Pizza Bites

Sometimes I hate to admit that the hubs is right. Maybe someday I will learn to take more consideration into his advice because if I had, I would have been enjoying these little one-bite-wonders months ago! This is another one of those recipes I dreamt of but was too intimidated to try it because it looked difficult. I think it was the pizza dough on this one that turned me away. But since I discovered that I can take the left handed approach (aka. shortcut) and use frozen bread dough, I have been a happy camper and much more willing to try new recipes.

These are SO good! Honestly, I have made them twice since we first tried them. The hubs loves them and therefore, I'm love them as well...and I'm not even a peperoni fan! Best part!?!? They are so simple, I end up making them when I am crunched for time or lack the energy to make anything else. This time, I just heated up a little extra spaghetti sauce from the other night to dunk mine in and they were delish!

Pizza Bites
Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients

1 loaf frozen bread dough (thawed)

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)

Sliced pepperoni

For the topping:

Olive oil

Garlic Salt

Italian Seasoning

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9 inch pie plate or cake pan with cooking spray. Divide pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, flatten with fingers, and place a cube of cheese sandwiched between 3 or 4 slices of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough together and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt, Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

Mini Cherry Lattice Pies

Oh these are just too freakin cute! I am falling more and more in love with my mini muffin pan with every recipe I make. I am also a huge new fan of the blog Picky Palate . I have around 10 of her recipes starred in my googlereader and had to stop myself at that, otherwise, I would have added everything in her blog! It has also been a secret new goal of mine to bake a pie. I say secret because I'm not a big pie fan and pretty much swore to myself that I would never make one! It's slowly creeping into my interest for the sole fact that I love the look of a lattice top. Hopefully, these have cured my desire for a little while as I weed through the other 100's of desserts I have on my, 'to make' list.

The original recipe called for peanut butter and jelly instead of cherry, but I'm in spring fruit mode and not a huge fan of PB&J so I opted for a little change. The lattice tops didn't turn out quite as cute as I had hoped because when they were baking, they rose and lifted the tops. I softly patted a couple of them down when they came out of the oven and it helped. Overall, the slightly wonky tops didn't throw off the yummy taste and I strongly encourage you to try these when you have a pie craving!

Mini Cherry Lattice Pies

Source: Inspired by Picky Palate

Ingredients

1 roll Pillsbury pie dough

1 small jar of cherry pie filling

1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon of water for egg wash

powered sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll pie crust onto a lightly floured surface. Use a 2 1/2 in round cutter to cut out circles in dough (I used my 1/4 c measuring cup). Lightly press dough rounds into a greased mini muffin tin. Roll remaining scraps of dough to an even thickness then use sharp knife to cut thin 1/8 inch strips to create lattice tops.

Spoon 1/2 tablespoon of cherry pie filling into each of the pie crusts. Using the pie strips, form lattice top. Cut excess dough from edges and brush tops lightly with egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from tins with the tip of a knife. Dust with powered sugar and enjoy!

Yields 12 mini pies.

Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese

I feel that all my brain power has been used up these past two weeks between sitting in a review course all weekend, putting the finishing touches on our Scholarly Project, submitting our Program Plan, Functional Job Analysis, Case Study and my Assistive Technology topic paper....and I still have that dang weighted blanket to finish. I cannot wait for school to be done!

So that's my excuse for not giving these little one bite wonders the proper introduction they deserve. These were very tasty and a huge hit with the hubs! Plus, they took less than 5 minutes to mix up and get into the oven! You really can't beat that. A great appetizer or brunch item!

Mini Frattatas

Source Elizabeths Edible Experience

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1/2 c finely chopped onion (I used dried minced onion)

2/3 c chopped reduced-fat ham

1/3 c shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left it out)

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

4 large egg whites

1 large egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Add onion and ham to saute. Remove from heat and let cool while combining other ingredients. Combine eggs, pepper, thyme, cayenne, and cheese in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk until combined. Add ham and onion mixture. Spoon mixture into 24 miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Each cavity will hold about 2 teaspoons. (Don't worry, they will puff up). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until set.

Mini Cheddar Garlic Popovers

These were good. Like pretty dang good. And pretty dang simple. I made these for brunch one weekend and think they would be amazing paired with a great soup so you could dunk them. But then again, I love to dunk things.

Mini Cheddar Garlic Popovers

Source:Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way

Ingredients

3 tsp oil

3/4 c milk

1 egg

1 egg white

3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp- garlic salt (or any garlic seasoning)

1/3 c cheddar cheese (shredded)

Direction

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Add 1/8 of tsp oil to bottom of each cup. In a small bowl combine the milk, egg and egg white, mix well using a whisk. Add the flour and garlic seasoning then mix well, once fully combined stir in the cheese. Warm the muffin pan in oven for 5 minutes. Once heated, divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove popovers from the pan and serve warm.

Mini Ham and Cheese sandwiches

These were pretty dang tasty. Initially, I was intimidated to try these little devils but when I was planning our weekly menu last week, I decided to take the plunge. However, when I returned from the store and was looking at 24 buns, I realized that it was WAY to much for the hubs and I. Sounds like party time to me, right? So, I decided to serve this as girls night and they were great. I was unable to find the Hawaiian rolls and had to go with some larger buns, so I can only imagine how amazing they would be with the smaller bun! I think the marinade would soak in even better and really soften the whole bun.

Mini Ham and Cheese sandwiches

Source: BeantownBaker

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

1 1/2 tbsp grated dried onions

1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp honey mustard

2 (12 ounce) packages Hawaiian rolls

1 pound cooked ham slices

12 ounces sliced swiss cheese

Directions:

In saucepan, mix butter, poppy seeds, onion, Worcestershire sauce and mustard, stir until blended and melted. Pour 1/2 of mixture into bottom of baking dish.

Place ham and cheese onto sandwiches. Arrange rolls in single layer in baking dish, spreading them around to soak up the sauce in pan. Pour rest of sauce over tops of sandwiches, cover dish and refrigerate up to 24 hours for sauce to soak in.

Preheat oven in 350 degrees, bake rolls for 10-12 minutes or until rolls are lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Fruit Bruschetta

I have had this recipe starred on my google reader for weeks now just waiting for the perfect time to make it. I am so glad I tried these! The other night I hosted a Thursday night/Fun night will some of my classmates as we don't have classes on Fridays. My best friend Jenna was looking for something she could bring and I was so excited to help her make this! Since we were making this for a crowd and I got an adorable fruit and veggie tray for Christmas, we decided to have a, "Build your own Bruschetta." The fruit you choose to use is up to you! We used our favorites and what was available. It was also my first experience with Greek Yogurt, which will be a great new favorite.

Build your own Fruit Bruschetta
Source: Annie'sEats

Ingredients:
Sliced bread rounds, we used french bread
grapes
kiwis
strawberries
raspberries
butter
cinnamon and sugar
Plain Greek yogurt

Directions:
Wash and slice fruits. Turn oven on to broil and place rack on top level. Lay bread rounds on cookie sheet. Butter bread rounds and lightly cover with cinnamon and sugar. Place in oven and cook until toasted (could take seconds to 1-2 mins). Remove from oven, top with thin layer of Greek yogurt and serve with fruits.

Crock Pot Asian BBQ Chicken Wings

I have been attempting to add more protein to our diets. The hubs and I have a tendency to fill up on carbs and leave out the meat. I have also been craving chicken wings lately which is not typical for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the taste but unless your my dad and are willing to put forth the work and time it takes to 'pick the bones clean,' it just doesn't seem worth it. But these amazing wings were perfect! A slight change to your typical BBQ wings and the meat literally fell off the wings when I was serving them! That's a serious plus to me.

Please excuse the picture, with an anxious hubby standing over my shoulder, I forgot to take a picture until I had poured the ranch and the sauce had ran. Oh well, don't say I didn't warn you because I meant when I said looks are deceiving.

Crock Pot Asian BBQ Chicken Wings

Source: StephanieCooks

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs of chicken wings

1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce

3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of onion powder

Salt

Pepper

Sesame seeds

Directions:

1- Wash and place chicken in the crock pot. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

2- Add the barbecue sauce and soy sauce.

3- Cook on low 6 hours.

4- Remove from the crock pot using tongs or a small spatula, discard the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Parmesan Rolls 2 ways

Bite sized food is one of the greatest things in my opinion. It makes me feel like I am getting more and I can savor the taste. I have also been looking for foods that I can add my homemade Pesto to and these were great! I made pesto ones for myself, as I think the hubs is scared by 'green' things ;) and garlic butter mozzarella ones for the hubs. This is also a very easy appetizer that looks like it was more work than it was. We used the left over Beer and Cheddar Pretzel dip but I ate most of mine plan because they were that good alone!

Parmesan Rolls 2 ways

Adapted from Sandra Lee's Weeknight Wonders cookbook

1 roll (11 ounce) refrigerated bread stick dough, Pillsbury

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Variation 1: Garlic Butter Mozzarella

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon garlic spread concentrate, Lowery's (I didn't have any the first time I made these and used garlic salt, they turned out just as good)

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Variation 2: Pesto

2 tablespoons prepared Pesto

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Separate bread sticks

2. For Variation 1, in a small bowl, combine butter, garlic concentrate and cheese. Spread filling on individual bread sticks. For variation 2, apply pesto to bread stick. Roll up bread sticks and place in the prepared pan. Using a pastry brush, brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Garlic Cheese Pretzels with Beer and Cheddar Pretzel Dip

A local bookstore is going out of business and as a result, I was able to get 2 Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade cookbooks for a steal! I have tried to cut down on the number of cookbooks I buy because we received a TON for our wedding and have barely scratched the surface with them. Also, I have NO room left more and since we (the hubs) have picky tastes, many recipes from cookbooks don't appeal to us. Plus, I have about 50 recipes saved under my favorites online that I am excited to try, so why not save money and make those? Oh well, Sandra is one of my favorite cooks and I love her approach to cooking good food with available items and limited time, so I felt it to be a worthwhile investment. I am a avid reader of her magazine and now her cookbooks, so don't be surprised to see several items from her featured here.

Once again, onto the food! I made this as a weekend brunch meal in which totally freaked out the hubs. He asked what was for lunch. I said pretzels and beer cheese dip. He goes, "Your feeding me pretzels for lunch?!?!" (He's still a little on guard with all the new foods he is trying. He's not use to change but hasn't disliked anything I have made yet ;) Review at the end of the meal..."Are there more?" For a boy who doesn't eat much...he had around 8 (count em) pretzels! Wow! I had 4 and was stuffed! He has already requested them again. I was a little nervous making these, I had never really attempted such a thing before, but I am excited to try them again. The beer and cheddar pretzel dip was great as well. The hubs thought it was great that I was serving him beer, for lunch, on a SUNDAY! Shoulda gone to church...

Garlic Cheese Pretzels

Source: Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking

Yields: 14 pretzels

Starts with basic pretzel recipe:

1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed

All purpose flour, for dusting surface

1 egg, lightly beaten

-Feel free to end here with ingredients to make plain pretzels. Simply sprinkle with coarse salt before baking.

To make pretzels garlic cheese continue here:

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Line cookie sheet pan with waxed paper. Divide dough into 14 pieces. (I used a kitchen scissor to cut)

2. On lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 16 inch rope and form into a pretzel shape. (This is where all the times I watched the employees at The Pretzel Maker came into good use.)

3. Transfer dough to prepared sheet pan; cover and refrigerate until ready to boil. (I made pretzels the night before to cut down on time the next day)

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter a sheet pan.
5. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add pretzels, 3 at a time, and cook until pretzels rise to the surface, about 2 minutes. (Mine never sunk, so they never rose. I just set the kitchen timer for 2 minutes)

6. Remove and drain on paper towels.

7. Arrange pretzels 3 inches apart on prepared sheet pan. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan and garlic power.

8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown.

Beer and Cheddar Pretzel Dip

Source: Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Weeknight Wonders

Ingredients:

1 can (10.7 ounce) condensed cheddar cheese soup

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons horseradish mustard (I used regular mustard)

1/2 package (.4 ounce) buttermilk ranch dressing mix

1 bottle (12 ounce) pale beer, Budweiser

2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Spray a 1 quart oven safe baking dish with cooking spray.

3. In a medium sauce pan, over medium-high heat, cook and stir together the cheddar cheese soup, cream cheese, mustard, and ranch dressing mix until the cream cheese has melted. Stir in beer.
4. Remove from heat and add the cheddar cheese a handful at a time, stirring until thoroughly combined.

5. Transfer cheese mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with warm soft pretzels.