Pita Pizza

Sometimes, I just can't decide what to eat.  I know, I know, #firstworldproblems.  I'll sit there in front of the open fridge eating peanut butter from the jar because I can't make up my mind.  This is a new favorite because of 3 things.  1) It's easy.  2) It's fast.  3) It's got options.  You can switch up the ingredients and have it be a totally new lunch.  This one is a caprese salad inspired creation.  New #firstworldproblem : I don't get to work from home enough so I can eat these more often.

Grab a pita!  Easy enough, no?  I just use store bought, but my mom made them from scratch once and I gotta tell ya, it made a HUGE difference.  Also, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

I added red onions ... but I hate raw onions.  I quickly sliced up a few pieces and started to caramelize them so they didn't have as much bite.  Feel free to skip this step if you're not as picky as I am.

Slice up some tomato fairly thinly - the "pizza" is not going to be in the oven long.

Add just a brush of olive oil and some sea salt to the pita.  Simple, but big flavor difference if you skip this step. 

So instead of a tomato sauce base, I used some pesto!  I don't have any fresh basil on hand, so the jar stuff will do.

Next, a thin layer of mozzarella cheese.  Mama mia!  You don't want to add a ton, it will weigh down the pita and make it kind of soggy in the middle.  Learn from my mistakes.  

Layer on the tomatoes...

And then the onions ...

And you're ready to go!  Put it in the oven for about 12 - 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, you'll want to make sure the cheese is melted, and it starts to brown up on the edges.

 Slice with a knife or pizza cutter, and you're ready to rock!  I made a BBQ steak version a couple of days later, using BBQ sauce as the base and cheddar cheese.  The world is your oyster ... or in this case pita pizza.

Enjoy!  And here's a picture of Mac because he's just too adorable to leave out of the occasional post.

Courtzilla

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Superbowl is coming up soon ... what are you making for appetizers?  I have a suggestion.  JALAPENO POPPER DIP.  It's the deliciousness of jalapeno popper flavor, without the hassle of having to make 235 of them individually.  I got this recipe from Closet Cooking, and I thought it turned out pretty well!  His final product picture is a billion times better than mine.  No seriously, look at it.

You'll need.... (for my version)...

- 1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup of mayo
- 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 can (4oz) pickled jalapenos
- 1 can (4oz) green chilies
- 2 fresh jalapenos, diced
and for the topping, 1/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs and another 1/4 cup of grated parmesean cheese

OK!  Let's get going.

Chop up the peppers so they are diced pretty fine.  I like having a bit of pepper in each bite.  You'll then want to put the peppers, cream cheese, chedder, parmesan, and mayo into a large bowl.

Once everything is mixed together, smooth it out into an oven safe bowl or platter.  I used this bowl, but I think I would use a shallower one next time, the dip was a little hard to get to.  I don't like to work hard for my food.

Mix together the remaining parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs.  You may want to mix just a splash of olive oil in there too, just to let it brown up really nice on the top when you bake it.  Sprinkle this mix on top of the dip, and bake it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the top is browning up!

At this point I was 4 beers in the bag at a hockey party (Canadians are hilarious), so I neglected to get an action shot so you could really see the final product.  It was pretty good though!  I would definitely make this again, adding the olive oil to the top so it crisps up a bit more of course.

If you need other ideas for your Superbowl party, check out some of these party favorites...

Superbowl Chili

BBQ Pulled Pork

Stromboli

Enjoy!!

Courtzilla

Stromboli

Stromboli!  It's a recent discovery of mine.  A discovery in the best sense of the word.  It's like a JJ's italian night club rolled up in a hard to spill dough blanket.  Best description ever?

Fact: this is delicious.

You'll need:

- some italian meat.  I used genoa salami and pepperoni, but feel free to use fancier stuff if you feel like it.
- provolone cheese
- parmesan cheese
- italian seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes
- a can of pillsbury italian bread (you can use pizza dough too!)
- some flour to roll it out
- sauteed peppers? carmelized onions?  italian sausage?  possibilities are endless.

Alrighty!  First things first, scatter some flour on your counter.  This thing is going to get sticky.  I put a piece of parchment paper down because I live with 2 boys and you never know what's going to be on the counter.  Better safe than sorry.

Now, roll out your dough so it's roughly in a rectangle shape.  Pinch together any holes or thin spots - you don't want delicious filling flying all over your oven, trust me.

Now... layering!  Throw down one of your meats first... in my case the genoa salami.  Try to leave a 1" border of dough around the filling, it'll be easier to pinch together at the end if you do that.

Alrighty, now you'll want to sprinkle on some Italian seasoning, and the red pepper flakes.  Amount is up to you.  I went pretty heavy on the Italian seasoning, next time I'll probably cut this down by at least a third.

Now I put a layer of the cheese down.  I broke the provolone in half so it would be easier to roll up.

Add on some scattered pepperoni...

Sprinkle some grated parmesan on there...

Alright, now we're getting serious.  Rolling time.  Start at one of the long edges and start to roll up the dough, pinching the edges at the end together as you go.  This will seal in the goodness during the baking process.  When you're done, it should look like a long log.

Kinda ugly looking ain't it?

Pinch the seam shut, and place it seam side down on a baking sheet.

Oook.  Now I melted some butter and brushed it across the top to get a nice brown and crusty edge in the oven.  Sprinkle some more parmesan on top, along with some garlic powder and more Italian seasoning if you're feeling rebellious. 

Looking better looking better...

Throw your dough log in a 350 degree oven, for about 25-30 minutes.  Really all you need to cook is the bread so check your packaging for exact measurements.

It'll come out lookin' something like this:

Haha what a horrendous picture.

Slice up the stromboli, should make about 8 or so 1.5" thick pieces.  Check it out!

So good.  Serve it with your favorite marinara or pasta sauce and you're good to go!  It's just as good cold, too.

Clearly, I hated mine.

Enjoy!

<3 Courtzilla

Throw It In Lasagna

I have a weakness. Not many people are aware of it, but I'm going to share it now. I....I....I love Italian food. You shove a plate of pasta in front of me and I'll pretty much do anything you want. Which is why when I made this, I proceeded to make a lasagna big enough to serve 12. I currently have 6 pieces in my freezer. Hello, lover.

This lasagna is not authentic by any means, but it's pretty easy, and pretty dang scrumptious. You won't have to pick up too many ingredients for this one - most of the fixin's are pretty standard pantry items if you cook at all. Shall we get started?

You'll need:


-1lb ground beef (or turkey)
-1lb ground pork (or italian sausage)
-couple cloves of garlic
-oven-ready lasagna noodles
-2 cans tomato paste (the lil' guys)
-2 cans whole tomatoes (or diced tomatoes...or stewed tomatoes...or fresh tomatoes...are you seeing what I mean by throw it in lasagna?)
-italian seasoning, or whatever you have on hand (basil, parsley, oregano)
-about 14 slices of mozzarella cheese (or grated cheese...)
- 3 cups of cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese - just as delicious!)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, then more for the top of the lasagna

Let's get assembling.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Start browning your meat over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Throw in the garlic too to get that flavor cookin'.


In the meantime, we can make the cheese layer! In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 3 cups cottage cheese, 2 beaten eggs, and 2 teaspoons of italian seasoning.


Now MIX!


It's that easy folks.

At this point your meat mixture should be browned, so go ahead and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, a pinch of salt and 4 tablespoons of Italian seasoning. I used 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1 tablespoons of oregano, and because I'm obsessed with fennel seed, 1 tablespoon of that. Makes it taste reallll Italian-like. Mix it all together until they get to know each other.


Assembly time!

First, you need a layer of noodles. Just a heads up, I used a 9x13 pan for this. It makes a TON of lasagna, but you can freeze it so no worries.


Then, lay down 1/2 your cottage cheese mixture. Try and get it pretty even, unlike this crap job I did. No big deal guys.



Now, lay out your cheese slices/shredded cheese. It'll use about 7 slices on each layer. I only had 10 slices total. Way to count, Courtzilla. Watch how I epically messed this up.


Oh it get's better, wait til the next cheese layer.

Then, meat layer! Use about 1/2 of your meat-y tomato-y goodness.


Now, repeat! Noodles...



Cottage cheese...



Mozzarella layer... with shredded Monterrey Jack because apparently counting slices of mozzarella when you're at the grocery store is for winners.


Talk about not traditional.

More MEAT.


Then, top with grated parmesan.

Now...bake it at 350 degrees for about 30minutes, or until the top is bubbly and beautiful.

And then... AND THEN....


Feeding frenzy. The best part is I have 6 more slices of this in the freezer to eat. *DIES*

Enjoy!

<3 Courtzilla