Easy Pizza Rolls

I can't remember the last recipe I posted on this, but this one I did last week was a keeper...easy and super kid friendly.  Not rocket science, but wanted to remember so we could make again!

Ingredients:
* Rhodes Frozen bread dough loaves
* Pizza sauce
* Mozzarella cheese
* Pizza toppings (mini pepperoni, sausage crumbles, green pepper, mushroom, etc.)

1. Thaw the bread dough (I did the quick thaw method for the oven that is listed on the back of the package)
2. When dough is thawed, roll out on on a floured surface
3.  Spread pizza sauce on the rolled dough (similar to what you would do if making cinnamon rolls)
4.  Add grated mozzarella cheese
5.  Add toppings
6.  Roll up cinnamon roll style
7.  Cut into 18 slices (again, like cinnamon rolls)
8.  Grease muffin pan and place individual rolls inside each muffin cup
9.  Allow the rolls to "rise" for a while in the muffin pan.
10.  Bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes or until brown

Variation:  You could make them "breakfast-y" and do sausage and cheddar cheese inside and roll the same way.

Spicy Pretzels

We went to a surprise 50th birthday party the other day & one of the snacks served were these tasty spicy pretzels. I asked the hostess about them (because Trent couldn't quit eating them, so I knew I'd need the recipe)! She was sweet to send me the recipe and with holidays not far off, I think I'll be making these again...

Ingredients:
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 TBS lemon pepper
1 Tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper (adjust according to your heat preference)
1 TBS garlic pwd
3/4 C veg oil
1 15oz bag pretzels

Directions:
1. Mix first five ingredients in a bowl--mix well
2. Pour onto pretzels in a bag--shake a lot to soak pretzels.
3. Soak overnight & pour pretzels into a new bag before serving or storing.

Side note:  I have not attempted this recipe myself yet, but I know I will! If I change or tweak it at all once I do make it, I will come back & note it here.

Chicken Pot Pie - Easiest On The Planet

I got this recipe from the Ko Jo Kai cookbook that Kristen helped publish! :)
I thought I had already posted this one on here because I've had it a long time, but I was searching for it the other day & realized I'd never posted it on Menu Mamas. It's so easy, doesn't take much of a recipe to follow, but I'm the girl who looks to a recipe for boiling an egg, so I need this easily accessible! ;)

Ingredients:
1 pkg frozen pie crusts
2 cans white chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mixed veggies, drained
s&p
butter spray (optional)

Directions:
1. Get the pie crusts out of the freezer before you start working. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix chicken, soup & veggies. Season to your liking (I use s&p, garlic salt, etc.)
3. Put one of the pie crusts (aluminum and all) in an oven safe dish & heat for 8-10 minutes.
4. Pour the chicken mixture into the baked crust.
5. By this time, the "top" pie crust will just slide out of the aluminum pie pan. Place it on top of the mixture.
6. Spray the top of this pie crust with butter spray (or brush on an egg white if you prefer) to give it a nice color during cooking.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes or so.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

My friend Amanda gave me this recipe, it truly is one of the easiest, best chocolate cakes I have ever tasted! Don't let the "cherry" part throw you, you can only subtly tell it's there--but something about the cherries make this cake super moist and give it a richer flavor.
It is amazing, hope you'll try it! Amanda, thank you for sharing this!!

Cake:
1 box devil food's cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
2 large eggs
1 tsp almond extract

Glaze:
1 C sugar
1/2 C butter
1/3 C whole milk
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. For cake:  preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9" pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine all cake ingredients. Mix on low with electric mixer for 1 minute, scrape sides of bowl & continue mixing on medium speed for another 2 minutes. Pour into prepared cake pan & bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake springs back.
2. For glaze:  combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to a boil. Remove from heat & stir in chocolate chips. Stir glaze until smooth & pour over warm cake.
Cool cake for 20 minutes before serving to allow the glaze to firm up.

New Layout!

Hey friends--I hope you don't mind, I changed the layout of the blog because I thought the sidebar would work better on the left with our recipes on the right! Every time I print off a recipe from Menu Mamas, I punch holes in it to place it in my recipe binder...inevitably the hole punch will fall right in the middle of the quantity needed for some cooking ingredient! So I thought recipes being on the right would alleviate this issue! :)
I hope you will all still be uploading your favorite tried & true recipes! I know we all use Pinterest these days, but I try and put all my keepers on here & love using Pinterest for things I want to try!
Hoping you will post your favorite soups & stews as we enter into the Fall weather!

Happy Cooking!
;) VBS

Creamy Spinach & Chicken Roll-Ups!

I was desperate for something quick & easy to make for dinner tonight! I just so happened to have these ingredients on hand & took a spin off an old recipe to recreate this. It was a hit, so I'm posting here--would definitely make it again! :)

Ingredients:
Fresh spinach (I happened to have a fresh spinach/kale blend on hand, could prob use frozen as well) I used about half a bag
4 oz cream cheese
2 TBS butter
1/2 C milk
1/2 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans Crescent rolls
2C cooked/shredded chicken
Italian seasoning
Garlic Salt,
S&P

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Boil a pot of water--blanch your spinach in the water, just enough to wilt it
3. Drain pot, use paper towels to "dry" spinach, then coarsely chop it & set aside
4. In same pot, add butter, onions & garlic to saute
5. Cut up cream cheese & add to butter mixture, add milk & stir together until creamy
6. Toss cooked/shredded chicken & spinach into creamy goodness
7. Unroll crescent dough into rectangles in a baking dish
8. Layer a little spinach/cheese/chicken mixture into each crescent roll
9. Roll the crescent rolls up & place side by side in pan filling it up.
10. Spray the tops of the crescent rolls with a butter spray, sprinkle the tops with a little italian seasoning & garlic salt
11. Bake 15 or so minutes until nicely browned!

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

Got these off Pinterest. They have become a staple in our home! So easy, yummy, & healthyish!;)

Ingredients:
2 C black beans (I just use one can, drained. Would use 2 cans if wanting to make more...one can makes about a dozen)
1/2 C red onion, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp garlic powder
shredded cheese (Monterey jack or whatever you prefer)
chopped cilantro (eyeball it to your preference)
olive oil
corn tortillas
toppings (sour cream, salsa, avocado, etc.)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro & spices. Lightly mash all ingredients together (sometimes I forget to mash & it works fine anyway)
2. In a large non-stick skillet, add a few TBS of oil & heat on med-high heat.
3. Add one corn tortilla at a time & let it get hot in the oil (I flip tortilla over a couple of times to oil it up on both sides)
4. Spoon your bean mixture to one half of the tortilla & top with shredded cheese.
5. Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.
6. As the first tortilla cooks, slide it to the side & do a second one (I can usually do about 3 at a time...if you had a griddle you could do even more at once).
7.  Cook each taco for several minutes on each side until they are nicely browned and crispy.
8. I place a paper towel over a plate & as I finish a batch, I set them on the paper towel to the side until all are cooked.

Serve with your favorite toppings & sides!
Enjoy!