I’m really going to try to have at least one freezer-friendly meal on our weekly menu for the next couple weeks so when we get back from vacation I’m not totally swamped with cooking. This was last week’s meal and it turned out beautifully – although, it’s really hard to go wrong with a pizza/pasta combo!

Pepperoni and olives are my favorite, so I didn’t bother to play with other ingredients here but now I’m wondering how ham and pineapple would be. I love Hawaiian pizza – do you think it would work in casserole form?!

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
(from Closet Cooking)
Serves 6

12 oz. whole wheat penne
1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
3 c. marinara sauce
1/2 c. sliced black olives
4 oz. pepperoni
8 oz. ricotta
2 c. mozzarella, shredded
1/2 c. parmigiano reggiano, grated

Cook the pasta as directed on package, stopping a minute or two before fully done. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the sauce, 3/4 of the olives and 3/4 of the pepperoni to the pan and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. Set aside.

Spray a large baking dish with non-stick spray and then place half of the pasta in the bottom. Top with half of the sauce and then half of the cheese mixture. Repeat each layer, and then arrange the remaining olives and pepperoni on the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minute, until the cheese has melted.

We’ve been eating them for breakfast and throughout the day, but they were starting to pile up just a little so I went searching for a way to incorporate them into dinner, too. These pork chops were perfect – so good, super easy after a long day of work and they used up that day’s strawberry bounty!

Pork Chops with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce
(from Taste.com)
Serves 2

1 1/2 c. strawberries, chopped
2 T. good-quality balsamic vinegar
1 t. sugar
1 T. olive oil
2 pork chops
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 T. chicken stock

Toss the strawberries, balsamic vinegar and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and then add to pan. Cook through, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and then add strawberry mixture to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Top pork with strawberry balsamic sauce and serve.

I was really excited when I got this dish in our latest swap – which was Mexican themed – but it almost didn’t get made.

I recently shared another Chicken Mole Enchilada recipe. We liked it, but it relied on store-bought mole and I told myself next time I’d make my own mole sauce. I didn’t realize I’d get the chance so soon! I added this one to the meal plan, went grocery shopping… and then couldn’t find the chilies needed for the sauce. Like, anywhere.

I have no idea why these were so hard to find, but we ended up going store to store bound and determined to make this mole ourselves. I may have done a little happy dance when we finally got a hold of them.

If you can track down the chilies, it’s totally worth making the sauce from scratch. These enchiladas are great - and quite different from the ones I made previously – but I’m sure I’ll be using the sauce in other dishes too!

Baked Chicken Mole Enchiladas
(adapted from Cheese Curd in Paradise)
Serves 6-8

For the mole:
5 dried pasilla or ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
1 1/2 c. hot water
Handful of tortilla chips
2 T. olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 c. chicken stock
3 T. smooth peanut butter
1 T. sugar
1 t. dried oregano
3 oz. Mexican chocolate, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Warm, grilled chicken along with cold mandarin oranges and a great dressing – this salad is a winner.

Panera-Style Asian Sesame Chicken Salad
(from Iowa Girl Eats)
Serves 2

Romaine lettuce
2 medium chicken breasts
6 oz. can mandarin oranges, rinsed and drained
2 oz. slivered almonds
Wonton strips

For the chicken marinade:
3 T. soy sauce
2 t. brown sugar
1 t. sesame oil
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. garlic powder

For the dressing:
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. canola oil
1 1/2 t. sesame oil
1/2 t. salt
Pepper, to taste
1/2 t. sesame seeds, toasted

In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken marinade ingredients.  Add the chicken breasts and marinade for 15 minutes. Grill over medium-high heat for about ten minutes, until cooked through and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Cut into slices.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Bring the vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, then add in the sugar and stir until dissolved. Once it’s cool, combine the vinegar and sugar mixture with the rest of the dressing ingredients in a jar, and shake to combine.

Toss the lettuce with a few tablespoons of dressing and divide between two plates. Top with sliced chicken, mandarin oranges, almonds and wonton strips.

Since we’re grilling so often, I’ve been trying out recipes I’ve had bookmarked for a while but haven’t gotten to yet. Most of them are making me wish I got to them sooner! Like this one. It’s delicious.

Jerk Mango Chicken Kebabs
(from Homemade By Holman)
Serves 4

Juice of 1 limes
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. chopped fresh thyme
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 t. brown sugar
Pinch cinnamon
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 mango
1 red bell pepper

In a large ziplock bag, combine the lime juice, chili powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, allspice, salt, garlic, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the chicken in to 1″ chunks and add to the bag. Toss the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate for an hour.

Cut the mango and red pepper into chunks. If using wooden skewers, soak in salted water for at least thirty minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Thread marinade chicken, mango and red pepper chunks onto skewers. Grill for 5-7 minutes, turning frequently, until chicken is cooked through.

I wouldn’t call this your typical stromboli – they’re usually loaded with cheese and pretty greasy. I used some cheese, but really loaded on the veggies which gave this a lighter, less greasy feel. I didn’t bother to pre-cook the onions or peppers, but they were perfectly done by the time I pulled this out of the oven. Paired with a big green salad, it was the perfect last-minute meal!

Pepperoni & Spinach Stromboli
(a Kate’s Recipe Box original)
Serves 4

1 lb. whole wheat pizza dough
1/4 lb. sliced pepperoni
1/4 lb. sliced provolone
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 c. red onion, diced
3 c. baby spinach
1/2 c. pasta sauce
1/2 t. Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Roll out the pizza dough into a 12×16″ rectangle. Layer on pepperoni, provolone, sliced red pepper, diced onion and spinach. Carefully roll up jelly roll style. Pinch the dough together to seal at the ends.

Place stromboli on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool for 3-4 minutes before slicing and serving.

While the stromboli cooks, mix together the pasta sauce and Italian seasoning. Heat on the stove top until warmed through. Use as a dipping sauce for the stromboli

Now that we’re officially, unofficially into the summer season, easy grilled dinners like this will be in our regular rotation. I’m sure these will be making repeat appearances this summer!

Beef Teriyaki Kebabs
(from Soy Vay)
Serves 4-6

1½ lbs. top sirloin, cut into 1½-inch cubes
½ c. teriyaki sauce, plus more for basting
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 small red onion
3 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, toss together the beef and teriyaki sauce. Refrigerate and let marinade for about 4 hours. While the beef is marinade, soak your wooden kebab skewers in salted water to prevent them burning on the grill.

Chop the peppers and onion into large pieces. Toss them with the olive oil.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Thread the beef, peppers and onions onto the soaked skewers.  Spray the grill with non-stick spray or brush with olive oil and then add kebabs to grill. Cook, turning as needed, until reaching desired doneness, basting with additional teriyaki sauce every 2-3 minutes. (Ours took about 10 minutes to cook.)

The hardest things about Blogger’s Choice swaps for me is chosing a recipe to make! Usually, I can find a few dozen I’d be happy to try out. How do I decide? I recruit my husband.

I handed him a list of potential dishes off of Jaida’s blog and he looked at it for about two seconds before declaring, taquitos! So, taquitos it was. I had pre-cooked the chicken and bacon, which made these a super easy weeknight meal. And, the leftovers packed great for lunch the next day.

They were a big hit and I’m sure we’ll be making them again! Thanks, Sarah, for hosting!

Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Green Onion Taquitos
(very slightly adapted from Sweet Beginnings)
Makes about 10 taquitos

For the taquitos:
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and shredded
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 green onions, chopped
10 small flour tortillas

For the dipping sauce:
1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 t. rice vinegar
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. dill weed
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 t. parsley
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t. garlic powder

Preheat the oven for 350F degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together the bacon, chicken, cream cheese and green onions until well combined. Divide mixutre between tortillas and roll up.

Place the rolled taquitos seem-side down on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, mash the avocado. Add remaining dip ingredients and stir until smooth. Serve dip with warm taquitos.

Check out what the rest of the swap participants made below! Thanks, Sarah, for hosting!

This month’s What’s Baking theme is puff pastry. I think most people think of dessert when they think of puff pastry – I know I do – but for some reason, I always end up making savory dishes when I buy a box. This go around was no exception. After browsing a lot of sweet recipes, I ran across this one and immediately started drooling.

I love street food in general. Anything you can eat on the go, I’m a big fan of. Empanadas are something I’ve enjoyed many times while we’re out but I never tried making them before. These were perfect.

I sized the recipe down so I was only using one box of puff pastry – this recipe made more than enough for the two of us for dinner plus leftovers – but if you’re making these for a crowd you may want to double this recipe.

Check out The Boys Made Me Do It later this month for a recap of the puff pastry dishes other bloggers made!

Spicy Black Bean Empanadas
(adapted from All Recipes)
Makes about 16 empanadas

1/4 lb. ground pork
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. tomato sauce
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/8 t. crushed red pepper
3/4 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. black beans
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 package puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 T. water

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the pork until well browned. Add in the red pepper, green onions and garlic. Cook until tender. Add in the tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Cook for 8 minutes and then stir in the cheese, black beans and cilantro. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.

Unroll the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 16×12″ rectangle. Cut out rounds using a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter. Top half of each circle with 2 heaping teaspoons of black bean mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and fold over. Seal with a fork.

Place the empanadas on a lined baking sheet and back for 18 minutes or until golden.

This recipe is different from all the others I’ve made before because it doesn’t involve baking them one assembled – you warm everything up before assembling and then just serve. It’s quite a time saver for a busy night and I don’t think it took anything away from the flavor. It’s a method I’ll be trying with some of our other favorite enchiladas soon.

Chicken Mole Enchiladas
(from Cook This Not That)
Serves 4

1 8oz. bottle mole sauce
4 c. cooked, shredded chicken
8-12 corn tortillas
1/2 c. crumbled feta
1/2 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

In a small saucepan, heat the mole sauce. If the consistency is thicker than ranch dressing, thin it out with a little chicken stock.

Microwave the chicken to warm, and then toss with a few tablespoons of the heated mole sauce until it’s all coated.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, toast the corn tortillas one at a time until lightly browned but still pliable.

Scoop warm chicken into warmed tortillas and wrap up. Place seam-side down on a rimmed platter and pour remaining mole sauce over the top of them. Top with cheese and onion and serve immediately.