Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Facebook + Hungry Teen = Tasty Treat

Lately, my teenage son has taken to watching a lot of food videos on Facebook. Why he chooses to do this at school, essentially torturing himself, is beyond me. All I know is that he comes home ravenous, saying things like, "We should have XYZ for dinner." 

This is one he's been begging me for, and while he might classify it as a meal, it's really more of an appetizer. Better yet, gameday food. So since Sunday was gameday...

Now, other people might not have this problem, but being the technologically-challenged blonde that I am, I could not find the recipe that went with the video. Until I went to imbed it above, then guess what showed up? That said, I do have a mind of my own, so I just decided to wing it.

Here's what you'll need:

Two cans of of large biscuits, flaky style
Pepperoni
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese
Butter
Italian seasoning

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 
You'll also want to spray your bundt/tube pan really well with cooking spray.
Getting in all the little nooks and crannies insures your finished product will come right out of the pan.

Melt your butter. Since I didn't have a recipe, I started with a whole stick of butter, however, I might cut back to 4-6 tablespoons next time. Once your butter is melted, stir in 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning of your choice, perhaps a little garlic salt/powder, maybe even some red pepper flakes for a kick. Whatever sounds good and pizza-ish to  you.

Time to unroll your biscuits.
Tear them in half.
Then flatten each half into a thinner version of its former self.

Place a slice of pepperoni in the center.
And top with mozzarella.
Now bring your sides together.
And pinch to make sure the dough is completely sealed.
Then just give it a quick roll between your palms to make it nice and round and toss it into your prepared pan.
This is what it looks like after one can of biscuits.
Now spoon or drizzle on half of your butter mixture over the tops and sprinkle on some Parmesan.
Continue with the second can of biscuits and top that layer off with the remaining butter and more Parmesan.

The video says to bake in a 375 oven for 15 minutes, but after 15 minutes, they didn't look anywhere near done. I ended up baking them for about 20-22 minutes.
I allowed it to sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before inverting it onto a plate.
Then I sprinkled on a little Parmesan and added the sauce.
 The result.
Cheesy deliciousness. 

However, there was also a little bit of this.
Some of the dough didn't cook completely, meaning I took it out of the oven too soon.
***Question for all you bakers*** 

Next time, should I increase the heat to 400 and keep the baking time about the same, or should I decrease it to 350 and bake it longer, say maybe 30 minutes? Which would be the best way to ensure that all of the dough is cooked?

Here's my critique: While this recipe was easy to make, it does take a little bit of time. Of course, if you have more than one person making the pizza balls, the faster it will go. 

The flavor was good. I think the seasoned butter was a nice touch. There was just a little too much dough for my taste, though, so I'm wondering about cutting each biscuit into thirds next time. It would only take me one to know if it still gave me enough dough to work with. 

Also, the biscuit dough, while very forgiving and moldable, it had a bit of sweetness to it. I might consider a different type of biscuit next time OR even a tube of the ready-made pizza dough, though I wonder if that would be as pliable. 

I would also add a little more cheese, perhaps a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan, and one more slice of pepperoni. Of course, I might not be able to do this if I cut down on the amount of dough I use for each ball. Will have to experiment next time.

And yes, there will be a next time. My grandsons will be all over this one. It's the perfect thing to tide them over while waiting for the big meal at the holidays. Or any other time you have a houseful of hungry kiddos. 

Now it's your turn. Do you like to watch those food prep videos? Have you ever tried one of those recipes?


12 comments:

  1. I didn't know those videos existed until I started seeing them posted on facebook. I haven't tried any of them -- I usually don't cook with a lot of prepared foods so I don't have them in the house. I'd have to make a grocery run to try any of the recipes I've seen posted. Not that I haven't been tempted though. Like this looks fun to do. Maybe next time I go to a pot luck? And I wonder if you could put a dollop of the sauce inside the dough instead of using it as a dip afterwards? It would be fun to experiment with fillings and flavours if you could get the baking time downpat. Oh -- and what about making a dessert kind -- some apple and cinnamon sugar?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, traditional monkey bread is made by cutting the biscuits into cubes and then dipping them in a sugar and cinnamon mixture. Drizzle with a butter/brown sugar mixture and you've got a nice gooey caramel. Yum!

      Yeah, I had to make a special run for these ingredients. The things we do for our kids, eh? But you are so right, Kav, about playing with the ingredients. I contemplated the sauce, but feared it might mess with getting the dough sealed properly. My husband suggested a Mexican style version. I'd have to think on that one to come up with the right ingredients, though.

      I like the video with the chicken breasts, pesto, tomatoes and cheese, though I have yet to try that one. Hmm...I was thinking chicken breasts for dinner and I do have some pesto on hand. Hmm...

      Delete
  2. Mindy, I made something similar one time (and I think I shared it on here). I had the same problems with it. Decided to use pizza dough next time. I also had to bake longer. I think I remember my recipe cutting the biscuits into quarters or smaller. Then just tossing in butter and chopped a pepperoni and cheese.

    You know, maybe this would be good if you just dipped each dough ball in the butter mix, and then laid them out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with chess. Then bake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Um, sprinkle with CHEESE, not chess. LOL

      Delete
    2. LOL! Chess might be a little hard on the teeth.

      I remember that recipe, Missy. I think Michael was enamored with the little balls. Plus the presentation. But you're right about simply baking them on a sheet.

      How did you like it with the pizza dough instead of the biscuits?

      Delete
    3. Mindy, I never did try it with the pizza dough. I need to revisit that recipe while the kids are home for Christmas.

      Delete
  3. BTW, don't you love how kids learn to do everything on Youtube? My son taught himself to play the piano that way. :) Oh, and my boys used it to tie their ties anytime dad wasn't home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! Michael got annoyed when his dad tried to teach him to tie a tie, so he went online and figured it out himself. And to think, we were stuck with old encyclopedias. :P

      Delete
  4. Those Youtube videos are great for learning how to do stuff. We had to replace a bulb in our van's tail light a few months ago. The diagram in the owner's manual wasn't any help, so I went to Youtube. Five minutes later and our tail light was working again. But the biggest win? I impressed my hubby. Again. :)

    This recipe does sound great for a snacky dish when the hordes descend. I'll have to keep it on hand!

    Thanks, Mindy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan, I know my husband has used them for fixing things before. Me? I forget all about that resource.

      Delete
    2. I forgot about your question for bakers!

      I'd bake it longer at the lower temperature to make sure the insides are done rather than raise the temperature. The higher temperature will just make the outside bake faster, which is kind of the opposite of what you want :)

      Delete
    3. That's what I was thinking, Jan. Just wanted to be sure I had it right. Thanks. :)

      Delete