Pizza Crust Bread Pudding

If your family is anything like mine, a pizza dinner always ends in a big ol' pile of pizza crusts. Unless the crust is stuffed with cheese or incredibly yummy a few pieces might get eaten with dipping sauce, but that's about it. So I did something about it. Save the pizza crust!

Salvage those pizza crusts and make this fabulous Pizza Crust Bread Pudding!

I turned those sad and lonely, unwanted pizza crusts into a pizza crust bread pudding. It turned out fabulous! I went with a pizza flavor profile. It is pizza crust, after all.

Nacho Round Up

SUPER BOWL! The Super Bowl is just around the corner, y'all. Are you football food ready? If you're in need of upping your nacho game, you've come to the right place. I'm talking more nachos than you could ever dream of making - and they can all be made in a sheet pan in less than 10 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos

One of my favorites are these Buffalo Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos smothered with sharp cheddar and chunks of chicken, drizzled with spicy buffalo sauce and sour cream, and sprinkled with celery, green onions, fresh matoes, and crumbled blue cheese.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Sheet Pan Nachos

I also love this dip inspired version - Spinach & Artichoke Dip Sheet Pan Nachos topped with Mozzarella, Monterey jack, Cotija, and an easy peasy stove top spinach and artichoke dip. Creamy, cheesy, and packed with flavor!

Game Day Jalapeño Cheddar Bacon Dogs

You guys. These dogs. You have to make these dogs. They are A-MAZING! I know I say that about a lot of things. But these really are the best game day dogs of all time. You just have to try them.




Bacon wrapped all beef dogs are roasted or grilled to crispy awesomeness. The buns are buttered and toasted ever so briefly. Then, they're topped with sharp cheddar, jalapeños, and crispy fried onions. Can I get a "game on?"





Since most of the country is under heavy snow I made these glorious dogs by roasting and toasting in my handy dandy oven. All you's guys out here in California, feel free to use your grills. Ha!




Start by wrapping each wiener in a slice of bacon securing with toothpicks on either end. I load them onto a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean up.




Roast 'em for about 45 minutes checking and turning every 15 minutes or so. Then, set them on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess grease.

During the last 5 minutes of roasting, you can slide in another pan of face down buttered buns to toast up to perfection.

Top each delectable delight of a hot dog with shredded sharp cheddar, briny jalapeños, and crispy fried onions. A game day dream come true, y'all!




Game or no game, make these dogs!

Game Day Jalapeño Cheddar Bacon Dogs

INGREDIENTS
1 package all beef hot dogs (I used Oscar Meyer)
8 to 10 slices of bacon or 1 slice per dog
toothpicks to secure
1 package hot dog buns (I used Ball Park)
1/2 a stick of softened butter for toasting buns
about 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
about 1 cup jarred jalapeños
about 1 cup French's crispy fried onions

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wrap each wiener with a slice of bacon securing with a toothpick at either end.
3. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and roast about 45 minutes, checking and turning every 15 minutes.
4. While dogs are roasting, open up the buns and spread with butter. Place face down on another foil-lined baking sheet. Slide into the oven the last 4 or 5 minutes of roasting.
5. Place dogs on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess grease.
6. Put your hot dogs together sprinkling on some cheddar, peños, and fried onions onto each.

Savory Holiday Leftovers Bread Pudding

We're still rock'n the leftovers over here in Loverbee Land. It was just Matthew, the kids, and I this year, and our littles pretty much only eat turkey. That means that the hubbs and I are left with lotsa leftovers. To break up the monotony of turkey dinner plates, I whipped up one of my favorite recipes - savory bread pudding.

This rich and fluffy Savory Holiday Leftovers Bread Pudding takes leftovers to a whole new level!

Savory bread pudding is one of my favorite comfort food dinners. This holiday leftovers version boasts forks full of fluffy eggy custard filled with all kinds of cheese and holiday leftover goodness. Yum and double yum!

I used roasted turkey and broccoli cheddar cornbread stuffing casserole for this recipe. Ham, prime rib roast, or any other holiday meat, and any kind of stuffing or dressing will work just as well.




This Savory Holiday Leftovers Bread Pudding begins with a buttered 3 quart casserole dish.




Break up about four cups of stuffing into the bottom of the dish.




Top with a couple cups of chopped roast turkey. I'm getting hungry already!




Finally, sprinkle on a cup of parmesan, reggiano, and/or asiago shredded cheese.




Mix up your custard, pour over the goodies, and push them down into the mixture a bit.




Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the center springs back when you poke it. Keep in mind that the pudding will take longer to cook if your stuffing/dressing was really moist and less time if it was more dry.

Serve this Savory Holiday Leftovers Bread Pudding with leftover cranberry sauce or gravy.

Serve with leftover cranberry sauce and/or gravy.

Savory Holiday Leftovers Bread Pudding

INGREDIENTS
4 cups leftover stuffing or dressing
2 cups chopped roast turkey or other leftover holiday meat
3/4 to 1 cup parmesan, reggiano, and/or asiago shredded cheese
6 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp ground dry mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 3 quart casserole dish.
2. Break up the stuffing into small chunks into the bottom of your dish.
3. Sprinkle on the turkey and then the cheese.
4. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then whisk in the the rest of the ingredients.
5. Pour the custard over the casserole and push the goodies down into the mixture a bit.
6. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top middle springs back when you gently poke it. The more moist your stuffing, the longer it will take to bake.
7. Serve with leftover cranberry sauce and/or gravy.

What's for Dinner? Our Favorite Enchilada Casserole

Enchiladas. I looooooooove me some enchiladas. Every time I go to a Mexican restaurant I order the cheese enchilada plate. I know, I know, how boring and unadventurous. What can I say? I love enchiladas! When I'm at home, however, I don't want to be standing over a hot stove dunking hot tortillas in oil and sauce, tediously rolling them up while trying to keep the filling inside and the tortillas from breaking and MY SANITY FORM FLYING OUT THE WINDOW! (deep breaths) So, I make Our Favorite Enchilada Casserole instead.

Our Favorite Enchilada Casserole is how I do enchiladas at my house.

This casserole is cheesy and meaty and jam-packed with flavor. It's everything I love about enchiladas, without all the fuss.





The key to this casserole is lots and lots o' sauce. (I also have a couple of secret ingredients that add loads of flavor. More on that in a bit.) I learned the hard way, over years and years of enchilada casserole making, that too little sauce will leave your casserole high and dry. So, I use a whole 28 ounces.



I also cut my tortillas in half so there's less tortilla overlap. I'm trying to avoid sauceless cheeseless layers of corn tortilla that heighten the dryness factor.

Okay, so, my secret ingredients. First, I use a packet of taco seasoning to season my ground beef. I'm going for layers of flavor with this dish. Btw, I don't follow the instructions on the packet. I sprinkle it right over the beef like I would sprinkle on salt and pepper. The beef gets coated with flavor. So delish. Second, I add Cotija along with Monterey Jack to each cheesy layer. Cotija is a salty Mexican cheese packed with flavor. Can you tell I like flavor - and salt? 😉

I start the process by lightly spraying a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with oil and laying down a layer of sauce. Then, a layer of corn tortillas goes down with more sauce on top of that to completely cover the tortillas. I add plenty of Monterey Jack and Cotija, and then a sprinkling of meaty beefy goodness. Then, I repeat the layers two more times ending with a final layer of corn tortillas, over which I pour all the rest of the sauce and a final topping of cheese.




After 35 to 45 minutes in the oven, my bubbly, melty, flavor-packed casserole is ready for a sprinkling of green onions. I serve this casserole with sour cream and a great big smile.

Our Favorite Enchilada Casserole

INGREDIENTS
olive oil spray
1 lb ground beef
1 1.25 oz packet taco seasoning
About 20 corn tortillas, cut in half
28 oz enchilada sauce
5 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Cotija cheese
1/3 cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS
1. Spray a medium skillet with oil spray and heat over medium high heat.
2. Add ground beef, sprinkle with taco seasoning, and brown. Drain any excess grease.
3. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Lay down a layer of sauce.
4. Lay down a layer of tortillas being careful not to overlap them too much. Completely cover the tortilla layer with sauce.
5. Sprinkle on a healthy cup of Monterey Jack and a healthy 1/3 cup of Cotija.
7. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the taco meat.
8. Repeat the layers two more times.
9. Cover with a final layer of corn tortillas, all the rest of the sauce (even if it seems like too much), and the rest of the cheese.
10. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until bubbly and brown.
11. Sprinkle with green onions.