Pizza, Tacos and Chicken Tenders!

February 26, 2019

While it’s not easy come up with dinner on demand seven days a week, there are a few go-to recipes for family favorites that are sure to satisfy the hard to please: pizza, tacos and tenders. Are we right? But if you’re tired of the same ol’ recipes and want to layer in a little variety, check out these variations on mouth-watering comfort foods from famous and little-known bloggers and chefs.

Appetizing Artsy Pizza

One of the reasons we like Martha Stewart is that she’s always coming up with variations on a theme to make them more interesting, just as tasty and in this case, also attractive. Pizza is an easy meal to prepare with a pound of store-bought dough (which keeps for two weeks in the fridge) and some yummy toppings. Martha’s White Pizza with Pickled Onions adds thinly sliced soppressata (Italian dry salami) and both ricotta and Monterey Jack cheese – plus ¾ cup of Parmesan for an extra-savory snap. 

The Food Network’s Meatball Pizza used pizza dough, pizza sauce (both store-bought) and a recipe for baked meatballs. And for a time-saver we happen to know first-hand that King Soopers’ prepared meatballs from the store on E. Smoky Hill Road are pretty delicious, too! With fresh mozzarella, ricotta and pepperoncini peppers, this is a little spicier taste sensation than your average pizza. Once you prep and/or bake your meatballs, the pizza is ready to serves in 15 to 18 minutes.

A word to the wise from the Food Network chefs: it’s best not to bunch up your toppings or your cheeses, and make sure everything is nice and evenly spread so you can taste every topping in every bite.

Looking for a gluten-free alternative? Try your favorite toppings on this Cauliflower Pizza Crust from the Food Network blending one head of the popular white vegetable – cooked and mashed with mozzarella, parmesan, oregano, salt, garlic and two eggs. (this recipe of Katie Lee’s has received 4.5 stars from home-chef reviewers!) 

Take Your Pick Tacos

The chopped cheese sandwich enjoyed a little limelight a year or so ago: ground beef with onions and peppers cooked and chopped simultaneously together on a griddle. It was covered with cheese and shredded lettuce and stuffed in a hoagie roll. Real Simple devised a recipe that stuffed that cheeseburger deliciousness into a flour tortilla with chopped tomatoes, chipotle peppers and sour cream for Chopped Cheese Tacos. You want one right now, don’t you?

The garnishes are what take the time to prep for Bobby Flay’s Fish Tacos, but boy-oh-boy are they worth the effort. This recipe from the Food Network adds its own pureed tomato salsa, but you can use your favorite store-bought concoction to drizzle on the finished dish. After marinating the white flaky fish (like Mahi-Mahi) and grilling it, shred your cabbage, chop a little cilantro, slice some red onion, and you’re minutes away fresh, how-you-like-them fish tacos.

Tasty Tenders

Blogger Tonia at The Gunny Sack makes chicken tenders for her family at least once a month. With panko and Italian breadcrumbs, garlic powder and grated Parmesan, she dips the tenders in melted butter then coats chicken strips. After 20 to 25 minutes in a 400 degree-oven, they’re ready for dipping in sauces or eating naked!

Sabrina blogs for Dinner Then Dessert and has a recipe for super crispy chicken tenders that are made with a buttermilk marinade and spices that will make you think you’re eating an order from KFC! Sabrina fries them up in oil, but Robyn of Add a Pinch has a similar recipe and a few additional tips for crispy tenders in an air fryer. A little buttermilk soak, and you’ll get the best of all worlds. (P.S. Chelsea at Chelsea’s Messy Apron has a three-ingredient dipping sauce to try, too!)

Dinner on Demand in Southshore

The expertly-designed kitchens in the master-planned community of Southshore offer home chefs the perfect work space for creating masterpiece meals. With homes that boast of Life at the Lake, and a location convenient to amenities and recreation, the neighborhoods are ideally located. Tour the variety of model homes from Century Communities, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers — in ranch and two-story designs, and priced between the upper $300s and the $700s.