Mini Thin Crust Pizzas

July 21, 2014 by 2 Comments

Mini Pizzas 9

 A little over a year ago, I did a post on an Affordable Mickey Party. It was very popular post, but the most popular thing inside that post was the “Minnie” Pizzas that I did. When I was making them, I had no idea how tasty they would end up and since then they have become one of my family’s favorite appetizers. 

And after a year, it’s about time that I shared it with you, right?

My oldest wanted to help out and she made such a fantastic little cooking assistant and picture model! She had a lot of fun helping me whip these up for lunch today. And of all 24 of these, only 4 were left. 

I don’t expect those to make it to the evening…

Mini Pizzas 8

 This is what you’ll need for these. Off brand, on brand, whatever you can find on sale will work. You will need two muffin tins or you can make a pan at a time.

Mini Pizzas 7

 Start by using your tomato sauce can to cut out the perfect size circles for these. Remember, you’ll need 24 circles in all. And if your can isn’t doing the job, grab a similar size cookie cutter.

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 My OCD enjoyed lining these up. And then of course, I had to take a pic.

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 Then push each little circle into the bottom of the muffin tin. My lovely assistant did a fabulous job at this!

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 On each little crust, drop about a teaspoon of tomato sauce on top. Spread it out a little.

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 Top that with a tablespoon of cheese and then some mini pepperoni.

Mini Pizzas 2

 MMmmmmmm, MMMmmmmmmm. They are ready for the oven! 

The waiting is the hardest part.

Mini Pizzas

Mini Thin Crust Pizzas
Serves 4
A simple way to present pizza as finger food!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 5-6 flour tortillas
  2. 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
  3. 1 and 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
  4. 1 pkg mini pepperoni
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Using the edge of the tomato sauce can, cut out 24 circles for the crusts.
  3. Push them into the bottoms of 2 muffins tins making slightly curved.
  4. Drop about 1 tsp of tomato sauce onto each mini crust.
  5. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of mozzarella cheese on top of each crust.
  6. Place 4-5 mini pepperoni onto each crust.
  7. Place in oven and bake for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven. (See notes)
Notes
  1. The sauce can doesn't always cut it. (pun intended) You can always use a similar sized cookie cutter instead.
  2. When baking, I found that the crunchier they are the better. They are easier to get out and are easier for handling as appetizers. I had to cook mine close to 15 or 18 minutes to get them completely done. Though your oven may take less time, be sure to watch them after 10-12 minutes. The cheese may seem completely melted, but the crust may not be done.
Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Stuffed Pizza Cupcakes

November 28, 2012 by

I’ve finally started Christmas shopping. Last year I had most of it done by the very first week in December. Yeah, I was a little nuts wasn’t I? Nuts or extremely genius I’d say. This year, I’m probably going to do a lot of my shopping online. Since I’ve stopped blogging at Saving with Amy, I’m very much less in-tune with the current deals and steals across the web.

It’s a weird feeling not being on top of the latest deals.

But my sanity is currently intact so I’m not going to complain. It took a long time to make my decision to quit blogging deals and in the end, it was best for me and my family. And now I get to spend my time making yummy food and fun DIY projects to share with you!

These, my friends, might just be your family’s new favorite snack. When I made these, I had no idea how excited that my family would get about them. They have been requested over and over again. Hubby even wants me to make some for him to take for lunches.

There is nothing better than making something that is requested a second time. Well at least in my book anyways.

I made these earlier in the day and just reheated them for dinner and they were perfect. You could just make them on demand, but I needed the daylight for my pictures. But it goes to show that these are great for making ahead of time for a party or lunches.

You start by rolling out a store-bought pizza dough. Get it as long and flat as you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Next, spread about 1/2 a jar of pizza sauce over the entire pizza dough, leaving about an inch around the edges.

Then sprinkle the entire thing with mini pepperonis. I was going to use the regular size, but when I came across these, I thought they might work better for this. And I was right! So glad that I used the smaller. It made it possible to get a bite of pepperoni in each bite without them trying to separate.

Then cut the dough in half.

Place about 4-5 pieces of cut up string cheese across the dough like this.

Then proceed to roll the dough up. Once rolled, cut it into 1 inch pieces doing your best to keep all the fillings inside.

Place the rolled up pieces into a greased muffin pan with the swirled part facing up.

You’ll top with a little more mini pepperonis and some shredded cheese before baking. Then bake them up and you’re done!

SO amazingly yummy! Everyone will be bound to love these. Come on, pizza dough filled with sauce, pepperoni, and cheese? I think so!

Stuffed Pizza Cupcakes
Recipe Type: Main Dish, Snack
Author: Pennywise Cook
5 simple ingredients lead to the tastiest of all cupcakes. STUFFED Pizza Cupcakes!
Ingredients
  • 1 pkg Store-Bought Pizza Dough
  • 1/2 Jar Pizza Sauce
  • 1 c. Mini Pepperonis, Divided
  • 1/2 c. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 6 Mozzarella String Cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven according to pizza dough’s directions.
  2. Begin by rolling out the pizza dough flat. Spread the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving 1 inch around the edges. Sprinkle with 1/2 c. mini pepperonis. Cut the dough in half.
  3. Lay 4-5 pieces of string cheese across the dough, adding more as you roll. Do this with both of the pizza doughs.
  4. Cut into 1 inch pieces and place in a greased muffin pan with the swirled side up.
  5. Bake according to your pizza dough’s directions checking after about 12 minutes. When tops begin to brown, remove from oven.
  6. Use a knife to separate from the pan and cool.

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Chili Cheese Pizza

October 31, 2012 by 4 Comments

If any of you, or those that you know, are being affected by Sandy, we are praying for you. I hope that you are safe. This is some crazy storm.

When it comes to chili, there are those that eat their chili with cornbread and there are those that eat theirs with corn chips. This might just spark a controversy. It’s hard to get someone to cross the line between chips and bread when they have been eating their chili this way for years.

And then of course there are those who theirs with saltines or perhaps the Ohioans who eat theirs oven spaghetti. However you do prefer to eat your chili, I want to suggest that you try this awesome and SIMPLE recipe for Chili Cheese Pizza.

You may just have to convert to be a corn bread eater to enjoy this pizza. But I promise you, you won’t miss those corn chips.

This recipe starts by mixing up a very simple cornbread dough that will be the crust of the pizza.

Roll it out and onto a pizza pan. The key to keeping all of the chili inside the pizza is to make ridges around the edges. Just take your fingers and squish up a ridge that goes all the way around.

Once the crust bakes up, you’ll have a small ridge around the edges that will hopefully do it’s job and keep the yummy chili inside the pizza. This isn’t like a gigantic loaf of corn bread. It’s much flatter than cornbread and makes the perfect pizza crust.

Whipping up the chili part is really simple as well. When I first read over this recipe, I didn’t get the impression that this was going to be chili. The recipe seemed to go a different direction. But once I made it and tasted, it’s just a very simple chili recipe. It includes taco sauce which I’ve never put in my chili, but turned out pretty good.

Place all of that incredibly tasty chili over your homemade pizza crust.

It’s already looking like heaven on a pizza pan…

Cover that chili with mounds of cheese. No, NOW it’s looking like heaven on a pizza pan…

Oh. Em. Gee. When it comes out of the oven, it is nothing short of an amazing site. You’ve got your corn bread, chili, and cheese all in one place. No spoon needed! Just the two utensils that God blessed us with…your hands!

You may eventually need a fork to capture those pesky beans that try to get away from ya. But this pizza can mostly be eaten just like a regular pizza. And it is oh so tasty!

Oh yes, and P.S.-

Recipe from Butter Busters Cookbook.

Chili Cheese Pizza
Recipe Type: Main Dish
Author: Butter Busters Cookbook (1994)
No need for a spoon, this Chili Cheese Pizza has it all in one piece of pizza!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp Cornmeal
  • 1 and 1/2 c. Flour
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 c. Milk
  • 1/4 c. Melted Butter (light)
  • 1 (12 oz) jar Taco Sauce
  • 1 can (15.5 oz) Milk Mexican Style Chili Beans (undrained)
  • 1/2 lb Ground Turkey
  • 1 can (4 oz) Green Chilies (drained)
  • 2 c. Reduced-Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a 14″ pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the 1 tbsp of cornmeal all over the pizza pan. Combine 1/2 c. cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the milk and melted butter. With a fork, stir until the mixture starts to form a ball. Remove the dough from the bowl and press into pizza pan. Shape the edges to form a ridge around the outside. Bake for 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the ground turkey in a microwave for 5 minutes on high. Take out and stir. Cover and cook for 1-3 minutes more. Drain off any excess fat. In a bowl, combine turkey, beans, green chilies, and taco sauce. Pour mixture over the cooked crust. Sprinkle the cheese over the entire pizza.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  4. Slice and serve!
Notes

The recipe calls for the ground turkey to be cooked in the microwave, but feel free to brown it in a skillet if you prefer. You could even do this step ahead of time to save time.


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Pizza Quesadillas

July 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Every now and then to change lunch up just a bit, I make what my little girl what she likes to call “pizza tacos”. I use a tortilla and spoon on some pizza sauce (or sometimes just tomato sauce) along with some pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. I roll them up and microwave them for a few seconds to help the cheese melt. It makes a really tasty lunch. After making one for her the other day I got to thinking about how the same might taste good in a quesadilla.

The idea eventually made its way to my menu plan and I was excited about that night. It was another one of those dinners that I knew everyone would love.

One of the best things about making these quesadillas is that you can customize them to the eater’s liking. For instance, I like my pizzas with everything on them. Well, minus any small fish or fungi. My daughter and husband? Not so much. Strictly cheese and pepperoni. But I did add some meat to the mix for substance since this is for dinner after all.

These were a major hit with the fam. I even told my hubby that I have to hand it to myself, they are pretty good. I dunked mine in salsa although some might find that a little weird. Pizza and salsa don’t exactly go together, but they tasted fine to me. You could dip them in more pizza sauce. I’m sure that would be tasty.

Oh yeah. That’s obviously a picture of my quesadilla with olives and all. Feel free to leave those off if you must.

Here’s the recipe.

Pizza Quesadillas
Recipe Type: Main Dish
Author: Pennywise Cook
Serves: 4
Make this every day Mexican dish and make it Italian. These Pizza Quesadillas are extra tasty!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb Ground Turkey
  • 1 Tsp Minced Garlic
  • 1 Tsp Onion Flakes
  • 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1/2 Tsp Dried Basil
  • 1 Cup Pasta Sauce
  • Sliced Olives
  • Pepperoni
  • 2-3 c. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 8 Medium tortillas
  • Cooking Spray
Instructions
  1. Brown ground turkey with garlic, onion flakes, oregano, and basil. Add pasta sauce and cook for about 5 minutes.
  2. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray. On a tortilla place about 1/3 c. shredded cheese, then some of the meat mixture, then top with optional olives and pepperoni. End with cheese and top with second tortilla. Place into heated skillet for about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Spray top tortilla with cooking spray then flip the entire quesadilla with spatula.
  4. Repeat for next 3 quesadillas.
Notes

This makes about 4 quesadillas that make 4 squares each. They are surprisingly filling too!


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Macaroni Crust Pizza

July 19, 2012 by 1 Comment

One of the cheapest meals that I know how to make is pasta. You can always find a deal on dry pasta just about anywhere you go. Have a coupon? That’s even better! My favorite is when Publix puts pasta BOGO and you can get it next to nothing. I usually stock up and when I need something quick or easy during the week, it’s a no-brainer.

My favorite part of pasta is that it is SO versatile. You can basically make it into anything or put anything in it. This is what makes it so great for budget meals and for those who have picky eaters in the fam.

I can’t take credit for today’s recipe. I adapted this recipe from The Dieter’s Cookbook from 1982. I can’t believe that I’ve never thought of this. I’ve made pizza pasta many times before, but never thought of making macaroni the “crust” of a pizza. I cannot stress to you how much my family liked this. Easy, cheap, and incredibly tasty you really do have to try this one y’all!

I take that back. Remember how I said that I couldn’t describe to you how much my family liked this? Well instead, here’s an illustration! This is all that was left from one sitting of this Macaroni Crust Pizza. It is that good.

And it’s actually a decent recipe for those watching their calories. Well, as long as you don’t eat as much as we did. 🙂

Just make it. Then come back here and leave a comment about your family’s reaction!

Macaroni Crust Pizza
Recipe Type: Main Dish, Pasta
Author: Pennywise Cook adapted from The Dieter’s Cookbook 1982
This cheap and easy meal is a tasty twist on regular pizza!
Ingredients
  • 2 c. Elbow Macaroni
  • 2 Eggs, Beaten
  • 1/2 c. Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese, Grated
  • 2 oz Pepperoni
  • 1/4 c. Skim Milk
  • 1/2 Tsp Dried Basil
  • 1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1/8 Tsp Pepper
  • For Topping
  • 1 Egg, Beaten
  • 1/2 c. Reduced-Fat Ricotta Cheese
  • 1 Jar (8 oz) Pizza Sauce
  • 1 c. Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan, cook macaroni according to package. Drain well.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine 2 eggs, 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, Parmesan Cheese, milk, basil, milk, and pepper. Add macaroni to this mixture and combine well.
  3. In a greased springform pan, place the macaroni mixture into a “crust” form. Bake for 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the 1 egg and ricotta cheese. Once “crust” is out of the oven, pour this mixture over the top and evenly spread. Pour the pizza sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with pepperoni.
  5. Return to oven for 10- 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes

This could easily be made without any meat for vegetarians!


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