Pizza: Hors d'oeuvre-style!

Preparation for guests may get me wound up a bit, but in the end, I love to entertain. Thing about entertaining -- and I get this from my mom and grandmother -- if you don't have leftover food then you don't have enough food. So the key, for me, is to find something that will easily feed a crowd.

This recipe fits the bill. It's easy to double, which was important on the occasion I made them, since I was having 3 families over, 2 of which included teenaged boys.

They were a huge hit!

I didn't have many leftover, either. Maybe 10 or so? But regardless I still had some leftover, so by Grandma's standards I made enough.

So give these a try for the big game, party, small gathering, holiday party, or for a fun dinner.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Recipe slightly modified from The Country Cook

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, optional
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk, 2% or higher
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesean
• 1 cup pepperoni, diced
• pizza or marinara sauce, for dipping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray mini muffin tins well with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Chop pepperoni into bite-sized pieces.
3. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Stir in milk then stir in beaten egg.
4. Add mozzarella, Parmesan, pepperoni, and crushed red pepper if using. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes.
5. Spoon mixture into muffin tins. (A small ice cream scoop makes this really easy.)
6. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown, and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Serve with your favorite pizza or marinara sauce for dipping.