Liza's Mini Pizzas

Every kid loves pizza and this was one of my boy's favorite things to request for dinner as they were growing up.  It was a favorite of mine because of how quickly I could put it together and I knew they were always going to eat every last bite.

This is still one of my go to meals when I'm feeding my family at three different times and I don't have a lot of time to put something together.  Because of my time constraint, I didn't take time to measure anything in order to type up an actual recipe for you.  I put these mini pizzas together visually, and hope you can do the same by following my pictures.  My boys give these mini pizzas 9s on the Melnarik rating scale.

After preheating the oven to 400 degrees, I begin by "opening" English muffins and placing them on a baking sheet.

I top each half with some pizza sauce (not so much that it oozes out in each bite, but to cover the bread).  I used to use Ragu Pizza Quick Sauce Traditional flavor, but I can't find that product any more.  I now use the Prego Pizza Sauce, which comes in a jar.

For a little more flavor, I then sprinkle on some dried oregano.

Then I add a layer of shredded mozarella cheese.

On top of that, I add some medium cheddar for extra flavor.

The last thing is the topping and in our case, pepperoni is the topping of choice.  I add four slices to each pizza so there's a pepperoni in each bite!  I use the Hormel brand that comes in the red box, as the slices are just over an inch in diameter and fit best on these mini pizzas.

I put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and when they come out they are hot and the cheese has melted and the kids can't wait to dig in.  As the cheese melts, some of the pepperoni slices may slide off the pizzas. I just push them back towards the middle.  Nobody around here really cares what they look like, they just care about how good they taste.

We usually wait about a minute before eating them, because they are simply too hot directly out of the oven.  I serve them directly from the baking sheet so as to keep them warm, but my boys inhale these so quickly, there really isn't time for them to cool down too much!  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Bars

I love cinnamon rolls, so I've been collecting recipes for them or anything else that provides the same flavor to satisfy my cravings.  This is one of those recipes that I decided to try recently.  The first time I made them was for a tea I was hosting for the ladies in my Royal Ladies Tea Society.  They were so well liked by the attendees, my boys and my neighbors, that I made them again this past Saturday for my mom's birthday celebration.  Everyone who tries these bars loves them! My youngest son would eat the whole pan if I'd let him!

Not only do these bars taste great, but they are so easy to put together.  I found the recipe on Pinterest where the link led me to blissfulwhimsy.blogspot.com.  A big thank you to the author for sharing this recipe!  My guys all give these bars 9s on the Melnarik rating scale.

In a large bowl, I combine a yellow cake mix with some white and brown sugars and some cinnamon.

 To that mixture, I add the melted butter and eggs.  I melt the butter in a measuring cup in the microwave before combining the dry ingredients.  This way, the butter won't be so hot that the eggs will cook.  That's also why I make two wells in the dry ingredients, so the eggs won't mix with the butter until I mix them into the other dry ingredients first.

As you can see above, the dough is thick and somewhat sticky.

I pressed the dough into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan and then baked it in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes.

When it came out of the oven, it had risen a bit and was golden brown around the edges.  I let the pan sit on a cooling rack until it was completely cooled.

Once cooled, I prepared the icing by combining the butter with powdered sugar using a hand mixer.  I added one cup of the powdered sugar at a time, adding the milk in between to get the proper consistency.  The original recipe called for a milk and powdered sugar icing, but I think a buttercream frosting on cinnamon rolls is the best, so I chose to make that instead.

I frosted the bars with this mixture and the bars were ready to cut and serve!

For my tea party I decided to cut the bars using a hexagon cookie cutter, to make them look a little more special.  They can be cut into any shape you like; it's the taste that makes these bars so special!  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Bars

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1stick) melted butter

2 eggs

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup softened butter

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, sugars and cinnamon.  Add butter and eggs; mix thoroughly.  Spread into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.  Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  In a medium bowl, mix together powdered sugar, butter and milk to make icing.  Spread on cooled bars.  Cut and serve.

Mexican Salad and Quesadillas

This is another one of my recipes that I go to frequently when it's hot outside and we don't feel like eating anything hot.  It is not a taco salad, because there is no meat in this salad, but it's extremely tasty.  Because it contains Nacho Cheese Doritos, which kids love, serving this is how I got my boys to start eating salad!

I first tasted this salad at a potluck meal at the church I was raised at over 30 years ago and liked it so much I asked for a copy of the recipe.  Currently it is one of the meals my youngest son requests often.    I always serve this salad with cheese quesadillas, for which I will also share the method below.  This meal gets 8x and 9s on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by putting the romaine lettuce in a large bowl, tearing the pieces to make them bite size.  Then, I add the green onions and minced garlic.  I toss these ingredients to combine them, making sure the garlic is evenly distributed. 

In the meantime, I begin making the quesadillas.  On a griddle over medium-low heat, I place a flour tortilla.  To that, I add some shredded medium cheddar cheese and put several dollops of medium salsa for extra flavor.

I place another tortilla on top and cover the whole thing with a pan lid.  This helps the cheese melt by steam as well as the heat below.  I let it go for a minute or so, then gently lift the side of the top tortilla to see if the cheese is melted.  Once it is, I flip the whole thing so the cheese melts to the other tortilla.  

When the quesadilla gets flipped, the first side should be a bit toasty like in the picture above.  It doesn't take long on the second side, maybe about 30 seconds.  Then I remove it to a plate where I use a pizza cutter to cut it into wedges.  Depending on the size of the tortillas I use, I usually make 2 - 3 quesadillas to serve our family of four.

While the quesadillas cook, I continue with the salad by adding the shredded mozzarella cheese and diced tomatoes, tossing again to combine.

The next ingredient is the Nacho Cheese Doritos, which I've crushed slightly.  These are added just before serving, so they don't become soft from the moist ingredients in this salad.

The last ingredient is the Russian salad dressing.  I've made this salad so many times, I can add the right amount just by how it looks.  I would suggest the first time that you add a little salad dressing, toss it in, taste it and keep doing that until you get the desired amount according to your family's taste.  

I serve this salad immediately after tossing in the salad dressing.  It has great texture and crunch and is a wonderfully cool thing to eat on an extremely hot day.  Enjoy!

Mexican Salad

1 large stock romaine lettuce, torn  (or 1-16 oz. bag torn romaine)

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 green onions, chopped

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

10 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 of a 11 1/2 oz. bag Nacho Cheese Doritos, coarsely crushed

8 oz. (1 cup) Russian salad dressing

Place lettuce in a large bowl, tearing into bite size pieces.  Add garlic and green onions; toss to combine.  Add tomatoes and cheese; toss to combine.  Add Doritos; toss to combine.  Add dressing; toss to combine.  Serve immediately.

Fiesta Tortilla Stack

This dish is a family favorite.  In fact, when my oldest son was leaving on a two-week trip to England to study at Oxford, I asked him what he would like for his last California meal and he requested this. Shortly before I was to begin preparing dinner, I found out my parents would be joining us, so all of the pictures depict me doubling the recipe.

I found this recipe in a Pampered Chef product catalog years ago.  One of the ingredients is the Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning Mix, which I always use.  I'm not familiar with any other Southwestern seasoning mixes in order to recommend one if you aren't able to order the mix from Pampered Chef.  I'm sure other brands would give a similar result.  This dish gets 9s across the board on the Melnarik rating scale.

There is quite a bit of chopping required in preparing this dish, but it's definitely worth the time.  In a medium bowl, I combine the chopped chicken, red bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro.

It smells so fresh and the colors are beautiful.  This gets set aside temporarily.

In a small bowl, I combine the bean dip, Southwestern Seasoning Mix, and sour cream.  This mixture also gets set aside.

This doesn't look very appetizing, but it's a key ingredient.  After this I shred the cheddar cheese.  I always use sharp cheddar, as I feel the flavor of the cheese doesn't get lost with the other flavors.

When making this dish for my family alone, I usually use the burrito size tortillas and assemble and bake it on my Pampered Chef Baking Stone, but with my parents joining us, I used the soft taco size tortillas and put them on my non-stick baking sheet.  Next, the layering begins with the plain tortillas.

I spread the bean dip mixture on the tortillas, spreading it almost to the edge.

Then I add the chicken mixture.  I've found that if I put a small heap in the center of the tortilla and use my hand to gently "spread" it toward the edge of the tortilla, that works best.  This method is especially helpful when I get to the 3rd and 4th layers.  The chicken mixture somewhat sticks to the bean dip layer.

The next layer is the cheddar cheese.  We like cheese in our house, so I'm quite generous with the amount I add. 

Then I begin repeating the layers.  I've found that spreading the bean dip on the tortilla before putting it on top of the cheese layer helps me spread it more evenly.

Another layer of the chicken mixture goes on next, 

followed by another layer of cheese.

I won't bore you with pictures of the next two layers, which are identical to the first two layers.  I add the last of the bean dip mixture to the final tortilla (stack on left side) and sprinkle a lesser amount of cheese on top of that (stack on right side).

As you can see, the stack is pretty tall at this point.  As it cooks and the cheese melts, it will lose some of that height.  Into the oven it goes  for 35 minutes at 375°F.

When it comes out of the oven, it smells delicious and the cheese has melted into the bean dip (this layer helps keep the top tortilla from getting over browned and crispy.

I add a little more fresh cilantro for color and flavor and it's ready to slice into wedges and serve.

Not only was Jimmy pleased he had picked this meal for dinner, but my parents loved it also.  Several days later I was talking to my mom on the phone and in the background my dad was telling her to ask me for the recipe.  I told her to tell him that I'd post it to my blog, so everyone would have the opportunity to make and eat this tasty treat.  By the way, this dish requires both a knife and fork to eat!  Enjoy!

Fiesta Tortilla Stack

2 cups cooked chicken breasts, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

¼ cup snipped fresh cilantro

1 can (9 oz.) bean dip

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoons Southwest Seasoning Mix*

5 (10-inch) flour tortillas

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, red bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro; mix gently.  In a small bowl, combine bean dip, sour cream, and seasoning mix.  Preheat oven to 375°F.  Place one tortilla on a baking stone or baking sheet.  Top with a thin layer of bean dip mixture, spreading almost to the edge.  Top with ¼ of the chicken mixture.  Top with approximately 1 ½ cups of cheese.  Repeat layers 3 more times.  Top with remaining tortilla spread with the remainder of the bean dip mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

*I use Pampered Chef brand Southwest Seasoning Mix

Turkey Club Sandwich with Avocado Aioli

I tried this recipe for the first time recently and think it has become one of the favorites of my family.  One reason is the bread, which is embellished with parmesan cheese and oregano.  Another reason is the marinated vegetables, which give this sandwich a fresh taste.  Then, of course, the addition of bacon makes everything better, according to my guys!

I found this recipe in a Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe magazine, which indicated that Helather Halonie of Webster, WI was the person who submitted this recipe.  This sandwich received 9's from everyone on the Melnarik rating scale.

I began by opening a tube of Pillsbury refrigerated Crusty French Loaf and putting it on my baking sheet seam side down.  Mine has a wonderful non-stick surface, so I didn't need to use any cooking spray, if yours does not have a non-stick surface, you'll want to cover it with baking parchment paper or use a no-stick cooking spray where the bread will sit.

With a sharp knife, I cut five diagonal lines into the dough, piercing the top about 1/4 inch.

In a small bowl, I combined the Parmesan cheese and oregano.

After spraying the top of the dough with a mist of oil (no-stick cooking spray or butter may be used here), I sprinkled the cheese mixture as evenly as possible.  Into the oven the bread went to bake at 350°F  for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, I began cooking my bacon (sorry no photo) until crisp.  Also, in a medium bowl, I combined the shredded lettuce, onion, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes and oregano.  Instead of shredding my own lettuce, I bought the pre-shredded lettuce that is found in the produce section of the market near the other bagged lettuces.  This mixture then went into the refrigerator  for 20 minutes to let the flavors blend and to slightly wilt the lettuce.

The kitchen was smelling great at this point.  When the bread was finished, I brought it out of the oven and left it to cool completely.

In a mini food processor, I combined the mayonnaise, garlic and avocado.

I processed this mixture until smooth, scraping the sides once.

When the bread was completely cool, I sliced it lengthwise and pressed down the bread on the bottom half to flatten it so it would hold the vegetable mixture.  Then I spread the avocado aioli on each half.

On the bottom half, I piled the marinated vegetables that I had put in the refrigerator earlier.

Then I added the thinly sliced deli-style turkey.

I then added sliced provolone cheese.

The next layer was the crisp bacon.

I placed the top half of the bread over the bacon and it was ready to slice and serve.

Just looking at this picture is making my mouth water!  There is another sandwich I make where the bread is "dressed" similarly and my oldest son refers to it as the "Jesus Sandwich."  It used to be his favorite sandwich.  When he tasted this one, he declared this one just a little bit better and called this one "The Holy Spirit Sandwich."  When I asked him why, he said it was because it spoke to him!  Enjoy!

Turkey Club Sandwich with Acocado Aioli

1 can (11 oz.) Pillsbury refrigerated Crusty French Loaf

1 tablespoon fresh grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, divided

1 ½ cups shredded lettuce

¼ cup chopped red onion

2 medium plum (Roma) tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ avocado, pitted, peeled and roughly chopped

8 oz. thinly sliced cooked turkey from deli

5 slices provolone cheese

8 slices bacon, halved, crisply cooked

Heat oven to 350°F.  Spray large cookie sheet with no-stick cooking spray or line with cooking parchment paper.  Place loaf of dough, seam side down, on cookie sheet.  Using a sharp or serrated knife, cut 5 diagonal slashes about ¼ inch deep on top of dough.  In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon of oregano.  Spray top of loaf with no-stick cooking spray or oil; sprinkle with cheese/oregano mixture.  Bake 26 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Cool completely on cookie sheet – about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix lettuce, onion, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes and remaining 1 teaspoon oregano.  Refrigerate about 20 minutes to blend flavors and slightly wilt lettuce.  In a food processor, cover and process mayonnaise, garlic and avocado until smooth.  Cut bread in half horizontally.  Press inside of bottom half of bread to flatten slightly for filling; spread both bottom and top with avocado aioli.  Place lettuce mixture in bottom half.  Top with turkey, provolone cheese and bacon.  Place top of loaf over bacon; cut and serve.