Pizza-tinis

Can you believe that is already November?!? That daylight savings time is tomorrow AND stores are putting out there Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff (because Thanksgiving is only 26 days away). Whoa, right? Well, I for one am excited. Thanksgiving lets me know that my semester is almost over and in just 3 weeks my sister, brother-in-law and cousin will be here!  I am really excited. I also just found out today that my brother and his family might come as well ::keeping my fingers crossed::. The hubby and I's apartment might be very cramped for a bit -- but when it's full of family -- it's well worth it. I love my siblings! And I think one of the worst parts of growing up is not seeing them everyday. You just get so used to being with your siblings everyday, and having fun, that when its gone -- it's like an empty space in your life....so I can't wait to be reunited.

I had a lot of fun yesterday. I woke up early to be one of those day after Halloween candy hoarder, creepers...that's right...I said it ;) Hahahah...but in a good way, because obviously I was one yesterday! But I went to three different stores to take advantage of their sales. I picked up decorations for next year, costumes for Ninja (he looked absolutely adorable in them), some dog toys, and A LOT of candy. Usually Halloween candy is not marked down as much as everything else, but the grocery store I went to had someone call in sick and was swamped switching out their Halloween stuff and so they made everything 50% off :) Win! I now have a large cupboard full of different candy bars. I plan to do a series special of candy bar desserts while my family is visiting. Candy bar desserts are always fun; I'm excited.

My blog is also now on a sweet tooth withdrawal after my Spooktacular countdown. Ironic, right, for a blog named For the Love of Dessert ;) But I am aware that my savory posts are some of my more popular posts. So to get back into the swing of things, I have a fun, easy and savory meal to make. I love, love, love kid friendly meals. I saw this commercial for Pillsbury biscuits -- in which they made pizza. It looked delicious and it just struck me as an incrediblely fun meal to make that any kid would like. I decided to make it extra "fun" by adding hot dogs, because we all know my love of hot dogs. But I added some adult favorites like poblano peppers and crushed red peppers (which you can easily leave off). They are ready in a pinch and the hubby and I both, scarfed them down. If you have kids, I am sure they will have so much fun "building" their own pizza.

PIZZA-TINIS 

Adapted from Pillsbury

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

1 (10.6 oz) can of Pillsbury Grand refrigerated biscuits (8 biscuits per can)
1 c. pizza sauce
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
5 hot dogs, sliced (or 3.5 oz. sliced pepperoni)*
1/2-1 c. poblano peppers*

Crushed red peppers for garnish*

* Substitute for your own topping favorites: ham, chicken, onions, mushrooms, extra cheese, etc.

DIRECTIONS 

Line baking sheet with either a baking mat, aluminum foil or parchment paper. Lightly grease with cooking spray. On a floured surface roll each biscuit into a 6 inch round circle.  Spread 2 tbsp. of pizza sauce over each biscuit and top with desired toppings. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese (~4 tbsp.).

For my pizzas: Spread pizza sauce over each biscuit and top with sliced hot dogs (~6-8 slices) and 1 tbp. of poblano peppers. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over toppings. Garnish with crushed red peppers.

Place on greased baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes until biscuit is a light golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

Enjoy,
Chika

Halloweenie Mummies

Before I talk food -- I wanted to talk TV :) I am officially a huge Voice addict. I usually like to keep it extra classy and watch shows like the Real Housewives (all....of...them). Hahaha...yes....let's not judge me :) But I happened to accidentally catch one of the episodes of the blind auditions and have been hooked ever since. I am a sucker for good music. Music is very cathartic for me. When I am stressed, baking, cooking, walking...you will find me listening to music. I love a good singer, especially when they give you goosebumps with their voice (you know...Brian McKnight...Boyz II Men). I am currently watching the knockout rounds as I type :) I'm in love, plus I may have a mini crush on Adam Levine. A little eye candy (don't tell the hubby...) and good music on a Monday night, not a bad way to wrap up the day and prepare for a long night writing an exam :/ 

Now onto the meat of the post (hahaha...get it...meat...hot dog...yes corny jokes are awesome). I decided to give the hubby a little break and include a savory treat in my Spooktacular countdown to Halloween. And this will be the only savory recipe in this countdown. Of course it had to include hot dogs. My childhood obsession with hotdogs has to come out on my big kid holiday! And so I though I would get the hubby in the big-kid-halloween spirit by making him these Halloweenie mummies. And how awesome is the name...HalloWEENIE mummies! Too stinkin' cute. Every part of this recipe was fun. I was cracking up the entire time, probably because I was making it for my 28-year-old hubby ;)

They were absolutely adorable! This is definitely something I feel every mom, dad, big sister, big brother or older cousin should make for a little one before (or after) they go out trick-or-treating to end their Halloween night, perfectly. I don't have a little one and so that is why I decided to make it for my "big baby." hahahah. What I loved most about this, is that most Halloween hot dog mummy recipes are boring-- they simply wrap the hot dog. How is that even a mummy?!?! It's not....its a cocoon. But this recipe allows the mummies to have arms and legs. So they actually look like mummies. You have got to make this. And even if you do not have kids, just make them for you "big baby" or let your big kid come out and eat hot dogs!!! Not only are they cute but delicious too! Yum!

HALLOWEENIE MUMMIES 

Adapted from Our Ordinary Life 

INGREDIENTS 

Preheat Oven to 350F
 
8 hot dogs*
8 oz. crescent rolls
Ketchup and/or mustard for dipping 

The larger the hot dog the better (like Ballpark Franks). I do not eat beef and so my choices for hot dogs were limited. Apparently turkey hot dogs, don't come big ;)

 DIRECTIONS

Line a large baking sheet with a baking mat, aluminum foil or parchment paper. Set aside.

Then dab hot dogs with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Cut the bottom center of the hot dogs to create legs and the sides to create arms. Set aside.

Open and roll out the crescent rolls. Cut each triangle lengthwise into thin strips. The strips from one triangle is the perfect amount to wrap one hot dog (but remember I got regular sized hot dogs). Once triangles are cut into thin strips, wrap around hot dog to create "mummy effect."

Lay Halloweenie mummies on baking sheet and coat with a light layer of cooking spray. Bake 15-20 minutes, until crescent dough is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and serve with ketchup and/or mustard.

That's it! Enjoy,
Chika

Kid Casserole

It never ceases to surprise me no matter how much I travel, how tired I am when I come back. The phrase, "I need a vacation from my vacation" describes me perfectly. Which meant the first day back ended up being me sleeping for hours and afterwards I actually felt refreshed (oh, how short lived that was), so the hubby and I decided to have dinner with Justin and Luke! We actually ended up trying a Justin and Luke favorite that the hubby and I have never tried- Fuego's Taco. I think based on how much it seemed Justin and Luke liked Fuego's I was expecting more. It was good--do not get me wrong--but that was about it. Like it did not blow me away.

The hubby had surprised me with a few things when I came back: a new iPhone case which I was in desperate need for, sprinkles (which you just cannot get enough of) and a new game to play with Justin and Luke. Since I got a new game, after dinner we decided to go back to our place to make it a game night. Though before we did, I made a major fail. So at first I thought Justin and Luke were going to run back to their place to grab Cranium and then head to our place. But apparently they were just heading straight to our place. Well since I got the message mixed up, I went with the hubby to pick up snacks to enjoy during game night. Sadly, when we got back to our place- I saw Justin and Luke already there! They were waiting for 15 minutes :( Sorry Justin and Luke :/

What's up with the kid casserole? Well- until recently when I made the Sour Cream Noodle Bake, I realized that I had not really made any casseroles! Which I love! Usually the casserole recipes that I have tried in the past have always used condensed soup. I found this recipe on Pinterest that gloated about not using condensed soup- it looked yummy too and so it caught my attention for something I could make for dinner. How did I get the "kid"? I am not sure about y'all (okay, the Texas is rubbing off on me ;), but I always loved turkey hot dogs (since I do not eat beef) when I was a kid! And something about eating hot dogs as a grown up just makes me so nostalgic and reminiscent of my childhood--those fun days where you would play outside all day, come home and just eat up a delicious meal! Although the recipe called for chicken, I just got this fun idea to try to make a kid friendly version of it! I figured it would be a good recipe to share with all you moms out there :) And hey, it's always fun to be a big kid and eat food that takes you back to a good place! It ended up tasting great!

Add some french fried onions as a garnish. 

KID CASSEROLE

Adapted from Culinary.net

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

2 c. uncooked rice- cooked
2 c. shredded cheese
1-16oz package of hotdogs, diced
1- 12oz can of Evaporated Milk
1/2 c. green onions, diced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1/8 c. diced jalapenos (optional)
Pinch of salt
French fried onions (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS

Lightly grease a large casserole dish with either cooking spray or butter- set aside. In a rice cooker, combine rice with 3.5 c. of water- set to cook.

Once rice is cooked, in the large casserole dish combine rice, 1 c. of cheese, hot dogs, evaporate milk, onions, eggs, butter, jalapenos, and salt. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed and well incorporated into the rice. Spread mixture in casserole dish with a spatula and smooth the top until even. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of casserole. Bake 35-45 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean and cheese is melted. Garnish with French fried onions for a crispy texture!

Allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving! Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy,
Chika