Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Quick and Easy Personal Pizzas


I got this idea from one of my brothers who made a cold veggie pizza this way, and decided to mix it up a bit.  If you have picky eaters who all like different toppings on their pizza, this is a great way to make pizzas for everyone to love.


Personal Pizzas

Store bought crescent roll dough (one tube makes 2 pizzas)
Your choice of sauces and toppings

Pre-heat oven to temperature listed on dough's packaging.  Unroll dough and separate into sections along the perforation down the center.  Press the remainder of the seals together*.  place flat on cookie sheet and bake until they are lightly golden brown.  Remove from oven and spread sauces and toppings as desired.  For hot pizzas place back into oven until toppings are hot and cheese (if used) is melted.  The options I have enjoyed so far are listed below.  Feel free to use your favorite sauces and toppings.

*If you want to make these into appetizers separate at all perforations for triangular mini pizzas.

Buffalo Chicken

Sauce:
Cream cheese with chives
Hot sauce

Toppings:
4 microwave chicken nuggets (per pizza)
Hot sauce**
Broccoli
Mozzarella

Combine 2 parts cream cheese with 1 part hot sauce and spread on cooked crust.  Microwave nuggets according to package directions and cut each into 6-8 pieces.  Dredge nugget pieces through hot sauce and place on pizza.  Cut broccoli into small pieces and place on pizza.  Cover with desired amount of Mozzarella.  Bake until cheese is melted.

**If you want the buffalo flavor without so much kick you can omit the hot sauce on the nuggets.

Alfredo Chicken with Broccoli

Sauce:
Your favorite alfredo sauce

Toppings:
4 microwave chicken nuggets (per pizza)
Broccoli
Crushed red pepper flakes
Mozzarella

Spread alfredo sauce on cooked crust.  Microwave nuggets according to directions and cut into 6-8 pieces each.  Place on pizza.  Cut broccoli into small pieces and place on pizza.  Sprinkle pepper flakes lightly on pizza and top with desired amount of mozzarella.  Bake until cheese is melted.

Cold Veggie

Sauce:
Garden vegetable cream cheese

Toppings:
Cucumber
Tomato***
Broccoli
Any vegetable you desire

When the crust had finished baking put it aside to cool.  Cut the vegetables into small pieces.  Once the crust is cooled spread the cream cheese and top with the vegetables.

***I would suggest cherry tomatoes halved or quartered.


Enjoy!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Green Bean Pasta Casserole


I love green bean casserole!  I love pasta!  Why not combine them?  So I did, and it turned out scrumptious.  I hope you enjoy this too!


Green Bean Pasta Casserole


1 lb pasta of choice (I used cavatelli)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can milk or water
2 cans green beans
French's fried onions

Cook the pasta al dente and drain.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine soup and water or milk, then add green beans.  Add the pasta to the soup mixture and stir in 2/3 cup fried onions.  Pour into a casserole dish and cover with fried onions.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until onions are browned.  Let sit for 1 minute before serving.  Enjoy!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Taco Casserole


I wasn't sure what to make for dinner tonight, all I knew was I wanted to use taco meat and I didn't want run of the mill tacos.  Looking around what I had I gathered a bunch of things and made this delectable taco casserole.  You can also use this concept to make a delicious dip*.


Taco Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
Salsa
1 package hard taco shells
Cream cheese with chives
Salsa
3 cups shredded cheese of choice (I used a Mexican Blend)

Cook the ground beef over medium high heat.  When it is fully cooked reduce heat to medium and add onion and garlic, cook until they start to become translucent.  Add the taco seasoning, mix well and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350F. Cover the bottom of a pie pan, you can use a casserole dish if you prefer, with a thin layer of salsa.  Crush 1/3 of the taco shells and spread over the salsa.  Spread a layer of the cream cheese over the taco shells, followed by half the meat mixture.  Atop the meat spread 1 cup of cheese then repeat the layers again: salsa, crushed taco shell, cream cheese, meat mixture, cheese.  Atop the cheese spread another layer of salsa then cream cheese and crumble the rest of the taco shells over it.  Cover the top with the last cup of cheese and bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted.  Enjoy!

*If you want to make a 4 layer dip to serve with chips just layer the cream cheese, salsa, meat and cheese and bake.

**You can also add anything else that you would like with tex-mex food, like jalapenos, black olives, artichoke hearts, sour cream, refried beans and/or guacamole for added layers.