Pizza Poppers Recipe

Our family does appetizers and finger foods for Christmas and I wanted to take something different this year, so I ask my Facebook friends for some recommendations of their favorite recipes for easy appetizers. Courtney from Timeless N Chic, said Pizza Puffs and shared a recipe from Pinterest. 

I love pizza, could seriously eat it all the time (but I don't) and they looked good, so I give it a try! I did tweak the original version, because we are beef people, instead of the sausage that was called for in the original recipe. I also added more spices and seasonings. They were a hit at the Christmas gathering and Jeff has been asking "when are you going to make more Pizza Poppers" almost every single day since then! 

I made Pizza Poppers for supper one night this week and documented with pictures and wrote down my version, so I thought I would share with all of you! I think it would be a hit for Super Bowl parties or any other party where finger foods are on the menu. I love to dip them in marinara sauce. Jeff likes them with spicy mustard. Ranch dip would also be an option. 

First step - Brown a half pound of ground beef in a cast iron skillet, coated with olive oil cooking spray.  I chopped two cloves of garlic, threw in a generous portion of minced onion, some salt, fresh ground pepper, and about a teaspoon of garlic and herb seasoning. Somehow, I ran out of Italian seasoning and didn't realize it, so either one you have will work just fine. 

On a side note, how neat is this skillet handle? My mom crocheted a set of towels, pot holder, and this handle cover for a Christmas gift! 

While the meat is cooking, grate 2 cups of Parmesan cheese. 

At this point, I was reminded of another recent Facebook conversation where we discussed the 

"oldest thing you own and still use." 

I have many of my Grandmama's old kitchen utensils, including the All-in-One Cheese Grater, the copper colored measuring cups, and stainless steel mixing bowls. While probably not that old, I love the mixing bowls. They are light weight and those little thumb hooks are the best! We've got newer ceramic mixing bowls and I seldom, if ever use them. I believe the cheese grater is from the 1950's.  

My kitchen is not fancy or full of the newest kitchen gadgets. We have a small house, therefore space is limited. We use what we have and what works best for us. My sweet Grandmama died just a few months before we got married and I was fortunate to get some of her kitchen items and sewing machine (that I can't date, but that's another post.) You may notice that I used a pudding bowl for serving the marinara in. I've also been known to serve dips in wine glasses or cute coffee mugs! 

 When I post a picture of my vintage style canisters, someone will always ask where I got them. I've had them for years, although I did a search and found them on Amazon, so you can still get them!
(aff link)

Now, back to cooking - stir together the two cups of cheese, 1 1/2 cups baking mix (such as Jiffy or other biscuit mix), additional teaspoon of Italian or garlic and herb seasoning, and a third of a cup of chopped pepperoni in a mixing bowl. I used pepperoni with jalapenos for a little extra kick.

When beef mixture is cooked, stir into biscuit mix. (I use lean ground beef, so I don't have to drain meat.) Add 6-7 tablespoons of buttermilk to create a batter. Then spoon or shape into balls on cookie sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

You can easily double the recipe for a crowd or reheat leftovers. This made 26 pizza biscuit bites this week and we will eat about 3 meals (6 servings from this recipe). All the flavors of pizza, without having to roll out a pizza crust. 

Hope you enjoy them and please let me know if you try them! 

Supper

Around these parts, we refer to the evening meal as "Supper." Dinner is what you eat at midday. Occasionally it's referred to as lunch, if'n you are in town. 

Today, I felt inspired to cook a big supper. We usually don't eat too much in the evening time and hardly ever go out to eat. Tonight we are stuffed and have plenty of left overs for the week. (Read, I don't have to cook again anytime soon.) 

It all started with this Bloomin' Onion. I saw the recipe in Mary Janes Farm Magazine. Enlarge the picture to see the recipe better. Now, I'm not even a fan of onions, but this was good! I had to gather a few special ingredients at the grocery store today. We aren't fancy eaters and I had never used a few things this recipe called for, but I was up to trying something different. 

I really didn't know what horseradish was, but after looking around the store, finally found this root. Anybody know any other good uses for this thing or how to store it? One good thing about this recipe is the onion was baked, not fried, like at the popular restaurants. We rarely fry anything, in an effort to eat healthier. This root looks like the stem if a pumpkin! 

We grilled corn on the cob, a small beef arm roast, and fresh herb flavored hamburgers. We had bought the beef last week and then the Mr got sick, I was super busy, and it didn't get cooked during the week. 

Finally, for desert, we had apple crisp. Except, we are really too full to eat it! My husband complained that the green apples we had weren't very tasty, so I figured a little cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg would add some flavor. 

 I guess my inspiration for cooking was more about using up groceries on hand. I hate having to waste food. Now we have plenty of left overs to eat for dinner or supper this week. 

(You can find the grilled herb burger and apple crisp recipe on my Pinterest Food board.)