This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!
I know you're not supposed to play with your food, but sometimes that's the best part of baking. It's my favorite way to be creative, and it's truly a form of art, in my opinion. Fruit pizza has always been one of my favorite things to make for that reason. Laying the fruit out to create designs and patterns was always so much fun.
I shared two unique versions of fruit pizza last year (granola version here, pizza dough version here), but I've never posted a recipe for the classic sugar cookie version because I always try to post unique recipes, and I figured everyone knows how to make it already. But when I got this idea to create a watermelon out of the fruit pizza, it was too cute for me not to share (thanks to Hungry Happenings for the inspiration).
The "frosting" for the cookie is so simple--just cream cheese and marshmallow creme. I made sure to use Challenge cream cheese because they only use real cream, and there are no hormones, additives, or fillers. It's really important to use good quality ingredients, especially when there are so few ingredients because the flavors really stand out.
Important note: This cookie is best when it is made the day you plan to serve it. The fruit will start to get mushy after being in the refrigerator for a few days.
Watermelon fruit pizza Ingredients
16.5 ounces Sugar cookie dough (I used store bought, but you can use your favorite recipe)
There's nothing more special than Christmas morning. I know a lot of people who like to wake up early to open presents, but that's never been the case with me. It's the one day of the year when I know I don't have anywhere to be, and I can stay under my heating blanket for as long as I want.
Since there's no rush, there's plenty of time to create fun Christmas morning breakfast. There are a lot of tasty breakfast options, but I try to stick with the holiday theme as much as possible.
The Christmas morning recipe I'm featuring this year is a Breakfast Pizza Wreath. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this sooner. I mean, pizzas already kind of look like wreaths when you're hungry enough. All I had to do was use a circle cookie cutter to take out the center. It doesn't get easier than that.
I also created a bow out of red peppers, and I really think that completed the look. Another unnecessary but cool idea is to add a little dill around the edges. I recently decided that dill is the most underrated, festive-looking herb.
Of course, you can add whatever toppings you please, just like you would with a regular pizza. I see a lot of people commenting on my recipe video that gravy would be a good substitute for pesto as well.
This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!
As much as I love to cook, I don’t necessarily like to spend every night in the kitchen preparing dinner. When I’m hungry, I want to eat now. If you feel the same way, one of the best ways to make sure you have food available is by meal prepping. There are different forms of meal-prepping, but one of my favorite ways is making “double-duty dinners.”
The idea behind double-duty dinners is to prepare one big meal with plenty of food so you can transform the leftovers into an entirely new meal the following night. This is great for picky eaters who don’t like to eat the same thing for dinner every single night.
The Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese featured on this blog post is a great recipe to transform into a double-duty meal. Normally, if I was preparing this meal for just one night, I would only use about one pound of chicken. But since I plan to use the leftovers for another day, I should double the protein and add about two pounds of chicken (or more) to the slow cooker. When the chicken is done, I remove all of it, shred it, and return just half of it to the slow cooker.
I store the other half in the refrigerator for my dinner the following day, which I can use to make salad, pasta, or pizza (as you’ll see below)!
I chose to make pizza as the other half of this double-duty meal because it used a lot of the same ingredients as the Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. The only new additions were pizza dough, tomato sauce, and butter. So not only did I save time, but I also saved money. Now I don't need to go out and buy ingredients for an entirely new meal!
Some other ideas for double-duty dinners that I featured in the segment on FOX59 are: Pulled pork used to make sandwiches the first night and pork quesadillas on the second night. Fish, specifically tilapia, use to make a rice dinner on night one and fish tacos on night two.
One thing I need to point out — it’s important to always use the best ingredients available. That’s why I used Challenge cream cheese in the macaroni and cheese and Challenge butter in the pizza. I choose Challenge over every other brand because I know there are no hormones, additives, or fillers in their products.The taste is also superior to other brands because they use real cream.
NOTE: In the recipes below, I’m posting the regular version, not the double-duty version, in case some people saw the picture of the pasta and scrolled straight to the recipe. But if you want to make the double-duty version, just double the amount of chicken as discussed earlier.
Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Yield: Makes about 8, 1-cup servings Ingredients
Green onions and blue cheese for garnish, if desired
Directions
Add chicken, chicken broth, buffalo sauce, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, and salt to slow cooker. Stir until combined and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours. (Could be more or less time depending on your slow cooker. My chicken was done right at 2 hours)
Remove cooked chicken from slow cooker, shred, and return to slow cooker.
Add pasta, cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, milk, and cream cheese to slow cooker.
Mix and cook on high for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until pasta is cooked
Garnish with blue cheese crumbles and green onions if desired and serve
Buffalo Chicken Pizza Yield: Makes 1 pizza Ingredients
Pizza dough
1/4 to 1/2 cup tomato sauce (depending on whether you like a lot of sauce or not)
This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! There are few people who love a backyard BBQ quite like Kylee Wierks loves a BBQ. First of all, I love eating outside. In fact, I think we should all eat every meal outside. The ambiance significantly effects how much I enjoy the food, and there's just something about the fresh air that makes food taste better.
Secondly, BBQ food is probably my favorite food. I loved grilled meat, I love grilled sides, and I love grilled desserts! Yes, you read that correctly. I said I love GRILLED DESSERTS! Believe it or not, the grill is not just for burgers, steaks, and corn. You can (and you should) make desserts on the grill!
Using the grill does wonderful things for the texture and flavor of your desserts. Bonus: you don't need to turn on the oven, so you won't heat up your home!
Fruit desserts in particular are just magical, hot and sugary but not completely terrible for you. You can grill just about any fruit your heart desires. So I decided to grill all of my favorite fruits and make a fruit pizza!
Fruit pizza was always one of my favorite summer desserts when I was growing up. You know the kind with a sugar cookie crust and cream cheese frosting? My mom would always make it for the Fourth of July and other summer holiday parties.
I wanted to make a more savory version with actual pizza dough. Just use your favorite homemade or store-bought pizza dough or flat bread, it's completely up to you. Then top it with a sweet cream cheese spread and your favorite grilled fruit.
Grilling fruit is easy peasy, I promise! Just make sure to coat the grates or the grill pan well with oil or no-stick spray because the fruit is prone to sticking. Also, I recommend using fruit that is just barely ripe because you don't want it to get too mushy on the grill. One thing to keep in mind is sturdier fruits like pineapples and peaches take more time to grill (about 3 minutes each side) than something like strawberries or kiwis (2 minutes or less each side). My suggestion is to grill just a few pieces at a time until you get a feel for how long it will take.
The pizza is best served warm, and it still tastes great the second day!
Grilled Fruit Pizza Yield: Serves about 10 people Ingredients
Variety of sliced fresh fruits (I used 1 peach, 1 pineapple, 6 strawberries, handful of blackberries)
Pizza dough (I used Wewalka bistro dough, but you can use any pizza dough or flat bread you like)
Optional: Mint leaves for garnish
Directions
Use mixer to cream together cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy or about 1 minutes. Set aside.
Preheat grill or grill pan to medium heat. Lightly coat grill grates with non-stick spray or oil so fruit doesn't stick.
Add sliced fruit to grill and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. More delicate fruits like strawberries will take less time than peaches and pineapple. Set grilled fruit on plate.
Place pizza dough on grill and cook for about 4 minutes or until bottom is browned. Flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
Spread grilled pizza dough with cream cheese mixtures and arrange fruit on top.
Garnish with mint leaves if desired and serve warm.
Oh pizza. Pizza is such a big weakness for so many people—myself included. But it doesn’t always have to be completely unhealthy.
The recipe I came up with for pizza on a stick is low in fat and loaded with veggies.
As I’ve mentioned before on my blog, I am currently going to school to become a registered dietitian. And even though a lot of the recipes I share on my blog are desserts and other indulgent treats, I am very passionate about childhood nutrition.
I obviously don’t have any children of my own, but I’ve been around enough kids to understand the struggle parents face when trying to get them to eat nutritious foods.
Fortunately, there are certain “tricks” to making vegetables and other healthy foods more appealing. One way is to get kids involved with the preparation of the meal. This pizza on a stick recipe is a great way to do that because kids will enjoy sticking the veggies and meats onto the skewers.
Also, it’s a lot more enjoyable for kids to eat food off a stick rather than a pile on their plate. And as you can imagine, anything is infinitely more fun when you attach the word “pizza” to it.
This recipe would also be great as an appetizer for a party because you can grab one and eat it while standing up and chatting.
Pizza on a Stick
Yield: Makes 8 pizzas on a stick
Ingredients
1 (13.8 ounce) tube refrigerated pizza dough
16 cherry or grape tomatoes
8 small mushrooms, sliced in half
6 sausage links, cut in thirds
1 (7-ounce) package pepperoni
1 large red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoons oregano
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit; if you are using wooden skewers as opposed to metal skewers, soak them in cold water while you prepare the ingredients.
Unroll pizza dough onto flat surface and use pizza cutter to cut dough lengthwise into 8 equal strips.
Pierce 1 tomato, 1 mushroom, 1 sausage, 1 or a few pepperoni, 1 pepper, and 1 onion onto skewer. Repeat process so there are 2 of each on the skewer.
Spiral-wrap dough around each skewer, securing in place by piercing dough on either end.
Repeat process for each skewer until no pizza dough remains.
Place skewers onto prepared baking and sprinkle mozzarella cheese and oregano on top.
Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until pizza dough begins to turn golden brown.
Remove from oven and serve with pizza sauce or pesto.
This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! In my opinion, staying busy is a good thing. It means you’re doing something and accomplishing something and working your and staying active.
But this year I think that maybe I’m stretching myself a little too thin.
I finished my chemistry class last semester and moved on to anatomy this semester. This is my first time ever taking an anatomy class, and as I’m sure you all know, it’s really hard!
Between class and work and my Kylee’s Kitchen segments, I don’t have a whole lot of free time. And when I get home at the end of the day, I want to eat right away. I don’t want to worry about cooking something and waiting an hour.
So I either prepare all of my dinners for the week on Sunday or I pull out a meal from the freezer. Keeping your freezer stocked with homemade meals is one of the best changes you can make in your life. You’ll spend less on takeout, you’ll eat healthier, and you’ll save time.
I’m sure you all know what frozen pizza bagel bites are, but I promise you these pizza bagels put those bagel bites to shame.
Just like pizza, you can customize the bagels however you want. This is great for people with food allergies and maybe need to use dairy free cheese or gluten free bagels. It’s also a great idea for anyone trying to lose weight because you could curb your pizza craving by using 100-calorie bagels and fat free cheese.
Personally, I recommend assembling an abundance of pizza bagels at once then only bake the ones you’re going to eat that night and freeze the rest for later.
The best way to freeze these pizza bagels is to individually wrap them (before or after cooking them) in Saran wrap and then put them all in a gallon freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat one, just pull it out of the freezer and bake as normal. If you put the bagel in the freezer already baked, you can just pop it in the microwave.
Pizza bagels are really a non-recipe recipe because you just add whatever ingredients you want to your favorite bagel, but regardless I’ve provided 4 of my favorite ideas.
Margherita Pizza Bagel
Ingredients
Bagel
Pesto
Mozzarella cheese
Tomato, sliced
Basil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper or baking mat.
Split bagel in half and place split-side-up on baking sheet.
Spread pesto on each bagel half.
Top with Mozzarella cheese, tomato, and basil
Bake for 10 minutes and serve.
Pepperoni Pizza Bagel
Ingredients
Bagel
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni
Parmesan cheese
Oregano
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper or baking mat.
Split bagel in half and place split-side-up on baking sheet.
Spread pizza sauce on each bagel half.
Top with Mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Parmesan, and a little oregano.
Bake for 10 minutes and serve.
Sausage Pizza Bagel
Ingredients
Bagel
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Sausage
Basil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper or baking mat.
Split bagel in half and place split-side-up on baking sheet.
Spread pizza sauce on each bagel half.
Top with Mozzarella cheese, sausage, and a little basil.
This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays when I was younger. I grew up playing with two neighbor boys, and every year their mom would make us group costumes. If blogs had been big back then, she would have had the best blog because these costumes were amazing!
One year we were Mario characters (I was Princess Peach), another year we went as the Rugrats (I was Angelica), and then another year we were the characters from Harry Potter (I was Hermione). I wish I had some pictures of these costumes handy because I’m sure you all would get a big kick out of them!
Fortunately, we lived in a very large neighborhood, so we would go to dozens and dozens of houses! It was just a really magical day!
I haven’t dresses up for Halloween in quite a few years, but I do have an adorable dog who will let me dress her up! This year she’s the presidential candidate of the puppy party. The costume doesn’t seem to bother her, and honestly, I think she likes all the attention she gets while wearing it!
I think it’s important to have traditions, especially when you have young kids or grandkids because they really do remember these things regardless of whether or not you think it’s a big deal.
This year I wanted to come up with an idea for a Halloween dinner recipe that could become a new tradition to serve each year. I saw this idea for pizza mummy bites on another blogger’s website, and I loved the idea!
Mummy pepperoni pizza bites require very few ingredients and are so easy to make! Start with a thin crust refrigerated pizza dough. Thin crust is ideal because you don’t need these to be very thick. And regular crust may puff up a little too much and not look like mummies. Cut as many 3 inch x 5 inch rectangles as you can out of the pizza crust. (I was able to get about 15 rectangles.)
Take one of your rectangles, lay it down landscape style and make several cuts into the dough so they look like strips. Spread a little marinara sauce on the side of the rectangle without the strips and then add cheese and a piece of pepperoni.
Fold the strips over across the toppings so it looked like it has a wrapped effect. And then add two olives for the eyes. Cute!
Before popping them in the oven, I recommend brushing them with a little garlic butter. It may seem like a lot of extra fat, but it’s not because you’re just brushing it on for added flavor and to prevent them from drying out in the oven. And if you use good quality butter like Challenge that doesn’t have any added hormones or preservatives, there’s nothing to feel bad about!
After you bake them until they’re golden brown, you can serve them with marinara sauce to dip them in! Or even tomato soup if it’s a cold Halloween night!
I hope you like this idea, and I hope it becomes a new tradition in your household! Happy Halloween!
Roll out refrigerated pizza dough and cut into 3 inch x 5 inch rectangles
Take one rectangle and lay it so it’s facing you in “landscape mode” and cut 4 strips halfway through the rectangle
Spread a small about of pizza sauce (about half a spoonful) on the side of the rectangle that isn’t cut in strips. Lay mozzarella cheese on top of the marinara sauce and then add one or two pepperonis on top of cheese.
Fold the strips over the toppings and tuck them into the other side of the dough.
Add two sliced black olives on top of dough so they look like eyes.
Place the finished product onto a greased baking sheet.
Combine the melted butter and garlic butter and use a basting brush or pastry brush to brush the garlic butter on top of each pizza dough mummy.
Bake for about 8 minutes or until the pizza dough is golden brown.
Most likely, your waffle iron is significantly underused. Sure, we all know waffle irons get a workout during breakfast, but did you know it’s a great tool for making savory lunch and dinner dishes too? In fact, I’d go as far to say that you can make just about anything in a waffle iron!
So today I’m going to help jumpstart your creativity by sharing a four of my favorite waffle iron recipes!
Also, in case you're curious, this is the waffle iron I own. It is the best waffle iron ever! Nothing sticks to it, and I LOVE that the plates are removable so I can just stick them in the dishwasher. (This is my own personal opinion not influenced by any outside company.)
1. Pizza
One of the greatest things about waffles irons is they’re quick. For example, a homemade pizza would probably take a half hour to make, but in a waffle iron it only takes a few minutes! So just about anything that starts out as dough or batter works well in a waffle iron.
The most important thing to remember while making pizza waffles is to never leave any part of the center exposed because then pizza sauce will leak out and you’ll have a mess on your hands.
Ingredients
1/2 of a 13.8 ounce can of refrigerated pizza crust dough
1/4 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
6 pepperoni slices
Directions
Preheat waffle iron and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
Lay pizza dough over waffle iron. Spread pizza sauce on top of pizza dough.
Sprinkle half of mozzarella cheese over pizza sauce, and add pepperoni slices on top of cheese.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of pepperoni.
Fold pizza dough hanging over edge of waffle iron to center of pizza so the center of the pizza is not exposed (you don't want the sauce to leak out).
Close waffle iron and cook on high for about 3 minutes.
Serve with marinara dipping sauce.
2. Quesadilla
Your waffle iron essentially acts as a Panini press when making quesadillas. The center gets nice and gooey while the edges get a little crisp.
Ingredients
2 tortillas
1/2 cup cheese
Peppers, onions, any other ingredients per your preference
Directions
Preheat waffle iron and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
Place tortilla on waffle iron and sprinkle 1/2 of cheese on top.
Add any other ingredients you want on top of cheese and cover with remaining cheese.
Place second tortilla on top of cheese and cook on high for about 3 minutes.
Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, salsa, or guacamole.
3. Omelet
Now this is awesome!Waffle irons are a foolproof way to cook omelets. You don’t have to worry about a too-runny center or a messy flip because everything is evenly cooked and timed out in the waffle iron.
Ingredients
3 eggs, beaten
Crumbled bacon, peppers, mushrooms, any other ingredients per your preference
1/4 cup cheese
Directions
Preheat waffle iron and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour eggs into waffle iron.
Sprinkle bacon, peppers, etc. on top of eggs.
Sprinkle cheese on top and cook on high for about 3 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of cracked pepper.
4. Cinnamon rolls
I have a whole post dedicated to cinnamon roll waffles because they’re a family favorite! And it’s the easiest thing ever to make. All you do is buy a pack of refrigerated cinnamon rolls and stick one in the center. It’s a good idea when you’re cooking cinnamon rolls for a small group because you can just cook a few of them and refrigerate the rest of the dough for another time.
Ingredients
1 (12.4 ounce) tube refrigerated cinnamon roll dough
Directions
Preheat waffle iron and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
Place one cinnamon roll in the center of the waffle iron.
