What I Have Been Up To.....Again...

This last week has seen me enjoying some simple yet flavorful dishes, as well as creating a fantastic first-time dish, all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed.  Here, I want to share with you two of the simple, minor but quite tasty dishes I put together:  Chicken Saute Pita Pizza and Egg in Foccacia with Garlic and Herb Roasted New Potatoes.  Hope you like these!

Chicken Saute Pita Pizza

For those evenings when want something healthy and filling without the effort, this pizza will seal the deal.  If you are having unexpected company and are on a strict budget, you can make two pizzas for under ten dollars.  

Here is what you will need:

1 package pocketless pitas (use 2 - 4 pitas)

1/2 cup of your favorite cheese  (I used a 6 Italian Cheese blend) and Parmesan

2 cloves garlic, one crushed and placed in a half cup of olive oil and the other sliced into chips

1 medium red onion, slivered

6 - 10 sun dried tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon cumin seed, half in the skillet and half in the half cup of olive oil

pinch of red pepper flakes

4 teaspoons chive goat cheese (or your favorite)

2 - 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

salt and pepper

some fresh cilantro or parsley cut for garnish

In a skillet, add three tablespoons extra virgin olive oil from the half cup of olive oil fusing with garlic, over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to ripple, reduce to medium and add the slivered red onion and the garlic chips. Saute until the onions become slightly translucent. 

 Add the chicken and spices and saute over medium heat until nearly finished, about six to eight minutes.  

Meanwhile, place two pitas on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Brush generously with the garlic infused olive oil and bake for three minutes at 400 degrees.  Remove. 

Add a slight dusting of cheese to the pita. Spoon up some of the chicken saute, allowing the juices to drip off of the saute, and spread some out over the pita. Arrange some of the goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes.  Dust with a bit more cheese and bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.  The edges will crisp up and the cheese will melt and the filling will cook through. 

Remove and cut with a pizza cutter.  Sprinkle with your garnish, fresh or dried.  I sprinkled mine with dried basil to give it an aromatic advantage. 

Okay, one more for fun!

 Takes about thirty to forty minutes to make and bake and far less time to eat! Enjoy!

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Egg in Foccacia with Garlic and Herb Roasted New Potatoes

I have seen many people make this dish before.  Nothing new here, except a ton of flavor! I have found a company in Sacramento, California, who makes Foccacia bread in loaves.  It is quite the shopping coup!  I simply take a slice of bread, cut a circle out of the center of the bread with my biscuit cutter and crack an egg into the hole when I have the bread in a hot skillet with a little butter under it.  The egg hardens when it cooks.  In the meantime, in a smaller skillet, i seared up a little pork belly and left the rendering in which to roast my cut up new potatoes.  I placed a few garlic chips and some cumin seed in the hot rendering and tossed the potatoes (two, cut into bite-sized pieces) in it and roasted them for fifteen minutes at 400 degrees.  LOVE how cast iron skillets cook so evenly and in shorter time frames!  My grandma knew what she was doing using only cast iron skillets! 

When all is done, i plate and sprinkle with a little cheese and fresh cilantro for garnish and enjoy a hot, comforty dish of down home food. Delicious!  I also like to drizzle a little sriracha or another of my favorite hot sauces down over it.  It is a family thing; we love hot sauce!

 Hope you enjoyed this installment of What I Have Been Up Too.....Again...