Simple, Quick and Delicious Pillsbury Recipes {Review & Giveaway}

As a child heading back to school, you don't realize the amount of work that your parents put in to ensure that every day proceeds as smoothly as possible. You're the one getting out of bed, getting dressed and catching your bus, so why would you think of Mom and Dad packing your lunch, signing your permission slips, checking your homework, keeping track of the time, etc, etc, etc?

Truly though, with kids heading to class, sports and after school activities (and homework to be done) this fall, parents are often the ones that suddenly find themselves extremely short on time. I'm already struggling to come up with an idea for dinner, so am I really expected to figure out something quick, creative and tasty for breakfast and after school as well?

Fortunately, when it comes to searching for easy recipes that save time but that don't skimp on great taste, Pillsbury is there. This fall they've expanded their delectable selection of simple recipes and how-to guides on Pillsbury.com to include even more that take a family favorite and give it a little twist so that everyone in the house will be happy!

Mini Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich, Mini Soft Pretzels, Grands! Easy Taco Melts and Grands! Chicken Pot Pie Puffs

Whether you need a portable breakfast for your child to grab on their way to the bus stop, a filling dinner to refuel the family after a long day, or a bite-size snack to tide the kids over until suppertime, Pillsbury can help mix up your cooking routine and inspire even the pickiest of eaters to ask for seconds.

As I am on a continuous journey to make our mornings more calm and our after school time filled with less grumpy faces, I (hungrily) looked through Pillsbury's huge selection of recipes until I found two that would be perfect to try.

First up, the tasty and filling Breakfast Calzone.

Breakfast Calzone

Ingredients

4 eggs
¼ cup milk
Dash pepper
2 teaspoons margarine or butter
1 (13.8-oz.) can Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust
2 oz. (½ cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
16 slices (about 3 oz.) pepperoni
4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F and spray large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In medium bowl, combine eggs, milk and pepper; beat until well blended. Melt margarine in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until eggs are set but moist, stirring occasionally.

Unroll dough; pat to form 14x10" rectangle. Cut dough into four 7x5" rectangles. Divide mozzarella cheese evenly onto half of each rectangle to within ½" of edges. Top cheese with pepperoni, Parmesan cheese and eggs. Fold untopped dough over filling, turnover fashion; press edges firmly to seal. Place on sprayed cookie sheet.

Bake at 400°F for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown.

I made a few alterations to this recipe (e.g. using cooking spray instead of melted butter to cook the eggs, removing the pepperoni for the non-meat eaters in our household, cheddar cheese instead, etc) and the results were simple and delicious. Next time I'll definitely add in tomatoes, green onions and more to give them a kick!

I never know if my kids are going to come down the stairs in the morning chattering cheerfully... or bickering constantly, so the surprise of having these tasty Breakfast Calzones waiting for them has been definitely tipping the scales in favor of the former!

Along with their happiness over a breakfast containing something other than a bowl of cereal, I can relax a little bit knowing that they are off to school having gotten a filling breakfast and plenty of protein to carry them through until lunch. These are a win-win!

When the late afternoon tummy growls call, however, I love having something to reach for to answer the constant questions of Treat? Cookie? Sweets? instead of simply turning them away. Now I can just point to the container holding a fresh batch of Fruit Pastry Sticks!

Fruit Pastry Sticks

Ingredients

1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
1½ rolls Betty Crocker® Fruit by the Foot® chewy fruit snack, any flavor (I found that I needed 2 rolls)
2 Tbsp colored sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 425° and line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.

Unroll dough; roll or press to 12" circle. Cut into nine 1¼" strips. Cut ends as needed so all are straight. Cut strips in half crosswise to make 18 strips (1¼ x 4½" each).

Unroll fruit snack. With scissors, cut a total of 18 (about 4"-long) pieces. Place 1 piece on each pie crust strip. Fold dough lengthwise over fruit snack; pinch long edges to seal.

Twist ends of dough strip in opposite directions. Place on cookie sheet, pressing ends down to seal.

Brush top and side of each with water; sprinkle with colored sugar.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes.

How easy peasy are these? Just unroll, make some cuts, twist, and bake!

With a 130-year history, Pillsbury has the collection of recipes and know-how to give your next meal a boost. As they offer everything from Crescent Rolls to biscuits of just about every variety to sweet rolls for your sweet tooth (and don't forget cookie dough, refrigerated and frozen pie crusts, frozen breakfast delights and more), they're sure to have a home in your kitchen as well.

Head over to Pillsbury.com today to see what they can do to make your fall a little easier (and a lot more delicious) and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest as well.

Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person is going to be baking up quite a few tasty options for their family as well, because...

One lucky person will win (5) coupons for FREE Pillsbury products!

Product coupons may vary from picture

Entry-Form

A big thank you to Pillsbury for providing coupons for me as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.