Meal of the Month - May

To make up for being late last month, I decided to post my Meal of the Month early this time!

I got this recipe from my good friend, Jennie, who also happens to be an amazing cook. It is by far our favorite homemade pizza!

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Pizza Dough:

• 1 tsp. yeast
• 1/2 c. plus 1 T. warm water
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil

Dissolve yeast in water and set aside for 5 - 10 minutes. Place dry ingredients in mixing bowl; mix well. Make a well in middle and pour in yeast mixture and olive oil. Use wooden spoon to combine ingredients. Lightly oil hands and knead the dough for 5 minutes. When done dough should be slightly tacky. Lightly oil dough ball and interior of glass bowl. Place dough in bowl and seal bowl with plastic wrap; seal airtight. Set aside at room temperature to rise until double, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. At this point, place in refrigerator until 2 hours before ready to assemble pizza. (I usually do the previous steps the night or day before.) About 2 hours before ready to make pizza, remove dough from refrigerator. Roll dough into a ball and place in glass casserole dish. Seal top of dish with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours. Place dough on floured surface and using hands or rolling pin press dough down to form a flat circle.

Toppings:

• 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 2 T. BBQ sauce (preferably sweet-spicy sauce)
• 1/2 c. plus a little more BBQ sauce (same as above)
• 1/2 c. Gouda cheese (sometimes I leave this off, it's optional)
• 2 c. mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Cook chicken over medium heat until done, about 5 to 6 minutes. Coat chicken with 2 T. BBQ sauce. Spread 1/2 c. BBQ sauce evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle Gouda cheese on each pizza. Top with red onion and cilantro. Distribute chicken pieces evenly over both pizzas. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake pizzas in 500° oven for about 8 minutes.

And for dessert, try these Lemon Bars. They have a really delicious crust that I love!

Crust:

• 1 c. margarine
• dash of salt
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 2 c. flour

Mix all four ingredients together. It will be crumbly. Press into a 9x9-baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until very lightly browned.

Filling:

• 4 eggs
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. flour
• 6 T. lemon juice

Mix ingredients together well in a large bowl. Pour over the baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. Cut and remove from the pan while still warm.