Puff Pastry Pepperoni Pizza {So Good It's Scary}!

Did you know that you could make pizza with puff pastry? If not, you've been missing out. It is SCARY good how delicious a puff pastry pizza crust is: puffy, flaky, crunchy and oh so easy! 

All you need to do is thaw the puff pastry and then slather it with toppings: pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, seasoning, and then some Parmesan! It couldn't be easier! Throw it in the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes and you have a quick and delicious meal that everyone will love. 

 

Jessica Merchant's blog, How Sweet Eats, is full of different versions of her puff pastry pizzas. There is a breakfast version, a pesto version, one for pickle lovers and my favorite -her Zucchini, Lemon and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Pizza that I made several times this summer. They are all delicious and quick - perfect for busy weeknights!

Puff Pastry Pepperoni Pizza

Adapted from How Sweet Eats 

by Jessica Merchant

Serves 4-6

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

1 cup tomato or marinara sauce, your favorite

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

a bunch of pepperoni, to your liking

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the thawed puff pastry on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

 Spread the tomato sauce evenly over top, leaving a small border at the edges. Sprinkle on the herbs and garlic, evenly between both sheets. Cover with the cheese and pepperoni. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until super puffed and the cheese is golden. The pastry will look crazy puffed up, but then it will deflate once it is out of the oven. Cover with Parmesan and cut each pastry into 6 slices. Serve! 

 

Spooky Soiree @ I Heart Cooking Clubs!

Quick and Easy Maple Turkey Chili

 Have you ever put maple syrup in your chili? I hadn't and guess what? Turns out I had been missing out because the maple syrup adds a depth of sweetness that pairs very well with the savory smokiness of chili! 

Trust me, we loved it! Plus, this is the perfect chili to top your baked sweet potatoes with because the sweetness of the sweet potatoes pair perfectly with the sweetness of the chili!

If you're in the mood for a quick weeknight chili with a touch of sweetness, give this a try! I would definitely make it again!

Quick and Easy Maple Turkey Chili

Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats

by Jessica Merchant

Makes 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt and  pepper

1 pound lean ground turkey

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 to 3/4 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, peppers and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add in the ground turkey and another pinch of salt and pepper. Break it apart with wooden spoon and brown it, about 6 to 8 minutes. Once the meat is browned, add in the chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Add in the tomatoes, beans, stock, and maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a b oil then reduce it to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, avocado, sour cream or whatever you love on your chili! 

Chili Cook Off @ I Heart Cooking Clubs+

Ina Garten's Maple Roasted Honeynut Squash {The Best Autumn Side Dish}!

 

It turns out my new love is these precious baby honeynut squash. Wowza! They are so delicious...sweet and creamy and just so savory and comforting! I've been eyeing these little honeynut squash in cookbooks for awhile now, but I just saw them at Costco yesterday and I might've squealed. They're so little they fit in your hand and well, I knew instantly that I was making Ina's Maple Roasted Honeynut Squash!

Be careful cutting them in half lengthwise, because it is quite difficult and we don't want any accidents. That would just get in the the way of your complete and total enjoyment of these little precious gems!

 I've seen recipes where you can top these beauties with toasted nuts and/or seeds, cheeses, and all things spicy like chipotle or red pepper flakes. HOWEVER, I would urge you to try Ina's recipe, made simply with: the squash, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and salt and pepper. It simply can't be beat. These are just so dang good. They're like addictive good. Sweet and savory, creamy, and just oh so comforting. The little squash cavity holds all the buttery brown sugar goodness and you can just spoon bites and dunk it away. It is insanely delicious. Trust me, because I was meant to eat one half and I ended up eating two halves, or one whole baby squash. If you're a squash lover, please get your hands on these babies and try this recipe. It's heavenly!

Maple Roasted Honeynut Squash

Adapted from Food Network

by Ina Garten

Serves 6

3 honeynut squash (2-1/2 to 3 pounds total)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, small diced

4 tablespoons light brown sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise through the stems. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Place the squash halves on a sheet pan, cut-sides up, distribute the butter and brown sugar evenly among the cavities of each and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until tender. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve hot. 

Pumpkin Party @ IHCC

Sheet Pan Suppers #1: How Sweet Eats Tomato Basil Gnocchi

 

Now that school has been back in session for about a month,  I'm looking for quick, easy, and yummy meals during the week. Sheet pan meals can be tricky since not everything cooks in the same amount of time, but this Tomato Basil Gnocchi from How Sweet Eats is an example of how a sheet pan supper can come together wonderfully!

This Tomato Basil Gnocchi is my formal goodbye to summer. As the temperatures take a big dip here on the east coast, we are harvesting the last of our tomatoes and herbs and getting ready for sweater weather. I gather the last of my basil to make some fresh homemade pesto. 

In ten minutes I can put together this Tomato Basil Gnocchi. All I need to do is toss my gnocchi with the cherry tomatoes and pesto and add some extra virgin olive oil, oregano, basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and Parmesan. Give it all a toss and roast it in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

I am always ready for autumn, but it is always hard to let summer go. This recipe has all the flavors of summer with the tomatoes and basil. It also manages to taste both fresh from the tomatoes and herbs but satisfying with the comforting gnocchi. A real winner! I could see myself making this again, maybe even before next summer!

Tomato Basil Gnocchi

Adapted from Everyday Dinners

by Jessica Merchant

Serves 2-4

 

1 (16-ounce) package uncooked potato gnocchi

nonstick cooking spray

1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, some cut in half

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pesto

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, plus extra for garnish

1/4 cup freshly shaved Parmesan cheese, for topping

 

Preheat your oven to 425F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Spread the gnocchi and tomatoes out on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss. Spoon on the pesto and toss until everything is coated. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes and toss well to combine everything. Make sure everything, especially the gnocchi, is seasoned well.

 

Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing once during cook time. Serve the gnocchi immediately. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, additional red pepper flakes, and fresh basil.

Welcome How Sweet Eats @ IHCC!

Ruth Reichl's Stuffed Pumpkin

 Tis the season for stuffing pumpkins! In the past few weeks I've seen pumpkins stuffed in all sorts of ways, this one is stuffed with bread, cheese, cream, chicken broth, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and baked in the oven for an hour! Some would liken it to a pumpkin soup, while others would think it was more like a gratin of sorts.

 

The is really more of a method than a true recipe. The amount of filling is truly based on the size of your pumpkin or the number of pumpkins you stuff. Honestly, the main idea is to clean out the pumpkin, stuff it with toasted bread, Gruyere cheese, more bread, more cheese (in layers), and then pour a mixture of chicken broth and cream over the bread and cheese. You need about half an inch of room left at the top for things to expand and you're ready to go in the oven.

 

This is a very fun and festive autumn project to enjoy on the weekend. Most of the time is is spent with the pumpkin baking away in the oven. 

The pumpkin, bread, and cheese compliment one another perfectly. This is very tasty and comforting, but extremely rich so one small pumpkin would serve 4-6 easily. I can see topping this with some toasted walnuts or maybe some cooked and crumbled sausage. A very pretty fall dish that is fun for the whole family!

Stuffed Pumpkin

RuthReichl.Com 

by Ruth Reichl

Serves 2-4, depending

1 pie pumpkin (about 4 pounds)

good loaf French bread

Gruyere or Swiss cheese

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup cream

salt and black pepper

*nutmeg, if desired

neutral oil, for coating pumpkin

Buy a fairly small pumpkin (a pie pumpkin is perfect - about 4 pounds) with a flat bottom. Cut off the top, as if you were going to carve a jack-o-lantern, and hollow it out. Spread the seeds out and dry them to eat later.

Now get a good loaf of French bread, cube it, put the cubes on a baking sheet and toast them lightly in a 350 degree oven for about 9 minutes. Leave the oven on.

 Grate a good amount of the one of the Swiss cheese - Emmenthaler, Gruyere or Apppenzeller (the amount you need depends upon the size of your pumpkin. Layer the bread and cheese inside the pumpkin until it's almost full (leave a half inch on the top because the filling will expand a bit).

Mix 1 cup of chicken stock into a cup of cream. Add a teaspoon of salt. Grind in some black pepper and grate in some nutmeg. Then fill the pumpkin almost to the top with as much of this mixture as you need, replace the top of the pumpkin, brush the outside with neutral oil, set it on a baking sheet, and bake for about 2 hours.

Bring the whole pumpkin to the table. When you serve it be sure to scoop out the pumpkin flesh with the cheese and the cream.

September Potluck @ I Heart Cooking Clubs