Dinner and Dessert: Grilled Pizza Sandwiches and Boston Cream Whoopie Pies

So, the other day I gave away a cookbook.

Which was pretty much awesome, because people are really nice to you when you’re giving away stuff.

Seriously, you guys were so nice.

But you can be normal today, because I’m not giving anything away. Well,….except recipes. Pretty good recipes, actually.

Okay, so you might want to be nice after all. Sorry.

As part of the giveaway, I asked what you’d like to see on this here blog.  And after reading your responses, it became fairly obvious to me that you guys want dinner recipes. Easy, kid friendly, dinner recipes.

Well guess what? You’re in luck.

Something you may not know about me is that I’ve been a housewife for 6 years. I run my home in a very traditional June Cleaver-ish way.

 If June Cleaver sometimes still listened to 90′s rap.

 And ate Laffy Taffy for lunch.

And cleaned the house wearing a Ninja Turtles t-shirt.

But besides all that, totally June Cleaver. I pack my husband and son a lunch every morning, clean the house, grocery shop, and prepare dinner almost every evening. I do realize that this is not for everyone, and I totally respect that. This is what works for me and my family, and I love what I do.

I don’t however, always love cooking. Eating out gets expensive, though, and whether you work or stay at home, it’s not a good feeling at the end of the day when you’re tired and the kids are whining that they’re hungry.

For real…..kids are so annoying when they’re hungry.

So here is the first of what will be a super simple weekly Dinner and Dessert Post. On the menu: Grilled Pizza Sandwiches and Boston Cream Whoopie Pies.

This sandwich is really versatile and great for using up what you have on hand. You’ll need a loaf of french bread, some shredded mozzerella cheese, pizza sauce (dare I say that a little spaghetti sauce would work fine too?) and what ever veggies or meat you prefer. A sourdough bread would probably work in place of french bread, but I definitely do not recommend using a plain sandwich bread.

I cooked up some pork breakfast sausage, and used some pepperoni, onions, and black olives. This would also be great for using some salami or leftover ham or ground beef.

Heat a pan on medium, and slice your french bread into half-inch slices. Chop your ingredients and have them ready on a plate. This makes it a lot easier to put your sandwiches together once you get going.

Butter one side of each piece of bread and place in hot pan, butter side down. Spread the unbuttered side with a bit of pizza sauce and cheese. Place meat and veggies on top, and pile on a bit more cheese. This cheese on top will make the other piece of bread stick.

Slap the other piece of bread on top, buttered side up and smash it down with your spatula. When the cheese has started to melt and the bottom bread is slightly browned, flip over and brown the other side.

Easy peasy, yes? And the kids….they love them. I serve this with a side salad but you could do chips or whatever you prefer. The sandwiches are very filling though, so you don’t need much else.

Now all you need is a super simple dessert. Because you DO eat dessert every evening, right?

Just say yes. It helps me sleep at night.

These Boston Cream Whoopie Pies are so yummy and impressive looking, but so easy to make. You need:

Box yellow cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil

Heat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the cake mix, eggs, water, and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Drop by tablespoonfuls (they spread quite a bit..trust me on this) on prepared cookie sheets and bake for about 5-9 minutes, until edges are golden and tops spring back when lightly touched.

Place baking sheets on cooling racks for about 5 minutes, then remove cookies to racks.

Make filling:

1 box (4 serving size) French Vanilla instant pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream (not milk…you heard me)

Whisk pudding mix, milk, and cream in a medium bowl for about 2-3 minutes. Place in refrigerator for 5 minutes to set.

Once cookies have cooled, spread a generous spoonful on the flat side of one cookie and top with the flat side of another.

Glaze: can of chocolate frosting (don’t you dare judge me)

When all cookies are filled, microwave chocolate frosting for about 20-25 seconds, stopping to stir every 5 seconds or so. You want the frosting to be the consistency of a thick glaze. If it gets too runny, it will drip down the sides of the cookies and make a huge mess.

Spoon the chocolate frosting/glaze on the top of each Whoopie Pie, spreading to almost the edges. Keep any uneaten Whoopie Pies stored in your refrigerator.

Nothing fancy, but it’s easy and really yummy.

I’d love your feedback on this new addition to the blog!!

**For the many of you who requested a book suggestion, I will be telling you what book I’m currently reading and loving later this week.

Happy Monday!!