BBQ Chicken Pizza

I adapted this recipe from this one: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/smoky_corn_black_bean_pizza.html

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cobs of corn, cut the kernels off
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (or more to your liking - I used Bill Johnson's)
1 cup cooked chicken
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 premade pizza crust or your own pizza dough

Cook the dough according to instructions.  Spread BBQ sauce over top of crust.  Mix tomatoes, corn kernels, chicken, black beans in a bowl.  Spread over sauce.  Cover with mozzarella cheese.  Cook until melted and hot all the way through (about 17 minutes).

Variations:  Add some canned jalapenos to the mix.  Top with chopped avocados after you cook it.  Add cumin to the BBQ sauce.  Add red onions to the pizza.  There are lots of ways to do it!

Recipe: Apple Butter

A friend of mine gave me this recipe and I adapted it to make as much as possible in one batch.


about 24 medium apples (I filled up my crockpot)
2 cups sugar + 2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice + 1 teaspoon cinnamon (divide up the spices however you want: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or anything else )

Peel and core the apples.  Place in crockpot.  Add first amounts of sugar and spice.  Cook on high several hours until it's very easy to break it up with spoon (it will be cooked down to less than half full at this point).  Meanwhile, sterilize your bottles (you can do it in the dishwasher and it can keep them hot for you). Add second amounts of sugar and spice.  Cook an hour more (or so).  When it's REALLY mushy, place in blender and blend up (might have to do it in batches).  Place your seals in hot, but not boiling water to start softening up the seals.  Pour into hot bottles (hot liquid has to go in hot bottles - don't place on cold surface or it could crack) leaving 1" at the top.  Wipe the edges of the bottles off so the seals can seal.  Place the seal on, and place the ring on loosely.  Place them in the water bath canner (can't be touching each other or the bottom).  Fill with water, at least 1" over the top of bottles.  Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 10-30 minutes.

This recipe makes 8 cups (4 quarts) or you can 1/2 this recipe which would make about 4 cups of apple butter - if you don't want to can it, just store it in the fridge and use it within a few weeks.