Grilled Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I realize that school is back in session, but all these posts about fall foods and apple picking have got to stop. Because seriously, people, it's not even September and you're breaking out the sweaters. And drug stores, we need to chat, too, because I've got a good six weeks left on my calendar before I'll be ready to talk about plastic pumpkins. Around here we're still out in the yard until twilight, swatting away mosquitoes and practicing our tee-ball swings. And, yes, we're still grilling.

It took me awhile to jump on the grilled-pizza bandwagon, and now I'm wondering what took me so long. Tangy barbecue sauce, pungent onions, stringy mozzarella, chunks of grilled chicken. Those are some of our favorite pizza toppings, and when they're piled on smoky, chewy dough they become even more delightful. Pair a slice of this pizza with your favorite bottle - beer or wine - and enjoy the last few nights twinkling with fireflies. And since school has started back just wait until after the kids are put to bed. There's nothing wrong with a little you time.



Grilled Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Adapted from The Kitchn and Sara Moulton
Makes two pizzas, 2 to 4 servings
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Ingredients
One recipe of The Kitchn's thin-crust pizza dough
1 cup grilled or roasted chicken, cut into chunks or shredded
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 of a large white onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Olive oil for brushing

Directions
1. Make pizza dough. Once ready and divided in half, put each piece onto parchment paper. Press into a thin, roundish shape and brush top with olive oil.
2. Prepare all toppings and have them on hand. Once you start cooking the dough the process goes quickly.
3. Heat grill to high on one side, medium on the other. Put oiled side of dough down onto hot side of grill. Brush top with olive oil and let cook about two minutes. Flip dough onto cooler side of grill. (If you're unable to prepare two sides of a grill simply reduce the heat when you flip your dough.)
4. Spread dough with half of barbecue sauce. Top with half of chicken, onion, pepper and cheese. Cover and let cook until cheese is melted and bottom of dough is golden brown, three to five minutes. Slide onto cutting board and let cool slightly before cutting and serving.
5. Repeat with other piece of dough and remaining toppings.

Blackberry Crumb Bars

We're doing everything we can around here to squeeze a few more days out of summer. Over the weekend I got to cash in my Mother's Day tickets and sing along with Jack Johnson outside under the stars. (Come on over some time and I just might in fact make you banana pancakes.) It was almost cool that night, and while I can feel fall nipping at our heels there are still fresh, juicy berries to be eaten. These quick, not-too-sweet crumb bars are the perfect vehicle for blackberries, but I daresay they'd sit alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream quite nicely.



These bars are also a nice welcome home gift if, like me, you have recently welcomed a new niece into the world. Scarlett arrived last Thursday - a bundle of pink perfection - and she's already wide-eyed, taking in everything around her. (Or perhaps she's just watching and waiting for her big cousin Cash to accidentally bop her in the head again. But I digress.) Scarlett's mama might be the queen of chocolate-chip cookies, but it will be a while before she feels like roaming the kitchen in a baker's hat. That's where this easy-peasy recipe comes in. She gets to eat a blackberry bar, and I get to hold a beautiful baby.

Fair trade, wouldn't you say?



Blackberry Crumb Bars
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes 16 bars
Printer-friendly version

While I haven't tried it I have little doubt that you can switch out the blackberries in this recipe for the berries you like best. Blueberries come to mind. And stone fruit, such as peaches, might also make a nice version, if blackberries and their tiny, crunchy seeds just aren't your thing.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
10 ounces of blackberries (2 containers)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan then line with parchment paper, allowing paper to overhang on the sides. Butter and flour paper, too.
2. To make topping: In a medium bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add one cup of flour and mix with fork or pastry blender until ingredients resemble crumbs. Refrigerate topping until ready to use.
3. In a separate, medium bowl whisk 3/4 cup flour, baking powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
4. In a separate, large bowl beat butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Lower speed on mixer and gradually add flour. Mix until combined. Spread batter in bottom of prepared pan. Spread blackberries across batter then sprinkle top with cold crumb topping.
5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan. Lift out, holding paper, then cut into squares.

Grilled Summer Corn

Corn hasn't always held star status in this house, but that all changed this summer. For a long time I eschewed corn on the cob because I despised its negative after-effects: you know, bits and pieces stuck between my teeth. Brad wouldn't touch it, along with green peas, because of the "shells," so he calls them. (We have texture issues in this house if you can't already tell.) But then we joined a CSA and had fresh corn every weekend for six weeks. And we started using our grill more often. And corn quickly became a welcome addition to our summer dinners.

There are several ways to spice up corn on the cob - my friend Jacqui likes hers with chili powder and lime - but we've been doing it this way: Slather with mayo. Sprinkle with coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, chili powder and grated Parmesan. Roll in foil then roast 5 to 10 minutes, then flip and roast 5 to 10 minutes more. When you take that first bite, letting those sweet kernels pop in your mouth, you taste pure summer. The heat of the pepper and chili powder is a great way to wake up your taste buds and maybe make you sweat a little. And the charred bits, with their slightly nutty flavor, are my favorite bites.

My dad showed up here a few weeks ago with a bushel of fresh corn, gritty with dirt and packed tightly in the shucks. It's now all frozen and waiting for winter nights when the cold just gets to be too much and we're dreaming of summer. I haven't tried it, but the grill works in January, too, right?



You hardly need a recipe for roasting corn on the cob, but you might need some inspiration. Here are my muses. Oh! And yes, I know that using all that foil isn't exactly eco-friendly, and that bothers me, too. My guess is if you roll back the shucks, clean the silks then prepare your corn you could roast it right in its God-given packaging, too. And if you do and it works out let us all know!

* Parmesan-Roasted Corn on the Cob at Allrecipes.
* Elote, or Mexican Grilled Corn, by Food Blogga.
* Parmesan-Roasted Corn on the Cob at Yum Sugar.
* Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob at Simply Recipes.
* No frills Grilled Corn from Mark Bittman. (He's right. It's all about the char.)

Upside Down Tomato Bread

Summer has hit me hard. I'm not talking about the heat, although there is that to contend with. I'm talking about the fact that I'd rather be outside on the patio, playing with my little guy in his wading pool and catching fireflies, than sitting inside chained to a desk. You read that right, folks: I've got a severe case of writer's block. And not even this amazing, flavorful, gooey, chewy, crusty Upside Down Tomato Bread is pulling me out of my funk.



I don't think I can sing this bread's praises loudly enough. Do any of you Chapel Hillians remember Franklin Street Pizza and Pasta? Do you remember the jar of warm garlic knots they kept by the register? This bread reminds me of those, but it's better. Tomatoes are in season, and while tomato sandwiches have been making an appearance a lot lately this was also a great way to use those bright, red globes of sunshine. A friend on Facebook recently wrote in her status update: Give a girl a tomato and she'll eat for a day. Give a girl a tomato plant and she'll eat for a summer. So true, my friend. (And boy am I glad that a girl can also live off her Daddy's rows of tomato plants.)



Don't be put of by the long lists of ingredients and instructions. This bread was easy as pie to put together. Plus if you've been reading long you know that I struggle with yeast. This bread, however, gave me no problems. It tastes a lot like pizza, obviously, but if you're like me and love the cheese and crust of the pizza the most this is the recipe for you.

The recipe for Upside-Down Tomato Basil Bread can be found at Simmer Till Done.