Popover Pizza

This is a favorite in our home!

Popover Pizza

1 lb lean ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

1 15 oz can pizza sauce

1/2 package sliced pepperoni, halved

(mushrooms and/or black olives may be added)

1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Brown hamburger, with onions and peppers.

Add sauce, pepperoni, and herbs.

Heat til bubbling, take off stove

Prepare 13 by 9 pan, by spraying...

put meat mixture in the bottom of pan

mix:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp cooking oil

Pour on top of meat mixture

add 

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Bake for 30 minutes til topping is puffed and golden brown.

 

Bean Counter Chowder

Bean Counter Chowder

Chopped Onion

2 Garlic Cloves (I used minced)

1 Tbsp oil

14 oz Stewed or chopped Tomatoes

(I used Petite Diced)

2 -14 oz cans chicken broth

1 3/4 cups water

1/2 tsp each:

basil

Oregano

Celery Flakes

1/4 tsp Pepper

3 cans Great Northern Beans or Pinto Beans

(I always use whatever I have on hand--kidney is fine)

1 cup uncooked Elbow Macaroni

1 Tbsp Parsley

You can either make this on the stove or in the crockpot.

I put it all together except the noodles, in the crockpot, 

then, about 1/2 hour before eating, add the noodles.
This is the original recipe, but I am not exact on the beans or broth when I make it!

It's a great, easy, Friday crockpot meal!

Meatball Calzones

I got a new cookbook last week at Sam's Club and found a ton of recipes to try out.

This one was a hit with my family.

Everyone loved it (except me, I don't care for meatballs)

Soo very easy:

Meatball Calzones

Frozen bread dough (thawed)

Meatballs

(I used Sam's Club meatballs, but you can use homemade, which is what the recipe actually called for)

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 egg white

Italian seasoning

Marinara sauce

Set oven at 350 degrees.

I cooked my meatballs in the crockpot with water,

so they'd be ready when it came time to bake them.

Thaw your frozen bread dough on the counter for about 4 hours,

then,

flour the counter and roll out to about 18" by 12".

Down the center put your meatballs,

cover with Mozzarella cheese,

close up the dough and brush with egg white

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Let sit on the counter for 30 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Heat up Marinara sauce and pour on when slicing the Calzone.

We made 2 loaves and there were about 3 pieces left for Tom to take to work the next day. Excellent cookbook!

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

Another great meatless recipe from my friend Brenda. This was also brought to our family when I broke my leg last year and has become a favorite.

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

1 pkg hash brown potatoes

4 cups very hot water

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 egg slightly beaten

Cover potatoes with hot water. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and mix with melted butter and egg. Press potato mixture on bottom and sides of a ungreased pie plate.

Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese

1 can diced green chilies

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

Sprinkle cheese on potato crust. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over cheese.

Bake 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Top each slice with sour cream and shredded lettuce.

Chicken Quesadillas with Corn Salsa

Chicken Quesadillas

4 cups boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced

2 tsp chili powder

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans green chilies, drained

4 cups co-jack cheese

12 tortillas of your choice (I used whole grain with flax seed)

light sour cream for garnish

corn salsa (recipe below)

Saute onion and garlic in oil in large skillet. Cook until onion is tender then remove onion and garlic from pan. Add chicken and chili powder and stir-fry until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet and add to the onion and garlic. Add cheese and green chilies and mix well.

Clean skillet and spray with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat. Place equal amounts of chicken mixture onto tortilla halves and fold over and brown. Spray pan again as you are turning and flipping. Heat until nice and brown and cheese is melted. Garnish with sour cream and corn salsa.

Corn Salsa

I never really quite follow the recipe, not measuring perfectly, but here it is, you can adjust it any way you like. I pretty much double this. My hubby likes leftovers of this whole meal and often shares it at work! If you have leftovers of this meal, re-heat quesadillas in oven. (otherwise the microwave will make them soggy)

1 1/4 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (I just run cold water over them in a strainer)

1/4 chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp chopped, seeded jalapeno chili

Salt and pepper to taste

Don't forget to use rubber gloves to chop that jalapeno!! It does not feel good to get it in your eyes hours after washing hands, trust me, it does not feel good!

Parmesan Pork Patties

Parmesan Pork Patties

1 pound fresh ground pork

1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp dried oregano

Fresh chopped basil

(optional: tomato slices)

Mix everything except the fresh basil and 1/2 cup fresh parmesan. Fry or broil for 15 minutes, turning 1/2 way through, making juices run clear. Top each patty with fresh parmesan cheese and broil until cheese melted, top with fresh chopped basil.

My husband is on a low/no carb diet and he loves this new found recipe. He loves it and I make it every week for him!

Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

You will need: 25 oz bag frozen Cheese ravioli 4 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts (I like to add a little more) 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Bring pot of water to boil, add ravioli and cook 4-5 minutes until floating on the top like this. Drain.

Meanwhile, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, like this, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the pan with the balsamic brown butter, fold into the sauce. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

*I found this recipe from the Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis, but tweaked it a little by adding less butter and a little more ravioli and walnuts.

Balsamic Pork Chops

We found this recipe in a low-carb cookbook and it has become our winter favorite. (since it's hard to charcoal grill in the winter, in MN!) 4 thick boneless pork chops Salt and black pepper 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 medium size onion chopped/minced (I use my chopper to get it really good) 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed 1 Tbsp butter Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Cook in large skillet in hot oil over medium heat for 12 minutes, until done and juices run clear. Turn occasionally. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Add onion to skillet; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth, vinegar and thyme. Bring to boiling; reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Pour over meat. This juice is so good for dipping the meat into!