Mac and Cheese Cups

Mac and Cheese Cups
Yield: 12 servings | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes | Total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups elbows pasta
2 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp Parmesan
1.5 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
2 cups sharp cheddar
1 egg salt
pepper

Instructions
1. Prep & Pasta: Preheat oven to 425°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin. Boil and drain elbow pasta.
2. Topping & Sauce: Mix Panko, Parmesan, and olive oil for the topping. Melt butter, sauté garlic, whisk in flour and milk, simmer until thick, then melt in cheddar, egg, and pasta.
3. Bake & Serve: Scoop into the muffin tin, top with the Panko mixture, bake 18–20 minutes until golde.

Chicken Taco Salad or Burritos

Adapted from: https://butterwithasideofbread.com/fiesta-ranch-chicken-pasta-salad/)
This was the original recipe...and I didn't like it as a pasta salad. However, I did like it without the noodles as a filling for tacos.

Ingredients

3 boneless chicken breasts cooked and diced
1 packet taco seasoning mix
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz corn frozen or canned
1 cup onion chopped
1 pepper chopped (ed, orange, or yellow)
3 oz olives sliced
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 tomatoes chopped

Instructions
Combine all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Serve cold with tortilla chips for taco salad or warm with tortillas for burritos.

Easy Calzone Recipe

Source: https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-calzone-recipe/

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
• 2 lb pizza dough (see recipe below)
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup pepperoni
• • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 475 °F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with oil.
Divide the dough into 8 equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/4" thick circle.
Place the filling on half of each circle (pizza sauce, ricotta, pepperoni, and shredded mozzarella). Make sure to leave the edges clean to allow for sealing the calzone. Fold the side over the filling and crimp the edges.
Place calzones on a baking sheet, leaving space apart. Cut a small vent on the top of each calzone. Brush the tops with oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Overnight Pizza Dough Recipe
Servings: 8 people (makes 2, 10-12 inch crusts)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 10minutes

Ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups warm water, 105-110˚F
• 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 Tbsp fine sea salt
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, (measured correctly) plus more to dust*

Instructions
How to Make Pizza Dough:
In a small bowl, stir together water, honey, and salt then sprinkle the top with 1/2 tsp yeast and let sit 5 minutes then stir.
Measure 3 1/3 cups flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour yeast mixture into the center then stir with a firm spatula until the dough comes together. Knead by hand 2 minutes (dough will be sticky). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 4-5 hours or until doubled in size.
Transfer dough to a floured surface, turn to coat lightly in flour so it isn’t sticky then divide in half. Fold each piece of dough in half 8 times, gently pulling the sides over the center like closing a book, turning the dough each time and repeating for 8 folds. Form a ball in your hands and transfer each piece of dough to a lightly oiled bowl seam-side-down, cover and refrigerate overnight (18 hours) or up to 1 week.
**I don't think putting it in the fridge made it rise much more than it had already risen, so I'd try using it after the first rise.
Remov the dough from the fridge 1 hour before using to give it time to warm up.