Pizza Pinwheels

Happy Finals Week, Everyone!
To some of you: Congratulations!

Can you believe another year has passed? Four? (Maybe more for others?)
If you are still stuck studying, cooking can be a real drag when you get home.
I discovered these little bites while browsing on Pinterest: Pepperoni Pizza Puff Pastry Rollups from www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com

These are so easy and can be made fairly quickly once the puff pastry is thawed.
Even better:  If you don't want to use both roll-ups all at once, wrap one of them into Seran (plastic) wrap and freeze for a future date.

Good luck, Jon, Anthony, Jack, Julianne, advancing college students and other graduates!

Equipment:
Baking Sheet with a rim

Parchment Paper
Rolling Pin

Ingredients:
2 sheets Puff Pastry (ie Pepperidge Farms)
2 Tbls pizza sauce

1/2 - 3/4 cup Mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup pepperoni bites
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
Sprinkle fresh or dried oregano / thyme / marjoram (whatever you have or all three)
Fresh pepper

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Preheat your oven to 400F degrees.
3. Prep your baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Allow your sheets of puff pastry to thaw so that they don't crack or break. Be patient.
5. Once softened, roll out the puff pastry with a little flour.

6. Add your pizza sauce.

7. Add your mozzarella.

8. Add the pepperoni.

9. Add your parmesan, herbs and pepper.

10. Begin rolling up the entire concoction. If too soft, wrap it in plastic wrap and freezes for 15 minutes.

11. Slice your pinwheels approx. 1/2" thick or according to your preference.

12. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Pop In Your Mouth

So, this weekend was the weekend of trying new recipes and planning for our annual Oscar Night party--all the while keeping my eyes open for recipes easily made by the budget-conscious college student.  I have to say Huffington Post kept me supplied with some great blogs like the one I posted two days ago (The Feta Dip), and the one I'm posting today: Pop In Your Mouth Puff Pastry Bites!

(Adapted from abigmouthful.com blog)

Equipment:

Mid-size Muffin Tins

PAM Spray

Mixing Bowl

Ingredients:

2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed

2 Tbls olive oil

2 medium onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced (I used fresh instead of garlic powder)

1/2 lb fresh spinach

7 eggs

1/4 cup heavy cream

5 oz feta, crumbled

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash Your Hands.

2. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and spray muffin tin(s).

3. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the thawed puff pastry into even squares, approx 9 per sheet.

4. Roughly stretch and press each square into the muffin tins.

5. Prep your onion and garlic.

6. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and saute onions until translucent.

7. Add garlic and spinach.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cover with a lid.

8. The spinach will cook down. Stir occasionally.  Set aside and cool.

9. Whisk eggs together into a custard, then add feta, nutmeg, and salt & pepper.

10. Add the cooled spinach mixture to the custard.

10. Spoon custard into the muffin tins approx 3/4 full.

11. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until puff pastry golden brown.

Artichoke, Red Onion and Feta Tart

Earlier this week I published a quick and easy dessert recipe involving puff pastry.  Originally, I had planned to feature a savory and sweet option, but then realized it might be better to just focus on one.  Today, we will use the same steps but use savory ingredients combined with puff pastry to create a quick appetizer or late night alternative to pizza.

Equipment:

Baking sheet or jelly roll pan (baking sheet with edges)

Parchment paper

Small mixing bowl

Fork or whisk

Ingredients:

4 ounces of crumbled feta

1-2 Tbls of half-and-half or cream

14 oz jar of marinated artichokes, drained
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Fresh herbs, ie basil, oregano, or majoram, chopped ( or dried )

Puff pastry, thawed & unfolded

1 Egg, slightly beaten with 1 tsp water

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

3. Un-Roll puff pastry onto baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Use a knife to score the puff pastry along the edges, leaving a 1/2-3/4 inch border.

5. Combine crumbled feta and cream into a coarse, spreadable mixture.  If you have a blender or magic bullet, you can use this instead.  Add liquid to get a spreadable consistency, but not runny!!

6. Scatter artichokes across the feta-mixture.
7. Add red onions & herbs (or dried spices).

8. Drizzle with a little olive oil & pepper.

9. Brush (or use your fingers / hand) edges with egg wash.

10. Bake @ 425F x 10-15 minutes until edges start browning, then decrease heat to 350F.

11. Bake another 20-25 minutes until crust golden brown.

Don't blink here because you might just miss getting a piece.
Feel free to experiment with mushrooms, leek, zucchini, squash, and other cheeses.  The puff pastry is really just a canvas for ideas.  

Peach and Blueberry Tart

Stone fruit and berries are some of summer's best gifts to all of us: peaches, plums, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries.  I remember climbing trees and gorging myself on the very sweetest cherries and plums, and spending hot afternoons in my grandmother's backyard picking berries so I could add whipped cream for a quick dessert.  

Take advantage of their sweetness with this quick and tasty recipe on a budget: Peach-Blueberry or Blackberry Tart.  If you like a little variety, make half the tart apple and the other half peach--just mix it up--try your own combo.  You pretty much can't go wrong.  Add a can of Redi-Whip, and you are golden! 

Check it out!

Equipment:

Baking sheet or jelly roll pan (baking sheet with edges)

Parchment paper

Medium mixing bowl

Small mixing bowl

Fork or whisk

Ingredients:

3-4 peaches or nectarines, crescent sliced 

Pint of fresh blueberries or blackberries

1/2 jar strawberry or apricot jam

1 Tbls orange juice or apple juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon 

Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon (avoids fruit from oxidizing)

Puff pastry, thawed & unfolded

1 Egg, slightly beaten with 1 tsp water

Powdered sugar

Balsamic Glaze (optional since adds to cost. use only if you already have it in your pantry)

RediWhip

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

3. Un-Roll puff pastry onto baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Use a knife to score the puff pastry along the edges, leaving a 1/2-3/4 inch border.

5. Microwave jam with juice until slightly "soupy".  Spread a thin layer within the scored area of the puff pastry.

6. Slice fruits (and peel if necessary) into crescent shaped pieces.

7. Toss fruit with sugar, lemon, and cinnamon.

8. Layer fruit slices onto jam mixture to barely overlap each other from one end to the next.

9. Drizzle fruit with remaining warm jam mixture.  

10. Dot the fruit with butter.

11. Brush (or use your fingers / hand) edges with egg wash.

12. Bake @ 425F x 10-15 minutes until edges start browning, then decrease heat to 350F.

13. Bake another 20-25 minutes until crust golden brown.

14. Add Balsamic Glaze. Or Vanilla Ice Cream. Or Redi-whip.  Or all three.
15. You decide how far you're going to take it.