Your Kids Will Beg You For More!!! :)

You just had a BBQ, but you know how it goes. You buy enough buns for everyone to have one (or two or three, maybe more for good ole Uncle Joe), but then not everyone wants a bun. Then you're left with a TON of extra hamburger or hot dog buns, and no hamburgers or hot dogs. Been there, done that? ME. TOO. A lot of times I'll throw them in the freezer, but often times I'll just use them up right away (especially when the freezer is loaded with a summertime fave, like ice cream & popsicles!).

A few things I've used them for:

~Cinnamon-Sugar Bread: Either use the toaster to make toast and sprinkle on the cinn-sugar, or if you are like me, you place them on a large baking sheet, butter them, sprinkle them with the cinnamon-sugar & broil them for just a minute or two until they are a perfect golden-brown and the sugar caramalizes! YUM!

~Quick Garlic Bread when I'm in a hurry. Just butter them, sprinkle with some garlic powder & maybe just a smidge of garlic salt (since the garlic powder doesn't have any salt) & broil for a few minutes.

~Mini Pizzas!!! This is what I'll show you today! I love making these. Actually, USUALLY I just put all the ingredients out & let the kids make 'em. It's true what they say; when kids MAKE the food, they are much more likely to eat it. This is a FABULOUS time to include fresh veggies. It's pizza! They will eat them (even my pickiest eater who despises veggies--she's a total carnivore--ate this in a pretty reasonable time frame).

Instructions:

*Lay buns on a baking sheet.

*Put ingredients in bowls on the counter (we used two types of fresh squash, bell peppers & basil from our organic garden, along with black olives. For other ingredients, just think about your favorite toppings that you usually order, and don't be afraid to try new ones. I'm thinking about garbanzo beans for some reason. I might try to find a pizza that would work well with those. Also, you DON'T have to use pizza sauce. It costs more so I never buy it. Spaghetti sauce works fine (I normally use Prego...man, I sure wish they were paying me to say that! lol). Also, I don't usually have Mozzarella cheese on hand, but I always have Cheddar and Pecorino Romano, so I use those and they are amazing! You might try drizzling with a tad bit of extra virgin olive oil & sprinkling with fresh-cracked pepper & a tiny bit of kosher salt (you don't need much salt because the pre-made sauce will have plenty).

*Let the kids come in and build their very own pizza.

*Pop in the oven to bake for a bit (and the last minute or so, place the pan on the top shelf and broil it). I find that sometimes when I broil from the beginning, it doesn't always get cooked through how I like it, so I bake first, then broil just to get the cheese perfectly crisp! Mmmmmmmmmm!

Serve with whatever you like. Last night we had fresh fruit on hand. We had cantelope & raspberries from Costco (nope, not organic, but those pesticide-filled berries sure tasted good), along with some fabulously organic blueberries (probably the best I've ever eaten) that my hubby & kids picked themselves from Soffel Farms in Redlands! If you haven't been there, you should check it out. You can eat while you pick (I'm pretty sure with the amount Matthew stuffed in his mouth, we definitely made out like bandits!) and it is just a fun experience for the kids & you come home with amazing fresh, healthy fruit!

Here are the pics I took of our dinner from last night! I hope you'll have fun with the kids & your leftover buns next time! :)

Lay the buns on a baking sheet...yes, the yellow buns were a different brand! lol

Our toppings from last night...organic squash, peppers & basil and some
canned black olives...

We used spaghetti sauce, cheddar cheese & Pecorino romano cheese...

All ready to go into the oven...

All done! Ready to eat!!!

Our yummy "dessert" of sorts...fresh fruit! (okay, okay, I have to 'fess up...
Art and I did have the last piece of triple-berry pie later on for our
dessert. ;)