Living La Vida Holoka


Mummified Mozzarella Halloween Pan Pizza

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This Mummified Mozzarella Halloween Pan Pizza isn’t scary at all! In fact, it’s so easy to make, you can whip it up as a last minute meal for Halloween!


I feel like such a slacker.  By this time last year, I had a slew of Halloween posts published or, at least, scheduled to post.  This year, I’m just getting around to it!  It’s so unlike me.  Especially because Halloween is one of my most favorite times of year.  It’s a time when, no matter how old you are, you can get a bit playful.  It’s the only time of year when, for me, it’s fun to get a little scared!   

That playful side of the Halloween season inspires so many fun DIY projects and recipes.  It’s such a great time to get creative and turn regular dishes into something spooktacular!  So today, I thought I’d share a super easy, creepy cute, and really delicious recipe.  Because it’s pizza.  And who doesn’t love pizza?! 


Ever since summer ended, our Friday pizza night has gone back indoors.  My husband is back to his bowling league, which means I take charge of pizza night.  Instead of my husband grilling our pizza, it gets bake it inside in the oven.  Last year, we discovered how good our pizza turned out in a 9 x 13 brownie pan.  Yup!  A brownie pan!  

I drizzle the pan will a generous amount of oil, coat it evenly in the pan, stretch the dough, top it, and bake!  The crust turns out crunchy every single time and gets nice and golden brown on the outside.  The dough stays airy on the inside, giving you that perfect bite of pizza!  So easy!


For Halloween, I wanted to put a monstrous mozzarella twist on our pan pizza.  So I made a double cheese, mummified pan pie.  The mummy eyes are made out of pepperoni and olive slices and a double layer of sliced mozzarella gives it its bandaged look!

If you like extra cheese on your pizza, this pie is definitely for you!  I was almost a little sad to cut this pizza into squares, but I couldn’t resist all of that mozzarella goodness!  This pizza is perfect for a kid’s Halloween party or a spooky movie marathon! 

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Mummified Mozzarella Halloween Pan Pizza

Mummified Mozzarella Halloween Pan Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 store bought pizza dough
  • 1/2 lb. sliced mozzarella
  • Approximately 8 oz. pizza sauce
  • 2 sliced pepperonis
  • 2 sliced black olives
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Wipe a 9x13 brownie pan with a generous amount of olive oil (just enough to cover the bottom and sides).
  3. Stretch the pizza dough, corner to corner, into the pan. Top with pizza sauce.
  4. Using a pizza cutter, cut the mozzarella slices into strips. Layer half of the strips onto the pizza in a criss-cross fashion.
  5. Then, add two pepperoni slices and two olive slices for eyes.
  6. Bake the pizza for 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
  7. Turn off the oven and remove the pizza. Layer the other half of the mozzarella strips on top and stick the pizza into the oven with the heat off.
  8. Let the pizza stay in the oven for a few minutes, just until the cheese melts.
  9. Remove immediately and serve.

Notes

Tip: If using frozen dough, take it out of the freezer a day or two ahead of time and let it thaw in the fridge. The day you make your pizza, let it sit out on the counter and rise. The dough will be easy to stretch and will be nice and airy when cooked.

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This pizza is so easy make, it’s almost scary!  We like our pie on the plain side, but if you want to add more pepperoni to it, I’d top your layer of sauce with slices before covering it with cheese.  Hosting an adults only Halloween bash?  Serve this pan pizza with my Dragon Berry Dragon’s Blood Cocktail! 

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If you like this Halloween recipe, you might enjoy these as well:

Island Coconut Chicken Tacos

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This post has been sponsored by Social Native and Soy Vay.  This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.

Enjoy a little taste of summertime flavor any night of the week with these sweet and slightly spicy Island Coconut Chicken Tacos!

 

It’s mid-October and the days are finally settling into that cool, fall weather I’ve been anxiously awaiting since our first summer heatwave.  Upper 50’s during the day and 40’s at night.  I’ll take it!  Last week, it was still hot and humid, reaching the lower 80’s.  Not quite sweater weather!  However, the sticky heat did inspire a Taco Tuesday (or any weeknight, really) worthy dish infused with a ton of summer-like flavor!

Do you ever have one of those nights where you’re not sure what to make for dinner, so you open the fridge door, and just start chopping up ingredients?  Those nights always seem to turn into a crazy combination of delicious flavors!  I always feel like a mad scientist when I’m working on one of these cooking experiments.  Sometimes they work.  Sometimes they’re a bit odd, but edible.  These Island Coconut Chicken Tacos, however, were a total food fusion success!

A little summertime flavor anytime!

 
I combined the taste of island coconut into a slightly spicy taco topped with a quick, homemade mango salsa.  These tacos start with chicken tenders marinaded in Soy Vay’s Island Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce.  The marinade has classic teriyaki flavor infused with pineapple, ginger, and garlic.  It was the perfect flavor base for this dish!  After marinading, the chicken tenders get a light coating of Coconut Shrimp & Chicken Breading and baked until crispy.

I wanted my soft taco to have a little crunch to it.  So I charred my tortillas over a low flame using my gas burner.  It only took about a minute or two to get the perfect char.  Then, I assembled my taco by adding a little Asian cole slaw inside first.  A coconut chicken tender was added on top of that.  The final touch was my quick mango salsa, a little fresh cilantro, and an extra drizzle of the Soy Vay’s Island Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce.

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Island Coconut Chicken Tacos

Island Coconut Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. package chicken tenderloins
  • 1/2 cup Soy Vay Island Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
  • 2 cups Coconut Shrimp & Chicken Breading
  • 6 inch soft flour tortillas
  • Asian slaw
  • 1 mango, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. Soy Vay Island Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce

Instructions

  1. Marinade chicken tenders in Soy Vay Island Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce for at least two hours (overnight is best).
  2. Once the chicken is marinaded, preheat oven to 425º and prepare a baking sheet with foil and cooking spray.
  3. Add the Coconut Shrimp & Chicken Breading to a shallow dish and coat the chicken on both sides, pressing the breading into the chicken, if necessary.
  4. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through and the breading is crunchy.
  5. Start assembling your tacos by adding a little Asian slaw into the shell.
  6. Make a quick salsa by tossing chopped mango, jalapeño, grape tomatoes, and green onions in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of Soy Vay Island Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce and mix.
  7. Add a chicken tender to the taco shell and spoon the mango salsa over it.
  8. Drizzle with a little more Soy Vay Island Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce, if desired, and serve.
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And there you have it! Even though I’m thoroughly enjoying the fall weather (it finally looks like it’s here to stay), I do miss some of the fresh flavors of summer.  These island-inspired tacos let you enjoy a little of that summer flavor anytime!

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What’s your favorite of out-of-the-box taco combo?

15 Cozy and Delicious Lattes to Keep You Warm this Fall

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Cozy up to a cuppa something warm with one of these 15 delicious fall lattes!  These recipes include pumpkin spice lattes and other soon-to-be fall favorites!


As a pumpkin spice lover, I couldn’t wait for the return of my favorite fall drink!  But it’s hard to enjoy fall lattes when it’s still 90 degrees outside.  Someone turn down the heat!  Thankfully, those hot and steamy days seem to have gone away for another year.  I can finally pull out my “basic white girl” survival kit again – you know, leggings, Uggs, hoodies, oversized sweaters, messy bun, and that always essential latte!

So today I’m sharing 15 delicious latte recipes that will help you get warm and cozy this fall!  Even if you’re not a pumpkin spice lover, you’ll definitely find a latte to cuddle up with!  And I don’t know about you, but chilly, latte weather always puts me in the mood for something sweet.  You might want to nibble on this Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Braid or one of these No-Bake Mini Chocolate Pumpkin Pies while you sip! 

  1. Vanilla Soy Chai Tea Latte – Growing Up Gabel
  2. S’mores Latte Recipe – Hello Nature
  3. The Drunken Pumpkin Spice Latte – The Farm Girl Gabs
  4. Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte {Copycat} – Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
  5. White Chocolate Eggnog Latte – A Simple Pantry
  6. Crock Pot Caramel Latte Recipe – Tammilee Tips
  7. Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte Recipe – Baking Beauty
  8. White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte – Delightful E Made
  9. Homemade Gingerbread Latte Recipe – CakeWhiz
  10. Smoked Butterscotch Latte – CopyKat
  11. Chai Tea Latte Recipe – Oh My Creative
  12. Somoa Latte Recipe – Oh My Creative
  13. Butterbeer Latte – Practically Functional
  14. Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe – CincyShopper
  15. Peppermint Mocha Latte – Growing Up Gabel

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Which one of these fall lattes do you want to try first?

How to Naturally Combat Fleas with Essential Oils

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Naturally combat fleas with essential oils and other natural repellents that will keep your dog itch-free and happy!


We recently had a minor flea problem with Hunter.  Hunter loves hanging outside, so it’s no surprise that it was bound to happen. Especially with so many other animals (cats, squirrels, rabbits, foxes) running through our yard! 

A couple weekends ago, we were outside grilling and had Hunter sitting by us.  Like everyone else in this house, Hunter has seasonal allergies.  Sometimes he gets this skin irritation that leaves him with dry patches.  So I was checking up on him and that’s when I found it – flea dirt.

If you don’t know what flea dirt is, it’s actually flea feces.  Pretty disgusting.  As pet owners, we’ve basically researched everything we could possibly research, so I identified it right away.  Upon further investigation, I found an adult flea.  I gasped and then I lost it.  My husband and I searched through his fur again, but the flea was gone and we never found it again.


After reading up about fleas (quite the cringe-worthy topic to explore), it was recommended to check any bedding that Hunter sleeps on.  Hunter sleeps in a crate, so I immediately pulled out his mat and – yup – I found more flea dirt.  Based upon what I read, I started tackling our little flea problem by throwing Hunter’s mat, collar, and pretty much all of the blankets in the house in the wash with hot water.  Hunter also got a good, thorough scrub in the tub.  

Since we only found the one flea and the flea dirt was gone after washing both Hunter and everything else in the house, I started looking up natural ways to prevent fleas from coming back.  There was a lot of information about essential oils.  So we decided to take a natural approach to our little problem.


Take a natural approach to combating fleas with these essential oils!

 
Just like essential oil use for humans, it’s important to dilute your oils before applying them to the skin. Always do your research, especially since certain essential oils can be toxic to your pets.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is considered to be toxic when used at full strength on cats and dogs.  It’s a powerful oil used for antibacterial and anti-fungal purposes.  When diluted correctly, it can also be used to treat fleas. 

While I don’t suggest using it in a homemade spray, I would suggest diluting it and adding a little to the outside of your pet’s collar.  You could even add a drop to your pet’s shampoo.  Always watch for signs of irritation and discontinue use immediately if irritation should occur.

Peppermint oil

Peppermint oil is a natural pest repellent that smells great!  While it won’t kill any fleas your dog or cat may have, it’ll prevent them from coming back.  You can make a spray with apple cider vinegar and water to spray on your pet.  This also works with lavender oil, too.

Rosemary oil

I also wanted to fight the fleas internally.  Rosemary is supposedly very good for healing the skin.  So I got Hunter grain-free treats with rosemary extract in them.  This oil can be toxic to cats, so I would recommend using it only for dogs.

Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus will always be one of my go-to oils.  It’s one of my favorite smells that pests hate.  It’s also very soothing and can be used directly on the outside of your pet’s collar.

Lavender oil

Lavender is another oil that bugs hate, but smells great to us!  Add a few drops to your pet’s shampoo to help calm your itchy dog!

Natural essential oil sprays

We used Vet’s Best Flea + Tick Spray on Hunter and his crate bed and blankets.  I sprayed it on Hunter and massaged it into his skin after he was bathed.  It made him smell amazing!  This spray is formulated to kill fleas, flea eggs, and repel pests.  I highly recommend it!


I used a combination of these oils in my diffuser, on Hunter, and on Hunter’s bed and blankets.  After using some of these natural flea repellents, we noticed that Hunter wasn’t scratching as much as he was.  We never saw any other signs of flea dirt and we seem to have nipped this problem in the bud! 

If your pet has a flea problem, it’s always good to check with your vet first.  Please don’t rely solely on what worked for us.  Every animal and every flea situation is different.

How do you naturally combat fleas?

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For more ways to use essential oils in your everyday life, check out these posts:


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