Easy Cheeseburger Pizza

My final recipe for the project.  I found this recipe while once again perusing the Pillsbury website.  I'm looking forward to something delicious.  I hope this doesn't let me down.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust or 1 can (11 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated thin pizza crust

1/2 lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef

1 cup tomato pasta sauce

1/4 cup chopped red onion, if desired

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1/4 cup dill pickle slices

 

DIRECTIONS

1 If using classic crust: Heat oven to 425°F. Spray or grease 12-inch pizza pan. Unroll dough on pan. Starting at center, press out dough to edge of pan. If using thin crust: Heat oven to 400°F. Spray or grease 15x10-inch or larger dark or nonstick cookie sheet. Unroll dough on cookie sheet. Starting at center, press dough into 15x10-inch rectangle.

2 Meanwhile, in 8-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Spread pasta sauce evenly over dough. Top with beef, onion and cheese.

3 Bake classic crust 12 to 18 minutes, bake thin crust 8 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Top pizza with pickle slices. Cut into 4 servings.

Tip if using classic crust: For a crispier crust, prebake crust 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown, then add toppings; bake pizza 12 to 18 minutes.

Pillsbury

I used a thawed bread dough for my crust.  I seasoned the hamburger meat as I would if I was making hamburgers while it was cooking.  I put the sauce on the crust, then meat, then cheese, then I topped with additional meat, onion, and pickle.

How did it turn out?

This turned out pretty good.  It cooked up nicely.  It took a few bites to get used to the tangy-ness from the pickle, but once you got over it, and adjusted to the fact that it wasn't a normal tasting pizza, it wasn't half bad.  I would even call it good; you just have to get used to the initial weird factor.

What about the kids?

Walter promptly ate all of the pickles off the top of the pizza, then stalled the rest of the dinner and eventually had to be cajoled into finishing his piece.  Mara ate her whole piece by dismantling it.  She ate all of the toppings, then eventually went back to finish off the crust.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Twin Cities Dogs

I came across this on the Betty Crocker website.  It looked like a nice treat for the kids, plus it was interesting.

8	large hot dogs
1	stick (1 oz) mozzarella string cheese, cut lengthwise into 8 strips
1	stick (1 oz) Cheddar string cheese, cut lengthwise into 8 strips
1	can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1	egg, beaten
8	wooden corn dog or wooden craft sticks
	Ketchup and mustard, if desired 1Heat oven to 375°F. Slit hot dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends; insert 1 strip of mozzarella and 1 strip of Cheddar cheese into each slit. 2Separate or cut dough into 4 rectangles (if using crescent rolls, press perforations to seal). Place 2 hot dogs crosswise down center of each rectangle. Cut 1-inch-wide strips in dough on each side of hot dogs to within 1/4 inch of hot dogs. Fold strips at an angle across hot dogs, alternating from side to side. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up. 3Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Insert 1 stick into each hot dog. Garnish with ketchup and mustard. Betty Crocker I have no idea what the egg is for in the ingredients.  It is not mentioned in the directions, and I did not use it.  I misread the directions, so I cut two separate slits in the hot dogs for the cheese.  It worked fine.  I used kabob skewers for the sticks.

How did it turn out?

This was an interesting twist to pigs in a blanket.  It was not much different, but it was good nonetheless.  It was pretty easy to pull off, and it looks really fancy.  It might be a fun thing to serve at a birthday party or other kid occasion.

What about the kids?

The two hot dogs as one serving was too much.  Walter pulled his apart and ate one of the hot dogs.  Mara pulled hers apart and ate the cheese out of both of them, but didn't really eat much else.  She was having a difficult day today, so I'm not blaming the food.  I would suggest serving one set to two smaller kids.  

Rating: 4 out of 5

Sour Apple Martini

Earlier in the week I was looking for low calorie cocktail recipes.  This one came up quite a few times in my searches.

1 part Vodka
1 part Apple Pucker

Myrecipes.com

We did not have lime juice, so we experimented until we found the right proportions.  1 to 1 seemed right.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Cheers JD! ;-)

Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

I had to use up the rest of the bottomless can of pumpkin, so here is one more pumpkin recipe.  I made a batch and a half of these cookies to finish it off.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.

FOR GLAZE:
COMBINE 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.

Very Best Baking

I followed the recipe except for the glaze.  I just left it off.

How did it turn out?

These were very cake like cookies.  They are very soft and very chewy.  This is a great recipe to use if you have extra pumpkin laying around.  Josh and I both enjoyed them.

What about the kids?

Both kids really enjoyed these cookies.  I got an extra hug and "thank you mommy" from Walter.  They both ate the first one quickly and gladly accepted a second for dessert tonight.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tater Tot Casserole

Today I wanted to find a recipe that used Tater Tots.  Here's what I found.  This one got a lot of good reviews on the Cooks.com website, so I had high hopes for it.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 bag tater tots
shredded cheese
1 lb of ground hamburger meat
serves: 6 or 7

Brown hamburger meat. Add cream of mushroom soup and stir together continuously. Let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Place mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish. Lay tater tots neatly on top of the mixture.
Place in oven on 350' and let the tater tots brown.
Sprinkle with cheese; melt it in the oven and ENJOY.

Submitted by: Danielle Watson

Cooks.com

I used cream of celery soup instead of mushroom. 

How did it turn out?

I thought it was delicious.  It clearly doesn't fit with my "lower calorie" goal for the week, but it was very tasty.  It's definitely not a combination I would have come up with on my own.

What about the kids?

Mara loved it.  She scarffed down two helpings very quickly.  Walter claimed not to like it and had to be foreced to eat a required amount of bites before he could leave the table.  Lately he says he only likes pizza, hot dogs, and lots of treats.  I guess this didn't fit any of those categories.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Mmmmm....Pumpkin Mousse

I needed to use up the rest of the can of pumpkin I had opened the other day, so here is what I found.  Again, I found this on the Very Best Baking website.

Ingredients

• 1 box (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Fat Free Milk
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups thawed fat-free frozen whipped topping

Makes about six 1/2-cup servings


Very Best Baking

Directions

COMBINE pudding mix and pie spice in medium bowl. With whisk, add evaporated milk; mix until well blended. Add pumpkin; mix well. Gently fold whipped topping into pudding mixture. Spoon into serving dishes. Top with additional whipped topping and pie spice, if desired. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

I followed the directions as written.  I used cinnamon, not pumpkin spice.

How did it turn out?

This was really easy to make.  It turned out good, like eating a creamy pumpkin pie without the crust.  Yum!


What about the kids?

This one was a BIG hit with the kids.  They both enjoyed with lots of "mmmmm"s! I think they would have eaten twice as much in a serving if given their choice.
 Rating: 4 out of 5

Hash Brown Egg Bake

I was looking for a breakfast recipe because I had a bag of frozen hash browns in the freezer.   I came up with this easy looking casserole on Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 (32 ounce) package frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 dash paprika

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine hash browns, bacon, 1/2 cup cheese and salt. Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk until smooth; pour over hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until golden. Top with the remaining cheese.

Footnotes

Editor's Note: This dish may be prepared in advance, covered and refrigerated overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Allrecipes

I made this up last night before going to bed, and I left it in the fridge overnight.  That made for a really quick and easy morning.  I added one cup of cottage cheese to the recipe, and I did not add the second half cup of cheddar on top.  I think the cheese on top would have been a good addition, but I wouldn't take away the cottage cheese, or at least I'd add more cheese mixed into the casserole to make up the difference.  I also added onions and peppers to the bacon while I was cooking it down.

How did it turn out?

It was very good.  It turned out better than other breakfast casseroles that I've tried before that have bread in them.  I definately recommend the hash browns!  I especially love how easy this was to make.

What about the kids?

They both ate a decent sized serving and cleaned the plate.  It wasn't anything they were overly excited about, but they ate it fine with no complaints.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Brownie 'n Fruit Kabobs

I found this on a recipe card I once clipped from a Betty Crocker Calendar.  It was simple, and perfect for a summer time dessert.

Ingredients:

1 batch of baked brownies
Various Fruits
Kabob Skewers

Directions:

Cut brownies into small inch sized pieces.  Cut fruit into kabob sized pieces.  Alternate fruits and brownies onto the skewers.  Serve.

Betty Crocker

The official Betty Crocker directions suggested drizzling with chocolate syrup, but I left that off.

I had Ghirardelli Brownie mix on hand.  I also had strawberries, apples, and peaches.

How did they turn out?

Delicious!  And so easy!  This is a great blend of healthy fruits with a touch of sweets to satisfy those teeth some of you have.

What about the kids?

Walter ate his dinner very quickly in order to get to eat this dessert.  He quickly finished it off.  Mara will have to try hers tomorrow.  (She helped herself to some candy earlier...)

Rating: 4 out of 5

LIBBY'S Pumpkin Roll

I have had my eye on this recipe since Thanksgiving.  I had stocked up on pumpkin because at first I couldn't find any, and then I found a really good deal, so I stock piled.  This recipe was mentioned on the back of the can which referred me to the website.

Ingredients

• CAKE
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• FILLING
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions

FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP:Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Very Best Baking

I followed the recipe as written.  I did not put the powdered sugar on to serve it.  It is sweet enough as it is.  I don't think I waited  long enough to let it cool before adding the frosting; I would recommend waiting until it is completely cool to the touch, not just luke-warm.

How did it turn out?

This is a great dessert!  The cream cheese filling alone is AMAZING!  If you're looking for a good cream cheese frosting recipe, this one is a keeper!  It got a little messy when I was frosting it because it wasn't cool enough, but that did not harm the taste at all.  It just gave Walter more frosting to lick off the edges.  I think it would taste just as good (maybe even better) without the nuts.

What about the kids? Walter really enjoyed the frosting.  He licked quite a bit of it while we were baking.  When he tried his piece, he only wanted to eat the frosting.  Mara did not take more than one bite.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Frosting: 5 out of 5

Quick Creamy Chicken & Noodles

I found this recipe on the back of a can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup.  I had never even heard of that soup, but we had apparently bought it at our cheap dented can store, so we had some.  It sounded pretty good, but mostly it sounded easy and I had all of the ingredients for it on hand.

Campbells

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken and Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey

3 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained

Chopped fresh parsley

• Heat the soup, milk, black pepper, cheese, chicken and noodles in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with the parsley before serving.

I had a box of Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta, so I started with that.  I also had two fairly large chicken breasts that needed to be cooked, so I cubed those up.  As I cooked the noodles and cubed the chicken, I realized that both would be way more than the recipe called for and that I would need more cream sauce for all of it.  So I exchanged the one can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup, for one can each of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup.  I also used 1 cup of milk instead of a half cup.  I did not have parsley, so I left that off.  I did not use the Parmesan cheese, and the reason for that is simply I forgot until now that it was in the recipe.

How did it turn out?

This was delicious!  It was really creamy.  It was very quick to make, and easy because all of these ingredients are things that I normally have on hand.  Both Josh and I enjoyed second helpings.

What about the kids?

They both told me it was good, but they'd been snacking so they didn't eat much of it at lunch.  Later when they came asking for afternoon snacks, I made them finish their pasta first, and they both did without complaining.  Apparently this is fine served cold as well.  :0)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Stout Beer Ice Cream Mini Floats

While perusing the Pillsbury recipe site, I came across this recipe, and I knew that my husband would be very interested in it.  I also knew that I would likely hate it, but it was an interesting idea, so I decided to give it a shot.

Pillsbury

INGREDIENTS

1 cup premium vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup stout draught beer (from 14.9-oz can)

3 tablespoons chocolate-flavor syrup

DIRECTIONS

1   Using small ice cream scoop (about 1 tablespoon each), place 2 small scoops in each of 8 shot glasses. Slowly pour about 1 tablespoon beer into each glass.

2 Drizzle each with about 1 teaspoon syrup. Serve immediately with small spoons.

I used Guinness beer, a store brand vanilla ice cream and Hershey's chocolate syrup.

How did it turn out?

I was pleasantly surprised.  Once the ice cream was sufficiently mixed with the beer, it didn't taste too bad.  When I got mostly beer, I didn't care for it because I don't like Guinness, but together it was surprisingly good.  Josh liked it a lot.  It was right up his alley.  He'll have another larger version later to finish off the bottle of Guinness we bought.

What about the kids?

They enjoyed a lovely bowl of vanilla ice cream for dessert tonight.  ;0)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Crispy Cheese Stars

I found this recipe on Disney's Family Fun Magazine website.  I had all the ingredients, and I LOVE anything with cheese, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Plus the stars added extra festivity to the July 4 holiday coming up.

Family Fun Magazine

Ingredients

• Flour tortillas
• Sliced cheese (cheddar, provolone, or mozzarella)
• Chili powder or paprika

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350º. Use the larger cookie cutter to cut out stars from flour tortillas (about 5 per 10-inch tortilla). It's easy for kids to do if you use a rolling pin to roll back and forth over the cutter. Bake the stars on a foil-covered cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
2. Use the smaller cookie cutter to cut out an equal number of cheese stars from the sliced cheese and place them atop the tortilla ones. Bake the stars for 2 more minutes or so until the cheese melts.
3. Sprinkle the stars with chili powder or paprika and let them cool before serving.

This recipe was much more successful.  It was also simple.  I used the star cookie cutters after warming up the tortillas.  I used 3 full sized tortillas and got 23 stars out of it.  I used three different cheeses: Colby, Muenster, and American.  The hard cheeses (Colby & Muenster) turned out better, probably because they were more thickly sliced.  I sprinkled chili powder over half of the stars.  I left half plain in case the kids didn't like the spice.

How did it turn out?

Amazing!  The bottom was crunchy, the cheese was soft and gooey.  I enjoyed both the seasoned and unseasoned stars equally.  I served it as a side to some enchiladas I made for dinner.  I'm trying to think of another spice that might be a good topper instead of the chili powder, maybe taco seasoning?  Any ideas?

What about the kids?

Both kids enjoyed eating the stars.  Walter even ate extra bites of his enchiladas and salad in order to get the last two stars on the cookie sheet.  Mara ate the cheese off the top of a couple of hers.

Rating: 4 out of 5