In my last post, I mentioned how much I love to use rotisserie chicken! Here is another perfect recipe that uses approximately half of a rotisserie chicken, shredded, and coated in your favorite barbecue sauce!

On school nights when I am teaching, I'm always looking for things that are super quick and super easy. This is just the thing - especially if you find a pre-made pizza dough that you like! Of course, you can always make your own pizza dough from scratch!

You may be wondering where the chicken is in the picture below... One of our favorite pizza joints in Pittsburgh is Mineo's! Any other Mineo's fans out there?? Mineo's puts all of their toppings under the cheese, so that the cheese is bubbly and perfectly melty. Naturally, I had to do the same!!

Total Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 8 slices 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded (You can also use about 2-3 shredded, cooked chicken breasts--more or less for your liking!)
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup cooked corn
• Approx. 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 4 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 2-3 oz. shredded smoked Gouda cheese

(Note--Please remember that this does not need to be an exact science! My amounts are approximate, because I always sprinkle ingredients on top of my pizzas until I am satisfied!)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, add the shredded chicken and pour about 1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce over top. Mix so that all of the chicken is covered in sauce. Add more if necessary. Set aside.
3. Using your prepared pizza crust, spread a layer of BBQ sauce on the bottom (1/4 to 1/2 cup), going about 1/2 inch from the edges. 
4. Spread the chicken around the crust. Top with an even layer of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle on the gouda. The smokiness of the Gouda goes a long way, so don't overdo it! :)
5. Top with the onion and corn, and any other ingredients that you want to add.
6. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the cheese is nice and bubbly! I also like to turn my oven on broil and bake for an addition 1-2 minutes.
7. Allow to cool before slicing into 8 pieces. (The sugar in the barbecue sauce gets very hot!)
8. Enjoy!!

Wow do I love this meal! This is such a delicious, hearty, feel-good meal that is perfect for the fall!

Before we built our house a few years ago, we were fortunate to live with my husband's parents. My mother-in-law and I would share the dinner-making, and I always looked forward to this meal! Anytime she now offers to make us dinner, this is way at the top of my list :)

School just started back up for the year and I've been trying to think of meals that are super quick and easy to make while also providing lots of leftovers for my hubby and me to take for lunch the next day. This recipe calls for cooked chicken, and I just love buying a rotisserie chicken to shred and use in 2 different meals. It can't get much simpler than that!

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Baking Time: 1 hour

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (I love to use a rotisserie chicken!)
• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can chicken broth
• 1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies, thawed
• 1 1/2 cup Bisquick
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
2. Lay shredded chicken in bottom of prepared dish.
3. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together cream of chicken soup and chicken broth. Pour over the chicken and stir to coat. Lightly salt to taste. Arrange thawed veggies over top.
4. In a separate bowl, combine Bisquick, milk and melted butter. stirring to form a thin batter. Pour evenly over the chicken and veggies. 
5. Bake uncovered about 1 hour, until the crust rises to the top and browns lightly.
6. Enjoy!!

There is nothing at all like peach season! And while there is nothing like a good peach, there is really nothing like sweet peaches, covered in delicious crumb topping right out of the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! Now that sounds like heaven!

Last summer, my hubby brought home a big bushel of peaches and my mom and I went straight to work making all kinds of amazing peach goodies! We had a few left and were wondering what else we could make. After a quick search online, I found this recipe for peach cobbler. When I find a new recipe with a high-star rating, I always like to read the comments and see other people's suggestions. The result of a few tweaks is my recipe below! 

I couldn't wait to find good peaches this year. This was the number one peach item on my list, and it did not disappoint, yet again!

Total Time: 1 hour
Baking Time: 45 minutes

Yield: about 6 good-sized servings

Ingredients:

• 7 peaches, peeled and sliced thin
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• approx. 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cold

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.
2. Layer the peaches in the bottom of the dish. Drizzle vanilla and honey over the peaches and gently stir to coat. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add oats and stir to combine. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine crumbs. Evenly top the peaches with the crumb mixture. 
4. Bake 45 minutes until the topping is lightly golden brown and bubbling.
5. Enjoy!!

Source: Modified from All Recipes

Look how amazing these cupcakes are! If you are looking for the cutest, most delicious novelty cupcakes for a party, you've found them!

These cupcakes use root beer as well as root beer extract. Check out the extract that I used here. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about the combination of root beer and sweet cake, but once I tried one, I fell in love!!

These were so simple to make by sprucing up a vanilla cake mix. I love using the Betty Crocker Super Moist vanilla cake, because it already has pudding in the mix. You'd never know it's a cake mix!!

Total Time: 45 minutes
Baking Time: 15 minutes

Yield: about 18-20 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 vanilla cake mix
• 1 cup root beer
• 1 Tablespoon root beer extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 Tablespoon root beer extract
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 4-5 Tablespoons root beer
• Brown food coloring, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with cupcake wrappers.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together cake mix, 1 cup root beer, 1 T. root beer extract, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat on low to combine for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides. Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. Fill cupcake wrappers 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Remove cupcakes from the pans and cool completely before frosting.
5. To make the frosting, combine butter, 1/2 T. root beer extract, powdered sugar and 4-5 T. root beer. Using a mixer, beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. 
6. Optional - add brown food coloring to create your desired color of frosting.
7. Using a piping bag, top your cupcakes with frosting. Add a cherry on top and half of a straw for the perfect look! Enjoy!!

Source: Butterwithasideofbread.com

Happy Saturday!!

If you haven't yet noticed, I recently launched the opening of my bakery!! I do not have a storefront location, but I've already been able to fulfill over a dozen orders for cakes, cookies, French macarons, cupcakes, and pies out of my beautiful home kitchen.

I've loved my kitchen since the moment we started designing it, and now I get to use it to put a smile on other people's faces besides my own family! Stay tuned for a mini photo shoot that I am planning, so you can check out my dream kitchen and where all of my treats are made!

A recent order that I fulfilled included a request for a s'mores cake. I am by no means a fancy cake designer, as I've never attended culinary classes, but I was SO excited with how this one turned out! So...please check out my Slice of Heaven Bakery and share my website with your friends!

The past two weeks have been such a blast! I started my semi-professional bakery that you can check out on my Slice of Heaven Bakery tab, and I also gave my website a beautiful new facelift! I've had lots of wonderful orders that included cookies, macarons, and miniature cupcakes! Seeing the joy on everyone's face as they come to pick up their delicious baked goods is what it's all about! 

If you are interested in placing an order for an upcoming event or simply because you just love yummy baked goods, I'd love to be considered!

This past week, I received an email with a request for a chocolate meringue pie! With many restaurants sadly having to close and/or having to reduce their menus, favorites like a chocolate meringue pie are no longer offered. My hope is to be able to fill that void with food that makes you happy :)

While trying out this new recipe, I learned a couple of things… The humidity definitely affects the meringue and causes it to weep a little bit. But believe me, it still tastes delicious! I also learned that it's important to allow the chocolate portion to bake prior to adding the meringue. I'm so glad I did that! It turned out amazingly and it was SO delicious!

Total Time: 45 minutes
Baking Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 6-8 slices

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 9-inch pie crust
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 6 Tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. If using a refrigerated pie crust, allow the crust to come to room temperature. Then place the crust in a glass pie dish. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook and whisk over medium high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Whisk 3 egg yolks in a medium bowl, and set remaining 3 egg whites in another medium bowl. Set egg whites aside. 
5. Slowly whisk small ladles of cocoa mixture into the egg yolks, to temper and bring the egg yolks to meet the temperature of the cocoa mixture. Continue adding by the ladleful until all is fully incorporated.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust and bake for 20 minutes, or until the filling is only slightly jiggly. 
7. Meanwhile, add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and whip using a hand mixer on medium high until soft peaks form. Add the sugar to the bowl and continue whipping on medium high until stiff peaks form. Gently top the chocolate pie with the meringue, and using a spatula, form several peaks. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the meringue is a light golden color.
8. Allow to cool completely before slicing, even though you'll want to dive right in!
9. Enjoy!!

Source: Modified from All Recipes