BBQ Ranch Chicken Rolls

Here is another simple but easy recipe.  I made these for my kiddos for lunch a while ago and the loved them!  It would make a great camping meal since you can use all prepared ingredients.  I made everything from scratch, but you could easily use refrigerated pizza dough, Lloyd's BBQ Chicken and prepared ranch dressing.

BBQ Ranch Chicken Rolls
14" dutch oven

3 cups flour
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. oil
1 cup warm water
1 Tbs. instant yeast
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 cup prepared ranch dressing
2 cups shredded BBQ chicken  (I cooked and shredded 2 large chicken breasts, shredded them and mixed with BBQ sauce)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl until a soft dough forms.  Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes, then roll into a rectangle.  Don't roll it too thin or it will tear when you try to roll it up with the chicken inside.  Spread the ranch dressing over the dough, then top with the chicken, green onions and cheese.  Starting at the long end, roll into a log shape like you would for cinnamon rolls.  Using a sharp knife or dental floss, cut it into 1" slices and place in a greased dutch oven.  Bake at 350° for 20-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.  Serves about 10.

The Finished Product

The Review

I wish the picture looked as good as it tasted.  My kiddos love these!  I have to admit, I'm a sucker for BBQ chicken so I ate more than my fair share of these.  Next time I'll add more cheese, and I'll leave the dough a little bit thicker.  I rolled it so thin that it tore as I was trying to roll them up.  So watch out for that.  This would be a great camping meal.

Happy Days of '47!!

I hope you all have a great weekend!  Its the Days of '47 or Pioneer Day in Utah.  Its when we celebrate the Mormon pioneers arrival into the Salt Lake valley.  Some of my ancestors were among them.  We celebrate with parades, BBQs and fireworks.  I'm looking forward to some time with my fam.  I'll be back next week!

Mini Focaccia

Today's recipe is one of those quick and easy, almost at the last minute kind of things.  I needed a bread to go with the lasagna I made for dinner, so I came up with this.  Its simple and easy to make and would go great with all kinds of pasta dishes or soups.  It starts with pizza dough.  You could even use a tube of refrigerated pizza dough if you wanted to.

Mini Focaccia
14" dutch oven

3 cups flour
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. oil
1 cup warm water
1 Tbs. yeast
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp. olive oil
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2-3 Tbs. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Mix all pizza dough ingredients together, except the flour. Add flour and knead for a few minutes.  On an oiled surface, roll out the dough into about a 10 x 14 in rectangle.  Then roll the dough up as if you are making cinnamon rolls.  Using dental floss cut the dough into 1 inch thick slices.  They should look like unfilled cinnamon rolls.  Gently pan each roll flat and place in a greased dutch oven.  Spread olive oil on top of the rolls and sprinkle with seasoning and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 400° for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Use 2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.

The Finished Product

The Review

These little rolls were super easy and went great with my lasagna.  The prep work was minimal and I had plenty of time to have them ready while the lasagna cooked.  They ended up soft and slightly chewy but very delicious!

A Little Help?

Okay, I need a little help from all of you.  I get to cook a dutch oven dinner for 30 people from our church and I have absolutely no idea what to make.  It really shouldn't be that hard, its not like I don't have a million recipes, but I'm having a major brain cramp and I can't come up with anything.  We want it to be nice, but not too expensive and there will be about 15 8-11 year old girls there, so it has to be kid friendly.  I'll take any suggestions you've got!  Thanks and I love you all!

Baked Risotto

Risotto is one of those things I never make.  Who has 45 minutes to stand around and stir rice?  Not me!  So I was excited to see this baked risotto at Cook's Country.  I was pleasantly surprised by the results and there is a ton of things you could do to make this recipe your own.  Adding sauteed asparagus or cooked broccoli or carrots.  As it was, the Parmesan cheese and parsley were perfect with the Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf I made for dinner.

Some notes about this recipe.  I've made enough recipes from Cook's Country to know that every step has a purpose and will effect the finished dish, so I made this exactly as the recipe said.  At one point you need to cover the rice/broth with foil.  When you do this, don't let the foil hang out of the dutch oven, just roll the foil down so it is all inside your pot. 

This was really good, so give it a try!

Baked Risotto
10" dutch oven

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (Yes, use low sodium or it will be too salty)
1/2 cup water
2 bay leaves
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Arborio rice (Not long grain or instant)
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used chicken broth)
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

In a 10" dutch oven, bring the broth, water and bay leaves to simmer over a full spread of coals.  When almost boiling, put the lid on the pot and remove from the heat.

In another 10" dutch oven, melt the butter over a full spread of coals.  (You can use the same coals you used to heat the broth.)  Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook until lightly browned.  Stir in the rice and cook until the edges begin to turn translucent.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add the wine (or broth) and cook until completely absorbed.

Pour the warm broth over the rice.  Cover the dutch oven with a sheet of aluminum foil, making sure it rests on top of the broth.  Cover and bake at 400° until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.  Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Discard bay leaves.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 6-8.

The Finished Product



The Review

This wasn't quite as creamy as other risotto I've had, but it was delish.  I'm going to have to experiment with it a little bit more, but the family thought it was a keeper.  It has nice flavor, but if you don't use low sodium broth it will be too salty by the time you add the Parmesan cheese.  I've made other baked risotto recipes, but this one has turned out the best so far.  I'll be making this again for sure.