Baked Homemade Pizza Rolls

Hey guys,

I'm not sure about the rest of you but I was a major fan of pizza rolls growing up. I remember many
times (well in between me eating pot pie, see a few entries back) coming home from school and popping these delish things into the microwave and in 4 minutes I had a tasty snack. They were portable, crunchy, and just plain yum. I guess I shouldn't show them so much love though, they caused extra pounds over the years but then again that's not entirely their fault...right?

So as an ode to my teen years (and this is such an odd ball blog mistress food choice) we're making a
homemade version which is baked (not fried) and is way more healthier than the boxed choices at your local market.

Here's what you'll need:


Baked Homemade Pizza Rolls

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 48 rolls

Ingredients:
*1 tablespoon olive oil
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 large green pepper, diced fine
*1 small onion, diced fine
*2 cups marinara sauce
*1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
*Cooking spray
*1 package wonton wrappers (about 48 wraps)

Instructions:
1. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add in garlic, green pepper and onion. Cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in marinara and mozzarella.

2.Preheat oven to 375°.

3. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange three wonton wrappers along the bottom edge of
the sheet. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into the middle of each wrapper. Using a finger dipped in water, run along the edge of each wrapper and then fold wrapper in half and press down to seal.
Continue until baking sheet is filled with pizza rolls (spaced about 1? apart). Spray tops with cooking
spray and bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until rolls are golden and crispy. Repeat process with remaining wraps and filling.

4. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving (filling will be hot).

WW Points: *1 point per roll





These were really good. Only thing was it needed some seasoning but other than that no complaints
here. :].





Tid Bits:
*There are so many combinations you can make with this recipe. Try out veggie, ham and cheese, or
even alfredo rolls.
*It folded easier with less of the filling so try that out when you make these to prevent the filling from running over.




Ma's Spot: I love pizza rolls but I never buy them. The sodium and fat content are both too high for me. These are a perfect pick for me. They're light, crispy, and delicious. I think this is a great recipe to try with your kids. It is a little time consuming but once you get going with it the process goes by pretty fast. The next time I think I'll make these ahead of time and pop them in a freezer bag for whenever I want a snack they'll be handy for me. So if your family loves pizza rolls and you want to be cautious about the preservatives and the sodium. These are the ones you should make. Personally I loved dipping them in sour cream and chives.




SNACK CORNER:* It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's pick:

WW Points: *7 points for 1/6 of the loaf




Dinah: Tonight's snack is something I'm kinda jazzed for. I'm a huge bread freak. I could honestly eat a plain baguette all by myself (hey, don't judge lol). So when Ma told me we were reviewing bread I was pretty excited. Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Italian Herb bread is quite fabulous. It was super easy to prepare and the dough baked up super soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside. Great all around right? Sure BUT...7 points per slice is a bit too high for me and not really worth it once you see the size you get. As much as my heart leaps for this bread I'm gonna pass from now on. My new smaller jean size will thank me later.



Ma: I'm not much of a bread person but I have to say this was really really really good. We tried the
italian herb so now I'm on a quest to find the others. This was really easy to do. Usually I cringe with the thought of baking anything with yeast in it. When I think of making anything such as bread or rolls I think of my mother. With the bowl on our kitchen counter and going in every 5 minutes and kneeding it. The endless all day task of making homemade bread. Forgive me mom, this was a lot quicker and easier and it turned out very good. So if you're looking for a nice, hot loaf of bread (semi-homemade) then this is the mix for you. Be sure to look on the back there's a lot of cute recipes. Such as the one we bought suggested you add in pepperoni and italian cheese. I'm going to try out that and see what happens. So invite your friends over and say I made a nice loaf of bread would you like a slice? lol They'll never know the difference.



That's it for tonight guys, we'll see you here next Tuesday with another recipe. Have a great week guys!



Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Ma's Alfredo Sausage/Veggie Soup

Hiya guys,

Ever make a recipe from scratch and right off the top of your head and end up loving it? That's Ma's
usual way in the kitchen. So tonight we're making one of her many recipes on the fly. Oh and it includes another of the new Progressive meal starter's. Enough talk let's get to the recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

Ma's Alfredo Sausage/Veggie Soup
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
*1 24 ounce jar of alfredo sauce
*1 Progresso Basal recipe starters
*2 14 ounce cans of mixed veggies drained
*5 medium sized potatoes
*1 package of Butterball polish turkey sausage
*1 32 ounce carton of chicken broth
*2 tablespoons all purpose flour
*1/4 cup of water

Directions:
1. First peel and cut your potatoes into small cubes. Place the cubes into a pot of cold water. Boil them until the potatoes become medium soft. Drain; then take a potato masher and lightly smash the potato cubes but leave a few chunks. Set aside.

2. In a pot add the basal recipe starter, alfredo sauce, your (drained!) mixed veggies, chicken broth, and sausage (cut into cubes). In a seperate bowl put your 2 tablespoons of flour and add the 1/4 cup of water and stir until no lumps can be seen. Add your flour/water mixture (rue) to your pot with other ingredients. Place on stove on medium to low heat for 20 - 25 minutes. Stirring occassionally, be sure to stir the bottom of your pot as soup may stick.

3. After the time is up add your potatoes, stir, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

WW Points: Honestly I couldn't figure this one out, sorry guys!




I absolutely love this soup. No joke this soup is epic with the combination of the alfredo and potatoes.
You guys definitely have to try this one.


Tid Bits:
*Can't find the Progresso recipe starters? Just add another jar of alfredo sauce but lessen your chicken
broth to a 1/2 carton.
*For our vegetarian friends out there (hi, judi!) omit the sausage and use veggie stock instead of chicken broth.
*Please do not use frozen veggies, only canned.



Ma's Spot: During this time of year I make soup 3/4 times a week. Sometimes I look in my cabinets and just throw soups together. That ends up making the best soups. So I encourage you to look in your cabinets and imagine some nice warm soups. You'd be surprised at what winning recipes you can think up. I really love the potatoes in this recipe. It really makes a nice texture and taste. So try this hopefully you'll get your kiddos to eat some veggies.


*SNACK CORNER:* It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's pick:

 

WW Points: *7 for a 1/2 cup


Dinah: The good fellas of Ben and Jerry have come up with tonight's snack. Pumpkin cheesecake is a
limited batch (which makes me sad) for this time of year. While the flavor is jam packed with the taste of actual pumpkin cheesecake (crust and cheesecake? Yes, please) I can't get behind this one because of the points. While I love the awesome guys at B&J I find 7 points to be a bit high for a 1/2 cup of ice cream. Most ice cream's I've come across only have 3 points per 1/2 cup but this one is over double. Sounds worth it? Maybe but not so much to me. So if you're into quality over quanity then this might be your sweet dream come true but I think I'll save my points for something else.


Ma: What can I say about pumpkin that I haven't already said on this blog? How can anyone be sad this time of year with pumpkin/cinnamon flavored everything. When you add pumpkin to cheesecake my mom was truly right when she said you don't need money to make you smile. Let me tell you pumpkin cheesecake ice cream will make me smile for days! Although I don't think my mom meant ice cream. I think she meant the love of your family and the love you have not the material items but mom I'm scoring material items on this one. So if you love ice cream, cheesecake, or just a good pumpkin flavor. Pick this ice cream up and have a smile on your face. :].






That's all for tonight folks. We'll see you here next Tuesday with my next pick. Have a great week guys!




Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Hey blog readers,

Oh the creation that is the pot pie. Is there anything more comfort in the food department than a slice of pot pie? Probably, but we're going with it since it's tonight's dish. Come closer readers it's story time. Growing up my Uncle Charlie was retired and as I would come home from school everyday he would ask the same question: "Dinah Jane, do you want fried bolonga or a piece of pot pie?" Now between the two I have to say the pot pie was more appealing to me so being the good niece I am I took the piece of pot pie and dished on this unique after school "snack". After a while I began to have it so much that the look of it repulsed me. On another occassion he asked me the same question and I would rebuttled with "Uncle Charlie, can't I have a cookie or some fruit snacks instead?" He'd look at me and chuckle then reply with "Aw, come on Dinah Jane have some pot pie." So I did. Over, and over, and OVER. Eventually I quit school and sadly my lovely and amazingly kind pot pie pusher of an uncle passed away 9 years ago due to complications of a massive heart attack. Ever since then I can't tell if it's the inhaling it for years or the thought of missing him that has kept me away from this dish.

Tonight though we're going to give this a shot. I figure since it's my late uncle's birthday this week we should have a dinner in his honor and try out his fave dish. Now, this isn't his recipe but I'd like to think he's like it anyways.

Here's what you'll need:

Classic Chicken Pot Pie
Prep time: 25 Mins.
Total Time: 1 hr. 5 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
Crust: 1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box Filling:

*1/3 cup butter or margarine
*1/3 cup chopped onion
*1/3 cup all-purpose flour
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon pepper
*1 3/4 cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
*1/2 cup milk
*2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
*2 cups Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Directions:
*1 Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.
 
*2 In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

*3 Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

*4 Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

WW Points: *15 per seving



Tid Bits:
*Always butter your pie crust. It'll give you a nice golden top to your pie.
*Don't have time to fool with the flour and butter? Just add a can of cream of chicken soup in place of it. Also add a 1/2 can of milk with it.
*For our vegetarian friends out there (hi, Judi!) just add more veggies instead of the chicken.


Ma's Spot: Unlike my daughter I love pot pies but only homemade. So if you like pot pies and find that the store bought ones have too many calories, too much sodium, etc... this recipe is for you. You can always use the light versions of the ingredients listed. This makes a wonderful warm family dinner. Serve it with a nice salad or a nice loaf of bread. So make this on a nice Sunday night with the tempatures dropping. This will warm you up.


*SNACK CORNER:* It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's pick:

WW Points: *4 per bar



Dinah: Tonight we bring you the latest from Sunbelt Bakery. While personally I haven't tried anything from this company (until now) I was looking forward to trying these out. Simply because of thier cute commercial where the bakery delivery guy brings all these fresh baked goods to the kids in the neighborhood. What? I'm a sucker for a good commercial. Anywho, they have a few different things to try but tonight we went with the Fudge Dipped Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bar. These were pretty awesome. They reminded me of the Little Debbie's Star Crunch. Which is a fave of mine. These are a lot less points than Little Debbie's treat (which is always good). I'd pick these up again. Shhh, not a word to the star crunches.


Ma: I usually don't eat fudge. I hate it. I have to say though these fudge dipped bars really satisfy my sweet tooth. The granola inside was soft and chewy and it had just the right amount of fudge. I also tried the coconut bars as well. They tasted just like a Mounds candy bar just without all the extra calories. So throw one of these in your purse if you're running late and need a quick pick me up. Let's not forget the kids, in their sports bag or lunch boxes. This is a nice little treat for them as well too keep them going. Will I be buying these again? I have to confess I already did. If you like a cold treat pop these in your freezer. In any way you'd like give these delicious bars a try and your tastebuds will say yay!




That's all folks! We'll see you here next Tuesday with more goodies. Have a great week guys!



Spoons & Spatula's ~Dinah & Ma

Pasta Pie

Evening lovely readers,
This whole Pinterest addiction is getting out of control. Now even Ma is picking recipes from there.
*shakes fist* damn you Pinterest and your widly addicting ways. So as mentioned above we've got a
recipe coming to you tonight that is something familiar but with a sahde of difference. It involves
grabbing that....Ha, you thought I was going to say slow cooker didn't you? Soon enough guys! spring
form pan you use to make your fave cheesecakes. Oh and the recipe tonight isn't another cheesecake.
BLT cheesecake recipe from a while back anyone?
Here's what you'll need:

Pasta Pie
Recipe from: Martha Stewart | Serves: 8

Ingredients:
*1 pound Rigatoni
* 2 Tablespoons Olive oil, divided
*1 pound Ground beef (I used ground sirloin)
*2 Garlic gloves, crushed
* 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
*1 can (28 ounces) Good quality crushed tomatoes
*Butter, for pan
*Salt
*1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
*8 ounces Coarsely grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:
*In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes). One pound of pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together. When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.

*Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more. Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

*Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

*Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a
weirdly satisfying task. Enough said.

*Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.

*Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.

 

 

WW Points: *18 Per Serving

 

 

 

Not bad my friends, not bad at all. I'm more on the pasta loving side than the smothered in sauce side so this was right up my alley.

 

 

 

Tid Bits:
*Tip your pan to the side while placing the noodles standing up. Makes things easier.
*Also place a baking sheet under your pan while it bakes. We learned the hard way that the oil leaks

everywhere. Not good times.

 

 

Ma's Spot: I have to admit I thought this recipe would be hard to make. First I was a little worried that I wouldn't get the Rigatoni cooked just right. It turned out perfect though. I love the simple sauce that was made. I also loved how after the noodles were cooked they were tossed in olive oil and parmesan cheese. If you don't like a pasta dinner with heavy sauce then this one is for you. I was pretty impressed with us because I didn't think we could get the noodles to stand up straight but we did. This dish in my eyes was a winner. I couldn't believe how wonderfully it sliced while the noodles stayed together. Very few ingredients which wasn't too bad on the wallet. Definitely a keeper.

 

 

 

*SNACK CORNER:* It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's pick

 

WW Points: *13

Dinah:
 So tonight we decided to venture out to our local Baskin Robbins and try the Waffle Dippers.
Thing nachos only with ice cream and chip like pieces of waffle cone. Yeah, I think it's genius too. So in this treat you get a variety of chocolate and vanilla waffle cones with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream drenched in the topping of your choice (a big thank you to the fella at Baskin Robbins for giving this allergic to peanuts girl Oreo's as her topping). Now this is 13 points but honestly it's worth it. The huge dessert is beyond filling and comes together nicely. no fuss, no muss of it melting down the cone. Oh and did I mention it only costs $2.99? Deal? Indeed my friend, indeed.


Ma: Can I just say how much I love this little treat? This to me was the perfect little ice cream treat.
There wasn't too much ice cream and the waffle chips had a wonderfully nice crunchy texture. I will
definitely be getting this again.



Aw, that's it for tonight. We'll see you back here next week with more food goodness. Have a great
week guys!

Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma