Pull-Apart Pizza Bread

Balls of pizza? Yes, please!

You can take the long route and make your favorite pizza dough and marinara sauce, or the short route and pick up your favorite pizza dough and red sauce from the store. I also read some variations where people use seasoned olive oil or even italian salad dressing. This would also be really good with olives or onion... you can pretty much stuff the balls with whatever you want to complete your pizza experience!

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I had a tube of minced garlic that worked really well and was quick!)

4 Tbsp butter

2 lbs pizza dough (I used canned dough, but you can get some from your favorite bakery or make your own! There's a good recipe here.)

6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (I had shredded so I just squished it into little balls as I went)

1 package of Turkey pepperoni

2-3 cups marinara sauce, warmed, for serving (Ranch dressing would also be tasty)

I also added some crushed red pepper flakes and "pizza" seasoning from a McCormick grinder.



Instructions

Heat garlic and butter over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and let sit.Lightly brush the inside of a bundt pan (or other oven-safe dish) with garlic butter.Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten. Top with a slice of pepperoni and a cube of mozzarella.



Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese, pinching well to seal.



Very lightly brush the pizza ball with garlic butter and place into the bundt pan (I dabbed the pizza balls on a butter-dipped silicon brush to keep butter use low (there will be some leftover) and my hands butter free. Buttery hands make it hard to get the pizza balls to seal. I had some trouble getting them to stay closed without buttery hands!) I sprinkled spices on between layers.



Repeat until all of the dough is used.



Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 400. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the top is very brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.



Turn out onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.










Mine looks quite brown, it was the first time I had use my new bundt pan so I didn't know how it bakes things yet! But it was really tasty! I wanted to make sure the dough inside wasn't going to be raw still. I baked mine for 32 minutes.

This would be a great party food and I'm sure kids would love it!

Adapted from original recipe here.

Hamburger Soup

This is a really simple soup that my mom used to make a lot when I was young. She shared the recipe with me and I like making it on chilly fall and winter nights. We definitely have plenty of those here! Since you can kind of play around with it the amounts aren't exact. But you can make it however your family will like it!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 12-16oz bag of mixed veggies, thawed (size depends on brand, I use a mix that includes carrots, peas, corn, green beans and lima beans.)
1 can diced tomatoes
water and/or beef broth
ketchup and/or chili sauce
elbow macaroni
salt and pepper to taste

shredded cheddar cheese (for topping)

Brown the beef in a large pot. Drain off the fat. Add chopped onion and stir until cooked. Add mixed veggies and tomatoes. Then add water and/or beef broth until you it reaches a very soupy consistency. You want there to be extra liquid because the macaroni soaks up quite a bit when it cooks. I like lots of pasta in mine. Season the broth with ketchup and/or chili sauce and pepper (and salt if your broth wasn't salty.) Simmer until the veggies are some and the flavors are melded, about 20 minutes. Then add 1/2 to 1 cup of elbow macaroni and continue simmering until the mac is cooked. Serve topped with cheddar cheese and enjoy!



I also made some 30 Minute Rolls, which turned out to take about an hour. But they were still tasty and didn't require kneading or anything so that was nice!