Pizza Calzones

This is a recipe I found on the Kraft website (although the recipe as it stands now online is very different from the one I have. I guess I found mine in one of the Kraft magazines).

• 1 can refrigerated Crescent Rolls
• 16 slices pepperoni
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup pizza sauce
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Unroll crescent rolls. Separate into 4 rectangles. On a lightly floured surface press perforations together to seal. Roll out each piece to 7×5 inches.

3. Arrange 4 pepperoni pieces on each rectangle.

4. Mix together mozzarella and sauce and spread evenly over pepperoni on each piece.

5. Fold each rectangle in half. Press close with a fork. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake 12 min until golden brown.

Verdict: These were really simple to make and got the ultimate compliment from my sister: tastes like pizza!

 

In Search Of: the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Part 25: Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookie

I found this recipe on another food blog.

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omitted because we use salted butter)
• 8 Oreo cookies, broken into pieces (we used 4)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (we used 1/2 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare baking sheet.

2. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until creamy.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt (if using). Add to wet ingredients.

4. Add in Oreos and chocolate chips (at this point, we could see that the batter wasn’t going to make very much and I don’t like to have chocolate chip cookies that are overwhelmed with too many chips, so we cut down the Oreo and chocolate chips by half).

5. Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 9 min (we used a funky shaped baking sheet, but they still only needed 9 min).

Verdict: These cookies got rave reviews at work! I like my chocolate chips cookies a little moister so I found these a little too crunchy. Though I think I ate 11 of the 30 we ended up making.

Upside Down Pizza Casserole

This is another recipe that came from the Internet, though I can’t remember the site.

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 15 ounces of tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 package of refrigerated biscuits (we checked 4 grocery stores and could not find these anywhere in our area, so we used 4 of the triangle crescent rolls instead)

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Cook meat until no longer pink. Drain.

3. Mix meat and sauce in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with biscuits (or crescent rolls). Bake 15 min until golden.

Verdict: I would probably not use as much sauce next time. Serve over spaghetti, I really enjoyed it. The crescent rolls were crispy on top and gooey on the bottom.

Sweet Potato Souffle

I found this recipe in Trisha Yearwood’s cookbook.

• 5 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk
• Pinch of salt (omitted because we use salted butter)

Topping

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a large baking dish.

2. On a foil covered baking sheet bake sweet potatoes for 1 hour or until soft. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes. Mash in a large bowl.

3. Add eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, milk and salt (if using) to the sweet potatoes and combine well. Place mixture in prepared baking dish.

4. In a medium bowl, mix together all topping ingredients. Spoon mixture over sweet potatoes. Bake for 30 min.

Verdict: The author wasn’t kidding when she said this was sweet enough to be served as dessert instead of a side dish. But it was way too sweet. Impossible to eat at all.

Potato Rolls

I found this recipe online somewhere. I just can’t remember where.

• 2 small potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 packages of dry active yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar plus a pinch
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 teaspoon salt (omitted because we use salted butter)
• 5 1/2 cup flour plus more for rolling

1. Boil potatoes about 15 min, until tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Mash potatoes and set aside.

2. Let reserved liquid cool a bit before whisking in the yeast and pinch of sugar. Set aside until mixture is foamy, about 10 min.

3. In a large bowl, mix yeast mixture, remaining sugar, potatoes, buttermilk, 4 tablespoons of melted butter and salt (if using). Gradually add in flour. Knead until smooth, about 2 min. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 and a half hours.

4. Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Roll out to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut into 30 square pieces and place on baking sheet. Brush tops with butter (the second batch we brushed with a beaten egg, and they came out a lot more golden). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 15 min.

6. Bake 18 to 20 min, until golden.

Verdict: I have tried so many different homemade breads but none of them ever taste right for me even though other people love them. There’s just a taste missing for me that leaves me feeling like the bread is bland. It’s weird.

Tarragon Chicken

This is another recipe I found in the French Metro newspaper.

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 1/3 tablespoons butter
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons tarragon
• 1 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth (we used chicken broth)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Dilute cornstarch in water and set aside. (I am not sure why this is the recipe’s first step. It should be closer to the end, right before you are about to use it.)

2. In a skillet, melt the butter. Add chicken breasts and cook for 10 min, turning frequently.

3. Add the shallots and cook until browned.

4. Add the tarragon and the wine/brother. Cover and simmer for 20 min, turning once or twice.

5. Add cornstarch. Let simmer, uncovered, 5 min. Salt and pepper to taste.

Verdict: The chicken was kind of dry, the sauce didn’t thicken as much as I think it should have (not even when we added more cornstarch) and the tarragon didn’t really taste of very much (the package said it was kind of like anise and vanilla, but I didn’t get that taste). In the end, not a very successful recipe.

Blueberry Waffles

I found this recipe in a WeightWatchers Magazine.

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten (we just used a second egg)
• 1 cup blueberries
• Cooking spray

1. Combine flour and baking powder in medium bowl.

2. Combine milk, egg(s), egg whites (if using) and oil in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture and stir until blended.

3. Spray waffle iron. When warmed up, pour 1/3 cup batter on each section, spreading out to edges. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons blueberries on each waffle (this seemed a little much). Cook 6 to 7 min.

Verdict: This was missing any kind of taste. I think it was the lack of sugar or vanilla. The blueberries on their own weren’t enough flavour for the waffles.

Honey Ginger Chicken

This is a recipe I found in the French Metro newspaper.

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 2 or 3 chicken breasts (we used three) cut into small 2 inch cubes

1. Mix the brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, ginger and garlic.

2. Add the chicken and refrigerate at least 4 hours (we let ours refrigerate overnight).

3. (The recipe calls for the chicken to be microwaved, but we baked ours in the oven instead. We also added some pineapple pieces.)

Verdict: This was very tasty. All the flavours worked really well together, there wasn’t one that stood out more than the others. I was a bit surprised that the chicken cubes weren’t really marinated all the way through despite how long we left them in the fridge.