BBQ Pizza

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem



I know what you're thinking, another pizza post? What can I say, around here we love our pizza. I will admit though that having the same thing every week can get a little boring, and this here pizza is anything but! You can very easily substitute the homemade sauce for a bottle BBQ sauce, or go with a more labor intensive recipe for one (google's full of 'em, just have a looksie), but for a weeknight dinner I really suggest my quick and simply homemade BBQ sauce ( I literally made it up while standing in front of an open refrigerator craving barbeque pizza!). Oh and leftover chicken is PERFECT for this. I hope you and your family enjoy this fun twist on a classic.




Weeknight BBQ Pizza

- Pizza Dough
- BBQ Sauce (bottled or homemade - recipe below)
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoon vinegar
- mozerrella cheese
- sliced jalapenos
- cooked and shredded chicken


1. Pour vinegar over sliced onions and keep aside (this will take off some of the rawness of the onions).

2. Preheat oven to 400

3. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread barbeque sauce evenly over dough.

4. Scatter shredded chicken, onions and cheese over the dough. Add jalapenos on top.

5. Bake until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden, about 35 minutes.



Fast & Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce
(as mentioned before, I made this up on a moments notice, so nothing was measured out. I am approximating amounts here and suggest you add more or less of each ingredient to your taste)

- half onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- half a can of tomato paste
- 1/4 cup of vinegar (adjust to your liking)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (adjust to your liking)
- generous pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup of water

1. On medium heat, saute onions and garlic until soft and aromatic. Add tomatoe paste and cook for another 30 seconds to remove raw tomato flavor.

2. Carefully stir in vinegar, brown sugar and salt. Add water and bring to boil. Lower to simmer and cover. Allow to cook for at least 10 minutes. Add more water if its gets too thick If you have raw chicken, this is a good place to slice it up and allow to cook in the sauce. I recommend to taste at this point and add more vinegar if it needs more of a 'bite' or sugar to make sweeter. Remove from heat when its tastes how you want it, allow to cool.

Sweet Kisses

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem




While spending some quality time with family, a request was made for some Peanut butter Kiss Cookies. How could I say no? After all, what better recipe to make in honor of the sweetest new addition of our (extended) family than something almost as sweet as him? Kisses soon became the theme of the trip...both slobbery ones on Little Baby's cheeks and the peanut butter variety. If you've never made these before, go and do it now! They're simple and a fun party dessert because of its presentation.


Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Ingredients

• 8 oz. pkg. milk chocolate kisses
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1-1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• more granulated sugar

Directions
Heat oven to 375 F. Remove wrappers from chocolate. Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup sugar and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Cover tightly and chill for 4-8 hours in fridge.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate piece into center of each cookie; cookie will crack slightly around edges. Let stand on cookie sheets for 3-4 minutes, then remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies

Buns

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem




Edited 1/06/11: Though these are delicious hamburger buns, save yourself some time and try the equally delicious but far more simpler version found here: Muslim Wife 40 Min. Buns

Sorry for the long absence and just to soften the blow for another long-absence (I'll be out of town, insha'allah) here's a recipe for hamburger buns. Sounds boring? They're anything but! These are hands-down the BEST buns! Nothing more complicated than a regular dough recipe: it takes a couple rises and some extra kneading, but it's SO worth it. I've tried so many hamburger buns recipes in the past and they're is always something wrong; too plain, too dense, too hard, too yuck. But these are thick and light at the same time, sweet and soft yet sturdy enough to hold up a homemade Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich. We used the left over buns for sandwhiches and the kids loved them too, alhamdulillah! (and the chicken was great too!)



KittenCal's Hamburger Buns

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm whole milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar (for a less sweeter bun reduce to 3 tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup melted Crisco shortening (I use butter flavor)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour (U.S. residents use bread flour, you may need more four start with 3-1/2 cups and add in more while m)
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed

Directions

1. Proof the yeast in 1 cup warm water with 1 teaspoon sugar; let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.

2. In a heavy duty stand mixer, fitted with a kneader hook, add in the 3-1/2 cups flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, melted Crisco, warm milk and salt (and the malt powder if using).

3. Add in the proofed yeast; mix to create a soft semi-sticky dough that holds around the blade, adding in more flour as needed (do not add in too much as it will create a heavy bun, dough should be semi-sticky.

4. Knead dough for 7-8 minutes.

5. Remove dough, and let rest on the counter, covered with a clean dish towel for 10 minutes (this is an important step!).

6. Knead the dough gently for 30 seconds with hands.

7. Place dough in a large well-greased/oiled bowl.

8. Cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 60-90 minutes, or until double in size (I like to rise my dough in the oven, just set oven to 200 degrees and warm for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat while you are making the dough, this will create a perfect temperature to raise dough in, and usually takes only 1 hour to rise with oven method).

9. Punch down dough.

10. Shape into large balls, and place on a large greased cookie sheet (you should get 12 balls on the sheet).

11. Cover with a light clean tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until almost doubled (warm oven rise should take 30 minutes.

12. Set oven to 375 degrees.

13. In a small bowl, mix together 1 egg white with 1 tsp water; whisk/mix well.

14. Carefully brush the tops and sides of the buns with the egg/water mixture.

15. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

16. Bake for approx.22 minutes, or until golden brown.