Re-Visited: Cooking Club #11

[Original post date Nov. 2011. --Updated 10/14/14: original, but separate, content, with updated photos and/or more details, if available.]


---> Cooking Club is coming up soon, and now that I'm blogging, I want to share these moments but I thought I should play catch-up first. So without further ado, here (and in more posts to come) is what we've been up to. Enjoy!

#11 May: Pizza

The Menu:
Cheddar-Apple Dessert Pizza
Berry Batch Brownie Pizza
Fruit Pizza


I apologize.

I failed.

I completely forgot to charge my camera, and it died during my first attempt at taking pictures during this month's Cooking Club.

But that won't stop me from telling you how ah-mazing this pizza is!

It's definitely my kind of dessert pizza...not too sweet, but just right. Apples and cheese always go together perfectly to create the most mouth-watering bite. (One of my go-to lunches is an apple and Munster grilled cheese....yum.) So this pizza did not disappoint. The cheddar made a delightful crust, and paired with the apple-sugar-and-spice topping.... Let's just say I love nutmeg.

You must make this ASAP!

I think this would be great for a brunch, or even more perfect as another the-day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast.

Update: With all of the above being said, I have made this dessert pizza quite a few times since that cooking club and have made many changes since, making it my own recipe. The biggest adaptation is turning the pizza into a rustic galette. For some reason I can't seem to get the pizza crust as sturdy as that first day, and have now just enjoyed making this dessert a tad rustic and crumbly. I changed up the cheese, replaced the butter with coconut oil, and have omitted half of the sugar.

Rustic Munster-Apple Galette

*adapted from Taste of Homes recipe

Serves 8

1 1/4 c flour + 1/3 c (mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flours)
1 tsp salt +1/4 tsp
1/2 c shortening
1 c shredded Munster cheese (I think any cheese would work here, so choose to your liking)
1/4 c ice water
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c coconut oil
4 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine 1 1/4 c flour with 1 tsp salt. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add cheese and toss lightly. Sprinkle ice water gradually over mixture, then shape into a ball with lightly floured hands. Place dough in center of large baking sheet (or round pizza pan) and roll outward from center to cover pan (or until big enough to your liking).

In a bowl, mix sugars with 1/3 c flour, spices and 1/4 tsp salt. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture over crust. Cut coconut oil into remaining sugar mix until crumbly and set aside. Arrange apple slices in overlapping rings on crust, leaving a 2" edge. Sprinkle with lemon juice, then with sugar-butter mix. Fold over the 2" edge of dough onto the galette topping, creating an overlap of crust along the edges of the galette and sealing in the apples.

Bake 35-40 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is browned around edges. Serve warm cut into squares, slices, or whatever your heart desires. But be ready to eat more than one piece!

Add a steaming cup of Joe and this is brunch perfection, sweet friends.

*I hope you enjoyed these Cooking Club snippets. There are more to come as I try to play catch-up before this month's meeting. I hope these themes, and even Cooking Club itself, inspire you to gather with your friends and family in the kitchen, and make sweet moments (and delicious food) of your own.

**I've only included the recipes to the dishes I made. Only because I'm unsure of where everyone got theirs...and hey, we gotta give credit where credit is due. If you have any questions about the other dishes, I'll ask the other members where they got their recipes and pass it along!

Check out our previous meetings!
Cooking Club #1-4
Cooking Club #5-8
Cooking Club #9
Cooking Club #10


[Update: Recipe adaptations, along with mouth-watering pictures, and previous cooking club links.]

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

{Quick Appetizers} Crescents Galore!

Ahhh, crescent rolls. So easy, so versatile, so melt-in-your-mouth tasty. They're perfect all on their own. However, they're even tastier kicked up a notch. Crescent rolls are a staple in my household when it comes to appetizers, crowds, and game day. I have tried a plethora of crescent recipes, and below I included all my (and Mr. B's, of course,) appetizer favorites. So, take your pick (pssst...there are 6 of them)!

All you need is one 8-count can of crescent rolls, regular or jumbo is fine, (or more depending on the crowd you're serving), an ungreased baking sheet, an oven set to 375 degrees, and more or less of the following ingredients:

Crescent Poppers
3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp Neufchatel cream cheese, softened

Unroll crescents, separate and cut each one in half (giving you 16 poppers). Add a dollop of cream cheese to the center of each. Layer on a few pieces of bacon and pepper. (Add more jalapeno slices for more spice.) Fold sides up and twist at top to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes.


Pepperoni Crescents
mini turkey pepperonis
4 pieces mozzarella string cheese, halved
garlic powder
pizza sauce, warmed (optional)

Unroll crescents and separate. Place a few mini pepperonis and one half of the string cheese in the center of each crescent segment. Fold sides up and twist at top to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce.










Taco Rolls
3 oz Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
2 tsp homemade taco seasoning mix
3/4 c shredded chicken (a great way to use up leftover chicken!)
1/3 c salsa
1/4 c shredded cheese, Mexican blend

Unroll crescents and separate. Combine cream cheese and taco seasoning; mix until smooth. Spread 2 teaspoons on each crescent, almost to the edges. Add a tablespoon of shredded chicken and a small dollop of salsa. Roll up, enclosing on all sides so it doesn't ooze out while in the oven, and place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes.


Brie, Fruit & Nut Wraps
Brie cheese, peeled and sliced
apple slices (pear slices work well here, too)
nuts of choice (walnuts, pecans, almonds....)
honey

Unroll crescents and separate. Layer each crescent with a small slice of cheese, fruit, and a nut. Tightly roll up each crescent, making sure all sides are pinched closed. Place on prepared baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with honey. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes. [Yes, a glass of wine, or tea, is a must with these!]

These crescent rolls are perfect for game day appetizers, sides, snacks, brunch, AND dessert. Also, don't forget to check out my Cold Vegetable Pizza, which uses a package of crescent rolls as its crust. It's a definite winner, along with my gooey Ham Cheese Crescents!

Check back for the Crescents Galore Dessert version!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Recent Eats

I apologize. I haven't shared any recipes or eats with you lately. But no worries. Here's a post full of mouth-watering eye candy. And something I can't get enough of lately, homemade pizza. (But, glancing at this post overall, it seems to be some form of bread....hmmm.)

Just in case you're new to Sweet B's, I'm a fan of homemade pizza. ONLY. That greasy stuff that comes in a box or sits under heating lamps for hours ....ewwww. Yes, I will pass on that. But this stuff, my homemade is where it is, my friends. And I only use one pizza dough recipe (I don't buy the frozen; really it's not that hard to make it yourself). I use Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe, using a little less oil than called for. Each batch makes two pizza crusts. And then I throw on whatever toppings I happen to have. Like in the above photo, it was more of a rid-the fridge-of-produce-that-should-have-been-used-yesterday kind of pizza. It has bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese on top of drizzled olive oil and minced garlic. YUM.

But this one? Yes, this one was premeditated. And a few weeks later I'm still singing it's praises. It was that good. Mr. B was quite skeptical because it is topped with nectarines and blackberries. He was quite confused, but lately (at a complete surprise to me) has been trying everything and anything new I make. He didn't speak once as he polished off over half of this "weird" pizza.

So here are the STATS for this beauty:

1 homemade pizza crust. Sprinkle on olive oil, brown sugar and a little bit of minced garlic. Top that with pieces of cooked chicken (a great way to use up leftovers), caramelized onions, nectarine slices, and fresh blackberries. Then layer on fresh mozzarella and basil, and bake at 500 degrees for about 10 minutes. (After, I leave the pizza under the broiler for a few minutes to make the cheese extra tasty.) I came across this pizza idea--and slightly adapted--while perusing through one of my favorite blogs, How Sweet It Is. Head over there for the full recipe.

*Note: I think this pizza would be an excellent addition to a brunch menu :)

Since there were no leftovers (thank you, Mr. B), I settled for a nectarine and fresh mozzarella grilled cheese for my lunch the next day. Yes, it too was just as delicious.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Our Super Bowl Party

We are obsessed with football in my family.

With so many favorite teams, there was always a favorite team playing and a football "gathering" every weekend. Some times we participated in more than one a week. We had high school football, and College Game Day (to say we are HUGE Ohio State fans is a HUGE understatement), and of course NFL Sunday. It was always fun and always entertaining. Cousins (and siblings) went to separate high schools, so there were occasional rivalries. But Ohio State always united us every Saturday. When Sunday rolled around, it was every fan for himself.

Browns. Cowboys. Bengals. Vikings. Packers. (The Titans for a short time.) Bears. (Oh, and a team I refuse to mention on my blog. And it's not only a Browns' fan's dislike. This team is strongly disliked by everyone...another united stance.) And later on, boyfriends and husbands added the 49ers and Colts to the mix. Everyone was allowed to have their own team. BUT we had one rule.....you can't like a team just because they win, and not be a fan when they lose. In other words, you couldn't be a front-runner. You couldn't jump from team to team. We strongly dislike front-runners over here.

There were victories and defeats, tears, and yelling, silent treatments and, yes, one incident of a perturbed fan getting up and turning off the TV. (Daddy's Cowboys were beating my aunt's unmentionable team.) Needless to say, everyone watching was not happy. This then resulted in Daddy leaving Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma's house, deciding he would walk home in the rain and snow to finish watching the game at our house. Well, we don't live in what you would call a city (or town, haha), so it wasn't going to be a short walk. Mama wasn't too happy when she had to hurriedly pack up two kids, who found the situation hysterical and upsetting at the same time, say good-bye to her stunned family, and drive down the road to pick up a stubborn husband.

Yeah, football is a BIG DEAL.

Growing up, I wasn't like other kids who put their homework off until the last minute, running around like a chicken with its head cut off Sunday night. I worked ahead in study hall, did my homework throughout the week, and studied for exams during commercials. I had to go to our school's Friday night games, and I wanted to enjoy football with my family on Saturdays and Sundays. No time for school work. Only food, yelling, and games. A girl has her priorities.

That's the kind of football game days I grew up with, so I was excited when we moved into our new home with lots of room for entertaining. Hello, football gatherings! (Except Mr. B's family isn't like mine. I mean they watch the game, but there's maybe two or three people and no food. And most of the time Mr. B wouldn't even stay at our house to watch the game. We have all this space.....I like to make food....What the....? Hmmmm...) Well, in case I haven't mentioned it, Mr. B is a huge 49ers fan. He has been ever since he was a little boy. And he's obsessed. A very true and dedicated fan. I've never known anyone like him. So, you can imagine how SUPER excited I was that they made it to this year's SUPER BOWL. It's time to plan a party, my friends.

Go big or go home is how we do it in my family. Especially when someone's team is in the Big Game.

We have balloons, and party stuff, lots of room, games, and plenty of food. AND cake. (In my family, football days are usually all day events. Mr. B's is a tad different. It's a shame, really.)


On today's Super Bowl menu we have my famous nacho bar (you can find the recipe here). Football and nachos are a must in this household on any game day. Mr. B would not be happy if they didn't top the list.

Next, we have a generous bowl of what I like to call the "Good Stuff." It's my Chicken & Wild Rice Salad. I'm obsessed with this salad, and so our my in-laws. Lately it's been a must every time they come over. Mr. B won't touch the stuff, so I buy him his favorite coleslaw, KFC's. (Which, funny enough, he never used to eat before four months ago.....)

And while there, this morning, Mr. B decided we might not have enough food, or that people might want meat, so he brought home a bucket of chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy.

I've been craving homemade pizza for a couple of days now, and last Sunday I made a double batch of pizza dough, giving me four pizza crusts. Earlier this week I made a tasty Margarita pizza for me and the hubby, knowing I'd be making my absolute favorite pizza today. (My in-laws have not yet had my homemade pizza and they can't understand why Mr. B and I hate ordering greasy pizza, so hopefully today they will jump on our train....) Oh, it's so good. Straight from the oven, room temp, or cold. The.best.

My Spicy-Lime Popcorn (recipe below), which is the only way I prefer to eat popcorn. This stuff disappears before I realize it. And then I realize I'm the one who ate the entire batch.

And, of course, the celebrated team: 49ers cupcakes and ice cream, with a Football Berry garnish.

We also have a plethora of beverages, and Mr. B would kill me if I forgot his pretzels. (I wanted to dip them in red chocolate and decorate, but he wouldn't let me "ruin" them.) And for some reason he thought we needed chips and dip. Holy frijoles.


Obsessed with Football. Yes.


Spicy-Lime Popcorn

Makes 4 cups popped.

4 c popcorn, popped (bag or air-popped)
1 tsp cumin
pinch of ground pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp lime zest

*NOTE: If using air-popped, add 3 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt.

Mix everything, except popped popcorn and lime juice, in a small bowl. Add seasoning to popcorn and carefully mix together. Sprinkle with lime juice and enjoy!


Football Berries

Serves how ever many you need.

Strawberries
Dark chocolate, melted
White chocolate, melted

These are quite self-explanatory. Dip the strawberries in the dark chocolate and allow to chill in refrigerator overnight. The next day, using a toothpick, draw football lines on top of the harden dark chocolate. Allow to chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.

Sadly, the white chocolate was not cooperating.

*Looking for even more tasty recipes to please your crowd during the Super Bowl? Then don't forget to check out my seven days of Game Day posts, including nachos, cold pizza, broccoli dip, and many more!

Go 49ers!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Blogger Recipe: Grilled Pesto and Goat Cheese Pizza

This pizza is sooooooo good.

So good I really don't want to share. I want it all to myself.

And it's even better cold.


(It's even Mr. B's favorite.)

Growing up I would eat tomatoes like candy (and I still do). My grandma always had a plate full of tomatoes and cucumbers fresh from the garden sitting on the kitchen table when my cousins and I would come in for lunch. A classic summer memory. And now, some days that's all I want for lunch...when those vegetables are at their peak. I can't eat sandwiches unless there is a tomato on it. I eat my cottage cheese with tomatoes. I LOVE tomatoes.

You know what else I love: goat cheese (obsessed) and pesto (my latest re-occurring obsession) and homemade pizza crust (the only way I'll eat pizza).

One day in June, I stumbled across this recipe and my taste buds exploded just from reading about it. I immediately went to the grocery store after work, bought the ingredients, and soon sat down to the most delicious pizza ever. Since then I have made this pizza once a month...it's a constant in our household.

And I could eat the whole thing. Ah-mazing.

Here's my shortened up version....for the full recipe go here.


Grilled Pesto and Goat Cheese Pizza
(*adapted from Eat, Live, Run)

serves 4-6 (usually just me and Mr. B)

1 homemade pizza crust or store bought (My absolute favorite is The Pioneer Woman's crust.)
pesto (use as much as you like, homemade or store bought)
sauteed mushrooms, sliced
tomatoes, sliced
5 oz goat cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out your dough to fit a pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake 5-7 minutes. Top crust with pesto (spreading to edges), tomatoes, mushrooms and goat cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes.When done the crust should be a tad golden and cheese melted.

Simple, healthy, and perfect.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Game Day #2: Cold Vegetable Pizza

We're on day two of Super Bowl week!

And today I'm featuring vegetable pizza, which is actually shocking because Mr. B and I are not pizza fans. We might order pizza once a year. Seriously. (Come to think of it, I don't think we ordered any last year.) The only time we eat pizza is when we're at someone else's house and they order it, which is then followed by private eye-rolling and frowns from Mr. B and I. (Sorry if those people are reading! I apologize.) There's just something about pizza, with all of it's grease and empty calories, that is un-appetizing. [My dislike might be a result of both my parents managing and working at Dominoes when I was little. We had pizza every Friday night without fail.] I couldn't even touch the stuff in college. True story.

I strongly dislike pizza...especially "normal" pizza. I love taco pizza....and dessert pizza.

And this Cold Vegetable pizza. (However, I am sl.ow.ly liking pizza when I make it homemade. I make healthier crusts, and am happy that I know what's in my pizza. No grease!)

I've always loved this kind of pizza. It makes a great appetizer or snack at parties, and is a great lunch option for Mr. B and I. And the best part, you can put on whatever toppings you like, or whatever you happen to have at the bottom of your refrigerator that needs to be used ASAP.

I just happened to have this.....

Cucumbers, green peppers, lettuce, red onions and tomatoes. Sometimes I put black olives on Mr.B's half, but he already ate them.

Mmmmm. So good. I'm sure I'd have no problem eating this whole thing. But I won't. Mr. B would be hangry.

Cold Vegetable Pizza

1 pkg (8-count) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 c mayonnaise
2 oz Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp minced chives (or fresh parsley, or 1/2 tsp dill....)
about 1 cup toppings of choice (peppers, cucumbers, red onions, mushrooms, olives, spinach, tomatoes...)
3 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese

Unroll crescent rolls and place on ungreased baking sheet; flatten dough and pinch together seams, forming one big rectangle. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. In small bowl, combine mayo, cream cheese and chives until well blended and smooth; spread over crust. Top with assorted vegetables of choice. Sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (If using tomatoes, chill for no longer because it will get soggy.) Cut into desired slices.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for another

Super Bowl Party menu idea!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi