Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

I love easy dinner meals. I do not enjoy spending hours on a meal unless I have the time and really want to (trust me these days are very few and far between). That means most nights I am wanting to make something quick and easy. If you want to know my deep dark little secret (really its no secret to those that know me) we eat Mac and Cheese at least on a weekly basis (I have a deep love in my heart for mac and cheese). For me there are many nights each week at approximately seven o'clock where I am left asking myself what we should eat for dinner. Since I ran into this recipe it has made a few of my nights much easier. I absolutely love these tasty bite sized little dinner snacks, and they take hardly any time at all to make! I knew after the first time that I made them that the recipe was a keeper for sure. I have made them with regular pepperoni and turkey pepperoni. Both taste great, the regular pepperoni is just more greasy and leaves the puffs being a little bit more greasy as well. I don't have kids yet but I know these things would be very kid friendly.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 oz turkey pepperoni, (about 1/2 cup) cut into  smaller pieces
4 oz low-fat sausage, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup pizza sauce

Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping. My husband is all about the pizza sauce but personally I prefer to dip them in ranch.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from: Make Ahead Meals

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks

This is another great post courtesy of Pinterest. I saw this a while ago and have had it in the back of my mind. Today I finally decided to make it and guess what...It's fantastic! I mean really how can you go wrong with garlic butter, two cheeses, and bread? These are all some of my favorite things! To be honest I used to have a slight problem with marinara sauce. I have almost completely gotten over my problem, but as a kid I didn't even like pizza. I mean what kid doesn't like pizza? Well I have never claimed to be a normal eater, but surprisingly my tastes have expanded to include pizza. I actually really enjoy pizza now, but if the option is there I will still usually get one with a white sauce or something kinda different. Regardless of my current pizza likings, this garlic cheese bread is a perfect companion for any pizza, or really any meal. We kinda ate it as our entire meal (again, I'm not claiming that my eating habits are normal). 

You can make this with your favorite pizza dough, but just in case you don't have a favorite pizza dough recipe I have put one on here as well.

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks
yield: 1- 12 inch pie

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe Fail-Proof Pizza Dough (recipe below)
2 tablespoons softened salted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese {use the real stuff!}
1/4 pound grated mozzarella cheese
{salt & pepper, if desired}

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. {If you don’t have a pizza stone, use an upside down cookie sheet}

Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.

Spread pizza dough out into a 12-inch circle on parchment paper. {This makes it easier to transfer to the pizza stone.}

Spread the butter and garlic mixture over dough and top with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Top with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, if desired.

Bake 9-10 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Remove from oven and cool 1-2 minutes before cutting. Serve hot, with marinara {if desired}. 



Basic Pizza Dough
yield: 2-12 inch pizzas, approximately 1 lb. of dough


Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey {or sugar}
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 cups bread flour {give or take 1/2 cup…depending on the heat & humidity}

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix.

Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn’t stick to your hands.

Once you reach this stage, turn the mixer on high to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away! Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes! That seems to be the magical number. It should look something like this when it’s done! The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean!

Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That’s it!

Recipe Source: Lauren's Latest

Super Simple Pizza Dough

I will be completely honest with all of you. Most days I don't plan what we are going to eat at all. I am always thinking last minute hmmm what should we have for dinner? I know this isn't the best way to be, but for right now it is just how it always seems to end up. Well recipes like this one are a dream come true for me. Granted this dough might not be the absolute best pizza dough ever in life, but for how quick and easy (almost no rising time) it is you can't beat it! This dough is exactly what it sounds like, a very basic dough that is perfect for my last minute pizza cravings. And to be quite honest I really enjoyed the dough (I may or may not have wrapped the dough around some extra mozzarella to make it stuffed crust)

Super Simple Pizza Dough

Yield 1 14-inch thick crust pizza or 2 12-inch thin crust

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed *
1 envelope instant or rapid rise yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup very warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
Cornmeal


Directions
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Stir very warm water and olive oil into flour mixture. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.
Lightly oil 1 (14-inch) or 2 (12-inch) round pizza pan(s). Sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape dough into smooth ball. Divide and roll dough to fit desired pan(s). Top pizza as desired. Let rest in a warm place for about 10 minutes prior to baking.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until done. Baking time depends on size and thickness of crust and selected toppings.

*For whole wheat pizza dough replace 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.


Recipe Source: Allrecipes

Pizzookie

A few years back before my husband and I were married we both went to different dessert places (in 2 different states) and happened to both try these things called pizzookies (pizza cookie). He came back home and was raving about this ingenious idea and I concurred completely. Of course anytime I try something that is absolutely fantastic I have to try and create it myself. For my birthday that year he bought me 4 individual sized skillets. We have had pizzookies several times since then and I absolutely love them. The "individual" sized skillets really are big enough that 2 or 3 people could share one (unless you really like sweets, which I do). They really are so simple to make, and always a crowd pleaser! I usually have some left over cookie dough in the freezer that I have already shaped into cookie sized balls and am able to though a couple of those in my skillets and bake them up. They make a fun quick dessert.

 Pizzookie

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Servings: Varies

Ingredients:
1 batch of your favorite cookie dough (I used the Perfect chocolate chip cookie dough)
Your favorite ice cream (This Cinnamon ice cream goes surprisingly well)
Hot fudge
Caramel

Directions:
Lightly grease 4- 6 inch skillets is not already well oiled. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Press enough cookie dough into skillets to mostly cover the bottom.  Place in preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Cookies should be slightly brown on the edges, but still look slightly gooey in the center. This is the way I like them, but you are welcome to bake them longer if you want them more done. Remove from oven and top with ice cream and hot fudge and caramel if desired. The idea of these are to be an ooey delicious mess. Be careful with the skillets as they will remain hot for a while. One skillet was more than plenty for 2 people to share. For smaller portions this could also be made using ramekins. Happy eating!

Note: I often keep cookie dough in my freezer and just pull a few cookie dough balls and make these whenever my heart so desires.


This is about how much cookie dough I used. I figure its about 3-4 cookies worth :)

This is how it looked fresh out of the oven. Pre ice cream!

The delicious finished project! The more the ice cream melts the more I love it!

Basic Calzones

This week I have been making freezer meals. Lots and lots of them! It has been fun to just make a bunch of meals on a day off and know that some day in the future I can sit back and relax but still eat a home cooked meal. When trying to figure out what freezer meals to make one of my friends suggested calzones. I thought this was a great idea! I love pizza but this is an easier way to freeze a pizza!

Feel free to use whatever toppings you want. This is a very basic recipe that can be changed and adapted to whatever your likings are.

Basic Calzones
Makes approximately 6-8 medium sized calzones

Dough:
2 1/2 cups warm water
4 teaspoons instant yeast
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoon honey
2  tablespoon olive oil
4 teaspoons salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour

Toppings:
2 lbs shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pkg pepperoni
1 jar pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce

Make the dough the night before or early the morning on the day you want to make the pizza. In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the water, yeast, sugar, honey and oil. (If using active dry yeast, increase the amount of yeast to 2 3/4 teaspoons and proof the yeast in the water until foamy before mixing in the sugar, honey and oil.) Then mix in 1 cup flour and the salt. Continue mixing in all the remaining flour until you get a nice, soft dough. Knead until dough is soft and smooth, about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with a stand mixer.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl and cover tightly (with a lid or plastic wrap). Place the dough in the refrigerator to slowly rise until three hours before baking. Three hours before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, keeping it lightly covered.

The next day remove dough from fridge about an hour before using. After hour has passed separate dough into 6-8 equal sized pieces. Cover each piece and let rest for about 10 minutes. Using a nonstick mat or a lightly greased counter top, working one at a time, start flattening each piece of dough into a circle.Eventually you’ll want it between six or eight inches in diameter. On the bottom half of the circle spread pizza sauce. Top with cheese and pepperoni (or desired toppings). Grab the top edge of the dough and fold over the toppings. You can stretch the dough if needed to cover entire toppings. Using the tines of a fork, press the edges of the calzone together until well sealed. Carefully lift and place each calzone on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.You should be able to fit about 3 moderate sized calzones on each baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Freezer meal instructions: After calzones are formed place on a baking sheet and place in freezer overnight. Once frozen you can remove from pan and place in zip lock bags and freeze until ready to use. The night before baking place frozen calzones on a greased or silpat lined pan in the fridge to thaw. On baking day take out of fridge 1 hr before baking to bring to room temperature. Once thawed bake as directed above.

Dough recipe source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cinnamon Roll Pizza

My grandma makes the best cinnamon rolls. I have tried her recipe and many others but there is just something about how she does them that makes them amazing. I think it is just the grandma's touch that makes them great. This idea kinda came to me the other day as I was driving. I was thinking about her amazing cinnamon rolls, and also thinking about yummy dessert pizzas and thought why not make a dessert pizza out of my grandma's cinnamon rolls. The results of this combination turned out just as amazing as I had hoped!

Cinnamon Roll Pizza

Dough:
1 cube butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs salt
2 cups scalded milk
2 eggs beaten
6 cups flour
2 tbs yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1-2 tsp cinnamon sugar
1 tbs butter

Toppings
1 cube chilled butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbs flour

Frosting
1/2 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
6-8 tbs evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

Dissolve the 2 tbs yeast in 1/2 cup warm water set aside.  In your stand mixer with dough hook attachment combine the scalded milk, salt, butter, and sugar. Let rest until the butter is mostly melted and the temperature is just barely warm to touch. Add the yeast mixture, flour, and eggs. Mix and knead well. Cover and let rise until double in size.

Roll out dough on a floured surface to approximately an 18X24 inch rectangle. Brush lightly with 1 tbs melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll up like you are making cinnamon rolls. Using unflavored floss or a serrated knife cut thin slices of cinnamon roll dough. The thinner the better but keep it as consistent as possible. Place cinnamon rolls on a greased pizza pan. Start in the center with one and add more around it in a circular manner. Try and get them as close to each other as possible, but they do not have to be perfect. As the dough raises it will fill in any gaps. When the pizza pan is completely filled with cinnamon rolls press down on dough with your hands to try and fill in any gaps and to form more of the traditional pizza shape. Again it doesn't have to be perfect, the individual cinnamon rolls are what makes this pizza fun and unique.

In a food processor combine the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pulse briefly to combine mixture. Slice your cube of butter into thin slices and add to your food processor. Pulse until mixture is combined and appears slightly crumbly. Sprinkle butter and sugar mixture over cinnamon roll crust.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18-25 minutes depending on how thick your crust is. The edges and bottom of your pizza should be a golden brown color.

For icing place butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Stirring frequently melt the butter and continue cooking until the butter turns a nice amber color and gives off a slightly nutty aroma. Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar, evaporated milk and vanilla. Mix until well combined and frosting starts to thicken slightly as the butter cools.

Drizzle the frosting over the pizza. You can either drizzle it over the entire thing or individual slices. Enjoy!

Note: this recipe makes more than enough to fill a fairly large pizza pan with some left over. I made a pizza and used the rest to make a small pan of normal cinnamon rolls.

Here are some photos of the process:

Roll out the dough.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Start placing on pan in a circular manner.

Fill pan and press down on dough slightly with hands to help form into shape.

Cinnamon sugar mixture. Processed until crumbly.

Sprinkle on dough. Ready to bake.

 Fresh out of the oven. Edges should be a nice golden brown color.

Sliced and drizzled with yummy browned butter frosting. Now its time to enjoy!

Pesto Pizza With Bacon And Pine Nuts

I am always looking fun new things to eat for dinner. I have mentioned before that I struggle with dinner ideas. The other night as I was driving home this pizza came into my mind. I have always loved pesto. Add a little pine nuts and bacon and why wouldn't it be amazing. I went home and started on the dough. I know I love pesto, pine nuts and bacon in pasta but I wasn't quite sure how it would taste on pizza. I threw it all together and stuck it in the oven. It smelled amazing before we even put it in the oven. The smell got even better as it baked. This pizza quickly made it to my favorites list.

Pesto Pizza with Bacon and Pine Nuts

Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tsp dried basil flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Toppings

1/4- 1/2 cup pesto
1/4 cup pine nuts
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled bacon (about 5 strips cooked bacon)

Combine flour, salt, sugar, yeast, basil, and garlic in a large bowl or in a stand mixer with dough attachment. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Let dough rise in pan for a few minutes while you prepare the rest. Place pine nuts in a skillet with a small amount of butter. cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until nuts begin to turn a golden brown color. Set aside. Spread desired amount of pesto on the pizza dough for the sauce. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Top with bacon and pine nuts. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.