Pizza Friday: Apple, Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Blue Cheese

I have a huge backlog of pizzas from Pizza Fridays that I need to blog, including this one with sliced apple, bacon, caramelized onions and blue cheese. I know it sounds weird, but we love fruit on pizza, especially when the sweetness of the fruit is paired with salty goodness.

Apple, Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Blue Cheese Pizza

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1-lb ball of pizza dough
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
1 small apple (we like honeycrisp), peeled and thinly sliced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

Preheat a pizza stone in a 500-degree oven for at least an hour while you assemble your ingredients.

Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Allow the onion to cook slowly - you want it to get brown without burning. Lower the heat if the onions are browning too quickly. If the pan seems dry, add a splash of water. The onions should take about 20-30 minutes to turn a nice, caramel color and become soft.

Lay a piece of parchment paper the size of the pizza stone on a work surface. Dust lightly with flour and roll out the pizza dough into a 14-inch circle. Drizzle some olive oil on the dough and rub around so all the dough is lightly coated.

Top with the mozzarella cheese, followed by the apple sliced, bacon and the caramelized onions. Dollop the blue cheese evenly on top.

Transfer the pizza on the parchment paper to the pizza stone. Bake for 15 minutes, checking often to make sure there are no bubbles forming. I keep a poking fork handy to pop them during the first 5 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven. Cool for a few minutes, then slice.

Recipe Redo - Chicken with Apples

I first posted this recipe waaaaay back in 2007 so I thought it was time for an update. For starters, the original photo is cringe worthy but I've also tweaked the prep a bit since then.



Quick reminder of this recipe's origin - my mom first made this recipe in the summer of 1973. This was the first summer (while she was in college) that she didn't go home. She was looking for a recipe to make, probably for a boyfriend, and came across this one. She doesn't remember where she saw it, but her copy calls for wine instead of apple juice. One time she was making it for a group of people and didn't have wine so she decided to substitute apple juice. We all prefer it that way, but you can decide. This is an authentic tried and true recipe for going on 44 years!

She also claims it makes a knock-out chicken salad the next day but I've never had enough leftover to try it.

Chicken with Apples

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (or 2 large/4 small thighs and 2 breasts)
1 medium onion, cut into large dice
2 celery stalks, cut into large dice
1 large Red Delicious apple, cut into large dice
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup apple juice (or white wine)
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on both sides.

Place the chicken in a large baking dish and cover with the onion, celery and apple. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet and add the flour, stirring until it's incorporated. Add the apple juice and whisk until thickened. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pour over the chicken.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for an hour. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes.

When the chicken is done, remove to a plate and cover the baking dish to keep the sauce warm. Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle it (I usually put the plate in the fridge for 30 minutes), remove the meat and pull into bite-size pieces with your fingers, discarding the skin and bones. Toss the chicken pieces with the sauce.

Serve over egg noodles.

Goat Cheese and Apple Chicken

Recently I had half a log of goat cheese leftover and I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it. I'd had Nicole's Goat Cheese and Apple Chicken saved for awhile and couldn't wait to try it.

We all enjoyed this a lot, although I found myself wishing for a bit more of the goat cheese. The apple flavor was less pronounced than I thought it would be but I loved the crunch mixed with the creaminess of the cheese. I'll definitely make this one again.

Goat Cheese and Apple Chicken
As seen on Prevention RD

non-stick cooking spray
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
salt and pepper
20 saltine crackers
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Add the saltines to a food processor and pulse to make crumbs. You could also add the crackers to a bag and smash them into crumbs. Place the crumbs in a shallow bowl or pie plate and add the garlic salt. In another shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk the egg with a fork, then add the water. Dip the seasoned chicken into the egg and then the cracker mixture.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add the oil. Cook the chicken on both sides until brown and crispy, about 5 minutes per side. Place the chicken in the baking dish.

In another small bowl combine the goat cheese and the apple. Spread the mixture evenly over the chicken breasts.

Bake the chicken for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is warm and browned. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Mini Apple Pies

How adorable are these Mini Apple Pies? My friend asked me to make apple pie for our Southern dinner. I remembered that Lishie had made mini apple pies for a recipe swap awhile back so I went in search of the recipe.

These were so awesome and really easy to make. You all know I don't really bake so just stirring a few things together was right up my alley. I loved that these made individual servings rather than a big pie. We served these with some vanilla ice cream for a delicious treat after a tasty Southern meal.

Mini Apple Pies
As seen on DeLish Lishie

2 large honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
Juice of 2 lemons, plus the zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 sheets refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven to 425.

In a medium bowl, combine apples, lemon juice & zest, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss gently then set aside.

Unroll pie crust onto a work surface. Using a 4"-wide biscuit cutter, cut out six circles from each sheet, reserving scraps. Press each circle inside spaces of a muffin tin.

Evenly divide apple mixture into each prepared muffin cup. Cut reserved dough scraps into strips 1/4-inch. Top each pie with strips in a basket weave pattern or with cut shapes.

Bake until the crust is browned, about 18-20 minutes. Let pies cool in muffin tin, then remove.

Recipe Swap Roundup - Apple/Pumpkin

Fall is in the air and you know what that means - apple and pumpkin picking, which necessitates the need for apple and pumpkin recipes. As I suspected, this was another popular theme for the recipe swap. Most of the recipes are desserts but there are a few savory dishes thrown in as well. Happy Fall!

Melissa, a newcomer to the swap, made Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars:


Lishie's Mini Apple Pies are an adorable way to make this tasty treat:


Christen's recipe for Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving dessert table:


Joelen's recipe for Pumpkin Chili sneaks this sweet ingredient into a rich, savory chili that's perfect for fall:


The Cooking Nurse had been meaning to make this recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins for awhile, so she was excited when she got it as her swap recipe:


Nicole's recipe for Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting is a far cry from healthy, but she enjoyed a few and sent the rest to work with her husband:


Heather was very excited for the apple/pumpkin swap and enjoyed the Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:


Jey's Ginger Pumpkin (or Apple Cinnamon) Truffles were a little bite of fall:


Christine's Pumpkin Pecan Loaf was a special work treat:


My recipe for Goat Cheese, Sweet Onion, Apple and Brandy Chicken was good, if not the most photogenic:


Ashley modified her recipe for Pumpkin Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies to be gluten-free and was very happy with the result:


Swap newcomer Nicole was happy to expand her horizons with Pumpkin Bread Pudding:


Coleen was pleasantly surprised by how delicious her Pumpkin Pie Dip was:


Melissa's White Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies were a nice change from all the apple recipes she's been making recently:


Swap newcomer Ammie was excited to expand her horizons and make her own pastry shells for Pumpkin Profiteroles:


Katie's Starbucks Pumpkin Bread was a hit at her girls' weekend:


Jaida really enjoyed her Apple Butter Pound Cake, as did her coworkers:


Kate had been enjoying a similar recipe for Apple Walnut Chicken Salad all summer:


Lindsay really enjoyed her Cran-Apple, White Chocolate Chip Cookies, which she deemed the perfect autumn cookie:


Cathy's family loved her recipe for Caramel Apple Tart, especially the caramel:


Krystal enjoyed her Apple-Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops:


Rachel, another swap newcomer, modified her recipe into an Apple, Bacon, Cheddar Quiche:


Tyler had a few mishaps with her Mrs. Field's Apple Oatmeal Cookies but the result was worth the effort:


Maryanna really enjoyed her individual Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread Muffins:

The Cookaholic Wife used her recipe for Pumpkin Pie Pecan Candy to usher in fall:


Nicole had my recipe, which she modified into Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes:


Melissa shared her Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with friends and family for Fall Fest and they were a hit:


Ellie was concerned that she wouldn't be able to pull of her Apple Croissant Bread Pudding but it ended up being super simple and delicious:

Recipe Swap - Goat Cheese, Sweet Onion, Apple, and Brandy Chicken

Want to see what other Apple/Pumpkin recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Apple/Pumpkin Recipe Swap Roundup

Choosing themes for the recipe swap isn't always easy. I try to pick something broad enough that most people will have something to submit. Now that fall is in the air and everyone seems to be on the hunt for apple and pumpkin recipes to usher in the season, apple and pumpkin seemed like the perfect swap theme.

My recipe was one of the few savory dishes submitted - Goat Cheese, Sweet Onion, Apple, and Brandy Stuffed Chicken.


I never have any luck with stuffed chicken (the filling never stays inside the chicken) so I knew I needed to modify the recipe. I decided to turn the onion, apple and goat cheese mixture into a sauce. What I didn't foresee was how unappetizing the finished product would look. I'm sorry about that, but please don't let the pictures dissuade you from making this. It's actually a really good recipe.

Goat Cheese, Sweet Onion, Apple, and Brandy Chicken
Modified from Cheesecurd in Paradise

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied or pounded thin
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1/3 cup brandy
1 cup chicken broth
3 oz goat cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and lower the heat to medium.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon each butter and oil to the skillet, then add the apples and onion and cook until onion starts to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add brandy and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add chicken broth to thin the sauce, then add the goat cheese, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.

Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer 2 minutes. Serve, spooning the sauce over the chicken.