Thai Pizza and Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Steven and Kellie came into town this past week. We hosted a pizza party Friday night. I asked everyone what kind they wanted. In addition to the usual pepperoni, we had requests for the Buffalo Chicken we have made before and Kellie asked for a Thai one. She sent me a link to a recipe that we used because we had never made one before. It turned out well. But Buffalo Chicken was still the favorite. Myles wants us to make a sweet and sour Thai pizza next time. Here's our version:

Cracker Pizza Crust (Ryan says he pre-bakes them about 7 min- longer than the original 5 min and then bakes it an additional 10 after the toppings are on it.)

Buffalo pizza in the back, Thai pizza in the front

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ranch dressing
Wing Sauce (we use extra mild at our house)
Celery - cut into small pieces
Onion- Thinly sliced
Blue Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese

Mix half dressing and half wing sauce and spread on crust. Dice chicken and add a small amount of just wing sauce to coat the chick then spread on pizza. Top with celery, onion, blue cheese and mozzarella. This is the same as the BBQ chicken pizza - but different sauce. That one is posted on the cracker pizza crust recipe page.

Thai Pizza

Peanut Sauce (We had a 12 oz bottle - we used about 1/3 of it for 1 pizza)
Peanut butter -about 1/8 cup or a big spoonful. (We used creamy but chunky would be good)
Green onions - sliced (recipe said to use an entire bunch - we only did 1/2 of that)
Cooked chicken cut into chunks (around 8 oz)
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
shredded carrots
bean sprouts
cilantro
chopped peanuts - optional - add them before or after cooking

Mix the Peanut sauce and peanut butter together. The second time we made it (on Sunday) I added a little water to make it easier to spread. Spread onto crust. If you didn't use chunky peanut butter, sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired. Top with green onion (the second time we used a little regular onion too), chicken (We used a rotisserie chicken the first time and added some left over turkey when we made it again on Sunday), Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly. Top with carrots, bean sprouts and cilantro before serving.

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

I wanted to try something different that the usual casserole we make with bread every year. I wanted to do one with potatoes. I had some leftover baked potatoes from Grandma Francom's Christmas party the Monday before. I found this one on the Kitchn and Ryan modified it some. It was delicious! We doubled the recipe and it made a full 9x13 pan and a 7x9 pan we gave to my mom for their Christmas breakfast with Andrew and Bristol who surprised them by coming in a visit on Christmas eve.

4 slices thick bacon cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, cleaned out and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons salt, divided
8 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 large baked potatoes diced into cubes (skins and all)

Lightly grease a 13x9" baking dish with baking spray.

Cook the bacon until it is crisp. Add the onion, yellow bell pepper, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook over medium heat until all the vegetables are soft — about 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly and whisk in the milk. Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of salt, and the black pepper. Stir in the cheese, potatoes, and the bacon and vegetables. Pour the whole mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the eggs are firm and the top is slightly golden. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.

Christmas Recipes: Gingerbread Cake with Orange Frosting, Candied Cranberries and Caramel Sauce

I made this cake for Christmas Eve dinner with everyone. I was surprised how much they liked it. Ryan had 3 slices! It is very rich and I was good with 1 piece. I found the recipe on The Butter Half, who got it from somewhere else. So here it is with my changes:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 1/2 cups full flavor molasses - NOT blackstrap

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice

orange zest from 1 orange

4 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cloves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch springform pans.

Put the butter and molasses in a pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, making sure to stir it constantly. Once it is boiling, remove from heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Mix in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and orange zest. Add the soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Then mix in flour. The batter is very thick. Pour equal amounts into pans and spread evenly. Bake for 30-35 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 mins and then remove from pan to a cooling rack. My cakes were a little too crumbly. I think next time I might add an egg or two to help it hold together.

While the cake bakes make the caramel sauce. The original recipe of this one is from Sally's Baking Addiction:

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (the bigger crystal kind)

Heat the cup of sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden or heat-resistant spoon. After about 5 minutes, the sugar will begin to melt and turn a golden amber color. Once it is melted, add in the butter and stir until it melts and is well-mixed. Next, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil for about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn it! Remove from heat, add in the salt, and allow the caramel to cool.

When cake has cooled frost bottom layer with Orange Butter cream. Put second cake on top on frost top and sides.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar (maybe more)

2 teaspoons vanilla ( I may have used half orange extract instead)

Juice from one orange

Beat the butter for about 2-3 minutes until fluffy and lightened in color. Slowly add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add in the vanilla, heavy cream, orange juice. Mix on high for about 30 more seconds to make it light and fluffy.

Top with chopped candied ginger and Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries from A Spicy Perspective:

3 ¾ cups sugar, divided

1 ¾ cups water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons orange extract

12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)

Combine 2 ½ cups of sugar, water, vanilla, and orange extract in a sauce pan. Heat over medium until the sugar has completely dissolved, but not boiling.

Pour in the cranberries and stir. Cover the cranberries with tin foil down inside the pan to keep them mostly submerged. Then cover the pan and place it in a cool place over night. I used the basement pantry.

Place the remaining 1 ¼ cup of sugar in a rimmed dish. Strain the cranberries and place them in the sugar. Shake until they are completely coated. Carefully transfer them to a baking sheet to dry, about an hour.

Once the sugar coating is hard, place them in an air-tight container and keep in a cool spot for up to a week.