Sausage and Cheese Crescent Squares

December 11, 2011 by

These appetizers from Pillsbury (original here) look wonderful in the picture (from the Pillsbury site). Better yet, they seem to be quite easy to make. It’s another recipe I’m eager to try out. Sausage and Cheese Crescent Squares are the eleventh of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
  • 1 lb spicy or mild bulk pork sausage
  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
  • 2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Unroll 1 can of dough. Place in ungreased 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust.
  3. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently, until no longer pink.
  4. Remove sausage from skillet; discard drippings.
  5. To same skillet, add cream cheese.
  6. Cook over low heat until melted.
  7. Add cooked sausage; stir to coat.
  8. Spoon evenly over crust in baking dish.
  9. Sprinkle with cheese.
  10. Unroll second can of dough on work surface, and press to form 13×9-inch rectangle.
  11. Carefully place dough sheet over cheese.
  12. Bake 21 to 26 minutes or until golden brown.
  13. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into small squares.

Variations

  • Substitute 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls for the dough sheets. Simply unroll the dough completely and press together at the seams.
  • You could substitute ground beef for the sausage if desired.

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Pizza Pinwheels

December 6, 2011 by

A Pillsbury recipe that Mom has included in her recipe files, this appetizer is simple and can be adapted to include your favorite pizza topping. Pizza Pinwheels are the sixth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 Can (8oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
  • 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped pepperoni (about 1½ oz)
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped green bell pepper
  • ½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend
  • ½ cup pizza sauce

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
  3. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations to seal.
  4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, pepperoni, bell pepper and Italian cheese blend over each rectangle.
  5. Starting with one short side, roll up each rectangle; press edge to seal.
  6. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 6 slices; place cut side down on cookie sheet.
  7. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
  8. Meanwhile, heat pizza sauce.
  9. Immediately remove pinwheels from cookie sheet.
  10. Serve warm with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Variations

  • Any finely chopped, fully cooked pizza topping could be used as a substitute for the pepperoni—bacon bits, chopped onion, ham, black olives, mushrooms, and so forth.

Time Required: 35 minutes

Servings: 24

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Poppin’ Fresh Barbecups

September 5, 2010 by

These easy-to-serve sandwiches are a variation of a Pillsbury recipe. We prefer the lighter taste of crescent rolls, and the Manwich sauce makes the recipe even simpler to prepare. We serve our barbecups with fries or hash browns, and a green vegetable. Leftovers can be refrigerated and warmed in the microwave.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 15.5oz can Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce
  • 1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough
  • 3/4 c. Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
  2. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. You need 8 muffin cups.
  3. Brown ground beef in a large skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add Manwich sauce to the ground beef, and stir to combine thoroughly.
  5. Remove skillet from heat.
  6. Place one crescent roll in each muffin cup, pressing the roll into the bottom of the muffin cup and up the sides to form a shell.
  7. Repeat with remaining crescent rolls.
  8. Fill each of these muffin cups with the Manwich mixture (about 2/3 to 3/4 full).
  9. Sprinkle evenly with Cheddar Cheese.
  10. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
  11. Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Variations

  • Use your favorite flavor of Manwich sauce—Original, Bold, or Thick & Chunky.
  • Substitute refrigerated biscuit dough for the crescent rolls, if desired.
  • Make your own Manwich sauce with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tbsp minced onion and 1 tsp brown sugar.
  • Create your own variations by changing the sauce and cheese. For instance, try using Taco Sauce with Mexican cheese blend, or use pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Time Required: 20 mins

Servings: 4–8

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