Confession time: I’ve never mastered the pizza dough. Nope. It’s always turned out mushy, doughy, and, well, just wrong. I’ll keep working on it, but in the meantime, I found with this recipe for Cracker Pizza, submitted by Tasty Kitchen member, Mrs. Schwartz, I don’t really have to worry about it right now. Plus, I’ve grown quite fond of a crispy, crunchy pizza. It’s good eating if you ask me. And this recipe is as simple as it gets. I’m guessing a quick 15 minutes from start to that first crunchy bite.

This Cracker Pizza recipe would be great to use for a pizza party, especially with teenagers. Prepare a pizza bar with a bunch of toppings and let everyone fix their own favorite combo. Fun!

Let me show you how easy it is.

To get started you’ll need: tortillas, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni or your favorite toppings, and pizza seasoning (or create your own; I used basil, oregano, garlic powder, and black pepper).

In addition to the pepperoni, I used some leftover chicken with dried cranberries for a holiday-inspired pizza. That leftover turkey would be veddy, veddy good here too.

Evenly spread the pizza sauce over the tortilla, and then the cheese, please.

Add your favorite toppings, and evenly sprinkle the pizza with seasonings.

The chicken and cranberry pizza is looking good.

Now it’s time to bake, for about 10 minutes. Be sure to watch carefully to avoid burning the crust.

Yum! Melty cheese on top of a crunchy cracker-style crust.

And the chicken cranberry combo turned out very nice. The crust is so crispy! It’s hard to believe it only takes 10 minutes for a plain, boring flour tortilla to turn into such deliciousness.

I’m thinking I may serve a few different combinations of these for appetizers at our next gathering. So simple, and the ingredients are basic enough to keep on hand for snacks, or last-minute appetizers.

Dear Mrs. Schwartz,

Sincerely,
Pizza Dough Challenged Mrs. Johnson

Printable Recipe

Cracker Pizza

by Krysten Schwartz on October 28, 2011 in Main Courses, Pizza October 28, 2011 Main CoursesPizza

See post on Krysten Schwartz ’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 9 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 1

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Quick, easy and healthy(er) fix to that pizza craving!

Ingredients

• 1 whole Large Tortilla
• 3 Tablespoons Pizza Sauce (or Additional Depending On Your Preference)
• ¼ cups Mozzarella Cheese
• 10 slices Pepperoni
• 3 dashes Pizza Seasoning

Preparation Instructions

Preheat your oven to 415ºF. You want it very hot so the “crust” (tortilla) gets nice and crispy.

Spoon the pizza sauce onto the tortilla, spread it out almost to the edges, evenly.

Top with cheese and pepperoni. Sprinkle with pizza seasoning.

Bake for about 10 minutes. This will brown fast so pay close attention while it is in the oven.

You can modify this with any type of pizza toppings you prefer!

Enjoy!

 
 
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.

 
Nothing tempts my palate more than a tasty plate of pasta, and Tasty Kitchen is chock full of fabulous pasta recipes. There’s so many to choose from. How do you ever begin to decide? Decisions, decisions …

Since I still have jalapeño coming out of my ears, I decided to try a version of pasta carbonara from Erin that she adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray called Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chiles. It combines sweet corn, spicy jalapeño, with the savory traditional carbonara ingredients to create a perfect pasta bite.

Here’s what you’ll need: egg noodles (or pasta of choice), bacon, sweet corn, jalapeño, garlic, thyme, parsley, white wine, egg yolks, parmesan cheese, and of course, salt and pepper to taste.

Begin by cooking your pasta according to package directions. Before draining the pasta, you’ll need to save one cup of the pasta water for use in the recipe. Be sure to read through the full printable recipe for detailed directions for amounts, etcetera.

While the pasta is cooking, brown the bacon over medium-high heat.

Add the corn and let it cook until slightly beginning to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes.

The recipe calls for fresh corn, scraped off the cob. I didn’t have any so I substituted canned sweet corn. (Egads!) It worked just fine, but when available, fresh is always better.

Next goes in the jalapeño, garlic and thyme. Stir it all up and cook for another couple of minutes.

The parsley and wine get mixed in next. Then simmer on low heat while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl, then slowly whisk in the reserved cup of pasta water to temper them, so they slowly warm without scrambling. Take your time, then add to the mixture.

Add the pasta and toss it all well to coat. Try very hard to not dive in now because you have one more thing to add: the cheese.

Cut the heat, in goes the cheese, and toss until all pasta is coated well.

Yummy. Yum. Yum.

I honestly could enjoy this a couple of times a week, or, truth be told, everyday. But all good things in moderation right?

Thanks Erin for adding this one to the pasta mix here on Tasty Kitchen. My kitchen was definitely a tasty place to be with this dish. Visit Erin’s blog Dinners, Dishes and Desserts for more deliciousness!

Remember to check out the full printable recipe below for all measurements and more detailed instructions.

Printable Recipe

Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chiles

by Erin on July 28, 2011 in Main Courses, Pasta July 28, 2011 Main CoursesPasta

See post on Erin’s site!

4.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

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Creamy Pasta Carbonara with Fresh Sweet Corn and a little kick!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Egg Noodles
• ⅓ pounds Bacon, Diced
• 4 ears Sweet Corn, Scraped
• ½ whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme
• ¼ cups Fresh Parsley, Chopped
• ½ cups Dry White Wine
• 3 whole Egg Yolks
• ½ cups Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, over medium-high heat, brown the bacon. Add the corn and lightly brown the edges. After about 5 minutes, add the jalapeno, garlic, and thyme. Stir for 2 minutes. Add the parsley and wine. Simmer on low heat.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Slowly add in the reserved cooking liquid to temper them. Add the pasta and egg yolks to the corn mixture and toss. Remove from heat, add the cheese and toss vigorously to form a silky sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.

Top with extra cheese and chives if desired.

 
 
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.

 
Healthy snack options mean, well, it means options. And options are good, especially when we’re heading into the holiday season, packed with all flavors of goodies at every turn. Yes, having healthy and tasty options in your repertoire is always a good thing. This recipe for Baked Sweet Potato Fries submitted by Tasty Kitchen member Caitlin is one of those options. Sweet potatoes are packed with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, and baking the fries, as this recipe calls for, keeps the fat down. Good for snacking, or as a side dish, these Baked Sweet Potato Fries are satisfying to the max. Simple too. Let me show ya.

For starters, I’d recommend doubling or tripling this recipe right off the bat. They’re good and will get gobbled up quick.

You’ll need: sweet potato(es), olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.

(The spices/herbs can easily be changed for different flavor combos, so be creative with these. Maybe rosemary, salt, and olive oil? A simple trio, but mighty tasty too.)

Slice the sweet potato into strips, about 1/2″ thick. The thinner they are, the crispier they’ll be. They’ll cook quicker too, so make sure you account for that in the cook time.

Place the fries in a bowl and add the olive oil.

Then add the spices and combine well, coating all fries evenly. We like it spicy, so I added a full 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne to ours. Yum!

Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Toss and continue baking another 10-15 minutes until crisp. Ovens vary, so make sure to watch your first batch closely to see what cook time is appropriate for your oven.

That’s it! Easy huh? And totally drool worthy. Try them soon and let me know what you think. And again, you may wanna double the batch.

A big thanks to Caitlin for the recipe. We’ve already made it three times this week. My 13-year-old son even asked for them for a snack. Smart kid, I think. Definitely a good option.

Printable Recipe

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

by Caitlin on February 5, 2011 in Potatoes, Sides February 5, 2011 PotatoesSides

5.00 Mitt(s) 8 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 1

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These puppies are quickly becoming my new popcorn, a.k.a. my new late-night, movie watching snack. They are quick and easy, as well as healthier than the starchy alternative. I leave the skins on them, because Maude tells me to, but you should follow your instincts on that one. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself making these at 11 pm when everyone else is asleep, but you have a lot of Grey’s Anatomy to catch up on.

Ingredients

• 1 whole Sweet Potato
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper
• ¼ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper (if You're Down With That)

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.

2. Scrub the sweet potato and cut into 1/2 inch slices (or thinner if you like your fries crispier).

3. In a bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne (if you like-ah some spice-ah).

4. Arrange fries evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes minutes, checking after 20 minutes to prevent burning (ovens vary). Flip halfway so they cook evenly.

5. Settle in for a good movie and a glass of wine with a delicious snack.

Suggestion: Try throwing on some parmesan cheese during the last few minutes of baking for a yummy surprise!

 
 
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.

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