Bubble Pizza

We LOVE pizza!  Lately, we've been attempting to make our own every once in a while.  It saves money and, in all honesty, is probably better for us!  This recipe was super easy to make, and it's taste completely exceeded our expectations!


You will need:

Ground beef, pepperoni, pizza sauce, biscuit dough, onion, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese

Preheat oven.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.

Stir in pepperoni and cook until until browned.

Drain excess fat.  Stir in pizza sauce.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut biscuits into quarters.

Place biscuits in the bottom of the baking dish.

Spread meat mixture evenly over the biscuits.

Sprinkle with onion.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheddar cheese.

Bake an addition 5 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe:

1 pound ground beef

.25 pound sliced pepperoni

1 14oz can pizza sauce (I used Bertoli Marinana)

1 16oz package refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough

1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings

1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet.  Cook over medium heat until evenly brown.  Stir in pepperoni, and cook until browned.  Drain excess fat.  Stir in pizza sauce.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut biscuits into quarters and place in the bottom of baking dish.  Spread meat mixture evenly over the biscuits.  Sprinkle top with onion.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.  Sprinkle top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese.  Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Strength Modifier:

We divided it up into 6 pieces.  It was very filling!  (Of course, the hubby did go back for seconds!)

 

Intelligence Modifier:

 This was super easy!  20 minutes prep, tops, especially if you cut up the biscuits and/or onion while the beef cooks!

 

Wisdom Modifier:

While the ingredients were easy to find, it did take a trip to the grocery store to get everything!

Charisma Modifier:

 

This dish was delicious.  Not quite as perfect as our favorite pizza place, but still wonderful.  The hubby requested that it be added to the list of stuff to definitely make again....and I totally will!

Constitution Modifier:

 Definitely not among the most healthy dishes....but SOOOOO good!

Overall Score:

 This dish was wonderful!  I can't wait to make it again!

Jibarito

So tonight, I tried something a little out of the ordinary:  a Puerto Rican dish called Jibarito.

First off, you will need:

Vegetable oil, plantains, garlic, beef, an onion, ground cumin, dried oregano, mayo, American cheese, and a tomato

Peel plantains and halve them lengthwise.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or fryer to about 350 degrees F.

Place plantain halves in the oil and cook 1-2 minutes.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Place halves between two cutting board and press to flatten.

Place the flattened plantains back in the oil for 2-3 minutes.

Drain on paper towels.

Heat more oil in a large skillet.  Add garlic, beef, onion, cumin, and oregano.

Cook, stirring frequently, until beef is cooked through.

To serve, spread mayo on one of the plantain slices.

Top with cheese, steak and onion mixture, and tomato.

Place the other plantain half on top to form a sandwich.  Cut in half and serve!

Recipe:

 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

4 green plantain, peeled and halved lengthwise

.5 cup vegetable oil

1 pound beef skirt steak, cut into thin strips

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

.5 teaspoon dried oregano

.25 cup mayonnaise

4 slices American cheese, cut in half

8 slices tomato

Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet or fryer to 350 degrees F.  Place plantain halves in the oil and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until they float.  Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Place plantain halves between 2 cutting boards.  Press to flatten.  Place the flattened plantains back in the oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

Heat half a cup of vegetable oil (I used some that I fried the plantains in) in a large skillet.  Add the garlic, steak, onion, cumin, and oregano.  Cook, stirring frequently, until steak is cooked through.

To serve, spread mayonnaise on one of the plantain slices.  Top with cheese, steak and onion mixture, and tomato.  Place the other plantain half on top to form a sandwich.  Cut in half and serve!

Strength Modifier:

  Not very filling, though, I'll admit, I didn't care for the plantains at all, so I just ate the cheesy filling.

Intelligence Modifier:

  These took quite a bit of time to put together and I burned the first few plantains because it was the first time I've ever tried deep frying anything.

Wisdom Modifier:

  Plantains were almost too difficult to find around here.  I also had to substitute stew meat for skirt steak because it was far too expensive for my budget.

Charisma Modifier:

  The beef and onion mixture was delicious.  The plantains came out dry with practically no flavor.  I took a couple of bites, then just scraped the filling off the "sandwiches" and ate it alone.

Constitution Modifier:

  The website I took this recipe from said these "sandwiches" packed a whopping 1200 calories a piece.  In reality, that seems a little far-fetched, but even still, these were NOT healthy.

Overall Score:

  One of the lowest scores I've ever given!  These were wholly unimpressive to me, though my husband and roommate both seemed to like theirs.  I won't be making them again, but I feel that it's the point of my blog to post my cooking successes and failures.  This was pretty much a botch!

Bacon and Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers

After a long hiatus...I have returned!  And am cooking with a vengeance!

Tonight:  Bacon and Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers.  Yum!

You will need:

Ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, black pepper, bacon, blue cheese, thyme, hamburger buns, and a tomato

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and pepper.

Divide into 8 equal portions and flatten.

Mix cooked and crumbled bacon, blue cheese, and thyme in a separate bowl.

Divide evenly among 4 of the hamburger patties.

Top with the remaining 4 patties, pressing the edges together.

Preheat grill to medium.

Grill the patties for 7 minutes on each side.

Serve on buns with tomato (and any other veggies you choose!).

These burgers were ridiculously tasty.  They did fall apart a little when I flipped them on the grill, but they still tasted amazing.

Recipe:

2 pounds ground beef

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

.5 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 ounces blue cheese

dash of ground Thyme

4 hamburger buns, split

hamburger veggies of your choice (I like tomatoes!)

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and pepper.  Divide into 8 equal portions and flatten.  In a separate bowl, combine the crumbled bacon, blue cheese, and thyme.  Place an equal portion of the bacon mixture onto 4 of the patties.  Top with the remaining 4 patties, pressing the edges together to enclose the filling.

Preheat a grill for medium heat.  When hot, spray with oil.

Grill the patties for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.  Serve on buns, topped with the veggies and sauce of your choice.

Strength Modifier:

It was pretty filling, though I should have made some fries or tots to accompany it.

Intelligence Modifier:

 These burger were SUPER easy to make!

Wisdom Modifier:

T

The only thing that might not be on hand for everyone was the blue cheese.  You can pick it up just about anywhere, so I don't see this as a red flag for anyone!

Charisma Modifier:

    These were pretty much perfect, flavor-wise.  I'm not even a fan of blue cheese, but they were delicious!

Constitution Modifier:

  At a half pound (before cooking) each, I can't in good conscience say these fall into the "healthy" category.  Amazingly delicious, but more than one, and you'll see it in your waist-line immediately!

Overall Score:

  This one ranks pretty high....will definitely get added to the "cook again" list!

Be sure to check back tomorrow!  Something exotic might be on the menu! 

Greek Pasta and Beef

We love Greek food.  Can't get enough hummus, moussaka, kabobs, etc.  Even our 7-month old gobbles up his pacifier dipped in hummus from our favorite Greek restaurant.

So.  I tried my hand at a Greek Pasta and Beef dish.  And mmmmmmm...

Here goes nothing!

For the beef mixture!

Macaroni, beef, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, egg, Parmesan cheese

Not pictured:  water

Cook macaroni according to package directions.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with onion and garlic over medium heat.

Drain.

Add tomato sauce, water, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked macaroni, egg, and parmesan cheese; set aside.

For the sauce:

Butter, flour, cinnamon, milk, egg, parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan, melt butter.

Stir in flour and cinnamon until smooth.

Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil - cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat.  Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs.  Return all to pan, stirring constantly.

Stir in cheese.

In a greased baking dish, spread half the macaroni mixture.

Top with beef mixture.  (I forgot to snap a picture.)

Top with remaining macaroni mixture.

Pour sauce over the top.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nom your heart out!

Recipe:

Beef mixture:

8 ounces elbow macaroni

.5 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

4 ounces tomato sauce

.25 cup water

.5 teaspoon salt

.25 teaspoon ground cinnamon

.125 teaspoon ground nutmeg

.125 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce:

.5 cup butter

.25 cup flour

.125 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.5 cups milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

.33 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1)  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Drain macaroni.

2)  In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, egg, and Parmesan cheese; set aside.  In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and cinnamon until smooth.  Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3)  Remove from the heat.  Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly.  Stir in cheese.

4)  In a greased 3-quart baking dish, spread half of the macaroni mixture.  Top with beef mixture and remaining macaroni mixture.  Pour sauce over the top.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Strength Modifier:

This was sooo good and filling!!

Intelligence Modifier:

This was extremely easy to put together!

Wisdom Modifier:

 We keep just about everything on hand except things like macaroni, so, it was still very easily obtainable.

Charisma Modifier:

We each at multiple bowls-full.  It was wonderful!

Constitution Modifier:

I used whole wheat macaroni and very lean ground beef, so it wasn't all bad.  Served with a nice salad, I don't think it would put a huge dent in anyone's diet plan.

Overall score:

The highest scoring dish we've made so far!  Would certainly make again!