Pizza Pot Pie!

Just as the photo implies, it is a pizza lovers dream! 

I had contemplated the filling for this beauty for a few days.  I love meatball pizza, hubby loves cheese only, and the rest was just random.  Oh how beautiful random can be!  I had some leftover dough as you might notice.  Feel free to cut fun shapes out for the top, I just used the seasoning on those so they would stand out more.  In the recipe I just call for sprinkling the entire top with pizza seasoning, but you roll down the road that makes you happy.  Feel free to add mushrooms, olives, ancho...no I can't even type the word, but you know what I mean.  Whatever you like on pizza, add 1 cup of it, or divide it, so it equals a cup, if you do much more, you pan will runneth over.  I am all for things running over, but, not when it involves the possibility of having to clean the oven.  BUT I did put it on a cookie sheet to bake just in case.  I suggest you do the same!

This seems difficult but it isn't at all.  As long as you make sure you have sealed the edges and heaven knows you must have plenty of cheese, all will work out fine!  It even got my husbands, "wow, I wouldn't change a thing" approval.   The longer you let it cool, the more of a "piece"  you can get, but really, just dive in! 

So if you are THAT person who eats all the topping and leaves the crust, (don't look at me like that, I KNOW you have done it) this is for you!  I hope you try it, and I hope you don't get heartburn.  Just sayin......

1 lb. Italian sausage browned (you pick sweet or hot)
1 cup pepperoni (I used 1 5oz package of Pepperoni Minis)
10 meatballs, cooked and halved
2 cups pizza blend cheese (if you can't find this use 1 cup mozz, 1/2 cup parm and 1/2 cup cheddar, all shredded)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
4 cups pizza sauce or pasta sauce of your choice (I used a garlic flavored one)
2, 9 inch pie crusts (here is my amazing pie crust recipe)
1 egg for egg wash
1 tbsp. pizza seasoning (here is my recipe)

Preheat your oven to 350.   Remember you will need a DEEP dish for this!  In a large bowl combine your prepared sausage, pepperoni, meatballs, all cheeses, and sauce.  Mix until completely combined.  Set aside.

Take your pie crust and roll them out just a smidgen, so they are SLIGHTLY bigger.  Not to thin just give them a good roll in each direction and call it good.  Spray your pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.  Place bottom crust into your deep dish pie pan.  Make sure not to stretch it, just ease it into the bottom.  Place ALL of your filling mixture into the dish.  It will be over full, that is perfect!  Smooth it as much as you can and place the top crust on.  Pinch the edges together, as you prefer.  Crimp, scalloped, no matter just make sure they are sealed up.  In a small bowl whisk your egg with 1 tbsp. of water and then brush the entire crust and sprinkle with pizza seasoning.  Bake for 50-60 minutes.  Let stand 10-15 minutes before slicing. 

This is incredible!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

Panzarotti Sticks

Hey friends!  Glad to have you stop by for a visit!  This recipe must have tickled your curiosity, eh??  I am glad it did, it is AMAZING and another recipe of my husbands!  I don't know that it is really a recipe per say, more of an idea, turned reality, turned awesomeness!

We have always been fond of the panzarotti.  We always fry them.  I say "always" like we eat them all the time.  Let me rephrase, "The 3 times in 10 years we have made them, we fry them".  If you are wondering if these can be baked, the answer is, I believe they can.  We intended on baking some, seriously and we got so ridiculously excited that NO cheese leaked out, we forgot and fried them all. Mwawaaahahahha!  True story by the way.

You can make a few or a lot of these.  Not really much more work.  I will give you the ingredients for one batch.

This is the perfect recipe to use my Homemade Pizza Seasoning in!  You could use pizza dough, but this is intended to be a convenient recipe, that is quick and easy to make!

1 roll of refrigerated crescent rolls
Pizza seasoning
8 string cheese sticks
beaten egg or water for sealing
oil for frying

Unwrap all of your cheese sticks.  Separate your crescent rolls and roll them out to maneuver getting your string cheese to fit.  You can roll these however you need to so don't worry so much about the form or looks.  Place your cheese inside, sprinkle on some pizza seasoning, and brush water or egg wash all around the edges.  Roll that baby up however you must to get the cheese all enclosed.  I brushed over all seams again with egg wash.  You can roll it on a smooth surface to smooth it out and make it look nicer.  Then brush over the seems again.  You just don't want cheese leaking out!

 

Preheat your vegetable or peanut (or any frying oil you choose) to 340 degrees F.  Put 2 in at a time, if your oil is to hot, they will get VERY dark on the outside very quickly and yucko!  So make sure to adjust your oil temp according to how they are frying up for you.  As long as they are sizzling a bit, they are fine.  To cold of oil will make them soak up all that nasty stuff and be horrid!

 

If you want to bake these, I would simply place in the oven on the temp the crescent rolls call for and bake  until done.  They won't take as long because the dough is rolled thinner. 

 

Serve with your best pizza sauce!

 

Thanks to my darling  hubby for this tasty treat of a recipe!

 



Homemade Pizza Seasoning

Greetings fellow pizza lovers!  (or I assume you are).  We pizza lovers, we know how we like our pizza don't we?  We don't stray easily either, do we?  We are the movers and shakers of the universe, trust me, I know we HAVE to be!

You know that I profess to have the best pizza dough recipe on earth right?  Well I decided I would also share with you my homemade pizza seasoning.  I get crazy when I see the amount of salt in these prepackaged seasonings.  YIKES!  Never mind the MSG, fillers, etc.  Just give me the flavor people, just the flavor and I will be golden.  They won't do it.  So, I make my own.  Actually I make it sound like I have been making my own for years and that is not the case.  I have been making my own for a few months.  It took me a couple of batches to work it out how I wanted it to taste.  I am happy with it, my family and friends love it and I hope you do too!

All of these spices can be purchased at your grocery store, or even your dollar store.  I chopped my recipe down to make a 1 cup size amount but just double or triple the ingredients for more.  I use it to flavor cooked sauces, I use it straight from the jar on pizza, no matter how you do it, cooked or just sprinkle it from the jar!

Pizza Seasoning:
2 tbsp. dried minced garlic

2 tbsp. dried minced green bell pepper

2 tbsp. dried minced onion

1/4 cup dried parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup oregano

1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, or jar.  Mix (or shake) until combined.  You CAN put this through your mini food processor to make it a finer mix, but I use this in sauces as well as on top of pizza or in pizza sauce, so I like the texture of it.  This makes about 1 cup of seasoning.  It is easily doubled or tripled with no problem! 

Make sure to adjust the red pepper flakes to your liking.  Add more, or don't add any at all depending on the heat level you enjoy.  Me?  I need some heat friends, I LOVE some heat!

Your "pizza lovin' Chefwannabe