Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I never thought I would want to post again after the 25 long days of making treats for Christmas :)  Maybe I'm just in the habit now.  But this can't even count.  Super easy and most people wouldn't even need a recipe for this.  But maybe this will give you an idea for your super bowl party!  And maybe the Pepperoni Pizza Puffs or the Wingers Sticky Fingers!  Just planning ahead :)

Ingredients:
 

1 prebaked 12 inch pizza crust

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled

1 red onion sliced

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

minced fresh parsley

Directions:

Place crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet.  Spread barbecue sauce over crust to about 1/2 inch of edge.  Add chicken, onion, bacon.  Sprinkle with cheeses.

Bake at 450* for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.  Sprinkle with parsley. 

MEXICAN PIZZA

Okay, I know - this isn't new or anything. But it was different, easy and delicious! We used personal sized pizza crusts and everyone could put their own toppings on. This is something that is great for busy nights, because I usually have all the ingredients on hand, and it takes only a few minutes to throw together.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c water

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 prebaked 12 in. pizza crust

1 can refried beans

taco shells or tortilla chips, coarsely crumbled (Fritos are good too)

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

2 c shredded lettuce

tomatoes

olives

hot sauce, salsa or other toppings (sliced jalapenos?)

Directions:

In large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain, stir in water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 min.

Meanwhile, place crust on ungreased baking sheet. Spread with refried beans. Top with beef mixture, cheese and olives.

Bake at 450* for 10-15 min or until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, chips and salsa.

PEPPERONI PIZZA PUFFS

I decided to try out a few appetizer recipes last night, so I could decide what I wanted to make for the Super Bowl. These were a definite YES!!! Yummy & spicy! And super easy to make.

Ingredients:
3/4 c flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 c milk
1 egg
1 1/4 c Italian cheese blend, shredded
4 oz mini pepperoni
1 c. marinara
2 TBS fresh basil, chopped (I used my Italian herb seasoning grinder)

Grease a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, milk, egg, cheese and pepperoni, stirring until completely mixed. Spoon batter into muffin pan.
Sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Bake in preheated 400* oven for about 15 min. (just watch it, mine only took about 12 min)

Serve with warm marinara for dipping.

PEPPERONI ROLLS

The first time I made this recipe my family fell in LOVE with it.  Now we seriously make it a couple times a month.  YUMMY!! You can't see it very well but the seasoning on the top is to die for!

They leak out a little in spots, but still taste excellent.

I have tried these with pizza sauce inside, but I didn't like it as much as with just cheese and pepperoni. They are really spicy and delicious! :)  Sometimes when I'm in a hurry, I've used ready-made dough from the store, (Some stores sell dough balls in the deli.) and it works just as good.

Dough:
1 T shortening
2 T sugar
1 T salt
1 c hot boiling water
1 c cold water
1/3 c luke warm water
1 T yeast
4-5 c flour

Filling:
2 pkg pepperoni
6 c grated cheese, combination of cheddar & mozzarella

Topping:
1 egg, whisked until frothy
McCormick's "Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder"

To make the dough, fill a Pyrex measuring cup with 1 c hot water from tap, then place in microwave & heat for 2 minutes. This will get it boiling.

In a separate cup dissolve yeast in 1/3 c warm water. Just enough to dissolve.

In mixer, mash sugar, salt & shortening together with a fork. You want it to be well incorporated.

Pour the hot water over the shortening mixture. Then pour the cold water over it. Finally, pour the yeast/water mixture in.

Add the flour 1 c at a time, while mixing.
Once you have enough flour, let it mix for about 8 min. The dough should have a nice elasticity to it.

After the dough has mixed enough, separate it into 6 equal parts and let it rest for 5 min on a sprayed cookie sheet.

Spread dough out into a rectangle. Don't go too thin or it will explode - trust me.

Lay out pepperoni all over it, add about 1 cup worth of cheese over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan if you want.

Roll up like a cinnamon roll. Be sure the dough gets wrapped around it well. Place seam side down & tuck edges under.

Cut some slits in the top of each loaf. (not too deep)
Whisk your egg until frothy, slather all over the top & sides of loaves.

Grind seasoning over the top.

Bake at 400* for 10 min, or until top starts to get golden brown - then turn the oven down to 350* cook for another 8 min.

Let loaves rest for about 5 min. before you cut into them. Enjoy!

PIZZA PASTA CASSEROLE

This is really quite good - I thought the pepperoni would be gross, but it's delicious! The best thing is, it makes 2 pans and you can freeze one for another night. :)

Ingredients:
2 lbs of ground beef
1 lg onion, chopped
2 jars(28 oz each) spaghetti sauce
1 pkg(16 oz) spiral pasta, cooked & drained
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz sliced pepperoni

Cook pasta & drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet,
cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta.

Transfer to 2 greased 9x13 baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese. Arrange pepperoni over top.
Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.

Bake the second casserole, uncovered at 350* for 25-30 min or until heated through.

For frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350* 35-40 min.

Note:
Next time I will put more pepperoni throughout the casserole instead of just on top, because I wanted more in it. Also, I added more cheese on top after the pepperoni. (like pizza)

Pita Pizza

My biggest problem with homemade pizza is the dough. I don't really have time or want to make my own dough, and the kind you buy in the refrigerated section, I don't really like, it's always soggy. My friend Kira told me to make pizza using pita bread. I know this has been done forever, and there really isn't a recipe for this, but I just discovered it and thought it was wonderful!! It tasted really yummy and the kids had so much fun making their own pizzas!
Easy and fast!!!
Ingredients:
Pita bread (the pocket-less kind)
pizza sauce or tomato paste (I like Ragu' traditional)
peperoni (you can also buy the mini peperoni which is fun)
green peppers
sliced black olives
shredded mozzarella cheese
onions
chopped pineapple
etc. etc. etc. (whatever you like on a pizza)

Directions:
Heat oven to *350. Spray the bottom of the pita bread, add pizza sauce and decorate with any ingredients that you like. (Make fun faces for a Halloween dinner) Place directly on oven rack (for crispier crust) or place on cookie sheet (for a softer crust) for about 10 min or until melted! DONE!