Sweet and Spicy Drumsticks

Too not make the kitchen get too hot in the summer, instead of sticking them in the oven you can make foil packs and put them on the BBQ. Yum!
Recipe and photo courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

Update: I made this last night YUM! I used boneless skinless thighs and marinated them in 2/3rds of the sauce for a couple hours and then BBQ'd them right on the grill for about 25 minutes, basting them with the rest of the sauce while they cooked. I am also going to crank up the hot sauce next time, it needed just a little more kick, I used only 2 tsp. of Frank's Red Hot Sauce and i'm going to try a Tbsp or 2 next time.

1 cup Apricot Preserves
½ cups Ketchup
¼ cups Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 - 4 teaspoons Hot Pepper Sauce
3 pounds Drumsticks (about 12)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a small saucepan, combine preserves, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until preserves are melted.

Arrange drumsticks in a single layer on a 13 x 9″ baking pan. Pour sauce over drumsticks, turning to coat. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is done, spooning sauce over drumsticks while baking. Serves 6.

Breadsticks with Parmesan Herbed Butter

I am a out of control carb-aholic... there I said it! How I feel so much better to have that out there. One of my absolute favorite things to eat is bread. Give me any bread, roll, pastry, bread stick, crust, etc. to munch on and I'm pretty much a happy camper.

These are great and airy and fluffy with just enough salty herb pop to make your mouth happy.
Still on my journey to make Olive Garden style breadsticks, these are as near as I've got to them so far!

Breadsticks with Parmesan Herbed Butter

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees)
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Couple good shakes of italian seasoning (5 or 6?)
1/8 tsp salt


In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until it becomes frothy. Add the oil, egg, salt, flour, and remaining sugar. Beat until smooth. Now add more flour 1/4 cup at a time until you form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.
Punch the dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide into 18 pieces. Shape each piece into a 6-in. rope. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile mix melted butter, parm cheese, garlic salt, italian seasonings and salt in a small bowl. When sticks are done rising, brush amply with butter mixture.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown.

Triple Threat Brownies

Found this recipe and photo on Tasty Kitchens website. These little treats have a brownie base, cream cheese frosting middle, and a topping of chocolate and peanut butter Rice Krispies. Holy cow! I can't wait to make these.
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Triple Threat Brownies

1 box Brownie Mix
16 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
½ cups Butter, Softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Coarsely Chopped Peanuts
1-½ cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup Peanut Butter
3 cups Rice Krispies Cereal


For the brownie base, mix brownies according to package directions or use your favorite recipe. Bake in a 9×13 pan and allow to cool completely.

For the cream cheese frosting, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until fully mixed. Spread on top of cooled brownies and sprinkle with nuts.

For the chocolate peanut butter rice krispies topping, in a large pan, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter over low heat. Continue stirring until the chocolate and peanut butter are melted. Stir in cereal, making sure to coat all the cereal with the peanut butter chocolate mixture.
Spread the cereal mixture on top of the brownies and frosting and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Keep covered and store in the refrigerator.

Ranch Chicken Pizza

Recipe and photo courtesy of Annie's Eats

Made this for dinner tonight... Yumma!

Chicken Ranch Pizza

Ingredients:
½ batch of perfect pizza crust (or Fresh and Easy also has a fab pizza dough in the fridge section)
¼ cup Ranch dressing
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½-1 grilled chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces I grilled mine over the stovetop with a teriyaki sauce)
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2-3 green onions, chopped
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500° F. Allow the stone to heat for at least 30 minutes. In the mean time, cut a round of parchment paper the size of your pizza stone. (Alternatively, use a pizza peel.) Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal or semolina flour. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Spread the Ranch dressing in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Top with grilled chicken, tomato and green onions. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar. Once assembled, carefully transfer the parchment round and pizza to the preheated baking stone and return to the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Slice, serve, and enjoy!