Recipe of the Week: Pizza Burgers Our Way

This recipe has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. That said, the original ingredients list bears little resemblance to pizza or anything Italian, and the hot open-faced sandwiches aren't (as the name may imply), a burger.

But they are delicious, fast and easy, AND they can be frozen and baked later (something my organized mother does when she's cooking for a crowd, while I tend to just whip 'em up on the fly.) I've also altered them slightly over the years, to accommodate my own children's preferences for pepperoni over hamburger. Either way, they are an easy weeknight meal (pair them with a salad and some oven fries or tater tots) or a perfect after school snack for hungry kids.

Pizza Burgers

Mom's Ingredients:
1 pound hamburger
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme blend)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 package hamburger buns

Daughter's Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound sausage or 4 ounces coarsely chopped pepperoni
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme blend)
1-2 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 small onion, diced fine
1 loaf french bread split horizontally


Directions for both versions:
Brown ground beef (or beef and sausage). If using fresh garlic and onion, saute with meat. Drain well and set aside. In large bowl, combine cheese, tomato soup, and seasonings. Add meat, stir to combine. spread on open buns or bread and bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until topping is bubbling and cheese has melted. (Lining your pan with foil makes cleanup easier.) Serve hot. If using French bread, simply slice with a pizza cutter into 2" wide strips. Serves 6-8.

Note:  the filling can be mixed up and refrigerated or frozen (thaw before using.) If your family likes Bagel Bites, pick up some mini bagels in your bakery and try topping them with either of these fillings; reduce baking time slightly. No matter how you make or use this recipe, it is a guaranteed hit with your kids (and probably any kids-at-heart, too.)

Happy cooking!

A perfect Saturday with me, myself and I

I should preface this by saying I L.O.V.E. my family beyond words.  And 51 weekends out of 52, I can't wait to spend time with as many of them as I can.

But occasionally I get an opportunity to enjoy my own company and this is one such weekend. Did I mention that Mr. Official and all our offspring loooove snow skiing?  They do. I, however, do not enjoy cold weather or anything involving staying outdoors for extended periods of time in the winter.  A pesky hiatal hernia  has been fixed once, but threatens to return every time I try certain activities, namely white water rafting and snow tubing.  Those are my excuses and I'm sticking to them.

Friday was taken up with driving the swim taxi to and from our regional swim meet in Nashville, then ferrying swimmer girl and her daddy to meet the church bus headed for Perfect North slopes, rushing back to the 'boro to pick up middle child's prescription and snagging a quick drive-thru meal to eat while figuring out how to manipulate our television and surround sound system.  I figured it out and actually watched a few hours of television before dropping into bed and dreaming of my perfect Saturday.

So what does a perfect Saturday alone consist of?  For starters, it starts late.  Guilt-free sleeping in is practically required.  After a leisurely start to my morning, I took advantage of the springlike temperatures and climbed up in the attic to try to make some sense of the Christmas stuff that got pitched up there.  (And uh, added a few boxes of Christmas stuff that were still hanging out in the dining room.  For shame.)  While the washer and dryer were getting a workout, I decided to get at least one  master bedroom chore done for this week in Flylady's world, and I turned and spun the king-size mattress around after pulling off the bedding and sending it to the laundry.  (At one point, I envisioned a crime scene photo in our local newspaper, with a caption reading "woman found pinned under mattress.  No foul play suspected.")

Today's shade: "O'Hare and Nails Look Great!"

With the morning chores done, I let the pooch out for some afternoon sunbathing.  Meanwhile I dug out a pair of last summer's flipflops and headed to Sonic for a cherry Coke Zero during happy hour, then on to my favorite little in-and-out pedicure place for some long-overdue foot therapy.

God bless pleasant pedicurists who know how to deal with calloused feet.  And O.P.I. nail polish with its amazing array of  colors and whimsical names.  What a difference a shiny coat of Valentine-y red paint can make on a girl's mood!

Next up:  nap time.  Yes, a real, bona fide nap, followed by a call-in pizza order for a pepperoni, mushroom and onion pie.  I'm always outvoted by the naysayers on the 'shrooms so I took full advantage of this opportunity to savor them all over my pizza.  Yumm.  And now I'm settled in for an evening of reading and movie watching with a fire in the fireplace. 

It's not that I did anything special.  But I did exactly what I wanted to do, and that made it a totally perfect day.  For every mom out there who thinks this kind of "me time" will never happen, take heart:  it will.  And if need be, you can speed it along by encouraging your kids and their dad to take up activities that aren't your idea of a good time.  Sooner or later, you can stand back and wave goodbye and assure them you'll be just fine without them.  Try not to smirk as they drive away.

Happy weekend!

Recipe of the Week: Mexican Pizza

Several years ago, I attended a Pampered Chef's party and the hostess made a scrumptious "Mexican Pizza" with a cornbread crust. I faithfully clung to the brochure with the recipe for years, but during one of our two most recent moves, it got lost in the shuffle.


I tried to make the recipe from memory a few times, but my efforts were less-than-successful (I couldn't get the crust right, and didn't remember the exact measurements.)  I begged all my friends with Pampered Chef connections to help me track down the recipe, but no one remembered it or had a copy of it.  I had given up on it until early this year when I came across a posted copy of the original recipe again.  That's also when I realized how much I had modified the toppings!  So here's my rendition of this delicious, easy recipe.  It makes a great appetizer, game-day food or weeknight dinner.

Mexican Pizza with Cornbread Crust

Crust:
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Stir crust ingredients together. Place on pizza stone or greased pizza pan. Let rest 3 to 4 minutes, then use a rolling pin to make a 12 to 15-inch circle (or square it off if you're going to cut it in squares). Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven.

Topping:
1 pound hamburger, browned and drained
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 can refried beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained (hot or mild, you choose)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown and drain hamburger. Mix in taco seasoning and water, according to package directions. Cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat.

Spread par-baked crust with refried beans; top with browned and seasoned hamburger, Rotel tomatoes and cheese. Return to oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until top is bubbly and golden.

Makes 8 slices or 16 squares

Happy eating!