One look at this recipe and I knew it would be outstanding - and it was!! The dough is buttery and rich, the sauce is delicious, and all that cheese... YUM! We added pepperoni's between the mozzarella and sauce layer, and followed the rest of the recipe as is. (This makes one 9-inch pizza).
Dinner last night was Spanish chicken from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine. I halved the recipe since I was cooking for two, and made a few other substitutions - brown rice instead of white, and chicken tenders instead of bone-in chicken breasts. (I'm just not a bone person, sorry). The fire-roasted tomatoes give this sauce a ton of flavor, and the mix of spices make it very unique. We loved it!
We made Rachael Ray's baked shells casserole this weekend. I"ve seen similar recipes with these ingredients - pasta shells, spinach, marinara, etc - and knew we would like this one. I halved the recipe, which still made 4 servings, so it provided dinner for two nights. There are a couple of surprise ingredients - carrots in the marinara, and nutmeg in the spinach - that make this a signature Rachael Ray dish!
The sweet treat for this week's Bachelor watch party were red velvet cake balls. I got the idea from Jennifer, who works with Robert and has an excellent food blog here. I used the recipe she references from Bakerella, and even borrowed the above photo from that website. We ate them all before I could take my own photo! This recipe is pretty simple, with just 3 ingredients. They do require a bit of time because it's important to refrigerate between each step, to ensure the balls maintain their shape. So, once the cake cooled and I mixed in the frosting, I chilled the mixture for an hour or so. I formed the balls with a cookie scoop first, then hand rolled them to make them smooth. I refrigerated the formed balls overnight, and dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate bark the next day. I chilled them one more time to help the chocolate harden, and they were ready to serve that evening. They were a big hit with the group!!
We made Rachael Ray's Mole-rubbed chicken tacos and green rice over the weekend. These tacos have a ton of flavor, with a sauce made from ancho pepper and fire-roasted tomatoes. This dish takes more time and effort than her other recipes - 3 pots, 2 turns in the food processor, and several steps to build the tacos. This isn't the recipe for you if you're looking for a quick meal on a busy weeknight - but it was perfect for our lazy, Saturday afternoon!
Dinner last night was bacon wrapped chicken tenders (a repeat and favorite around here), and on the side, sweet potato skins from the Rachael Ray show. We love sweet potatoes, so it's great to have another way to prepare them. They taste just like regular potato skins, but subbing the sweet potatoes make them more nutritious - but still delicious! I could have eaten an entire plate of them.
Dinner tonight was chorizo bacon chili from the Rachael Ray show. This recipe came from a guest during a Super Bowl cook-off. It is meaty and delicious! When we tasted for seasoning, we thought it needed some heat, so I added ground chipotle pepper (dried), about a teaspoon. (I halved the recipe, since I am only cooking for two). We topped our chili with sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. Perfect on this cold night. Now we're hoping for a snow day tomorrow so we can enjoy the leftovers!
The new season of the Bachelor premiered this week, and we got the gang back together for a watch party. Our sweet treat was S'mores icebox candy bars from Joy the Baker. I love that you serve these cold because I was able to make them a day ahead. They are rich, dense, and almost fudgy with all of that cold chocolate. This one will definitely be a repeat!
Blackberry-basil vinaigrette, from Southern Living magazine
