Stuffed Pizza rolls

Stuffed Pizza Rolls
(from bestbites.com)

• pizza dough
• pizza sauce
• 1 T melted butter or olive oil
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. dried italian seasoning
• mozzarella cheese
• 2 T. parmesan
• pizza toppings (ham, pineapple, pepperoni, mushroooms, etc)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out your dough to about 12"x8".  Using a pizza cutter slice into 24 squares.  Place toppings in the middle (obviously there isn't much room), leaving enough room around the edges to be able to seal the bottom.  Pinch closed, place pinced-side down onto a greased cookie sheet.  Brush the tops with butter then sprinkle with seasonings mixed with the parmesan.   Place in oven and cook until top is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.  Dip in warmed pizza sauce.

A nice change from regular pizza.  The kids have fun with these and can choose their own toppings.  Kind of like this recipe that uses crescent rolls, but I like using pizza dough better.  

White Castle Sliders

White Castle Sliders
(favfamilyrecipes.com)

• 1 1/2 pounds hamburger
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 package Lipton onion soup mix
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter 
• 1/2 cup milk
• Sara Lee Classic Dinner Rolls (or any really soft small-sized dinner rolls), sliced in half
• Cheese slices

1. In a large bowl mix (with your hands or a spoon) the hamburger, Lipton onion soup mix, peanut butter, and milk. Spread the meat mixture on a cookie sheet with a lip. Use a cup or rolling pin to roll over the meat to smooth it out.
2. Put it in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. The meat will shrink. Take it out of the oven and put the diced onions all around the edges to flavor the meat. Place back in the oven for about 15 minutes.
3. Take it out of the oven. If you want onions on your sliders then spoon them onto the meat from the sides. Add your cheese slices. Put it back in the oven for 7-10 minutes (until cheese is melted). Then add the tops of your rolls (the bottom part of the rolls will just sit on the counter) and place back in the oven for about 5 more minutes.
4. Take it out of the oven. Slice the meat with a pizza cutter and pick up the slider/top bun with a spatula and set it on the bottom bun.

I love having homemade hamburgers, but I don't like cooking them on the griddle, touching the beef over and over again to form patties...ew.  This recipe was great because I just dumped the ground beef mixture onto a cookie sheet and let the oven cook it.  I also have enjoyed White Castle burgers in the frozen food section, since we don't have a restaurant around here, and I thought they were good.  I really like soft and small hamburgers.  Not a fan of that burnt charbroil flavor.  I recommend using extra-lean ground beef, since you don't get much fat drainage cooking them this way.  I still pat it down with some paper towels to remove extra oil.  I also liked the onion soup mix in the beef.  Tasty burgers!

Balsamic Chicken Sandwich

Balsamic Chicken Sandwich
(from Parade Magazine- Jerry Seinfeld's favorite sandwich)

• 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1/4 c. whole wheat flour (I used white)
• 3 T. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
• 6 T. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. broccoli puree (steam about a cup and then puree- optional-but my kids hate seeing green flecks on their chicken!)
• 6 rolls or french bread
• 6 large slices tomato
• 1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Toss chicken with flour.  
2.  Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and garlic.  Lower heat to medium an continue to cook until chicken begins to brown, about 8-10 minutes.  
3. Add broth, vinegar and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.  Add puree and cook 2-3 minutes more.  Preheat oven to 350. 
4.  Place tomatoes on rolls or bread, distribute chicken evenly over top and then sprinkle with cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted and bread is toasted, about 5 minutes.  Watch closely!  Serve. 


I loved this chicken!  Half the family enjoyed it, the 2 youngest are pickiest and frowned on the green puree.  Might have to skip that next time, because the chicken is sweet-sour, which is kid-friendly and yummy.  We thought Jerry enjoyed a good sandwich!

Light Sour Cream Coffee Cake

sure, the serving size on the cake is a little small, but it satisfies, especially if you eat a lot of apples with it!

Light Sour Cream Coffee Cake
(from Taste of Home magazine)

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 t. vanilla

Streusel:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 c. flour
• 2 T. flour
• 1 t. ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients.  In another bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, yogurt, butter, and vanilla.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.


In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients.  Spoon half the batter into a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with half the streusel.  Top with the remaining batter and streusel.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Place pan on wire rack to cool.  Makes 20 servings, each serving has 210 calories and 7 grams fat.  


This cake was awesome!  And it's "light" so it is healthier, right?  The sour cream added a nice moistness and tang to this cake.  It is one we'd definitely make again, in fact, Anika is 9 and she did most of the work on this cake.  

Taking the rice krispie treat to the next level

Blizzard Bars

(from melskitchencafe.com)

12 ounces chocolate chips, semisweet, bittersweet or milk chocolate (may use white chocolate chips for the white version of these bars)
1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
3 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chocolate chips or M&M’s

Garnish: mini marshmallows and additional M&M’s

Lightly grease an 8X8- or 9X9-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips for one minute. Stir. Then continue to microwave in 30 second increments until the chips are completely melted. Stir in the peanut butter until combined. Let the mixture cool slightly, about five minutes. Add the rice cereal, marshmallows and chocolate chips and/or M&M’s. Fold together with a rubber spatula until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Press additional marshmallows and M&M’s into the top of the bars, if desired. Let the bars cool and set for 5-6 hours until they are firm and no longer gooey and melty. 

Wow- these are so fun to make and taaaaaaasty!  Very kid-friendly too- they can make these, and they will also love eating them.  I didn't let them set up long enough and so they were a little crumbly, but I love eating good crumbs.  Next time I'll want to try the white chocolate version.  

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies, oats included

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening or margarine
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed overripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1-2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar with shortening or margarine. Mix in egg, bananas, and vanilla.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfuls on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until golden brown.


I am venturing out into banana cookie land!  Where the butter is half what it normally is.  And you know what?  We ate them up in a day.  When I realized how fast we ate them I was really surprised, and then when I opened up the oven the next day, I realized why- I left the last cookie sheet in there with cookies on it!  That happens to me more often than it should.  Oh well.  Try these cookies with your next mashed bananas.  They are low-fat-ish, but still good.