Pepperoni and Cheese Stuffed Cresent Rolls with Marinara

I wanted to make an easy meal,  and this was just the thing. Flakey,  buttery, cresent rolls, with a gooey, cheesy, pepperoni studded filling.  Oh yes! 

You will need:

• Can of tomato sauce
• 1 package of your favorite type of crescent rolls (I used the butter flake, 8 ct)
• mini pepperoni
• mozzarella, shredded about 1/4 cup
• monterrey jack, shredded about 1/4 cup
• Munster cheese, shredded about 1/4 cup
• Italian seasoning
• Oregano
• thyme
• Granulated garlic 
• Granulated onion 
• basil
• parsley
• sugar

After looking through the recipe list, I'm sure you're wondering where the measurements for the spices are. If it's a recipe I created myself, I always season to taste,  so I will have pictures lower down demonstrating how much I added. As for the Italian seasoning, it does have all the other spices I listed,  as well as some others (bay leaf, dried bell pepper, fennel, etc.), I like having more of those certain spices in my sauce, so I added more. I used Del Alpe brand Italian seasoning,  and it's kind of hard to find,  unless you happen have an Italian market nearby.  That being said,  use whatever Italian seasoning you can find,  or prefer. 

To begin, put the tomato sauce in a small saucepan,  on medium heat. Add the spices.

 Oregano

 Granulated garlic

 Basil

 Thyme

 Granulated onion

 Parsley

Italian seasoning

I always add about a teaspoon of sugar as well, it helps with the slightly bitter tang that tomato sauce can have. 

Let the sauce simmer while you assemble the cresent rolls.

Preheat the oven to 350°

Unroll the cresent rolls, and place on a cutting board so it will be easier to assemble. 

Next, mix up your cheeses (if you prefer,  you can just use 3/4 cup of mozzarella,  instead of mixing cheeses)

 Put a little bit of pepperoni on the cresent dough, like so,

 Then, a pinch of cheese, with more strategically placed pepperoni on top.

 Now, take the two corners,  and fold them onto the cheese, like it's hugging it.

If you've ever seen a burrito being rolled, like Chipotle does, you can guess what to do next.  Otherwise,  stuff as much cheese back into the little pocket as you can,  while rolling the dough over itself. 

 After completely rolling, pinch the two open ends together so as much cheese as possible stays inside. 

Place on a foil lined baking sheet,  sprayed with cooking spray. (Or if you have one,  a Silpat. It's by far, my favorite baking accessory. If you don't have one,  get one. It's about $25 at Bed Bath and Beyond, and nothing sticks to it,  not even burnt sugar, or in this case,  melted cheese. Well worth the price!)

I know,  I know.  They look terrible,  but hey,  I can promise they taste delicious! 

Bake for about 12 minutes,  or until golden brown. 

 Serve with the marinara on the side,  for all your dipping pleasure! 

Kid Cakes!

I wanted to make some small pancakes that I could freeze for the twins' breakfast,  these seemed like the perfect thing!


The pancake recipe I used was just the standard Bisquick recipe.  I didn't want the pancakes to be so fluffy that they just fell apart.  Keep in mind,  these were for my 1 year old's, so I needed to make sure they'd
hold up , and not make a huge mess.  If you prefer to make these with your favorite pancake mix,  go for it! The amount of pancakes varies depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

Here's a quick list of what you need:
*drink pitcher
*metal cookie cutters
*tongs
*vegetable oil
*nonstick pan to cook the pancakes
*tin foil


To start, mix up your pancake batter, and pour into the drink pitcher.

Heat up your pan on low (my stove was set to 3).

I set up a station to oil the cookie cutters by laying out a sheet of tin foil. At first, I was using an aerosol spray oil, which seemed like a waste.  More oil seemed to be sprayed on the foil, than on the cookie cutter,  so I chose an alternate way. I poured a small amount of oil into a bowl, then dipped the cutter in it, then flipped it over to get the other side and placed it on the foil.

Before you begin, you may want to check to see if your pan is warped or not. If it is, the cookie cutters will not stay flush against the pan. If it is, all is not lost, for mine was warped as well! (I'll post what to do lower down)

Once the pan is heated up, place a cookie cutter in the pan. (I was able to do three at a time)

 Next, pour the batter halfway into the cutter. If the shape has a lot of protruding ends, make sure you pour the batter evenly inside,  otherwise those parts with less batter could potentially fall off when removing the cookie cutter.

 Also, make sure you put enough batter in, not enough and it will also come apart, like this star...

Now, when I make pancakes, I know when they are done when the bubbles pop, and the hole stays. For these,  it takes a little bit longer to cook, due to them being thicker than normal.  For that reason,  I made sure the heat was on a lower setting, that way it wouldn't burn in the time it took to set.

The first pancake I made, when I was ready to take the mold off, it slipped off nicely enough,  but the top wasn't quite set yet. So when I went to flip it,  the loose batter just splattered into a mess. One side looked good, while the other didn't look good at all.

[This picture shows the underside of the first pancake, the flower]

[Here are the other sides. The first ones also weren't at the right heat, so they were darker]

Now, if you have a warped pan, this is what will happen...

 Never fear, a blowout like this is relatively easy to fix!

Since the blowout will prevent the mold from releasing,  you have to flip the pancake as is.

Once you flip it, gently push with your fingers, against the edges to cut off the excess.

After that,  gently press on the pancake to slide the mold off.

And there you have it,  fun pancake shapes!



Here We Are

I wanted to start this blog to share with fellow foodies, my recipes and things I've tried.  If you actually know me, you'll know that I create some pretty fantastic things (granted, not everything is fantastic and I plan on still sharing both the good, and the bad).

Here's a little about me...

I have three, very feisty kiddos. They are my world, and more than anything, I love to do things that will make them smile. I hope to be able to share with them my knowledge, and love of both eating delicious things, and of course, making delicious things.

My husband loves to eat, and cook as well. Although I think I may enjoy it a bit more than he. More often than not, he's my inspiration to create those delicious things, because, as you may well know, you can't go cooking or baking without someone to cook or bake for.

I always try to make things homemade. Not because it's the "in" thing lately, but because I like to tweak ingredients, and sometimes improve upon what it is I'm making. Plus, homemade things almost always taste better! Don't get me wrong, there are times where buying certain things already made, can be good too. I've cheated quite a bit, especially with pie crust. It's just as good to buy pre-made refrigerated pie dough as taking the time to make it. I hate making pie crusts. Hate.

I will certainly try to keep up with this, as often as I can. I plan on documenting most meals, just so I can share what I make, when I make it. Don't go expecting perfect photos, I shall do the best that I can. Honestly, I know nothing about making the pictures I take look better than the average Joe, short of Instagram's filters. Don't judge me.

I am a little apprehensive about sharing certain recipes with everyone, because I like being able to make something fantastically, that no one has eaten before. But, the more I think about it, the more I'd rather share that deliciousness! You're welcome!