My family and I recently got the opportunity to try several Pillsbury products.  Needless to say, they were a big hit in our house.  The first item we tried was the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. We have both the normal sized ones and the mini ones.  I love how easy they are to make. All you need to do is open the package, put them on the cookie sheet, and throw them in the oven. It is so easy that Madison (my four-year-old) can do it.  We made these with her on Sunday morning before my parents left to go home (back to Green Bay). The mini cinnamon rolls are the perfect size for little kids. Both of my kids love them. If you are watching your portion control, these are great for you also.  All of the rolls were eaten for breakfast Sunday morning.

Tonight, we tried making pizza with the Pillsbury thin pizza crust.  Normally, pizza making is my husband’s job.  With two little ones underfoot, it is a pain to have to take dough and shape into a pizza.  It just takes way too long.  We were both pleasantly surprised when we open the thin crust pizza dough and found that it fit right into our cookie sheets. Actually, my husband was ecstatic.  Since we did not have to shape the dough, pizza making took half the time it normally does.  We actually like to make homemade pizzas, because it becomes a family event.  We are able to include Madison, and she truly enjoys that.  In a couple of years, Will will be able to join us also.  The pizzas only took about nine minutes to cook.   The cheese was melted, and the crust was cooked to perfection.  What more can you ask for?

The only thing we have left to try are the Crescent Recipe Creations. They are just like the crescent rolls, but without the perforations! I am hoping to try those within the next couple of days and let you know how they are.

Right now, I have been told by my husband that I need to buy these two items (especially the next time I go shopping, because they are a huge hit here!  Have you tried these yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?

This easy to make recipe is again from Prego. I made a few changes to it and made it my own. It also said to cook with a pizza pan. Unfortunately, pizza pan had holes in the bottom. I figured that wouldn’t work too well, so I talked to Elizabeth over at MomCooks, and she suggested a cookie sheet. That worked great. If you don’t have a pizza pan, definately use a cookie sheet instead. Like the last Prego recipe I did, this again will feed a family of 4 for under $20 (actually, I think the total for this recipe was $14.71). In this economy, we can all use recipes like this.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
3 oz mushrooms, sliced
Vegetable cooking spray
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 cooked corkscrew pasta
1 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 jar (26 oz) Prego Italian Traditional Sauce or Prego Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Italian Sauce.

Follow the directions on the pasta. While that is cooking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the onions are tender. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Spray a 12 inch pizza pan (or small cookie sheet) with the cooking spray. Stir the egg, milk, pasta and 1/2 cup of cheese in a large bowl. Spread the pasta mixture in an even layer on the pizza pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Spread the sauce on the pasta crust. Top with the onion mixture and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Image via Flickr

When recipes call for a pan, the oven temperature has been calculated for metal pans.  Reduce heat by 25 degrees F if using a glass baking dish.

1 can of Pillsbury refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 can pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I didn’t have mozzarella cheese when I made this so I used what shredded cheese I had available)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 8 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Separate the dough into biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters and place into a medium sized bowl. Stir in the pizza sauce. Spoon biscuit mixture evenly into dish.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until light golden brown and center biscuits are no longer doughy. Sprinkle with cheese and bake about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares and serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

This is an easy to make recipe for families on the go. It is made with ingredients you will easily find around your house. I have made this several times for my family. However, this last time I made this with low fat mozzarella cheese. Do NOT use low fat cheese. It never melts. I learned that the hard way. However, the casserole was still really good.

1 lb. ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 (16 oz) package of rotini pasta
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat your over to 350 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, make your rotini noodles as directed on the box. Drain. Brown the ground beef. Drain.

Add the spaghetti sauce and rotini pasta to the browned beef in a 3 qt casserole baking dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top and bake in oven for 25 minutes.