Chicken Marsala Pizza

I know what you’re thinking. Whatttt? On pizza? Yes. Do it! So good! All the exclamation points!!
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza

Mr. J and I watched The Revenant and afterwards I needed something calming to clear my eyeballs from the graphic voilence before attempting to sleep. Enter: Diner Drive Ins & Dives going to Phoenix, Arizona to Sal’s Gilbert Pizza for Chicken Marsala Pizza. Perfect night-cap.

Ingredients:

4 chicken tenders
1/2 white onion (or 2 shallots)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Marsala wine
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 ball of pizza dough
1 cup of mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven (and pizza stone if using one) to 400-degrees.
In a large saute pan, cook the chicken over medium heat, sprinkled with salt & pepper. Flip and cook for about ~5 on each side until cooked through.
Meanwhile, dice the onion. Remove the chicken from the pan when cooked, and add the onion into the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes until getting translucent. Add the mushrooms.
Deglaze the pan with the wine and butter over a low simmer to thicken. Cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and while the sauce thickens a bit, chop the chicken into pieces and add it back into the pan.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza
Stretch the dough out and lay onto the pizza stone or pan. Cut a few slits into the dough. Bake for ~10 minutes until starting to brown and puff.
Grate the cheese and sprinkle onto the crust. Crack pepper over the top.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza
Spoon the sauce, chicken, mushroom, and onion mixture over the cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza
Sprinkle with thyme. Bake for 5 minutes until the cheese melts and the crust crisps.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza
Slice and enjoy!

I really loved this one. I liked that the sauce was so rich but the crust was crisp and the cheese was gooey. It was such a delightful combo. The cheese really served to “waterproof” the dough from the sauce. I think it’d get to soggy if the sauce was under the cheese. I think there’d be a few ways to assemble the pizza but I was glad for the way I did it.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza

Throwback Snack: Dunkaroo Dip

I was a bit delayed on Mr. J’s August snack of the month. August’s theme was #throwback so I recreated Dunkaroos! I don’t remember ever seeing them at my house growing up. Essentially it was a cookie dipped into frosting so I doubt they are worse than another cookie with frosting but alas, they are no more…except for Pinterest. It is very addicting. The cake mix makes it.

Dunkaroo Dip - The Three Bite Rule

Ingredients:

1/2 box funfetti cake mix
1 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
2 cups cool whip

Directions:

Mix together the funfetti, yogurt, and cool whip.
Dunkaroo Dip - The Three Bite Rule
Mix and serve with animal crackers for dipping.
Dunkaroo Dip - The Three Bite Rule
Add a few more sprinkles serve and enjoy!

I served these as single dipper portions…much like the 90s treat? Why, yes! I gave Mr. J I Owe Yous with themes for his birthday to get a year of Snacks/Treats.

June: hot & cold (Ice cream topping basket)
July: shareable (loaded waffle fries)
Aug: throwback (this Dunkaroo dip!)
Sept: sweet
Oct: homemade
Nov: chewy
Dec: craveworthy
Jan: minty
Feb: crunchy
Mar: dip-able
April: traditional
May: fresh

Herb & Yogurt Marinated Chicken over Orzo

Tomatoes were sort of a bust this year…we had a culprit nabbing them and the latest ones aren’t getting ripe. Herbs on the other hand…are going like GANG-BUSTERS. I wanted to highlight a few so they became part of my marinade. We grilled the chicken and I served it over some pretty basic orzo…like butter/tomatoes/basil/salt & pepper. The babe loved both the “chick-ken” and was thrilled to have his own bowl of orzo. It kind of was all over him, but Orzo-man was worth it.

Herb Marinated Chicken over Orzo - The Three Bite Rule

I kept the yogurt-ness going with a tzatiki-like sauce to go with it. I don’t have any dill and I wasn’t about to buy more fresh herbs right now so I improvised with mint & oregano. Yay for all. the. herbs. Let’s count ’em: basil, oregano, mint, & lemon thyme.

Ingredients:

6 oz plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Greek or Italian Dressing
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons each: oregano & thyme
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon each: mint & basil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic
1/4 cucumber, with the seeds removed, diced or shredded
1/2 pound of orzo
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon butter

Directions:

Mix together the 3/4 of the yogurt, milk, oregano, thyme, and add the chicken to marinade for at least 30 minutes. Mine marinated for ~2.5 hours.
Herb_marinated_chick_590_390
Meanwhile, mix together the cucumber, yogurt, mint, oregano, lemon juice, and garlic. Then refrigerate until serving.
herb_marinated_tzaiki_390_390
Grill the chicken until cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, boil water for the orzo and cook according to the package (probably 8-10 minutes).
Toss together the orzo, butter, tomato and once it cools a bit, add the basil.
Herb Marinated Chicken over Orzo - The Three Bite Rule
Serve the chicken over a bed of orzo, topped with the cucumber yogurt sauce.
Enjoy!
Herb Marinated Chicken over Orzo - The Three Bite Rule

End of Summer Foods Bucket List

Let’s chat about all the summer foods & flavors we still need to eat:

I definitely need more corn on the cob, plus cooking it and cutting it off the cob (or freezing it off the cob) are great options too. This Heirloom Tomato & Corn Tart is soooo good.
Tomato & Corn Tart - The Three Bite Rule

Plus, watching this guy with an ear of corn cracks me up:
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Obviously I need more tomatoes: Tomato sandwiches for B, L, D. I loved this ricotta pie with tomato though it seems sacrilegious to cook beautiful tomatoes.
Three Bite Rule - Tomato Ricotta Pie
Lobster is a must, I haven’t had any yet but will ASAP
lobster_cooked_390_590
I also need to make some summery cocktails. I have a few in mind…possibly featuring ice tea or lemonade. We’ll see.

I got my s’mores fix last weekend, but there’s no such thing as too many s’mores. I’m sure I will keep featuring the bounty of herbs we’re growing too. Mr. J grills pretty much year-round so that’s not necessarily a must-do. Labor day doesn’t quite mark the end of summer for me since the kiddo’s routine is the same all year but I do look forward to fall.

What’s left on your summery food bucket list?

Tailgater Topped Burger

This tailgater burger was so fun. I was in a rut of not cooking anything new or inspired but this baby woke me up. We’re talking pub cheese, beer braised onions, cheeto dust, and pickles. So delicious. I’m no tailgater, but the snack-ish quality made me think of tailgating.
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger

Ingredients: (for 2 burgers)

1/4 pound burgers & potato rolls
1 yellow onion
1 cup beer
2 tbs cheddar pub cheese
~1 cup cheetos
pickles

Directions:

Slice the onion into even and thin wedges.
Gently saute the onions over medium low heat to translucent and to gently caramelize. Then add half the beer and let cook for about 8-10 minutes. Preheat the grill as well.
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger
Add in a bit more beer as needed (I used about 3/4 cup total). Remove from the heat to serve.
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger
Grill the burgers, cooking to your liking.
In a food processor (I used a coffee grinder!)
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger
Top the burgers with pickles, onions, cheeto dust, and a smear of pub cheese onto the bun.
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger
I loved the spread of cheese and the onion, ohh the onions. I need these in my life more often. I thought the pickle was 100% necessary. Mr. J thought it overpowered the toppings. To each his/her own. The cheeto crust was really for fun to amp up the snack-quality. I’d totally be into these again. The onions are easy to make and could be made in advance.