Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

We made these tonight for Sarah to take to bible study with the youth. I snuck one before she left and I think they'd be a fun eat for a snack or appetizer or they'd make a great lunch with a salad. They're also quick and easy, bonus! We found this on Pinterest.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
makes 24

3/4 c flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
pinch of salt

pinch of red pepper
3/4 c milk
1 egg
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 c cubed pepperoni (I cut sliced pepperoni into quarters)
1/2 c pizza sauce

Preheaet the oven to 375*. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan, and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and put into the pan. Bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Note: we had extra batter and made one in a regular size muffin pan. You could make these regular size; if you do, you'll need to bake them for 5-8 minutes longer.

Margarita Fruit Dip

I had this at Bible study last week and it was really good. Then this week I had to bring some snacks to our MOPS meeting at church and thought they would like this. It was a big hit and really easy to make. It goes great with any sort of sliced/chunk fruit - melons, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, bananas. It does make a lot, so be prepared!

Margarita Fruit Dip

1 8oz. package room temperature cream cheese
1/2 of a 15 oz. can of cream of coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 container cool whip (not frozen)

Mix the cream cheese, cream of coconut, and condensed milk together in a mixer until well blended. Fold in the cool whip. Serve with sliced fruit.

*you can use low-fat/no-fat cream cheese, condensed milk, and cool whip

Anniversary dinner, part 2 (marinade and zucchini)

We really enjoyed our dinner yesterday. I had planned to use our "usual" marinade for the steak but I was out (usually have plenty of McCormick's meat marinade on hand); I found this one that we liked. The zucchini sticks were from a recipe that I found on Pinterest (that came from the King Arthur Flour website). They also had a sweet onion dip with them that I didn't make but was told I need to make the next time I make the zucchini sticks. Maybe for a football afternoon snack.

Meat Marinade
marinades 2 lbs(ish) of meat

1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c soy sauce
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Use to marinade any cut of beef.


Baked Zucchini Sticks
about 3 dozen sticks

3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 3" long ticks
1 Tbsp salt
1 c panko bread crumbs
scant 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Place the zucchini in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Let the zucchini drain for at least an hour; rinse and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 425* and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the panko, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning on a large plate. Have the eggs in a bowl (suitable for dredging the zucchini sticks). Dredge the zucchini sticks a few at a time in the egg, then roll in the crumb mixture. Place the sticks on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

Artichoke Dip

We don't entertain much but when we do I like to make this dip. I had to bring an appetizer type thing to my MOPS group tonight so I pulled this out. I'm not sure it was the best choice for a day that's in the low 80s but it won't be piping hot when I take it tonight.

Artichoke Dip
modified from Fresh from the Pantry by Longaberger

8 oz. cream cheese, softened, cut into cubes
1 c mayonnaise
1 c sour cream
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/8 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor container. Process for 1 to 2 minutes or until blended. Spoon into an oiled baking dish. Bake at 375* for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve with crispy crackers.

I use light mayo and sour cream and neufchatel cream cheese and it turns out fine, although the recipe recommends using regular for best results.