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skillet

On Finding the Light, and Pepperoni Skillet Pizza Dip

February 17, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

MIAA States Championship 2018My son made it to States. We are newbies to the wrestling world in that, this love started his sophomore year.

Some people on the team have wrestled since kindergarten, some of the kids at this competition come from long lines of wrestlers and dads who coached youth programs.

It is an amazing, taxing, hard to watch (sometimes) sport. It is not for the meek, and they make two minutes seem like two hours. Endurance, stamina, all of that. Even better though, I have seen strong, tough young men help each other up, chat before they take their spots on the mat, and shake hands with opposing coaches, win or lose. It’s pretty spectacular. It is a gift to watch my children as athletes. It is a greater gift to watch talented athletes who are also great human beings.

Back to States. We got to the hotel late, I checked into my room and promptly crashed as all good moms do.

But this morning I woke up to a ray of light in the room darkening curtains, can see the dust motes shimmering, can hear my daughter breathing softly, and so I write. 

The last year of our lives has been difficult. A year ago some pretty ugly things surfaced and not only did I need to face some things as a parent, my children had to face some things that made them grow up quickly.

As a mom, you want the world to be perfect and your children to be healthy and happy.  It isn’t an easy task on a regular day, but this year it seemed an overwhelming uphill battle. I am a life-is-blessed-search-for-the-blessing- girl and I am not going to lie, since December it has been a dark place.

On a regular basis when things seem tougher than normal, I kick into what I call “Chrissy Kick Ass Mode” (sorry if I offend but that’s what I call it). Where I buck up and put on my big girl panties and do my job. I’ve still kicked into that mode, but like a battery that is dying, sometimes the turn over is slow and sounds bad too.

The hard part about grief, and also joy, is when it takes us by surprise.

When your son makes it to States and you go to text someone, and that person isn’t there anymore. Or you realize that this is the first February vacation that doesn’t include a drop off or a pick up, or an argument about going, or any of the hard stuff you are used to. It isn’t liberating like you’d expect. It’s just plain …sad and weird.

But the joy part, the deep love part, the part that makes you see the light in the darkness part, is why we wake up and do our job and make it to States. We do the thing that gets us there. We do. Verb-and-Noun-Do. We search for the light.

Because the light makes it worth it.

I have been told that if you can get through all of the “Firsts” it gets easier. Having lost my own Dad, I can say it gets different, or you get tougher, but easier is a relative term.

Maybe we just get stronger, and the lifting gets lighter as a result. As a mom watching your kids go through the “firsts,” it is so much harder.

Some things, I can not fix. I can make it better, but the fixing is the work; and the work, we have to do ourselves.

I can shine the light. I can hold up the light. I can make the journey brighter. But, they have to find it.

I am not a wrestler, I could never be a wrestler, it is hard work. I am happy to take my place on the treadmill or bike path and WALK. I’m not lazy, but I don’t feel compelled at all to push like my son and his teammates push on the mats.

This is what my sports mom space looks like

My Sports Mom Pose

However, I am seeing, I need to push harder, do the work, find the light, in every moment. Be the inner wrestler I need to be, to be the mom I want to be, to be the daughter I want to be, to be the friend I want to be, to be the teacher I want to be, to be the blogger I want to be, to be the Chrissy I want to be. Because, when we push, we make States. Even if we don’t win States, we get there. I want to get there, my “States” in life.

There is no proper way to segue into Skillet Pepperoni Pizza dip. It is just this awesome recipe I made for the Super Bowl. Except, in a way, the Super Bowl of life aligns with this post. It takes a lot of hard work to get there, oh, and a team. So yeah, here we go. We are a team and we work hard. Boom. Now make this dip.

Skillet Pepperoni Pizza Dip

 

Pizza dip requires purchasing pre-made pizza dough in the deli section of your store. You can make your own, but this is about making your life easier. Buy two balls of dough, this recipe-be-banging.Skillet Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Tie the dough into knots and line an oiled skillet. You can use a baking pan if you don’t have a skillet and it will still be amazing.

Mix cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, red pepper flakes, garlic, and make a magical dip.

Line the pan with the knots, line the knots with pepperoni, scoop the dip in the middle. Brush the dough with olive oil and fresh crushed garlic and more cheese if you want. Then stick that gloriousness in the oven and bake until the dough is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Skillet Pepperoni Pizza DipYou can serve this with sauce or without it. It will disappear and you will have no left overs. It is that good.

In life, for me anyway, making the dip and serving the dip is part of the work but also part of the joy. Writing about it is also part of the joy.

I realized today, that a-year-ago-Chrissy would have never taken a chance to start a blog. She would have never thought she could. But she did. See? The Joy part can surprise us too.

I’m not going to lie, the next batch of recipes are not low cal but in the pushing part on my end, they will be getting healthier, because that’s my next step too. Don’t fear, my biscotti love is still going strong. You can pry my biscotti from my clenched up exercising hands.

Pepperoni Pizza Skillet Dip

Pepperoni Pizza Skillet Dip

This could be the heavy hitter for the calories and indulgence scale but for all that is decent and holy you need to make this dip. Because, it is the type of recipe you make and your kids stand around it saying “This is amazing.”

And every momma needs to hear that, especially the momma bears who want their kids to have joy and find the light, every day, too.

Much love readers. You’ve got this day. Find the light.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and as always, thank you for coming to the table.

Chrissy

Print

Pepperoni Skillet Pizza Dip

Pepperoni Pizza Skillet Dip
Print Recipe

AMAZING Pepperoni and garlic knots with a bubbly, cheesey dip baked to golden perfection. You will be a highly revered party attender if this is your contribution to the table.

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 packages pre-made pizza dough (I purchase mine in the deli section of the grocery store near the pizza shop part)
  • 4 Ounces of Cream Cheese (1/2 block)
  • 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
  • 1 Cup Ricotta
  • 1 teaspoon-tablespoon (you control the heat) of red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon crushed Garlic
  • 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
  • 1 Cup sliced Pepperoni
  • Fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350*
  2. Take dough out of package and let sit to rise, then cut into strips, tie off into knots.
  3. In a pre-oiled skillet or baking pan, line dough knots around the perimeter. Allow to sit somewhere warm while you mix the dip.
  4. In a bowl, mix cheeses, some of crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste, mix thoroughly. (You should sample it. Just saying).
  5. Line dough ring of knots with sliced pepperoni to create a pepperoni  border/bowl.
  6. Spoon filling into center of pan.
  7. Add remaining garlic to melted butter and combine. Brush over dough knots. If you want to add additional shredded cheese on top of garlic knots, do so!
  8. Bake at 350* for 30 – 35 minutes, until dough is golden and the inner cheese dip is melted and bubbly.
  9. Sprinkle basil on top of finished dip.
  10. Serve with marinara sauce if desired

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Posted in: bread, My Story, Recipes Tagged: cheese, Dip, Dough, Party Food, Pepperoni, Pizza, Ricotta, skillet, Skillet Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Cheesy Skillet Cornbread

September 14, 2017 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Whisking Egg Whites

There is something about the fall season, and the need to pull out the crock pot and make a big bowl of soup or chili, hearty and rich, with a ton of flavor. It just seems like the right thing to prepare when you are getting ready for work in the morning and hear the Canadian Geese flying overhead, or catch a glimpse of color in the trees as you head home. It’s coming, and soon.

Autumn in New England is one of the greatest gifts on this earth. Everywhere you look the world is awash in color. My world smells different in fall. Crunchy leaves, apple crisp, bonfires, and pumpkin spice everything, from coffee to room deodorizer.

In our house, if you make chili, you serve it with sour cream, shredded cheese, hot sauce, and these cute little cornbreads that I buy from the grocery store.

Wait, WHAT? I BUY my cornbread? Well, yes, usually I do. Because it’s scary to make and its so easy to buy. I buy the good ones, you know, that the grocery store bakery people make…it’s not the same, right? No?

Cornbread Mixture

OK, I was blog-shamed into making my own cornbread.

And I learned, guess what? It wasn’t that hard after all. Now, it wasn’t buy-the-box-mix-add-eggs easy, but it wasn’t give-birth- without-an-epidural hard either. It was actually no where near as hard as the things an average person would have to deal with, and hey, if you are doing this on the weekend, in fall, it just seems right. Then you too can boast you made your own cornbread to the “ooohs” and “aaahs” of the crowd.

The hardest part of this recipe was whipping the egg whites, which, yes, I did by hand. (More blog shame) I will, moving forward, pop the whisk attachment into the Kitchen Aid and let that beast make the peaks out of those whites.

Skillet Cornbread

After combining the ingredients, whip the whites, gently fold, and pour into a prepared Cast Iron Skillet.

Oh yes, I did use a cast iron skillet. I told you, I was in for a penny in for a pound for this recipe.

Once upon a time this skillet went camping, now it lives on my baking shelves.

For such a time as this.

If you don’t own cast iron, a brownie or cake pan will work equally as well. You can also bake it in a deep dish pie plate and make glorious wedges of cornbread…and who doesn’t like fancy once in a while?

I liked the way the cast iron made a crunchier crust on the bottom of the bread, and gave it that little extra rustic feel. This was served with white chicken chili (recipe coming soon), and it just looked snazzy on the table.

As for the flavor, this recipe calls for buttermilk, and cheddar cheese, so you know there was

Cheesy Skillet Cornbread

potential for success. The separating of the eggs and the lightness of the whites, it was this light, sweet, cheesy concoction of goodness. The flip side is, cornbread has a certain hearty expectation, served with a denser soup like chili, it needs to be dense but not brownie like in consistency, and this delivered.

It was delicious with supper, and it was delicious for breakfast the next day. I served it warm with fresh butter and even my preserves got a spot at the table.

Sweet enough but not too sweet, this bread really met right in the middle in the realm of texture, density, sweetness, and flavor. It was a win.

I guess I won’t be buying the cornbread at the bakery counter at my grocery store anymore!

Cheesy Skillet Cornbread Square

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

(click below for printable recipe)

Print

Cheesy Skillet Cornbread

Print Recipe

Delicious cheese cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet for a golden brown crust. Perfect on its own or with a bowl of chili!

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 Eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 1 Cup Buttermilk
  • 1 tsp Almond or Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/2 Cup Cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 Cup Flour
  • 3/4 Cup Melted Butter
  • 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 TBSP Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350* and spray a Cast Iron Skillet with cooking spray.
  2. In one bowl, combine Melted Butter, Egg Yolks, Milk, and Extract of choice. Stir until combined
  3. Add Flour, Cornmeal, Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt and mix.
  4. In a separate bowl, whip Egg Whites until stiff peaks form.
  5. Fold Egg Whites into Cornmeal mixture.
  6. Pour mixture into prepared Cast Iron Skillet.
  7. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Posted in: bread, One Pan, Recipes Tagged: cheesy, cheesy skillet cornbread, cornbread, skillet, skillet cornbread

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