupcake. Hear me out.

I'm a chocolate loving girl who prefers peanut butter frosting, cookie dough toppings, and salted caramel fillings--fun stuff.

This kind of cupcake is a favorite of my BFF partner in crime, Judith.

Me and Judi!

Every time we end up in a bakery it's always the same scenario. I'm anxiously trying to figure out what flavors to get and if the cashier will judge me if I get 3 different treats, while Judith doesn't even look at the display case for more than 5 seconds!

She automatically wants a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting; no questions asked. Sprinkles usually are okay--but I'm not sure.

This past Christmas I talked her into getting an eggnog flavored cupcake because you know, 'tis the season.

She hated it.

She took one bite, rendered it unappetizing, and passed it over to me to finish.

Whoops.

Anyways, that's Judith!

I had to whip up a batch of cupcakes for an event and thought a simple recipe would be the best which is why I chose Judith's fave.

These are exceptional cupcakes if I do say so myself. It's a doctored up white cake mix with classic vanilla butter-cream frosting that I added some marshmallow fluff to. (I had to Judi!)

They really are delicious! Cupcakes like these remind me that sometimes simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Kinda like Judith. :)

Vanilla Cupcakes--adapted from Recipe Girl

1  box white cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar (I added about 2 tablespoons more)
3/4 teaspoon salt (I would reduce this by a 1/4 next time)
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl mix together cake mix, flour, sugar,and salt.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour into lined cupcake pans and bake for 18-20 minutes.


Vanilla-Marshmallow Buttercream

3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tablespoons whipping cream

*Can't remember, but I added about 3/4 cup of marshmallow fluff

Cream sugar and butter until well blended. Add in vanilla, whipping cream, and marshmallow fluff. Tatse and adjust flavor to your liking. Frost cupcakes!