Best of the Month October 2015

A recap of my most popular recipes from last month (October 2015).

I took some time off this month so not only are these recipes the most viewed of October 2015, but they are also my only recipes from this month.  I hope you enjoy(ed) them.

Check out my #bestrecipes of Oct | #BestoftheMonth Oct 2015  [Tweet this]

First let's look back at 2013's best of October:

Slow Cooker Roast Beef Sandwiches

Beef roast slow cooked in broth and beer until tender then placed on a baguette and topped with melted cheese.  The cooking liquid can be used as a dipping sauce.  Now has 1766 views, 48 +1s, 388 pins, and 37 'yums'.  This is one of the most popular recipes on my blog.

#BestoftheMonth Oct: #SlowCooker RoastBeefSandwiches from 2013  [Tweet this]

and 2014's best of October:

Loco Moco

White rice, smothered in brown gravy and a beef patty, topped with a fried egg.  The Hawaiian breakfast of champions.  Now has 896 views, 47 +1s, 56 pins, and 39 'yums'.

#BestoftheMonth October: #LocoMoco from 2014  [Tweet this]

Now this years best of October:

Slow Cooker Shredded Barbecue Chicken

A very simple and delicious recipe with only 2 ingredients, cooked in a slow cooker.  Great for parties, gameday, or weeknight dinners.  This is a re-post from September of 2013.  It was one of my best of the month recipes then and now.  Now it has 1189 views, 51 +1s, 73 pins, and 47 'yums'.

#SlowCooker ShreddedBBQChicken | #BestoftheMonth Oct2015  [Tweet this]

Easy Marinara Sauce

A quick and simple marinara sauce made with tomato paste and spices.  Great for pizzas and dipping.  314 views, 33 +1s, 31 pins, and 40 'yums'.

Easy #Marinara Sauce | #BestoftheMonth Oct2015  [Tweet this]

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Meat

A simple slow cooker recipe of chicken cooked in salsa and spices.  Great for tacos, taco salad, burritos, or even over rice.  233 views, 41 +1s, 13 pins, and 8 'yums'.

#SlowCooker ChickenTacoMeat | #BestoftheMonth Oct2015  [Tweet this]

Spanakopita Quesadilla

A fusion of Mexican and Greek cuisines.  Spinach, feta, and mozzarella packed into a whole wheat tortilla and fried.  214 views, 73 +1s, 21 pins, and 8 'yums'.

#Spanakopita Quesadilla | #BestoftheMonth Oct2015  [Tweet this]

Crispy Pizza Sticks

Crispy cheesy bread sticks with garlic and salami dipped in marinara sauce.  A great finger food for gameday or a snack any day.  163 views, 35 +1s, 22 pins, and 1 'yum'.

Crispy #Pizza Sticks | #BestoftheMonth Oct2015  [Tweet this]

Check out my bests of October from previous years:

Best of the Month October 2013

Best of the Month October 2014

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Crispy Pizza Sticks

Crispy cheesy bread sticks with garlic and salami dipped in marinara sauce.  A great finger food for gameday or a snack any day.

I came up with this recipe on the fly when I was home alone so it only makes one serving...maybe two if you aren't too hungry.  I had one pizza dough leftover from making Spinach Artichoke Pizzas (I'll post about it soon) and wanted an easy, crunchy snack.  Have I mentioned that crunchy/crispy is my favorite (food) texture? Does anyone else have a favorite texture or am I just weird like that?  Anyway, I made these pizza sticks crunchy by baking the crust twice.

Do you have a favorite food texture? Mine's crunchy  [Tweet this]

I prefer to bake most things in my toaster oven and love that it's big enough to fit a frozen pizza.  When you bake frozen pizzas it always says to bake it directly on the rack for a crispier crust.  You can't bake dough directly on the rack though so I spread the dough on a baking sheet and baked it until it was light golden brown and sturdy enough to re-bake (with toppings) directly on the rack.  This worked great for a crispy crunchy pizza snack. And if you don't care if the crust is crispy just bake it all only once in the pan.

Crispy Pizza Sticks are perfect #snack for the #toasteroven  [Tweet this]

Crispy Pizza Sticks

Cook time:  20 minutes
Servings:  1-2 (use more dough and a bigger pan to serve more people)

Ingredients:

200g pizza dough, at room temperature (store-bought or your favorite recipe)
Butter
Garlic powder
Mozzarella
Salami (optional)
Easy Marinara Sauce

Spread pizza dough into an 8-inch pizza pan (I used an 8x8 inch square baking sheet which is close enough).  The dough should be about 1/4 inch thin.

Bake the dough (I used my toaster oven) at 450 for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  If you have a pizza stone you can skip these first two steps, proceed with the rest of the instructions, and bake the pizza directly on the stone...or if you don't care if the crust is crispy, just skip this first bake, top the dough as below, and bake in the pan.

Allow the baked dough (crust) to cool slightly and remove from pan (you can even do this ahead of time and freeze the pizza crust for later use--just thaw before continuing).

Spread the crust all over with butter, sprinkle on garlic powder (garlic butter made with roasted garlic would be even better if you have it), and as much cheese as you like.  Then top with salami.

Place the crust back in the oven, directly on the rack, and bake at 450F for about 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted and browned around the edges.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly and cut into sticks.

Serve Pizza Sticks with Easy Marinara Sauce for dipping.

Enjoy.

If you love pizza check out these recipes:

Focaccia Pizza       -

Meatball Calzones     -

Cheese Steak Stromboli

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Easy Marinara Sauce

A quick and simple marinara sauce made with tomato paste and spices.  Great for pizzas and dipping.

I make this marinara sauce often.  It's so simple and delicious and can be whipped up in no time.  I never buy store bought marinara sauce because this is so easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand (it's also probably cheaper than store bought).  This will be your new favorite marinara sauce soon too.

Easy Marinara Sauce will be your new favorite  [Tweet this]

Tomato paste is the main ingredient in this sauce.  I always have tomato paste in my pantry.  It's useful in so many recipes and has great tomato flavor.  All that's needed for this recipe is a well-stocked spice cabinet (just common spices), tomato paste, and water.

I always have tomatopaste in my pantry  [Tweet this]

Easy Marinara Sauce

Prep time:  under 10 minutes
Servings:  4

Ingredients:

1 6oz can tomato paste
6-12 oz water
1-2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)

Empty the can of tomato paste into a small bowl.  Add the water (I refill the tomato paste can as a measurement) a little at a time, stirring until the sauce is the consistency you desire.

Add spices and stir well until combined (you may want to add a little more water).  Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

The sauce is ready to use immediately but tastes best once it has set a while for the flavors to meld.

Makes about 2 cups of marinara sauce (about 4 servings).  Use as a pizza sauce or as a dip for bread sticks, mozzarella sticks, garlic bread, calzones or stromboli, whatever you like.

Enjoy.

For more tomato paste recipes check out:

Simple Pasta Sauce   -

Homemade Bloody Mary Mix

Meatball Calzones    -

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Meatball Calzones

Hot gooey cheese and meatballs folded inside a soft and chewy pizza crust. 

I love pizza.  I love making homemade pizza too, but my oven sucks.  I live in an apartment so I don't have my dream oven and gradually my current oven has become worse and worse.  It still works for many things and breads and pizzas turn out okay if I bake them on an AirBake pan, but I can't use my baking stone anymore :(  The problem is that breads burn on the bottom before they start to brown on top.  The way I've dealt with this is just baking breads and pizzas on one of my AirBake cookie sheets in the center of the oven. It works and I still enjoy my baked products, but they just don't get the same crisp/crunchy-ness as when I use the stone.

Now that I've complained....let's get to calzones. I like to think of calzones as individual pizzas folded in half.  Some people say that there should be no sauce inside the calzone, but I say, "do whatever you want".  Personally I put a little inside but kept most for dipping.  As for my pizza sauce, I make an easy marinara out of tomato paste.  It's easy and inexpensive.  I always keep tomato paste stocked in my pantry (it's great for so many things. Have you seen my Homemade Bloody Mary Mix or my Simple Pasta Sauce?).

Easy Marinara Sauce

1 6oz can tomato paste
1-2 cups water
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried minced onions
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Parmesan (optional)

Mix the tomato paste with water until it is the consistency you like.  Stir in the herbs and spices and let sit for about 1 hour.  You may need to add more water to get it to the right consistency.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Just microwave to heat or enjoy cold or at room temperature.  Once again, do what you like it's pizza there shouldn't be so many rules.

Meatball Calzones

Ingredients:

16 oz (1 lb or 453g--I usually round up to 500g) pizza dough
15-20 pre-cooked Italian meatballs, split in half (Check out my Slow Cooker Meatballs)
Mozzarella, shredded
Easy Marinara Sauce

Start with your favorite pizza dough.  After mixing and kneading allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.  Separate into 4 roughly equal pieces and roll into balls.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Using one ball of dough at a time, roll/press into about a 6-9in circle (like a pizza).

Spread a spoon-full of marinara onto half of the circle.  Top with 1/4 of the meatballs and a hand-full of cheese then fold the other half over (you will have to pull and stretch) and seal the seam by pinching and folding.

Place the calzone on a baking sheet and cover while you make the rest.

Bake at 425F for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Brush hot calzones with garlic butter for extra deliciousness.  Serve with extra marinara for dipping.

Enjoy.

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