Pizza Spirals for a great Back to School Lunch

It's always difficult to trade in those beach chairs and coolers for backpacks and lunch bags, but somehow September is upon us again and the kids are heading back to school.  As days get busier and time more valuable planning ahead is key.  Although we all love a good PB and J sandwich, surprise your children with a fun lunch in their lunch box such as these Pizza Spirals!

Pizza Spirals
Makes approximately 3 dozen spirals

Ingredients

• 1 box Stonewall Kitchen Pizza Crust Mix
• 1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Classic Pizza Sauce
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella, grated
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
• Olive Oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Make pizza dough according to box instructions.  Split evenly into two balls of dough.
3. Roll one ball of dough out on a generously floured surface into an 8x12-inch rectangle
4. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over dough.  Top with one half of the cheese and one half of the basil.  Roll dough into a spiraled log starting at the longest side.  Press and seal firmly.  Cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds.

5. Lightly grease a 12-well muffin tin with olive oil.  Place one spiral in each well. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pizza dough is golden brown.

6. Repeat procedure with other pizza dough ball.
7. Pizza spirals can be served warm or room temperature.


Tips:

• If the cheese is too soft to grate place it in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes.  The partially frozen cheese will be easier to grate.
• Stack the basil leaves on top of each other and roll them up starting with the longer side of the leaf.  Chop along the roll forming thin strips of basil leaves.

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For more of our favorite Back to School recipes and products, visit our Back to School Pinterest Board!

Add a little spice to your cooking with fresh Ginger Root

Whether adding it to soups, sauces, stir fry or baked goods, fresh ginger is one of my favorite fresh spices to incorporate into my recipes!  Ginger root is the knobby and bumpy rhizome of a plant that grows in tropical and subtropical regions.  Its botanical name is Zinzibar officinale.  Most Ginger comes from Jamaica, India, Africa and China.  The flavor is peppery and slightly sweet and has a wonderful spicy and pungent aroma.

Ginger is available year round.  Spring ginger, also called young ginger, has a pale, thin skin that does not have to be peeled before using it.  Mature finger has a thick rough skin that should be peeled before using it.  Mature ginger is hotter and more fibrous than young ginger.  The flesh can be yellow, white or red depending on the variety.

 

When purchasing ginger root:
Look for smooth skin (wrinkles indicate that the root is dry and past its prime) with a fresh, spicy aroma.  The tubers should be firm and feel heavy.

Storing Ginger root:
Tightly wrap ginger in plastic wrap. This can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.  You can also make candied ginger by cooking sliced ginger in a simply syrup until soft and then rolling the ginger in granulated sugar after it has cooled.  This is delicious to eat on its own or added to baked goods such as gingerbread or ginger cookies.  One of my favorite ginger cookie recipes calls for a combination of ground ginger, grated ginger and candied ginger...yum!

Tips:

• Use a spoon to peel the skin off gingerroot.  A peeler works well, but by scraping the tip of a spoon down the sides of the gingerroot it is easier to get the skin off around the knobs of the root.
• Use a microplane to grate the ginger.  It is much easier than mincing the root with a knife.  The stringy part of the ginger is removed and the fine grated ginger disperses nicely into your recipe.
• Sliced ginger rounds are a wonderful way to flavor oil before sauteing or a flavorful addition to soup broth.  For just a hint of ginger, remove ginger rounds before serving.

Love Ginger?  Try some of our ginger-y favorites!

• Fig & Ginger Jam
• Sesame Ginger Dressing
• Cranberry Ginger Dressing
• Sesame Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
• Pineapple Ginger Sauce
• Wasabi Ginger Sauce
• Ginger Garlic Sauce
• Ginger Molasses Cookie Mix - NEW!