Make Your Own Pizzas with Newman's Own!

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers program, I received free jars of Newman's Own Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce AND a free Flip Video Camera with the Newman's Own logo! The mission: create an easy, fast, family-friendly recipe. What better dinner than a pizza night?!

You may have already seen a post like this, in which H-Bomb had a friend over and we made individual pizzas. That time, I used Artisan Bread Dough for the crust, and homemade Marinara Sauce, in addition to the toppings. The boys LOVED them. (follow the above link for those recipes) They had so much fun, and ate all of their dinner, so I decided to let them do it again!

I made a batch of Artisan Bread Dough for these crusts, but accidentally left it out on the counter for over 24 hours, and that, my friends, is too long! When did I discover this? When we were getting ready to prepare dinner, of course. I considered using tortillas as a last-minute crust, but decided to google first. I found a no-knead, no-rise crust recipe to try, on a food blog called Adventures of a Food Slut. (a perfect match for The Bad Girl's Kitchen, I say!)


Super Quick, No-Knead Pizza Dough

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add remaining ingredients and stir vigorously 20 strokes. Let rest 5 minutes. With floured fingers, pat into pizza pan. (I sprinkled a little cornmeal on the pan first) For pizza, top as desired, and bake 15 to 20 minutes at 425 degrees F.


I formed the dough into three individual mini pizzas for the three boys. The toppings were Newman's Own Roasted Garlic Sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni and mushrooms.

The dough took about 10 minutes, including the 5 minute resting time.

The cute pizza prep video (which I am having the hardest time adding to this post!) is about 3 minutes real time, that's all it took for the boys to get their own pizzas loaded up.

Fifteen minutes in the oven, and they were done!

I think the boys can speak for themselves! There was not much pizza left at all!

Thank you Foodbuzz and Newman's Own!!

Bauducco Panettone French Toast

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers program, I received two free samples of Bauducco's Panettone! (If you're like me, you're saying, what does that even mean?)


Well, when I opened the box, I saw that a Panettone is a "specialty cake!" We got one with chocolate chips in it, and one with raisins in it. Each cake is about 26 ounces, pretty big! Foodbuzz also sent a couple recipes, for French toast and Bread Pudding. I couldn't resist the French toast...and of course chose to make it with the chocolate chip panettone!


But first a bit of history...right off the box.

"In 1952, in a small confectionery, the Bauducco family began making Panettones using its special recipe directly from Italy. With great dedication, work and a special talent for baking, the family saw its Panettone become increasingly recognized for its quality and unique taste. Carefully prepared with a traditional natural leavening process, each Bauducco Panettone takes more than 50 hours to bake."


We sampled a couple pieces before we made the French toast, and it is delicious! Just the right texture, with a hint of a citrus flavor, which is excellent with the chocolate! So far we've only had the chocolate chip cake, because we have two little boys who love chocolate. They are in love. "That cake is sooooo yummy," they both have said several times. "This is the Best French Toast Ever," they said. Things like that.

If you want to try some, here's one place to get it: Bauducco Panettone with Hershey Chocolate. You do have to carefully remove the baking paper from the cake, but it comes off pretty easily.

The French toast is, of course, simple to prepare. The recipe calls for sour cream, but I made a late-night chip dip last night and...we don't have any more sour cream...so I used plain yogurt. I doubled the recipe so we each got a piece, and there was enough egg mixture for 6 half-slices of toast. (the cake is pretty big, so I cut each slice in half for easier handling)


The French toast turned out moist and decadent, a welcome departure from regular French toast. We loved it! It was like a special treat on a regular Saturday. We went simple and served ours with maple syrup (and a little whipped cream for my husband and the boys!)


Panettone French Toast
Serves 2

2 3/4-inch-thick slices of Bauducco Panettone
2 eggs
1 heaping tablespoon sour cream (or plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons milk
Butter

Beat eggs, sour cream and milk in a shallow, flat-bottomed dish. (I always use a pie plate). Place panettone slice in the dish for a minute, then turn over to soak both sides completely.

Warm skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add butter to grease the skillet. Gently remove soaked panettone from dish and place onto heated skillet. Cook for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side for soft center, 3 minutes per side for firm center. (I cooked mine for about 2 minutes per side, and they were perfect!)

Spread a little butter on each slice, then drizzle with maple syrup and/or powdered sugar.

Kara-Áge Tilapia and Homemade Ponzu Sauce

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers program, I received a free box of Kikkoman Kara-Áge Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix. I have never heard of Kara-Áge [KAH-rah AH-geh] before, but reading the box and the letter from foodbuzz informed me that it is Japanese-style fried chicken, or fish. "One of the most popular cooking techniques in Japan...Kikkoman has made age-old traditions modern, by simplifying the recipe for today's family."

For the Kara-Áge, my husband thawed and cut up tilapia in 1-1/2" square pieces. The coating mix is very fragrant, right out of the box. It smells delicious. The method couldn't be easier: add mix to a bag, toss fish pieces, then fry in 1/4" oil for 2 to 4 minutes.


The box recommends serving the chicken or fish with Kikkoman Ponzu or Lime Ponzu. Of course I didn't have any Ponzu, and didn't have a clue what Ponzu is, or how to make it, but thank you very much google! I found a recipe in The New York Times. Then reading the Ponzu recipe, I didn't know what dried bonita flakes are...google told me they are dried fish, which of course I didn't have, so I added a splash of fish sauce. That may be completely wrong, but I don't know any better! I used the sake and sugar in place of the mirin, and tossed in a piece of toasted seaweed instead of kelp.

Kara-Áge Tilapia and Homemade Ponzu Sauce

I had such high hopes for this Kara-Áge fish...but the aromatic mix doesn't contribute much flavor to the final product. It tastes like fried fish, which is fine, because that is indeed what it is. It is better dipped in the Ponzu sauce, but overall just not something to get excited about. The Ponzu sauce is fairly tasty, and it will be interesting to see how it is with other dishes.

Personally, the fish made my lips and mouth go a bit numb, so there must be some ingredient to which I was having a reaction. At first I really thought it was the sake in the sauce, but after the numb sensation had worn off, I ate several pieces of fish with no sauce, and surprisingly my mouth went numb again, definitely from the fish itself. I have no idea what that's about, and it's unfortunate, I'm just glad it wore off quickly!

Ponzu Sauce

Source: The New York Times

Yield 2 1/2 cups

Time 15 minutes, plus 2 hours

Homemade ponzu will keep for several days with no loss in quality.

• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, more to taste
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup good-quality soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin (or 1/4 cup sake and 1 tablespoon sugar)
• 1 3-inch piece kelp (konbu)
• 1/2 cup (about 1/4 ounce) dried bonito flakes
  
• Pinch cayenne

• In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Let sit for at least 2 hours or overnight. Strain. Just before using, you might add a small squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice. Covered and refrigerated, ponzu will keep for at least several days.

Bad Girl Review: Voila! Garlic Chicken

Want an honest product review? You'll always find them here.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received a free sample of Birds Eye Voila! which are "delicious skillet meals made in minutes." Thank you Foodbuzz and Birds Eye! Birds Eye's website says there are 17 varieties of Voila! available, including chicken, shrimp or beef meals. My teeny tiny grocery store currently carries two varieties: Garlic Chicken and Three Cheese Chicken. For tonight's dinner, we chose Garlic Chicken. There was 1 pound and 6 ounces in what I assume is the "regular size" package, just under 4 servings, according to the nutritional information.

The chicken and vegetables come out of the bag looking bright and fresh. It's easy to make, just add 1/4 cup of water to a pan along with the contents of the bag, and start heating! The instructions said to reduce heat to medium-high and cover. This turned out to be too high, after half of the 7-9 minutes, it started to stick a bit when I opened the cover to stir. I ended up reducing the heat to low to finish cooking, and despite frequent stirring, it still stuck just a bit. Not too bad though.

As you can see, the dinner looks appetizing and fresh, even after cooking. I asked my family to report their opinions.


I thought the chicken, pasta and vegetable combo was surprisingly fresh-tasting, and had a light sauce with good flavor. The chicken had a good texture, not chewy or rubbery, and even the pasta was good. It makes a decent, quick, last-minute weeknight option. I would rather throw it together from scratch, a fresh meal from fresh ingredients, but I sure couldn't do that in 10 minutes!

H-Bomb, age 8, possessing a truly sophisticated palate, said that the chicken had "a spicy aftertaste," and he didn't care for the pasta, but he finished his dinner. He said "I just liked the broccoli."

Sawed Off, age 5, tasted only one bite and said he didn't like it. Even the promise of dessert couldn't convince him to clean his plate. It's possible they would prefer the Three Cheese Chicken, but I don't know.

Number One, my husband, said it was "good, for a frozen dinner." He would eat it again.

I may use one of the coupons I have, just to stash a couple bags in the freezer for a desperate school night. Speaking of which,

I do have a BUNCH of
Buy-One-Get-One-Free COUPONS
from Foodbuzz and Birds Eye,
so if you're interested in trying Voila!,
"like" my page on facebook
& leave a wall post about Voila!
I'll give coupons to
the FIRST 15 people to do so,
and will contact you to find out
where to send your coupon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now to the ingredients. I feel like I need to disclose this, even though I am submitting this post to the Birds Eye people and to Foodbuzz. Food companies have to know how consumers truly feel. Even though we did eat this ONE meal.

It doesn't help that we received this product after we'd recently taken a stand against ultra-processed, ubiquitous corn and soy products. Last year, we may not have given it a second thought. But it's been nagging at me to the point I just can't stand it anymore: I just don't understand WHY every single processed food product MUST include corn AND soy in MULTIPLE variations.

If you don't care about the abundance of corn and soy in every single food product in the USA, by all means, go buy this one, it tastes better than a lot of things.

I do care. So for your information, should you choose to read it, here's the breakdown of soy/corn from the ingredients list:

(*I haven't gotten so far as to analyze or discover the chemical or other names for soy or corn, so these are only the obviously listed "corn" and "soy" products. For all I know, there could be even more*)

• Isolated soy protein
• Corn flour
• Corn starch
• Defatted soy flour
• MORE Corn starch
• Partially hydrogenated soybean oil
• MORE Partially hydrogenated soybean oil
• Soy lecithin

Do you see what I mean? EIGHT various forms of corn and soy?? There aren't even that many REAL ingredients, at least there shouldn't be: Chicken. Pasta. Broccoli. Corn (kernels!). Carrots. Garlic Sauce.

Add all eight forms to all the other processed foods a person in America likely eats in a day, and it's staggering. I don't like it. I don't trust it. I don't see how it's necessary or why it's done, and it must stop. There is a reason so many of us are unhealthy. And I didn't even touch the sodium or sugar levels. I'll just say they're both more than in there, Read The Labels for yourself.

The end.

Sylvia's Ozark Cornbread

A couple years ago, I received The Cornbread Gospels cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon in the mail, a gift from the author herself. Pretty cool, right? I haven't made much cornbread in those two years, admittedly neglecting this informative cookbook, but recently someone posted a link to a recipe for a cornbread-based dressing, featuring eggplant and shrimp. I was intrigued, and I will be making and posting that recipe shortly. In the meantime, I needed to make some cornbread on which to base the dressing!

Out of the hundreds of cornbread recipes in the "Gospels," I chose this one. For reasons I can't explain, other than it looked pretty simple and I had all the ingredients.

Upon mixing up the batter, the consistency had me a bit worried, it seemed very thin. I needn't have worried, the cornbread baked up perfectly. It's a delicious cornbread with a lovely crumb, however I'm going to show my decidedly Northern roots when I say that this "Southern" cornbread needs just a bit of sugar for my taste, if I were eating it plain. Luckily I'm mixing it into that other recipe, so the lack of sugar is just fine.


Make this if you're in the mood for a true Southern, healthy cornbread. I have to admit, the more cornbread I ate, the more I liked it...let me know what YOU think!


Sylvia's Ozark Cornbread
Makes 8 wedges

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk, preferably measured into a 4-cup measure
2 eggs
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil, add the butter, and put it into the oven to heat. Meanwhile, stir together the cornmeal, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In a smaller bowl, or in the 4-cup measure, beat the buttermilk with the eggs and oil.

Combine the two mixtures. As always, be careful not to overbeat, stirring until wet and dry are just combined.

Scrape the batter into the hot skillet and bake the cornbread until it is golden brown and crusty at the edges, 23 to 27 minutes. Serve hot, in wedges.

Bertolli Spring Pasta with Four Cheese Rosa

FedEx Express made a surprise visit again! As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received two new Bertolli pasta sauces: Four Cheese Rosa, an Alfredo blend with four cheeses and tomatoes; and Arrabbiata, a spicy tomato sauce with red peppers.


Tonight, after taking stock of what we have in the house, I decided on a Spring Pasta with the Four Cheese Rosa Sauce for dinner. (I'll let you know what we make with the Arrabbiata!)

With chicken and lightly sauteed vegetables, the Four Cheese Rosa was delicious. Creamy and flavorful, with just a hint of tomatoes. Everyone loved it.


Spring Pasta with Four Cheese Rosa
Serves 4, with leftovers

1 pound penne or your favorite pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground chicken (or a couple boneless skinless breasts, diced)
1 shallot, diced
coarse salt
6-8 mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 pound asparagus (about 20 stems), cut in 1-inch pieces
1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Alfredo Sauce

Prepare pasta according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat butter and oil together over medium heat, add chicken and saute' until cooked through. Add shallots and saute' until beginning to turn golden, sprinkle with salt (maybe 1/2 tablespoon), then add mushrooms and saute' for a few minutes. You want to time the cooking of the vegetables to match the pasta, so with just a few minutes left on the pasta timer, add the asparagus and saute' until bright green. Reduce heat, add Four Cheese Rosa Alfredo Sauce and heat through, stirring.

By the time the pasta is done, the sauce should be heated and ready. Toss pasta with sauce, and serve immediately.

Bad Girl Review: POM Iced Coffee

It's really been a long time since my first product review here on The Bad Girl's Kitchen. I was very excited when I received an email from Blue at POM Wonderful about trying a new product for them: POM Iced Coffees, the Healthy Buzz.

In the email describing their new Iced Coffees, POM stated: "They've got POMx – an all-natural, ultra-potent antioxidant – made from the same pomegranates we use for our 100% Pomegranate Juice. Plus, it’s coffee too, so you get all the antioxidants found in POMx, plus a great caffeine pick-me-up. We like to call it “The Healthy Buzz.”"

*(POM emailed me, I had no idea they even HAD an Iced Coffee product, so I told them I'd love to try some.)

Today, I picked up the mail and there it was: a box of POM Iced Coffee! (I started this post back in mid-September! Oops!)


First, my dad and I tried the Chocolate Iced Coffee. My dad, a chocoholic who has been known to eat chocolate chips by the bag, loved it. I'm a chocoholic too, I suppose, but I didn't love it. It tasted like you were drinking Hershey's syrup. "That's why I love it," my dad said. But I'd like to taste more coffee, a bit less chocolate.

Next, we tried the Cafe au Lait Iced Coffee--too bitter for my tastes, but Number One liked it. "It's good," he said eloquently. I put milk and sugar or flavored creamer in my regular coffee, so I guess I need some sort of flavor/sweetener to take the bitter edge off.

I had high hopes for the Vanilla Iced Coffee, because there's nothing I'd love more than another product to choose from when I'm looking for a drink, and so far I wasn't completely sold on these Iced Coffees.

Dare I say it? The Vanilla was too...vanilla-y. Or maybe just too sweet? Am I being too picky?

To me, a coffee drink is a delicate balance. You need to to taste the coffee, it can't be bitter...perhaps I should clarify: I am one of those people who gets annoyed at a diner when I have my coffee at the perfect ratio of coffee to cream to sugar and the waitress comes along and fills up the cup without even asking.

While I do LOVE that these are a "healthier" coffee drink, I honestly think the flavors need some fine-tuning. These might be better for using in a different drink recipe, or some other way. If you have any ideas, be sure and let me know, I'll give it a try.

The Verdict:
More coffee, please, less flavor.
That's my opinion...

Post Script: We were just wondering about the sugar content in these babies, after Number One said, "Antioxidants or no, I'm not sure how healthy those are." I couldn't finish the Vanilla Iced Coffee, so it was still in the fridge.

I have to tell you--in one bottle (10.5 fl. ounces), there are 28 GRAMS of SUGAR! Holy Cow! That is a LOT of sugar. (and now I'm wondering how much is in the sickly sweet chocolate flavor...)

Figuring that there are 3.94 grams of granulated sugar in 1 US teaspoon, that means there are, not joking, more than SEVEN TEASPOONS of sugar in ONE drink. YIKES! There are also 10 grams of "Sugar Alcohol" listed in the Nutrition Facts. What the heck is that? MORE sugar? I think the formula needs to be revisited before I will be convinced to drink these again!

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Brown Butter Parsley Sauce

One night last week, Number One and I were up late watching television. We're talking late, late, like 10:00pm! Both of the boys had thankfully fallen asleep, and it was just us. And a trespasser! A car drove down the ranch road, like it knew where it was going. It stopped in front of our old house, as if it had stopped there before. Number One grabbed a flashlight and went out to see what was up.

"FedEx!" yelled Tom, our dutiful FedEx Express driver. He told Number One about his FedEx truck breaking down, so he had to rent a little car. He wasn't too happy about it, but man oh man is he dedicated. You may recall how much we hate FedEx, but Tom is an exception to the rule. Tom handed Number One a box we had not been expecting, and was on his way.

In the box, with some ice packs and styrofoam, was a little present. A package of Buitoni Riserva Wild Mushroom Agnolotti, from my friends at foodbuzz.com! How surprising! How wonderful! Thank you, foodbuzz!

It took me a while to decide how to serve it up, but tonight I did. Not only does the fresh pasta cook fast (4 to 6 minutes!), it is "generously filled with fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, imported Grana Padano & Parmesan cheeses and fresh roasted garlic." I served the agnolotti (similar to ravioli, but shaped differently) with Giada De Laurentiis' Brown Butter Sauce, from her Everyday Italian cookbook. I used Italian flat parsley in my dish instead of the sage or basil she suggested.

If I could say delicious in Italian, this would certainly be the occasion! The sauce complemented the savory pasta beautifully, with crispy parsley leaves and a sprinkling of Parmesan on top. The pasta smells divine, and is so tasty, bursting with flavorful mushrooms. We all loved it, and H-Bomb asked for seconds, of sauce too!

So if you can find this pasta in your local store, or in any store to which you're willing to drive (go here for the store locator), and buy some now. Buy two 9-ounce packages if you have more than two people to serve, and whip up this lovely Brown Butter Sauce. If you love mushrooms, you'll love it too.


Brown Butter Sauce
This is the easiest sauce you will ever make and a very tasty one, but then what doesn't taste good when it's drenched in butter? This is the perfect topping for stuffed pastas like ravioli, tortellini, and agnolotti.

Makes 1/ cup, serves 4 with a pound of pasta as a first course

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 fresh sage leaves (torn into pieces) or 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves or 1/4 cup fresh flat parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large, heavy frying pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until pale golden about 4 minutes. Add the sage, basil or parsley and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and the nutmeg. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste (I didn't need any more of either). Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and serve.