Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pizza w/ Smoked Beer Crust

I have been very blessed to have been given the opportunity, through this blog, to work with some fantastic companies. With every opportunity, I feel like a kid in a candy store, getting home and seeing a package on the porch waiting for me to use. Working with a company like My Spice Sage is just another reason why I absolutely love my blog. 

When I first visited My Spice Sage, I was simply taken back by their enormous selection of unique spices. They have 500+ premium spices and only carry the highest grade quality spices, so you know you are getting the best. They also use a state of the art grinding method. Grinding their spices cryogenically at sub-zero temperatures to maintain 100% of their flavor. Other grinding techniques generate heat, resulting in a significant decrease in intensity and flavor. 

Another advantage for using My Spice Sage is that they cut out a lot of the middle men. When you buy from a brick and morder establishment the supply chain tends to go like this: Importer-Truck-Processor/Packed-Truck-Distribution Center-Truck-Retailer-You. With My Spice Sage it goes Importer-Truck-My Spice Sage-You. This process cuts out months to even years of processing time. Which, in turn, delivers a fresher product. 

Now lets talk prices. You might be thinking that since you are getting such a premium product, you will have to pay a premium price. I thought that as well, but when I saw the prices I was shocked. In my area, a bottle of McCormick's Smoked Paprika (1.62 oz) retails for $4.99. on My Spice Sage Smoked Paprika (4 oz) is $5.50. McCormicks is $3.08/oz and My Spice Sage is $1.38/oz....THAT'S A 44.8% DIFFERENCE!! WTF McCORMICKS?! Then you might saying "well you gotta pay for shipping." (You better sit down for this) My Spice Sage ships for free on all US orders...brain = blown. 

So, lets recap, you get a premium, high grade product for almost half the price of store bought spices that are delivered to your front door. If you buy another jar of McCormicks or any other extremely overpriced spice again, I will personally come punch you in the face (Not really though). 

Apple Pie Spice, Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, Aged Balsamic Sea Salt, Canadian Steak Seasoning, Jalapeno Powder, Barbeque Seasoning, Black Lava Sea Salt, Black Truffle Sea Salt, Blackening Seasoning, Cayenne Pepper Salt, Chardonnay Smoked Fleur De Sel, Fire Salt, Himalayan Pink Salt, Jalapeno Salt, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, Matcha Powder, Merlot Sea Salt, Spanish Rosemary Sea Salt, Sun Dried Tomato Sea Salt, Vanilla Bean Sea Salt, Wasabi Powder, Fried Chicken Seasoning, Mesquite Flour, Herbs De Provence & Bacon Hot Sauce!!!

ON TO THE RECIPE!!

In this recipe I will be utilizing the blackening seasoning and mesquite flour I received from My Spice Sage. The crust recipe is adapted from the Seattle Food Geek, and is the best and quickest pizza dough recipe ever. We are talking 25 min from start to finish. The secret ingredient that makes this such a quick dough is the use of microencapsulated leavener. Which essentially is baking soda that is coated at a microscopic level with Non-trans Palm lipid. They are just like tiny capsules of baking soda. The baking soda is then only released when you put it in the oven, the heat melts away the coating and your dough rises as it bakes. This basically cuts out hours of proofing time! I decided to use beer (Yuengling Lager) for the liquid in this recipe, which worked really really well. I like a yeasty flavor to my dough and the beer gave it that flavor, without having to wait for hours or even days for the dough to ferment. 

I am still absolutely in love with my Baking Steel! The best way to make a pizza in my eyes. With every use, I am definitely getting better results each time. I am still using the broiler method, which is where I set the Baking Steel on the top rack (Position: Second from the top). and then I crank the broiler on high for an hour to preheat the steel. I also leave the oven door open a crack with a metal utensil, to prevent the thermostat from kicking off the broiler. Slide the pizza on and should be done in about 3 minutes. Enjoy!

Happy Valley Cheesesteak

Well call up Pat and Geno down in Philly and let them know that there is a new cheesesteak in town. Then also let them know it was made by a diehard Pittsburgh Fan (LETS GO PENS!!). This is a pretty classic cheesesteak, but I did have to give it some of my own personal touches. I used some thinly sliced Delmonico Steak, sauteed onions, peppers, jalapeno (for good measure) and I made a Beer and Cheddar sauce. Of course, if I'm going to make a Pennsylvania sandwich, I better use some Pennsylvania Beer to make the sauce...probably my favorite cooking beer, Yuengling. I was really pleased with how this turned out...of course if I wanted to make it out of this world, I would have to give it the Pittsburgh touch by adding french fries and coleslaw...but I figured I'd just keep it simple. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup beer, preferably a lager
• 2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 rounded tablespoon of all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• Few drops of Worcestershire sauce
• Few drops of hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Vidalia Onion, halved & sliced
• 1 Red Pepper, halved & sliced
• 1 Green Pepper, halved & sliced
• 1 Jalapeno, seeded, halved & sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 lbs Delmonico Steak, thinly sliced
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 hoagie rolls

Directions

Heat beer in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. In a separate bowl mix the cheddar cheese with the flour. Then whisk in shredded cheddar & flour mixture, spicy brown mustard, worcestershire sauce and hot sauce into warmed beer. Whisk until cheese is melted and smooth. Keep warm on low.

Melt butter in a large sautee pan over medium heat. Add in onions, peppers and jalapeno and sautee until caramelized, stirring occasionally for about 12-15 min.

For the beef, I asked the butcher at the grocery store to slice the delmonico steak as thin as possible (If they don't sell delmonico's, get a ribeye). Don't be afraid to tell them what you're using it for, that will give them an idea for how thin to make it. While the butcher did a good job, I actually ended up slicing the sliced steak into strips. 

Heat the olive oil in a large sautee pan, or use a griddle if you have one, over medium high heat. Add in the beef and sautee until cooked through about 7 min. Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Slice open the rolls and evenly distribute the beef into them. Add the caramelized onions, peppers and jalapeno and then top with a generous amount of the cheddar beer sauce. Have plenty of napkins on hand!

Since it's that time of year, I figured I'd post my favorite hockey goal of the season so far. GENO!! GENO!! GENO!!