easy as puff

hello foodies, and let me start this post by apologizing for my time away.  my busy schedule should be no excuse to go this long without sharing my culinary creations...i am forced to quote the wise movie Wedding Crashers- Rule 76: no excuses, play like a champion.  and that i shall do, i am going to share with you this super easy recipe that will take you 30 minutes or less to prep and cooks up so quickly you barely have time to clean up the mess you didn't really make!  how great does that sound?!

so truth be told, this recipe idea came from a culmination of a few different things i saw on pinterest.  the great thing about it is the only ingredient that must stay the same is the pizza dough, everything else can be swapped out.  i started making these pizza puffs for my boyfriend a few months into our relationship.  he works odd hours and he's a guy so his idea of cooking is pretty much making coffee (joking, my boyfriend is actually a good cook -- have i tried anything yet?? NO but he claims to be) and i thought it would be nice to make something that was filling, yummy, and most importantly very easy to reheat.  during this time, the great food truck race was airing on food network, so he and i instantly went into "if we had a food truck mode" and started coming up with all different types of fillings to try and let me tell you the possibilities are endless!

*Here is the basic pizza puff:  one ball of store bought pizza dough can be cut into 12 smaller balls.  stretch the dough gently and kind of stick it to one hand, you are going to need your second hand to stuff the filling and then fold the dough back around itself.

*Filling:  mix one cup of ricotta, a sprinkle of oregano (dried), a generous dash of garlic powder, and some shredded mozzarella.  this is a classic cheesey filling -- add pepperoni, sausage, meatballs for a delightfully meaty italian twist.

*Filling: are you feeling like a fiesta? mix together cheddar and jack cheeses, some taco seasoning, and sauteed onions and peppers.  why not a bit of grilled chicken? 

*Filling: left over steak from dinner?  slice it thin and add in sauteed mushrooms and provolone.  who said a philly steak cant come in a puff?

*Filling:  mix 8 oz cream cheese, with 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing, a grilled chicken breast diced, and add hot sauce- to your liking and voila .. buffalo chicken

are you starting to get the idea?  lots of great ideas!  you will want to put a tablespoon of filling in the dough that is right in the center of your palm.  begin to stretch the sides around the filling until the dough has completely closed in the filling.  place seam side down in your baking dish, brush the top with olive oil to get a nice golden brown and bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes.  

until next time, eat laugh love and enjoy!