Chicken Pot Pie Pizza with Parmesan Ranch Cream Sauce

That is quite a lengthy recipe title, but it just goes to show that this pizza recipe is JAM PACKED with flavors.

Last week I made my Chicken Pot Pockets for dinner (one of our favorite weeknight recipes!), and we found ourselves with extra pot pie filling than there was puff pastry to stuff. I packed it away in the fridge sadly, thinking for sure this would ultimately get tossed in the garbage as most forgotten leftovers do.

The next day I was still thinking about that chicken pot pie filling--what can I say, food really is always on my mind. That's when it hit me. Pizza. Pizza makes everything better and generally everything tastes better when it is on a pizza.

I told Cory what my plan was and he giggled like a school girl was totally on board with the idea. My general vision was a white cream sauce, chicken pot pie filling, mozzarella and garlic or herbs on top. Then, in an effort to show me up, Cory suggests making the cream sauce a RANCH cream sauce. Ugh, this is love.

Needless to say it was exactly what the pizza needed. A light side salad was the perfect accompaniment to make this pizza into a meal. Sure, it seems a little indulgent and it is. Pizza = indulgence. And pizza = happiness, so don't sell yourself short--you DESERVE this Chicken Pot Pie Pizza with Parmesan Ranch Cream Sauce.

It's also a great excuse to make chicken pot pockets first. You know, just spreading our dollars. The recipe below will make 2 12-inch pizzas--perfect for feeding a crowd!

Turkey Day Leftover Ideas

Welcome to December, everyone!

It is now officially acceptable to transition from pumpkin everything to peppermint and chocolate everything! I cannot wait.

If you are like me, you have quite a bit of turkey, perhaps a few vegetables, and a bit of cranberry sauce leftover. Instead of recreating the same meal you ate on Thanksgiving, maybe you want to consider jazzing up those leftovers with a few of these recipe ideas.

For the cranberry sauce, try these Cranberry Baked Brie Bites. Puff pastry makes everything better, and this tasty snack is like a bite-sized version of baked brie. Genius!

For any leftover peas, carrots, corn, and other vegetables, make a wholesome meal with this Veggie-Packed Fried Rice! Just replace any vegetables in the recipe with what you have on hand. Cut into bite-sized cubes to make sure everything cooks evenly.

For turkey, gravy, and more vegetables, take these Chicken Pot Pockets and create a Turkey Pot Pocket! Replace the chicken with turkey, use your own leftover gravy, and swap frozen veggies for any fresh ones you have on hand.

Finally, if you still have a bit of cooked turkey, try shredding it and cooking up a big pot of this Chicken and Tortellini Soup (replacing chicken with the turkey, of course!) 

Hope you enjoy these twists with your Turkey Day leftovers. Back to the Monday grind. Have a great week, everyone!

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Cranberry Baked Brie Bites

Well, Thanksgiving came and Thanksgiving went.

We all ate a little too much turkey, a little too much gravy, way too many slices of pie, and more scoops of mashed potatoes than we care to count.

Despite all of this overeating, one thing is always certain...

No matter how fast Thanksgiving comes and goes, the leftovers are here to stay.

Most leftovers are pretty easy to tackle. Turkey can be made into yummy soups and stews and sandwiches. Mashed potatoes and vegetables make a great base for lunch.

But what about that pesky cranberry sauce?? Is it an easy part of the meal to throw away? Sure. But I say, waste not!

Let's put that cranberry sauce to new use. Let's grab a couple of sheets of frozen puff pastry. Let's put brie and cranberry sauce/chutney/preserves inside. Let's call it---Baked Brie Bites.

I was originally inspired by this Joy the Baker recipe. I'm pretty sure my mouth started watering as I read through the description. I don't tend to have too much jelly/jam/marmalade on hand, but thanks to Thanksgiving (how punny!)--I did have plenty of Cranberry Apple Chutney leftover!

I absolutely recommend serving these hot out of the oven--they make a great appetizer. I have also been enjoying a few of them for breakfast each morning alongside scrambled eggs (it's like an adult bite-sized Pop Tart! Rejoice!).

A quick and flavorful stuffed chicken

I was starting to feel like I was accumulating a few too many leftovers from a variety of different meals and dishes when I whipped together last night's dinner. There is no worse feeling than tossing half a bag of wilted spinach or a nice chunk of cheese that got moldy when you know damn well that you could have done something amazing with it.

Enter my fridge and pantry. Here's what needed some quick love:

3 frozen chicken breasts
1/4 bag of fresh arugula
1/2 ball fresh mozzerella cheese
1/4 bag of freshly grated parmesan
breadcrumbs
spices
1/2 small yellow onion

Here's what I did with it:

Thaw the chicken breast overnight in the refrigerator. If it is still frozen at the time you want to cook, run it under hot water for 5 minutes.
Slice the chicken breast down the middle, being careful not to cut the whole way through.
Place the chicken on a greased baking sheet.
Using a new knife and a new cutting board (nobody likes contamination), slice the fresh mozzerella into crescent moon shapes (cut each slice in half). Basically, it needs to be small enough to fit in the chicken.
Cut the onion into small chunks, about the size of a clove of garlic.
Place 2 to 3 slices of mozzerella in each chicken breast. Stuff a small handful of arugula in the chicken as well, being sure that none of the leaves spill out (they will burn and shrivel quickly in the oven if they are exposed to the direct heat).
Season the tops of the chicken with crushed black pepper, salt, garlic powder and dried basil.
Lightly dust the tops of each chicken breast with about a teaspoon of breadcrumbs and a teaspoon of the grated parmesan.
Place the onion chucks on the baking sheet all around the chicken (this will infuse a yummy flavor and leaves it up to you if you want to eat the onions or not. I devoured them happily and mixed some in my side dishes).
Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and the onions to crisp everything up.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve alongside brown rice and vegetables of your choice!

This was really delicious and all the different flavor profiles played together really well. It was packed with peppery arugla, tart spices, and the mozzerella gave everything a smooth finish. This entire dish was completely unprepared -- I just tried to get inspired by what I had left over.

What is your most impressive left over dish?! How do you ramp up plain, old chicken into something more gourmet?