Roasted Garlic Onion Pizza

Ever noticed that the audience on the Rachael Ray show always claps for cheese during her cooking segment?  Doesn’t matter if it’s mozzarella, Parmesan reggiano, Romano, cheddar…they clap like they’re watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade for all kinds of dairy goodness.  

I’ve always found that a bit strange- does cheese really require applause?  Does Rachael need their unconditional support as she grinds, grates, slices, and smothers?  

Well…I was wrong.  Cheese deserves praises.  Especially when it’s on top of this pizza.

So take a deep breath.  Sit down.  Relax.  

Maybe even grab a napkin. 

‘Cause you’re about to drool.

LEGEND…wait for it….DAIRY!

The secret to this pizza comes in a jar and it’s not your mama’s marinara.

Hello, lover.

Here’s a loose recipe to follow if you want to recreate this masterpiece in your own kitchen. 

Roasted Garlic Onion Pizza

1 premade pizza dough- I used whole wheat dough from Portland Pie Co.    (found at Hannaford‘s)

~1/4 cup Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

6 1/4 inch slices of fresh mozzarella

~1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

cornmeal

Take dough out of refrigerator about a half hour before you plan to stretch it.  This makes it so much easier to work with.

Preheat the oven to 475.

Dust your baking sheet with a few tablespoons of cornmeal.  You want enough to cover the entire surface with a thin layer.  This prevents the pizza from sticking and provides some lovely texture.  If you have a pizza stone, you can skip this step.  I don’t, so I just use my gnarliest baking sheet that I’ve had since college.

Stretch the dough into a rectangle. 

Spread the jam in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a half inch border.  Make sure the surface is evenly coated.

Layer on the mozzarella.  It won’t cover the whole pizza, but it will melt and ooze over the pie while it bakes.

Sprinkle the Parmesan over the mozzarella.

Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the pizza- make sure to put a bit on the crust.  You could use a pastry brush and gently paint the oil onto the crust, but who has time for that nonsense?

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Gaze at it’s glory.  Let it cool, lest you be scorched  by molten cheese.

Devour.

Serve alongside a spinach salad to maintain your virtue. 

 

Broccoli Cheese Breakfast Casserole

I love hot breakfast.  Whether it’s oatmeal or pancakes, I like something warm first thing in the morning.  Bake ahead breakfast casseroles have been my go-to breakfast item for years.  I’d made a 9×13 pan on Sunday night and Nick and I would split it throughout the week. 

Now with Sam on the scene, having a quick breakfast is more of a need than a want.  I jokingly refer to Sam as “the warden” and let me tell you, he runs a tight ship.   He demands several square meals a day and doesn’t take kindly to waiting. 

He was nice enough to help me make this week’s casserole, even got his hands a little dirty in the process.

I use this basic recipe as a jumping off point and generally add ham, cheese, and broccoli.  So good and filling!

Farmhouse Baked Eggs with Cheddar and Potatoes

Last year I worked my way through the Food Network food fact/recipe of the day calendar. It came with some super tasty recipes! One in particular caught Nick’s eye and he whipped this up for a special Sunday breakfast a few months ago.

I’m dreaming of the day my gorgeous new kitchen is finished so I can get back to treats like this! My handsome contractor is still hard at work, but until then, you can make this for yourself!

Farmhouse Baked Eggs with Cheddar and Potatoes

Not so sloppy joes

I should start with a bit of an update. There’s been a lot less crying around the Cupcakes household than I thought there would be.

Reason being…we didn’t end up moving. Our house didn’t sell and ultimately we’re pretty happy about that. The other place was a steal and a great location, but it would have been more expensive and WAY less convenient.

We officially closed the book on this grand adventure on Friday and I’ve been celebrating by pulling all my crap out and making the house look I live in it again! Books stacked everywhere- check. Piles of mail- check. Dirty dishes in sink- check. Socks on the floor- check.

Ah- sweet relief. Keep this joint “company ready” 24/7 really blew.

And I just bought a new vacuum- a Hoover Sprint Quick Vac. Why I didn’t buy this when I needed to keep the house super clean I don’t know. Probably the same reason I let all the flowers we bought to “pretty” up the place die. My heart wasn’t in it.

Now that I’m done tidying like June Cleaver, I have more time to blog. Hooray!

Enter- not so sloppy joes.

They’re not so sloppy because I served them open faced. Feel free to get your hands dirty by putting those pieces o’ toast together. Those beans will ooze all over you.

Exhibit A- sloppy.

Not So Sloppy Joes- vegetarian style

1 tbsp olive oil
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
28 oz. can of baked beans
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 squirts ketchup- roughly 2 tbsp
salt and pepper to taste
2 slices of bread per person, toasted
Cheddar cheese, for topping

Heat up the olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the bell pepper and onion and saute until just starting to brown- 5-8 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of salt to get those juice flowing. Add the garlic and stir well. Don’t let the garlic burn. I’m serious, don’t!

Add the chili powder and cumin to the pepper and onion mixture. Stir to combine. Dump in the baked beans and stir to combine and get all the good brown bits off the bottom. Add the mustard- stir extra well. You don’t want to get a big bite of that- it will clear your sinuses. Squirt in the ketchup. Bring to a bubble and let cook about 2 minutes. Then reduce heat to low. Salt and pepper to taste. I probably added about 1/2-3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper.

Toast your bread. Arrange on a plate. Scoop on the sloppy joe and top with cheddar.

This whole meal came together in about 20 minutes- not too shabby for cafeteria food. As to whether these really taste like their Manwich counterparts, it’s hard to say, although I think they’re a close cousin. The husband never ate sloppy joes as a child and thus has only had my vegetarian renditions.

You be the judge!

Stuffed Peppers

This has got to be one of my favorite weeknight dinners. It’s cheap, it’s fast, and it’s super filling. You’ll definitely meet your 5-a-day veggie quota with this simple supper.

It’s also easily adaptable to what you have in the house.

Some suggestions for substitutes:

Salsa or chutney for the marinara
Rice or millet for the quinoa
Artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, sauteed onions, corn, beans, diced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos for the olives
Any kind of melty cheese for topping- swiss, cheddar, muenster, monterey jack. Feta and goat cheese are also super tasty mixed into the filling.

You see where I’m going here- the options are endless! You could even get really crazy and try an Indian-inspired stuff pepper and add garam masala and some golden raisins the filling! Maybe mix in a little prepared korma sauce- I die!

This version is Italian-inspired with the pepper jack cheese adding some Mexican flair- bringing a little fusion to BettyCupcakes!

My latest cast of characters: yellow bell peppers, nutritional yeast, olives, quinoa, marinara sauce, basil, ground black pepper, and pepper jack cheese. Not pictured- red pepper flakes, a last minute addition. You know me- I like to keep things spicy up in here!

There’s no picture of this step because it’s boring, but start your quinoa over medium heat. Oh, and preheat your oven to 400.

In a medium bowl, mix your marinara sauce, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, basil, and ground black pepper. Skip the salt- the olives add plenty!

Slice up some olives or other filling items.

Stir ’em into the saucy mixture.

Grate up some cheese and toss it in, too. Set aside.

Time to hollow out those peppers. Grasp firmly and insert knife at the top, about an inch. Move the knife around in a circle creating a hole. You want to take off the stem and a bit of the ribs. Pretend it’s a pumpkin.
If your bell pepper is wobbly, just slice a bit off the bottom to make things even stevens.

Place into a loaf pan.

The quinoa’s cooked now. Please ignore the thermometer- we’ve been sharing some nasty bugs this winter! All better for now (knocking on wood as we speak).

Add two to two and a half cups of the cooked quinoa to the sauce mixture. Taste and add quinoa, if desired.

Fill up your peppers. Really get the mixture in them and then overfill by a bit. Don’t skimp!

Top with more cheese. (Is anything in this world not made better by the addition of cheese? Chew on that nugget, kids.)

Bake at 400 until peppers are soft and cheese is melty and browned ~ 25 minutes. Side suggestion- roasted broccoli. Delish!

Stuffed Peppers
serves 2

2 large bell peppers
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 cup marinara sauce
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes, optional
10 kalamata olives, sliced
2 oz. jalapeno pepper jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook rinsed quinoa in the water until done- approximately 20 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine marinara sauce, nutritional yeast, basil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, olives, and half of the cheese. Stir well. Set the rest of the cheese aside.

Add 2 to 2 1/2 cups of the cooked quinoa to the marinara mixture and stir well to combine. Taste and add more quinoa if desired. Otherwise, save the remainder of the cooked quinoa for another recipe.

Hollow out the peppers by cutting around the stem. Remove the stem and carefully remove any large ribs inside while leaving the pepper whole. Cut a small slice off the bottom, if needed, to make your pepper level so it won’t tip over while baking.

Fill peppers with quinoa mixture to the brim; overfill just a bit. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, until cheese on top is browned and peppers are tender.