Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

How is it Monday already? I mean really. Why do weekend days go by a gazillion times faster than weekdays? Our weekend was wonderful though! On Friday, my sweet husband took me out on a date to see Beauty and the Beast 3D and eat dinner at Amazon Grill (my favorite!). I had such a lovely time. Beauty and the Beast is amazing in 3D. The castle's library was just soooo big, and the wilting rose petals were so lifelike, and the little footstool puppy is so much cuter in 3D! Haha. It was like I was a little girl all over again. I might have cried a bit at the part where the Beast turns back into a prince and Belle says "It is you!" Sigh. Such a great movie. We've been walking around the house singing Beauty and the Beast songs since Friday.

On Saturday we finally used our tickets for a tour of Minute Maid Park (our baseball stadium), which was such fun! And then we painted the laundry room! Busy busy busy. Anyway... let's try to not focus on the weekdays and think about next weekend instead, okay?

Anyone having a Super Bowl party this weekend? This is a great recipe to munch on during the game! I made these for our New Year's party and they disappeared very quickly from their tray! I couldn't even snap a photo of them before they were devoured!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz mini turkey pepperoni
pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, and baking powder. Then, whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Stir the batter lightly and divide evenly among the 24 mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.
4. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

(batter)

(mini muffin pan, all ready to make pizza puffs!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

These are absolutely delicious (and they'd be perfect for Valentine's Day!). They're everything you could ever want in a dessert, plus they're bite-sized! They get gobbled up pretty quickly whenever I make them. I'd recommend making a double batch. :o)

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 lb large strawberries
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
graham cracker crumbs (about 4 whole crackers, crushed)

Directions:
1. Rinse strawberries and hollow out the insides.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Put cream cheese mixture into a piping bag, or a Ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill strawberries with the cheesecake mixture.
3. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top of each one in graham cracker crumbs. If not serving immediately, skip the graham cracker crumbs for now and refrigerate filled strawberries. Dip in graham cracker crumbs right before serving.

(hollowed strawberries)

(cheesecake mixture in a Ziploc with the corner snipped off)

(filled strawberries)

(I found it was easiest to rest them on a plate like this so they didn't fall over and get ruined!)

(with graham cracker crumbs on top -- DELICIOUS!)

Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana

I think "Zuppa Toscana" is Italian for "Tuscan Soup." Or something like that. Anyway, this recipe was supposed to be a copycat version of Olive Garden's zuppa toscana. I've never actually had the zuppa toscana at Olive Garden, so I can't say whether or not this is a good copycat recipe, but I can tell you that it's delicious and perfect for a chilly evening!

Also, I have to tell y'all... this recipe was the first time I ever cooked with kale. I thought I was all hip and healthy putting "kale" on my shopping list. Then, when I found it at the grocery store, I was so surprised. Do y'all know what kale is? It's the stuff they put in little rows as decoration at the fish/meat counter! It's a green leafy garnish that apparently is now for eating too.

(source)

Anyway, my first kale-eating experience wasn't particularly exciting. I didn't really think it tasted like anything. But it made the soup look pretty with the green color, and the texture was nice I suppose. Haha.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian sausage

2 large russet potatoes, sliced in quarters length-wise, then cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 large onion, chopped

1 bag real bacon bits

1 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chopped kale

2 cans chicken broth

4 cups water

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Cook sausage in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. Drain on paper towels and cut into slices.

2. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in a pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.

3. Add in sausage, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

4. Turn heat down to low and add kale and cream. Heat through and serve.

(sausages out of the oven)

(draining)

(onions, potatoes, and garlic in chicken broth and water)

(sausage chopped up + the bacon bits)

(after adding sausage and bacon bits)

(chopped kale + heavy cream)

(just about finished!)

YUMMM!

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Apple Cranberry Strudel

I made this strudel for the first time for our Family Christmas Dinner, and it was a big hit! It's pretty simple too... it's definitely a go-to recipe for me now!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp flour + extra for rolling out the puff pastry
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and very thinly sliced into 1-inch long pieces
2 tbsp sweetened dried cranberries (like Craisins)
1 sheet Puff Pastry (half of a 17.3 oz package of Puff Pastry sheets), thawed
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:
1. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork to form an egg wash. Set aside.
2. Stir the granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the apples and cranberries and toss thoroughly to coat.
3. Sprinkle flour on a work surface, and unfold the puff pastry sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry sheet out into a 16-12 inch rectangle.
4. With the short side of the pastry facing you, spoon the apple mixture onto the bottom half of the sheet, leaving 1 inch of the pastry clear on each edge. Roll the pastry sheet up like a jelly roll and tuck the ends under to seal. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet.
5. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash and cut several slits in the top of the pastry to vent.
6. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Let the strudel cool on a baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, slice, and serve!

(going into the oven...)

(sprinkled with powdered sugar)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

This was part of our little Christmas dinner for two. It's delicious, and it makes the kitchen smell delightful!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried rosemary (plus extra for sprinkling on top of the loaf)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread flour (plus an extra 1/4 cup or so for kneading)
1 egg,
1 tbsp water
Cornmeal for dusting

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to proof.
2. Stir in the salt, 2 tsp rosemary, Italian seasoning, black pepper, olive oil, and white whole wheat flour. Add the bread flour and stir until dough forms a ball.
3. Knead the dough ball on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes (until smooth), adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
4. Place the dough in a lightly-greased bowl and cover with a tea towel (not the terry kind). Let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
5. Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on a cornmeal-dusted piece of parchment paper, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size again (about 45 minutes).
6. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 400 degrees. Whisk the egg and 1 tbsp water together to make an egg wash. Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with some rosemary.
7. Set the parchment paper on the heated pizza stone, and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

(water + sugar + yeast)

(after sitting 10 minutes to proof)

(adding dry ingredients)

(dough ball after kneading)

(covered with a tea towel)

(after first rise)

(after being punched down and put on parchment paper)

(after second rise)

(fresh from the oven!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

This is a delicious recipe! I've made it a few times in the last couple of weeks (first at our "Jeff & Katie Christmas Dinner") because it's just that good! I've always liked broccoli, but roasting it just brings out the flavor in a whole new way! It's almost sweeter... and definitely more flavorful!

If you're serving this broccoli with a main dish that needs to go in the oven as well (and you're like me and don't have a double oven), you can cook the broccoli first, then just stick it back in the oven (covered with foil) for the last 15 minutes of whatever main dish you're cooking to warm it up. I've done this a couple times now and it works great! It's also easy to halve the recipe if you're just cooking for two!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
8 cups broccoli florets (the florets from about 4-5 stalks)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
7 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (I toast mine in the toaster oven for a few minutes)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp thinly chopped fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Directions:
1. Snap the broccoli florets off the stalks, and discard the stalks. Cut larger florets in half. Place the florets in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet.
2. Sprinkle the garlic over the broccoli florets, then drizzle with 5 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees, until the broccoli is tender and some of the edges are browned.
4. Remove broccoli from the oven and toss immediately with 2 tbsp olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Broccoli florets (Note: I took these photos using a half recipe... I use a large rimmed cookie sheet when making a full batch).

With garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper!

After coming out of the oven!

(I usually mix the tossing ingredients while the broccoli is in the oven)

Mixing the roasted broccoli...

Ta-da!

Enjoy!