Rave & Review: Pepperoni Pizza Quesadilla

Originally Posted By: Snixy Kitchen, found via Pinterest

Special Instructions: The original recipe makes four servings. This recipe is for an individual quesadilla. You will also find that the amounts of ingredients are very flexible based on your personal taste and preference.

Ingredients: flour tortillas, shredded cheese, pepperoni, pizza sauce

Tools: stove, pan, spatula (or a quesadilla maker)

Made with pepperoni and diced olives.

2 flour tortillas
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
12 pieces of pepperoni
1/4 cup of pizza sauce (I used pepperoni pizza sauce)

Optional Add-In: Other pizza toppings, like olives and mushrooms. Add-ins should be cut into small pieces. The more added in, consider adding more cheese; cheese is the glue that holds the quesadilla together.

Directions: Turn the stove on low and lay the first tortilla down. Sprinkle half of your cheese evenly, then place the pepperoni. Sprinkle the rest of your cheese and lay the second tortilla on top. You will know you can flip the quesadilla without the top tortilla falling off or losing any ingredients if you try to lift the top tortilla off and it is fused down with the melted cheese.

Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla sides become a little crispy. (Test this by tapping your spatula on the browning portions.) Remove from heat and allow to cool for a minute before cutting it into quarters. Serve with the side of pizza sauce for dipping.

Pair With: Anything you might like! Eat this as a main dish or an appetizer.


I have made this recipe a dozen times and things can be done differently each time. I have served it with a vegetable side and made mini-quesadillas using one tortilla folded over. You can use more or less cheese, pepperoni, sauce--anything you might like! If you have a quesadilla maker, this can be made quickly. Play around with it and see what suits your tastes!

Rave & Review: S'mores Dip

Originally Posted By: Tasty Kitchen, found via Pinterest

Ingredients: chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, marshmallow fluff, graham crackers

Tools: bowl, spoon, microwave

The best S'mores without a fire!

11.5 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips

14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
7 oz. of marshmallow fluff
graham cracker sticks, for dipping

Directions: Combine the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a microwavable bowl for 30 seconds. Take out and stir until melted and smooth. (Note: Different microwaves have different power. Continue to microwave at 10-second intervals until the chips and milk are smooth.)

Top the bowl with a large scoop of marshmallow fluff and stir it into the chocolate. This will create a marbled look when well-blended.

Pair With: graham crackers

It's insanely easy to make this dip and people will definitely love it. Even when it cools down, it's still easy to use as a spread. I brought this to a party and put it on a table that everyone had to walk past. People couldn't pass it up! It's great when the weather or setting won't allow for an open fire to roast marshmallows and is a safe and easy alternative for kids. Whatever isn't finished can be put into the refrigerator and kept for probably a week (I say a week because mine is usually eaten before that). Just scoop out however much you would like and microwave it again.

Rave & Review: Ranch Burger Sliders

Originally Posted By: All Recipes, found via Styleberry Blog/Pinterest

Ingredients: ground beef, ranch seasoning mix, egg, saltine crackers, onion

Tools: knife, cutting board, bowl, whisk, rolling pin, sandwich bag, measuring cup, grill

Ranch dressing & cheese; strawberry mango salsa

2lbs. lean ground meat
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning mix
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup chopped onion

Directions: Preheat the grill for high heat.

In a bowl, lightly beat one egg. Add the chopped onion and packet of ranch seasoning mix. Put some saltines in the sandwich bag, seal the bag, and use the rolling pin to crush the saltines. Measure out the crushed crackers, then add to the bowl. Add the ground meat and mix well.

Make sliders out to be a little smaller than the size of your palm, yielding roughly 8 sliders.

Place sliders on the grill and cook to personal liking.

Pair With: Go beyond the usual cheese, lettuce and tomato! Try topping your sliders with pepperjack cheese and homemade ranch dressing or strawberry mango salsa.


Once you go ranch, you can't go back--at least not back to the same plain ol' burger! One thing that could be swapped out or done differently is the use of wheat bread crumbles instead of the saltine crackers, as was done by Styleberry Blog. I used the saltines because they were easy. The onion was not overpowering; in fact, I hardly seemed to notice it as it was mixed with the ranch seasoning. Sliders are a great size to experiment with toppings. If you try something and don't like it, you can always wipe it all off and hose it down with ketchup. (Ketchup will fix just about anything.) Check your local grocery store's bakery as they might have slider buns, as I found.

Rave & Review: Homemade (Healthy!) Ranch Dressing

Originally Posted By: The Caffeinated Chronicles of a Supermom, found via Pinterest

Ingredients: plain non-fat yogurt, Hidden Valley ranch seasoning mix, milk

Tools: whisk, bowl, 12oz. jar

"Do you come to the Hidden Valley often?"

1 cup Dannon Oikos plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup 1% milk

Directions: Whisk together all ingredients and chill at least one hour before serving. Should yield roughly 12oz. of dressing and should keep for about two weeks.

Pair With: Everything and anything that can only be made better with ranch dressing!

I haven't experimented with using fat-free or 2% milk as there were other reviews that the change milk compromise the quality/consistency of the dressing. When I put this out with vegetables as an appetizer, everybody dipped in. Everyone was quite surprised that this dressing was made of yogurt and milk, and the recipe was passed around. If anyone is a major ranch enthusiast and likes a healthy option, this is for you!

Rave & Review: Lemon Pasta

Originally Posted By: Jamie Krell, found via Pinterest

Special Instructions: Dish to be prepared the day before serving, left overnight in refrigerator to set, and to be served cold

Ingredients: pasta, olive oil, garlic, heavy cream, lemon, chicken broth, baby arugula, grape tomato, peas, grated cheese, salt, pepper

Tools: cheese grater, stove, pot, saucepan, colander, measuring cups, measuring spoons, knife, cutting board

Colorful and flavorful, but not overpowering.

1 pound of pasta
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (cheat: 1/2 tsp. of bottled minced garlic)
1 cup heavy cream

1-2 lemons (juice and zest)

1 cup chicken broth

2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

1-2 cups of baby arugula, finely chopped (optional swap: spinach)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 10oz. bag of frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (cheat: prepared grated cheese, like Kraft's Parmesan and Romano cheese blend)

Directions: Prepare by zesting and juicing 1-2 lemons. (Two lemons were used in this preparation.) Set aside.

Begin by boiling the water and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium. Cook the garlic for less than a minute so it does not burn. (If using the bottled minced garlic, you will see it turn a little brown.) Combine the heavy cream, lemon zest and juice, chicken broth, and the salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for about 15 minutes. The sauce will reduce and begin to thicken.

While the sauce simmers, finely chop the baby arugula and use the amount to your liking. (For this recipe, I used 2 cups.) Halve the grape tomatoes. (If you are using a bag of frozen peas and forgot to remove them from the freezer, you can cook them for a minute or so in the microwave to thaw them out. No harm, no foul!) 

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, sauce, and vegetables. Stir to coat evenly. Add cheese and stir again.

Cover and keep in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Pair With: Grilling favorites like hamburgers and barbecue, or eat alone!

The pasta used in my picture is tri-colored farfalle (or bow-ties), chosen because of its color and shape. Since my box was for 12oz, I also threw in some rotini. Mix and match pasta noodles; it gives more variety and appeal! I didn't have fresh garlic cloves on hand so I used McCormick's minced garlic. If you like lemon, then you will love the smell of this sauce as it simmers! In the future, I want to try using this sauce hot. This is a great recipe and change from the usual sort of pasta salads you will find at barbecues and parties and I will make it again!

Rave & Review: Strawberry Mango Salsa

Originally Posted By: McConkie Menu, found via Pinterest

Ingredients: strawberries, mango, red onion, basil, lemon juice, salt, pepper

Tools: cutting board, knife, potato peeler, measure cups, measuring spoons

The picture was an afterthought--better ones to come!

1 cup strawberries, finely diced
1 cup mangos, finely diced (cheat: use a potato peeler to get the skin off without wasting the good stuff!)
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
6 basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (cheat: bottled lemon juice)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Optional Add-In: kiwi

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl, cover, and allow to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Pair With: low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, cinnamon pita chips, or use as a topping on chicken, burgers, salads


This is the first recipe I found on Pinterest that I actually went ahead and made. Not only is it incredibly easy, but it's especially delicious. It's a party hit and a versatile topping as any salsa could be. (I even used it to top a ranch slider burger, which I will be reviewing in a future post.) The only thing I tweaked in my repeat of this recipe was the quarter-cup increase of both the strawberries and mango, for two reasons: I like an even, easy cup, and I was afraid that the red onion might seem a little overpowering for my particular taste. I have also thrown in a kiwi or two when they were handy. I've doubled and even tripled this recipe for parties and there is never any left!