Thursday, May 28, 2009

Dancing Taste Buds --- Crescent Roll Appetizer Pizza!

What a whirlwind of a week! We had a wonderful trifecta going on here ... my baby celebrated her crossover into double digits -- 10th birthday (yikes!), out of town guests arrived in honor of said birthday girl, and gleaming beams of sunshine warmed our faces! Rolls of laughter and streams of happy tears were part of the picture perfect goings-on. It’s been a while since I laughed so heartily that I cried. Felt really good. Have to do that more often.Since I was preparing food for a crowd (made me think about Marjie), I thought it would be fun to experiment with some one pan meals. Years ago I had a version of today’s recipe as a vegetarian appetizer. So, I thought to myself, why not turn it into a brunch meal by tossing on some meat and serving larger portions. It was a hit with my guests. All the grown ups devoured it. The kids didn’t touch it; I think my son may have even wrinkled his nose. Of course the beast had no problem sneaking bites of salami as I was prepping this meal, and the girls kept snagging cucumber slices. Does your family do that? Swipe bits of this and that as you are cooking? Still it was no biggie as I had plenty of food, and planned something else for them as this is not a gluten free meal anyway. I'm working on a gluten free version of it.Have you seen this recipe before? It’s been featured in those mini magazines they sell at the check out line at the grocery store. Made with Pillsbury crescent roll dough and cream cheese, it couldn’t be easier. I tossed on some leftover grilled chicken plus some cubed salami, and the result made my taste buds dance. If you want dancing taste buds, check this out. Soon.

Ingredients:

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (I used the low fat ones)
1 brick cream cheese – softened
½ cup sour cream
¼ teaspoon dill
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

RAW veggies: 1 cup chopped fresh broccoli, ½ of a red pepper, 1 carrot shredded, ½ of a cucumber, seeded, and 3 green onions, sliced thin.

1 cup diced leftover grilled chicken, warmed up
1 cup diced thick salami

Preheat your oven to 375. Spread the crescent dough out onto a large, non stick sheet pan, pressing the seams together to form one large flat sheet of dough. Bake for 10 minutes, or until just lightly golden. Remove from over and let cool.

Meanwhile, combine the softened cream cheese and the sour cream until smooth. Stir in the dill and garlic powder. Spread onto the cooled crescent dough. Top with veggies and meat. Cut into squares and serve immediately. (Be careful cutting on a non stick pan.) This can also be put in the fridge a day early and served cold.Just look at this! It was soooo good. This little meal is bursting with texture ... crunchy veg, creamy spread, chewy crust, and flavorful meat. I just loved every bite. This would be great as an appetizer for summer potlucks as well as a great brunch dish. Totally yummy! Go ahead, try it and let your taste buds dance!

19 comments:

Lyndas recipe box said...

Paula, you're a genius! I have made this many times in the past and have never thought to make it a main dish!It looks wonderful and I know my husband would gorge himself silly,as he loves this dish.
My kids were like yours; they wouldn't touch it.

Tatersmama said...

What I wouldn't give for Crescent rolls!
I might try this using puff pastry though - and I'll let you know what I think!
I know I could eat raw veggies 'til the cows come home, so this looks like it's right up my alley!

Marjie said...

Looks like an excellent lunch to me! My kids would eat everything before dinner was cooked if I didn't keep a 2 foot long wooden spoon with which to threaten mayhem upon any supposedly innocent soul entering the cooking domain! If you aren't working, this isn't the place for you! Birthday hugs to your baby, and glad family came to town for a while!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

It does look simple to prepare asnd open to all possibilities...plus it includes cheese:D

Anonymous said...

This looks SO good! You ARE a genius. Congrats to the double digiter:)

Pam said...

Awesome photos Paula. This looks like the perfect lunch to me!

Manggy said...

Crying laughter, dancing taste buds-- all in all, a great birthday celebration. We don't have refrigerated dough in these parts, but I think I can manage by making my own crescent roll dough, hee hee :) And I love the healthy toppings too!

Maria Verivaki said...

happy birthday to your little one, absolutely lovely appetiser!

grace said...

i'm glad you've had an exhilarating week! this is a colorful and delightfully healthy appetizer, paula--very inventive!

Cathy said...

What could be easier than crescent dough? I love it! And a great way to use the fresh veggies that are starting to appear at the farmer's market.

Aggie said...

now this looks good...love all the raw veggies. yum!

Anonymous said...

They make crescent roll dough without the perforations now, just for recipes like this.

Michelle

The Blonde Duck said...

I've always wanted to know if this was tasty. Thanks for experimenting for me! :)

And thanks for the sweet anniversary comments. We truly are two peas in a pod.

pam said...

My family doesn't grab things as I'm cooking, but they hang around and try and snatch pieces as I'm trying to carve the meat or serve something.

Gloria Baker said...

WOW!! Paula This is a SO GOOD idea and look so tasty, I love it! xoxoxoxo Gloria

Lo said...

Heh. This appy pizza brings back the memories.

Awesome pics... and you can't beat having all those veg in one place!

OhioMom said...

I love those little recipe books at the grocery, and I confess to owning more than a few :)

Happy 10th Birthday Baby Girl .. and Mom my "baby" will be 28 next week, now don't you feel all better?

LOL!

Deborah said...

My family has been making the appetizer pizzas for years, but I love how you turned it into a meal! YUM!

Anonymous said...

Loving the hand painted mural above the bed. And I also love the ribbons on the iron curtain rod


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