QUICK & EASY Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

I just threw it all together as I went along.  I knew I wanted to bake a pasta casserole of some kind.  I noticed I had shell pasta & mozzarella cheese on hand...as well as spaghetti sauce and pepperoni.  So this recipe was just born tonight!  I'm sure other people have come up with recipes very similar to this but this is so easy and few ingredients!


Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

2-3 cups dry shell pasta (or any pasta)
1/2 can (large can like Hunt's) spaghetti sauce, any flavor  (you could add more sauce if you want)
1 cup mozzarella cheese (or more cheese if you want)
1/2 block of cream cheese, softened (from an 8oz block, so that'd make it 4 oz cheese)
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped pepperoni  (or you could substitute cooked italian sausage or whatever you like)


Boil pasta until al dente.  While the pasta is boiling, mix the other three ingredients in a 2 quart casserole dish, and preheat oven to 350F.  Drain pasta and mix with the other ingredients in the casserole dish.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

That's it!  So easy and so yummy.  Serve with a nice salad and garlic bread.  :)

Venison Fajitas

I made venison fajitas the other day and they were good! I didn't even know how to make fajitas so I just made it up as I went along. It could've been better if I had grilled the meat before cooking it with the onions and peppers. This is a "non-recipe" as I didn't measure anything and went by taste.

VENISON FAJITAS

• Venison tenderloin steak (I did about 1 lb)
• 1 onion (I used vidalia onion, which was what I had on hand, but I'm sure any onion would be good)
• banana peppers (I used 3 banana peppers...one was HUGE as you'll see below)
• seasonings (I used a little bit of habanero hot sauce, cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper)

This is the banana pepper that my mother-in-law gave me...isn't it HUGE???? She gave me three, the other two were about half the size of this one. I cut the peppers and took the seeds out. Then cut 'em into strips.

Cut onions into strips as well

Put 'em in a cast-iron pan (or any pan you have on hand...but cast-iron is the best). Season with whatever flavorings you want in 'em and cook until the onions are almost translucent.

While the veggies are cooking, cut the steak into 1/4 inch strips. It's much easier when the meat is slightly frozen.

Take the veggies out and put the meat in the pan until almost done...put the veggies back in with the meat and cook until the meat is done and the onions are translucent. Be careful not to overcook the venison, as it can get tough when overcooked.

Put everything on a tortilla and eat it! It's great with sour cream, guacamole, cheese, salsa, or whatever you like on your tacos.

BBQ Chicken & Mozzarella Sandwich

Today, I couldn't decide on what to fix for lunch, but I knew I wanted to do something with chicken.  I had a bag of frozen boneless chicken breasts.  I took out two and defrosted 'em in the microwave.  While the chicken was defrosting, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees.

When the chicken defrosted, I put 'em on a baking sheet.

I was in the mood to add barbecue sauce to 'em.  So I grabbed a bottle of the barbecue sauce (I had the Kraft BBQ sauce on hand).  Poured about 1/4 cup into a small bowl and got my basting brush.   I brushed the chicken breasts with the barbecue sauce pretty thickly and then baked 'em for about 25 minutes.  

Meanwhile, I got a loaf of French bread and cut it in half.  It was just gonna be for me and my husband so I put the other half away for later (probably make pizzas with that).  I cut the half into half again, then cut into half lengthwise and arranged 'em on another baking sheet.

When the chicken was done, I let it rest for a few minutes.  I got my favorite knife and sliced 'em into 1/4 inch slices and arranged 'em on the bread.  Sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken and broiled 'em until the cheese melted.

When the cheese melted, I took 'em out of the oven and put the halves together to make a sandwich.  

Very hearty and will make you full easily!

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup barbecue sauce (any brand, but needs to be thick)

1/2 loaf French bread, cut into half

Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Brush chicken with barbecue sauce. Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes or until done.  Let chicken rest before slicing into 1/4 inch slices.   Divide the chicken onto the 4 pieces of French bread, and sprinkle with however much mozzarella cheese you like.

Broil until cheese is melted, then put the halves together to make a sandwich.  Enjoy!  Mmmmmm....

Pizza-dillas

Pizza-dillas!

I was being lazy one night...and decided to make these for dinner.  They were pretty yummy.  A mix of pizza and quesadillas...so you get pizzadillas!  Fusion cuisine at its trashiest. :)

I didn't measure everything, but all you need are:

• tortillas (I used corn tortillas, but flour tortillas would work well)
  
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
  
• pepperoni (or your favorite pizza toppings)
  
• spaghetti or pizza sauce (for dipping)
  
• 
  
• Optional: nonstick spray or oil
  

I sprayed the outsides of the tortillas with the nonstick spray to make 'em crispy (you could put a little oil in the pan if you don't want to use the nonstick spray).  I used my electric griddle for the pizza-dillas.  Sprinkle the bottom tortilla with mozzarella cheese and toppings (I used pepperoni).  Top with another tortilla.  Flip when cheese melts or the bottom looks toasty.  Cook til both sides are toasty (just like grilled cheese sandwiches).  Cut into wedges with a pizza cutter, and serve with spaghetti/pizza sauce for dipping.

Tortillas cooking on the electric griddle (I had it on 350*F)

Then cut up into wedges and served with sauce...I served it on a paper plate!  That's how lazy I felt that night...didn't even want to wash dishes.

Nutty Pineapple Dip

Nutty Pineapple Cream Cheese Dip

This is a really easy dip recipe.  It's always a huge hit whenever I bring it to parties.

All you need is:

• 8oz (small) can of crushed pineapple, WELL DRAINED (IMPORTANT!)
  
• 2-8oz blocks of cream cheese
  
• 4 oz chopped pecans
  
• 1 bunch green onions
  
• (OPTIONAL) chopped ham
  

It's important you drain your pineapple very well, or it won't hold together very well.  It'll be runny, but still tasty (I learned my lesson!).  Wash the green onions and chop them up.  You can soften the cream cheese if you want, it makes it easier to mix.  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with crackers (I prefer the Ritz or the Club crackers with this dip).  

I didn't make it with ham this time but enjoy the pictures!

My pretty bowl with all the ingredients...getting ready to be mixed.  This is one of my favorite mixing bowls...it's got butterflies on the inside and outside!

A beautiful close up of the ingredients...minus the ham!

Already mixed and ready to serve!  You can mold it, but I'm lazy and serve it as is, sometimes. :)

Easy Southern Sweet Tea

My dad used this method for unsweetened tea, but my method involves sugar. :)

SOUTHERN SWEET TEA
(made in a gallon jug)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 gallon water (I used storebought, but any gallon of water should be fine)
• 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (use however much sugar you want)
• 6 tea bags

TOOLS

• Funnel (I keep a funnel for cooking only)
  
• small sauce pan
• gallon jug that the water comes in

Pour some of the water (from the gallon jug) into a small saucepan. Boil the water.


While the water is trying to boil, get the tea bags ready and put the funnel on top of the jug. Pour sugar in through the funnel.


When the water is boiling (rolling boil), turn off the burner (important!). Put the tea bags in the water and let them relax in the hot spa. Set the timer for 10 minutes.

When the time is up, take the tea bags out and pour the tea water through the funnel. Close the lid on the jug and shake it well (holding the lid shut as you're shaking it). Make sure the sugar and tea is blended well.


Ready to drink!

Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash

Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash (cooked on the Foreman grill)

(keep in mind this recipe serves 2)

• 1 nice zucchini
• 1 nice yellow squash
• Garlic salt
• black pepper
• 1-2 tsp olive oil

Wash the veggies. Slice up the zucchini and the squash into 1/2 inch slices (try to keep them all the same thickness). Put into a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to coat well. This is also a good time to experiment with spices.

Preheat the George Foreman grill. Arrange slices on the grill and close the lid. Cook for about 5 minutes or to desired doneness.

Nice and simple sidedish. :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (Flourless)

I made those cookies for a co-worker’s birthday. The co-worker was a chocoholic...and also liked peanut butter. We had a very busy week at work, so I was pretty exhausted.

I decided on this modified recipe, because it only takes 20 minutes from start to finish, and I usually had all the ingredients on hand.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES (FLOURLESS)

• 1 cup peanut butter (preferably extra chunky)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350^oF. Mix all ingredients. Roll into one inch balls and flatten. (Optional: sprinkle sugar or crushed nuts on top). Bake 10 minutes. Let cool for a couple minutes before taking them off the baking sheet (they break easily when hot).

That’s all there is to it.

Simple Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie

This is the easiest cookie recipe that I know. I’ve got it memorized, so that whenever my husband and I are craving something sweet and yummy, we’d make this together.

Simple flourless peanut butter cookie

• 1 cup peanut butter (preferably chunky)


• 1 cup sugar


• 1 egg


• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Preheat oven to 350^oF. Mix all ingredients. Roll into one inch balls. Flatten with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake for 10 minutes.

That’s all there is to it! And it’s gluten free! My dad can’t have anything with gluten, so this is a good cookie for those who have Celiac Disease or wheat allergies. It also tastes just like a regular peanut butter cookie, that you’d never notice there was no flour in it!

Simple Beer Bread

Yummy. I originally tried this with a bottle of Guinness. Wasn't bad, but wasn't my favorite. The flavor was too overpowering. Keystone Light...not bad, but a bit too overpowering still. Then when I was in the mood for a quick bread, I only had a bottle left, which was a Zima XXX (lemon lime flavor). It turned out to be the best beer bread I ever had. My husband didn't care for the other beer breads I had made before, but he devoured the one made with Zima XXX.

This recipe is wonderful for beginners because it's hard to go wrong with this recipe. Just mix the dry ingredients and add beer. Stir...then bake.

I found this recipe through recipezaar.

BEER BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (12 oz) can of beer (I used a bottle of Zima XXX)
• 1/2 cup melted butter (I used 1/4...thought 1/2 cup was too much)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients then add beer. Pour into greased loaf pan. Pour melted butter over mixture. Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes. NOTE: Make sure you put foil or something under the loaf when baking, because the butter bubbles over. :-p I learned my lesson. heh.

Also, use real butter, not margarine, because it really makes it taste yummy. :) It sort of makes the crust a little bit crispy. The crust is my favorite part of this bread.