Grilled Cheese fit for a Queen

Every now and then I stumble across some inspiration that gets my gears going... It could be a picture in a magazine, a post by a fellow blogger, or even just a few mismatched words strung together... I am pretty easily inspired.

Well the inspiration for what I am about to share with you was pretty obvious...

I mean, she basically spelled it out for me.

Basically.

But then I took the notion and RAN with it!

I mean I went WILD!

I have been craving Brie cheese lately anyway, so the fact that Food Coma's little sandwiches had Brie cheese in them made it a pretty obvious choice.

And the idea of combining it with strawberries and jam and serving it up grilled cheese style?

Genius.

So I took that inspiration, and combined it with a family recipe from my childhood. Brie en croute with some sort of spicy sweet berry chutney or compote.

Pretty tasty stuff.

So instead I stacked my Brie on top of a huge slice of thick fluffy French bread slathered with Berry Jalapeno compote, then topped the cheese with slices of fresh strawberries.

Then I smacked on another thick slice of bread, fried the whole thing in butter, and as an after thought I threw some mint in it/on it.

Perfection.

One bite and I melted along with the delicious creamy pools of Brie...

So take my word for it: it doesn't matter if you need a delicious brunch idea, a dainty summer lunch, or even an appetizer (or light main course) for dinner... You HAVE to try these!



Grilled Brie and Berries
(Makes 2)



4 thick slices of French bread (about 1 inch or so)
Butter
Brie cheese
Strawberries (I used 4 medium sized strawberries)
Berry Jalapeno compote (or substitute for a berry preserves or compote of your choice. I like the bite the jalapeno gives)
Mint

Turn the broiler on and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and rip off a sheet of foil.



Slather one side of each bread slice with butter.



Lay two of the slices butter side down in a cold skillet. This is to make the stacking and transferring easier.



Slice your strawberries thinly and layer on top of the bread in the skillet.
**In the pictures I did the compote first, then the Brie, then the strawberries, but before I started grilling I flipped one of the sandwiches over, so the strawberries were on the bottom, and found that this makes it much easier in the long run... So do as I say: not as I did...**



Slice the Brie into thick slices, about 1/2 an inch. Layer on top of the strawberries.



Spread 1 tbsp of the Berry Jalapeno Compote on to the unbuttered side of the remaining slices of bread.




Lay on top of the sandwiches in the skillet (do I need to say buttered side up??). Press firmly down for good measure.



Plop a pat of butter into the pan for good measure and turn the burner on to medium heat.

As the butter melts and sizzles tilt the pan to make sure the butter slides evenly around the two sandwiches.

Cook only until the bottom of the bread is browned. You do NOT want to burn the bread: just get a nice golden delicious crust on it.



Very carefully flip the sandwich over. You may have to slightly reassemble after the flip.

Add another small pat of butter (for good measure, you know?) and cook like you did the other side. I slid mine up against the sides of the pan to stabilize them... The strawberries and the top piece of bread were trying to make a break for it. But I put a stop to that!




When both sides are beautifully golden, transfer to the parchment lined cookie sheet and tent with foil (this is to keep it from burning) and pop in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese, about 1-3 minutes.



Garnish with mint, or if you are feeling daring: lift up the top piece of bread and add a couple of fresh mint leaves right on top of the berries.



Pour yourself an ice cold glass of sweet tea with a couple of mint leaves, take a bite of your decadent grilled cheese fit for a queen (or even a king, perhaps), and smile.

Because it's just that good.



Happy eating!

Virginia's Salt River Bars

So the other day I was browsing through some of my favorite blogs and I found a post on Bakergirl about these delicious looking things she described as "Salt River Bars".

I was instantly intrigued.

I mean, I love salt.

Almost as much as I love butter.

And chocolate.

And guess what?

THIS HAS ALL THREE!

But did I mention that my absolute favorite candy

in the ENTIRE WORLD

is caramel...


I adore caramel...

I would lick caramel off of cardboard.

Guess what...

Did you guess it?

THIS HAS CARAMEL TOO!

Yup. This is an absolute, sure fire, Virginia pleasing dessert.


Now, Bakergirl's recipe has peanut butter chips in it. But my dear friend Kaylee has a massive sweet tooth and happens to be deathly allergic to peanuts.. So I knew if I made a decadent and rich dessert like this she was going to be all over it.

And I really, REALLY didn't want her to puff up and force me to jab her with an epi pen...

Because I love her.

And because I am terrified of needles and junk.

But mostly because I love her.

And allergies aren't any fun.

So anyway, as you can guess, I came up with a back up for the Salt River Bars.

I changed a few things actually.

And I am pleased with the results.

So I hope you enjoy my version!!!!

But if you aren't deathly allergic to peanuts and would like to try them as they are intended to be, go here.


Virginia's Salt River Bars



1/2 box Club crackers
1 cup butter (I had one stick margarine and had to borrow a stick of butter from a neighbor, but margarine or butter will work fine)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butterscotch OR peanut butter chips (optional)
1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
2 tbsp vegetable oil
sea salt

Line a small pan or baking dish with parchment paper. Bakergirl used foil, but I shuddered at the thought of foil sticking to the gooey caramel and chomping on little bits of foil...

So parchment it is. Waxed paper would work fine too since you aren't baking it.

Next, make a layer on top of the parchment paper with club crackers.



I used an odd sized dish because it was the first thing I grabbed. It allowed me to make three rows of four crackers. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chips (if you are using them) on top of the crackers.



Melt the butter and the brown sugar together in a sauce pan on medium. Stir frequently and cook until bubbling constantly. Keep stirring and cooking until it turns into a creamy caramel sauce. This should be about 3-4 minutes. Don't over cook or it may become separated, too hard, or burnt tasting. Make sure to keep the heat at medium and not higher or you will burn the sugar and get a yucky taste.



Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the crackers and chips, then top with another layer of crackers and chips, 1/3 caramel, another layer of crackers and chips, the rest of the caramel.



Top with a final layer of crackers.



Put the chocolate chips and oil into a glass bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals until melted. Stir frequently. It should really only take about a minute.

Notice the kids' spoon I used to stir it with? Someone else noticed too and wanted a taste...



So let your adorable little helper have a taste of the chocolate topping, just to make sure it's tasty...



Pour all over the top layer and use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly.



Pop it into the fridge for just a minute or two to let it set just a bit, then pull it out and sprinkle it with sea salt.




Then pop it back in the fridge for about 20 minutes, just so the chocolate is set enough to score with a knife, but not hard enough that you have to work hard at it.

Then using a knife, score lines in it where you will want to cut it. Bakergirl did squares, but I just followed the lines of the club crackers and did rectangles. It worked super well because each stack of crackers was it's own cookie and cut down on extra crumbs.

You won't need to cut all the way through the bar, just press the knife down through the chocolate so that when it is all the way set you will be able to cut the bars easily.

Put back in the fridge for an hour or so until fully chilled, then cut and store in a tupperware container in the fridge.




WARNING: Highly addictive but VERY VERY sweet.

I will admit that the butterscotch chips make the bars INCREDIBLY sweet. I think next time I will make them without any chips, or perhaps dark chocolate chips.

The chips really aren't necessary: the star of the show really is the caramel... The chocolate and salt on top just help highlight the creamy sweetness of the decadent caramel.

Is your mouth watering?

Yeah I thought so.

Herbed Chicken En Croute

Fancy, huh?

It is.

Or at least, it looks fancy.

And it definitely sounds fancy.

I mean we are talking impress your guests, get that girl to fall in love with you or get your boyfriend to propose fancy.

Yeah, it's that good.

So take my advice and RUN, don't walk, RUN to the store.

Or you know what, take a car.

That would be much faster.

Oh so I guess you are wondering what this deliciousness is, right? And you probably might be wondering what the heck "en croute" means... Well basically it is French for "in a crust".

One of my favorite things in the world is Brie En Croute... Which is where you take a delicious wheel of Brie cheese and wrap it in a puff pastry (and if you are like me you also slather some peppered jelly or raspberry jalapeño compote before the pastry) then bake it until it is fluffy and golden and delicious. So good...

SO, I figured why not give that same flaky deliciousness to some boring old chicken...

And since feeding my kid vegetables turns into WWIII, I figured I would sneak some of those in there too...

And why not top it all off with some cheese. Swiss cheese, and some herbed spread cheese to. That oughtta do it...

And it did. Oh it SO did.

Here is how you can do it, too!

Herbed Chicken En Croute

1 sheet puff pastry
2 chicken breasts (cut in half so they are about 3-4 inches long and 3 inches wide)
salt and pepper
some butter
a bunch fresh spinach
a container of herbed cheese (i got the allouette stuff...)
2 slices swiss cheese
1 egg

Start about an hour and a half or so before you want to serve dinner. Sprinkle your chicken with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat and cook the chicken until nice and golden brown (and mostly cooked all the way through). Then put on a plate and cover with foil and let rest in the fridge until you need them.

Then add the spinach (wash first and remove stems.. or if you are like me just rip the leafy green part off of the bunch and rinse and pat it dry) to the skillet with a little more butter. Saute until it wilts and turns deep green... You will know, don't worry. Set aside.

About 30 minutes before you want to serve dinner, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Flour your work surface lightly and roll out the sheet of puff pastry until it is big enough to cut in to 4 good sized squares.

Place one half of a slice of Swiss cheese on each square, followed by a generous heap of herbed cheese, then by 1/4 of the spinach. Place one chicken breast on top of each square.

Beat the egg with a splash of water, then brush the edges of each pastry with the mixture. Bring the ends of the pastry to the center and press until sealed. Next place each chicken pastry seam side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I HIGHLY recommend the parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, grease the cookie sheet well.

Brush each pastry all over with the remaining egg mixture. Bake for 25 minutes until nice and flaky and golden.


Look at all that juicy, melty, cheesy deliciousness... I was so excited I couldn't even wait to put it on a plate before cutting in to it!

Enjoy your amazingly impressive dinner.... Serve with some crisp white wine, a side salad, and finish the night with this dessert, and you have yourself a superb gourmet meal. Way to go!

You can thank me later.

And oh, you will.... trust me... :)

Happy eating!

Bacon Parmesan Penne

I know what you are thinking:

I somehow managed to combine three of my all time favorite things in to one dish...

Now all it needs is some leeks and then it would be perfect...

Oh boy... That would be awesome. I am definitely doing that next time.

Okay anyway, Bacon Parmesan Penne. This is a delicious recipe that I borrowed from The Pioneer Woman's website. Except I tweaked it a bit... you know, for the sake of the art, man.

Well anyway, I am pretty sure I stumbled on to something amazing. And I am pretty sure you will agree.

Here goes:

Bacon Parmesan Penne

1 lb bacon, fry it up, chop it up, set it aside
crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb penne
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 block cream cheese, (4 oz)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan (the kind in a can)
4 eggs
freshly ground white pepper (or black if you just don't have it)
1 small carton grape tomatoes (maybe it's a lb? I don't know!)
olive oil

Ok so you have your fried and chopped bacon draining on a paper towel. Sprinkle the bacon with some red pepper flakes... NOT TOO MUCH! Literally a pinch or less.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the directions on the package.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Drizzle it with olive oil and spread it around (or spray the sheet with cooking spray) and dump your tomatoes onto it. Pop in the oven to broil for about 5-10 minutes, or until they get nice and roasted and pop open. Yum! If you are in a hurry or using the oven for something else, you can dump them into a microwave safe baking dish (greased, of course) and pop them in the microwave on high for about 3-4 minutes. When they pop open, they are done. Set these aside... Maybe next to your bacon? They can hang out together.

Meanwhile, put your garlic into another large pot with a tad bit of olive oil and cook over medium heat until fragrant. Then add the cream cheese and the cream and cook, stirring frequently, until the cream cheese is melted. Then add the Parmesan and white pepper. Stir until it makes a creamy sauce. Remove from heat.

Beat your eggs in a small bowl (I used a 2 cup measuring cup). Add a large spoonful of the hot sauce mixture and mix well. The point of this is to raise the temperature of the eggs without cooking them, that way when they hit the hot sauce mixture they won't turn in to egg drop soup. Because in this recipe, that would be yucky.

Okay so keep adding spoonfuls of the sauce until you can feel the side of the cup or bowl and it isn't super cold. I probably added a total of 3/4 cup. Now carefully whisk this in to your sauce.

Now dump in your cooked drained pasta, your bacon, and your roasted tomatoes and toss... Gently!! You don't want to end up with pasta all over your cook top!

Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan cheese. We used fresh grated (not the can.. the real stuff!) But the can stuff works great too.



Wasn't that an easy and impressive dinner?

Oh and did I mention that it makes enough to serve an army? Yeah... it's definitely not just a two person recipe. In fact, if you are just cooking for two, I recommend dividing the entire recipe in half.

It does make terrific leftovers though. I even mixed in a squirt of Tuscan Italian salad dressing to mine today to "change" the flavor a bit. I bet a spoonful of pesto would make a nice change as well. Or you can just enjoy it for the honest deliciousness of the original... It's just that good!

:) Happy eating!

Homemade Potato Chips

In the Microwave...

Ok wait, did that get the proper reaction? Let me try that again...

Homemade potato chips made IN THE MICROWAVE!!!

Yes! In the microwave!

This recipe is SO simple and so delicious that I apologize in advanced for getting you addicted...

I'm sorry.

NOT.

I mean, sure these are made from white potatoes (though you can also make a delicious sweet potato chip!) and sure they have some oil on them. But it's extra virgin olive oil. And virgin is good... you know. Purity rocks and all.

Go with it.

Anyway, these puppies are ready to enjoy in less than 10 minutes, you can make enough for a decent snack out of just one potato, and you don't have to feel guilty about ingesting all the preservatives and junk you find in the store bought variety.

It's a win win!


Microwave Potato Chips

Potatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt

If you have a mandoline, now is the time to get it out. Wash your potato and if it has any bad spots, cut them out now. Slice your potato as thinly as possible (for thin crispy chips) or about 1/8" thick for a good dip bearing chip.


(See my mandoline? I love this thing!! It makes slicing things a breeze!)

I did mine both ways and they were good either way!

Throw your potato slices into a small bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Stir to coat evenly.



Coat a microwave safe plate with olive oil or cooking spray.



Place the potato slices on the plate in one layer. I had to do three batches to make them all.



Pop in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until brown looking.

If the chips look a little dry and the plate doesn't have oil left on it, spray the tops of the chips with more cooking spray (or rub with olive oil) before flipping. Flip the chips to the other side and microwave for another 2 minutes or until nice and crispy. The really brown ones are ridiculously good!

Remove from the microwave and place on a paper towel to cool off. They will get crispier when they cool.


(I had already eaten most of the chips when I realized I forgot to take a picture! Whoops! They are that good!)


If you want salt and vinegar chips, you can sprinkle on some vinegar while they cool. Yum


Enjoy!!!

Morning Glory Muffins

When I was a little girl I used to LOVE making muffins with my Mom on Saturday morning. Now I will be honest, this wasn't an every Saturday type of thing, but when she did decide to make muffins, I was right there stirring the buttermilk and helping measure the flour and oil and crack the eggs... well, you get the picture.

But now that I am older and wiser I realize that sometimes an ordinary muffin can really be a... vessel of sorts... to deliver important nutrients to my son and husband to get them through the day. Am I saying my Mom's muffins, loaded with oil and sugar and all purpose flour, were unhealthy? Well, not in so many words... but basically, if breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day, why not pack some important vitamins into it, and heck, let's even hide a serving or two of fruits and veggies in there.

Oh and to go for the Trifecta: let's make them moist, savory, and irresistibly addictive...

How does that sound?

Yeah, I know!

Thus I began my search for the perfect "Morning Glory" muffin recipe. You know, those yummy muffins you can find at coffee shops and bakeries? Well I found a recipe that seemed... well... Okay. Just okay. It was packed with all the things that I didn't want in the first place: oil, white flour, tons of sugar, added fat, and just a fraction of the amount of fruits and veggies I wanted to see in my muffins.

So I fixed it.

It was pretty simple actually. I used one of my favorite recipes of all time, my mom's Carrot Bread/Zucchini Bread recipe, as inspiration. I traded the oil for all natural unsweetened applesauce. I swapped the white flour for whole wheat flour. I sprinkled in some wheat germ and flax seed. I added a ton of shredded carrots and apples. I added a handful of raisins and craisins. Oh and that pesky sugar problem? I swapped the almost 1.5 cups of white sugar for 1/2 cup brown sugar. And even at that I think it could use less (how does 1/3 cup sound compared to 1.5? I know, right?!). I made a few other changes to, and all in all, it was a brilliant success.

So after about 10 requests for this recipe via my Facebook, I decided to comply. Here you go! I hope you enjoy these as much as my husband, my picky 2 year old, and of course, ME!

Virginia's Morning Glory Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 c packed brown sugar (1/3 if you want less sugar)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
pinch or so of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 cups shredded carrots (about 4-5 medium carrots, maybe more)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 large granny smith apple - peeled, cored and shredded
3 eggs
1 c natural, unsweetened applesauce
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift together the dry ingredients, then fold in the carrots, apple, raisins, craisins, and nuts. This is when I sprinkle in some wheat germ and flax seed. I don't really measure, I just kind of shake it in until I think it looks like enough. If you really want a measurement, start with just 2 T the first time and then you can decide if you want to increase it or not.

Beat the eggs with the applesauce, molasses and vanilla... Then combine with the dry mixture. Spoon by 1/3 cup fulls into muffin cups (definitely use liners) and bake for about 22 minutes at 350.

There is a lot of shredding and grating involved, but if you have a food processor it makes easy work of it!

Also, it wouldn't be a "Like Mom Made" recipe if it wasn't customizable. And, OF COURSE it is!

You can feel free to swap out any combination of the mix ins.

In place of the applesauce you can use pureed pumpkin, a mashed banana, or if you REALLY have to, you can use the same amount of oil.

Don't like raisins? Toss in some dried cherries and replace the pecans with macadamia nuts.

Use zucchini in place of the carrots for a different texture and taste (more like Zucchini bread... yum!).

Change any kind of nut, dried fruit, or oil replacer that you can think of.

The possibilities are endless!

Enjoy! :)

Oh and to all my Mom readers: remember, this is a GREAT way to sneak extra veggies and fruit in to your child's diet... but they don't HAVE to know that! ;)

Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Rigatoni

Tonight's meal was such a success that I decided to do something that I haven't done and have been needing to do in/for a long time! Post a recipe the night I made it! (heck, post a recipe at all!)

So have you ever seen the commercials for the Bertolli bagged meals? Basically they make you think that Bertolli has captured the perfect way to make an Italian meal and that even attempting to make it from scratch would be hopeless... Way to go Bertolli! (don't get me wrong, I actually have enjoyed a couple of the Bertolli meals on the go or when I didn't have enough food on hand to come up with some kind of dinner, but seriously, cooking pasta and making sauce and stirring it all together isn't exactly a science...) Well my husband and I saw this bagged pasta dinner that had sausage and rigatoni and all sorts of yummy goodness in it... and I won't lie, we bought it and thought it was VERY delicious... but when I had a chance to go to the grocery store, I decided to make myself a little challenge against the big B... I bought a red pepper, a jar of pasta sauce (I would have made it from scratch, but time has been of the essence lately and my homemade sauce takes me all day!), a pound of smoked sausage, and a box of rigatoni... I already had garlic, basil (growing outside!), and parmesan at home, so this was all I needed... I want to say it was under $5 total, and the bagged meals cost about $6...



Before I got started I prepped my pepper (deseeding it and slicing it in half) and lined a cookie sheet with foil. Then I turned my broiler on high and plopped the pepper on the cookie sheet and into the oven for about 20 minutes. (in hindsight, my oven rack was kind of low... if it had been higher it would have taken less time).

Once the peppers are super black, toss them into a plastic baggie and let sit for a while so that the steam will loosen the skin off of the pepper. This whole process can be done in advanced... look here for some other amazing roasted red pepper ideas from the fabulous Emily at Joyful Abode! She also gives an amazing step by step instruction on how to roast red peppers... and also how to seed them! She pretty much rocks!

Ok so start a pot of salted water boiling... Once at a rolling boil, add the rigatoni and set your timer to 11 minutes. Meanwhile, heat some EVOO over medium high heat in a large skillet... Chop up your sausage into 1/2 inch thick (or smaller) slices, then toss into the skillet... Once the sausage is close to being browned, add some minced garlic and give it all a good stir... Continue to brown.



Slice the roasted red pepper into thin slices, then toss into the pan with the sausage. Add the jar of sauce and stir...

Drain the rigatoni and add to the sauce and sausage mixture... Stir well and let bubble for a minute.

I topped ours with fresh grated parmesan cheese and basil leaves from our garden, and served with Pillsbury Savorings (the spinach and cream cheese kind are our favorite!). We would have had a fresh salad too, but we were anxious to dig in and didn't want to waste time making a salad! :)


This is a serious two thumbs up!!!!

Some ways to tailor it to your family:

Leave out the red pepper
Add olives
Add sun dried tomatoes
Add mushroom
Add crumbled hot italian sausage
Use spicy sausage instead of smoked
Add ground beef in the sauce/use meat sauce

I am sure there are tons more variations, but this was fabulous just the way we had it! Oh and Landon approved: see for yourself!!!

Pasta with Butternut Squash Wine Sauce

If you have read my blog at all, you have probably noticed something very important about me:

I LOVE leeks. And I love finding random dishes to include leeks in.. Oh and I love wine... and vegetables...

Ok so basically, since Donovan is gone, I can eat whatever the heck I want that he wouldn't normally be game for, and if it is a bust I don't have to worry about him thinking his wife has "lost her touch"...

But guess what? Leeks + butternut squash + wine + pasta = AMAZING!

So here is what you do...

At least 2 hours before you want to serve dinner, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and scrub down a butternut squash. Then slice it in half long ways and place in a baking dish cut side down and fill the dish with about a half inch of water. Bake for about an hour or until super tender. Let cool and when cool enough to handle scoop out the goop and seeds, and then scoop the flesh out of the shells into a bowl and set aside for later. Below is a picture of what the squash looks like when it is nice and tender.... See that spoon on the left? It didn't take any effort to slide into the squash.. If your squash is still a little crisp or tough (don't know how else to describe it), pop it back in the oven for 15-20 minutes.



Now prep your veggies... I chopped a yellow onion very finely, and halved two leeks and then cut into thin half moon ribbons.

Next melt 1/4 c butter in a large skillet and add the leeks and onion. If you want to add some minced garlic, add it when your leeks and onions are getting tender and translucent to avoid burning.



When your veggies are tender and translucent add a splash or two of wine. Okay then add a couple more splashes... Don't be stingy... I think I used about 1/2 c wine or something...

Okay so let the wine mix in with the veggies and butter. Add the reserved butternut squash and mix into the leek and wine mixture.



Add a couple splashes of heavy cream (about 1/4 c or so) and stir until super creamy. I added a couple good dashes of sage and some fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Cook until heated through.



You can mix this sauce in with some cooked angel hair, fettucine, penne, or any pasta that you like, then top with cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, or serve on pasta as is.

Landon ate this like it was the only thing he has eaten in days! It was gone in seconds!



I made it just like the above recipe and served it with some pan grilled chicken breast alongside it. I garnished it with a couple fresh basil leaves and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

This is a very delicious, easy meal for the whole family, and can easily be changed to suit anyone's taste buds...

A couple ideas:

Throw a handful or two of fresh spinach in with the leeks and onions
Roast a bunch of grape tomatoes in the oven while baking your squash: only roast them until they "pop", checking often so they don't burn, and shaking the pan occasionally to ensure evening roasting and that they don't burn and stick to the pan.It should take about 10-15 minutes, but still check often. Then add these to your sauce in the last step for an extra Italian flair...
Chop a roma tomato up and sprinkle on top
Crumble a few crisp pieces of bacon on top
Use the sauce, some ricotta cheese, and some chopped cooked chicken as a filling for manicotti, shells, or lasagna
Top with sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives for a Mediterranean feel

Get creative! If you think of any great ideas, add them in a comment!!