Mini Buffalo Shrimp Puff Pastry Pizzas.
Hear that?
It’s me. Breathing out a giant sigh of relief.
It’s been a few years since I’ve wished the week away, but today I can say with great surety that THANK GOODNESS IT’S FRIDAY.
You know how, like, all week I’ve been whining and complaining about how I can’t get in the groove of things, blah blah blah?
Well now that I’m certain no internet creepers can come kidnap me, it’s safe to tell you that I’ve been playing single lady all week long. Which normally is totally AWESOME. You know I love it. I live for it. It’s my time. But at this point I haven’t seen my husband in nearly two weeks. Which okay – I sort of miss him, but really? My routine (which I don’t even have) is just SO MESSED UP.
I mean, when left to my own devices, I’m already the quintessential bachelorette, having wine for dinner and mojitos for dessert, dumping my makeup case on the bathroom floor to find my favorite MAC Hepcat and then just like… leaving it there, and lacking most forms of personal hygiene.
By the way, right now I’m totally drinking a makeshift margarita. I thought you should know. I don’t know if it’s dinner or dessert. I’m going with both. And I’m also watching high school dance competitions on ESPN because… I have a life. How do these tweens pirouette like that? That’s my real concern at the moment.
But coming home from my own weeklong trip? Having to find my car in the dark and scary and dark (and dark) airport parking lot late in the night? Having to drive home while I’m hopped up on caffeine and entering a totally pitch black house because someone didn’t leave any lights on for me? And THEN trying to get back into my (lack there of a) routine, when during the time he travels my “routine” consists heavily of couches and liquor and DVRed trash and cereal? Oh and bagels too. I was really into those this week. Weird.
My days have gone somewhat like this: Should I get out of bed? I think I’ll just lay here. I should go to the gym. But I’d rather just lay here in bed and read this book that I’m too embarrassed to name. I need to run the dishwasher. But I hate unloading it so I won’t. I need to do laundry. But I don’t want to walk down the stairs so I won’t. I have to go to the gym. I’ll go later. (No I won’t.) Uh oh! Time to take a break. 90210 triple play on SoapNet… I can totally take a 3 hour break because this is like being on vacation. I should make a list of all the things I need to do. (Commence list making.) God this is a long list. Oh well! I have five whole days to finish it. I mean four whole days. Oh! Now I have three days. I’ve only crossed off “post Disney pictures.” And that’s because I could edit all those photos while laying in bed watching Friends at 12:30. AM, people. AM. Hmmm, it’s Thursday? When did that happen? Screw the list. I’ll do it all this weekend. I should go to the store though. (Commence store going). So glad I went to the store, even if I only bought this Haagan Daaz blueberry crumble ice cream. I mean, it’s limited edition, I HAD to buy it. Now since it’s my last night alone, I deserve a margarita. I’ll work on my list tomorrow.
I wish I was making this up.
My motivation has been at an all time low, my procrastination has been at an all time high and my recipe inspiration has been basically nonexistent. What does this mean? I can’t survive on my own? My husband is my muse? I’m just generally lazy in my existence? I’m going with F.) all of the above.
At some point though, I decided I needed to eat a normal meal. Or just seriously – ANY MEAL. Because that pretty much hadn’t happened since I came back, unless you count the entire bag of pretzels I inhaled on my way back from the airport due to the caffeine freak out which thankfully at the time – stopped me from going through the Wendy’s drive-thru at midnight. I don’t even know what I’d order?! Hmmm.
So I had all of these ingredients in my house. Thank goodness. Because removing myself from this fort of bricks I’ve been under seemed nearly impossible, at least until I drive to the airport later this afternoon. Plus, I seriously love puff pastry. Who doesn’t? On more than one occasion I have completely considered defrosting the pastry and baking it until puffed. Just so I could eat it that way. This would have been the week to do so, but I didn’t crack under the pressure. I needed slightly more substance. And I just happened to have gorgonzola (on it’s last leg), scallions (about to bite the dust) and cilantro (only could salvage a few nonrotting pieces) which make up a portion of my favorite flavor combination.
I made it. I ate it. I survived! And now hopefully I’ll be back to normal. Whatever that means.
Mini Buffalo Shrimp Puff Pastry Pizzas
serves 4 (makes approximately 24 pizzas)
1 box puff pastry sheets (or you could use shells)
1 pound raw peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce + more for drizzling
2 tablespoons butter
3-4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch of cilantro, torn
1 bunch of parsley, torn
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Set out puff pastry to thaw – just until you can gently unfold the sheets. Using a round biscuit cutter, cut circles out of each sheet, placing them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Melt butter (I did so in the microwave for 20 seconds) then mix with buffalo sauce. Using a pastry brush, very lightly brush a bit of sauce on each pastry round. Add shrimp to a large bowl, toss with salt and pepper, then coat with the remaining buffalo wing sauce.
Place 1-2 shrimp in the center of each pastry round, pressing lightly to adhere. Top with crumbled gorgonzola, again pressing into the crevices of the shrimp and pastry. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pastry has puffed and is golden. Don’t be alarmed if some of the cheese and sauce slides off.
Remove baking sheet from the oven and top with torn cilantro and parsley, and sliced green onions. Serve with extra buffalo wing sauce for drizzling.
Okay I’m done. Now I’m gonna eat some cheese and quackers.
81 Comments on “Mini Buffalo Shrimp Puff Pastry Pizzas.”
I’m one lucky guy.
ha! i love this. i laughed the entire way through this post. we all have days (weeks!) like this :)
Ha! As I was reading this post I was wondering if you would read this! :-)
Aww! <3 :)
:) You ARE!!!
Looks gorgeous! I go a bit mad when I’m left on my own for a couple of days too. My boyfriend had surgery last week and I only had to spend 1 night alone and within about 30 minutes of getting home I was already drinking strawberry mojitos for dinner!
Holy crap! How yummy! Theses look fantastic!! I have yet to work with puff pastry, but after seeing this recipe, um I think I need to make these and fast!! What a great appetizer or dinner or snack, crap! Why can’t I just reach in and grab some shrimp?
I can SO relate to this post! Except the shrimp. But on everything else, I’m with ya 100% ;)
ooh- I love the comment by Mr. Sweet :) Also, my husband and i do the EXACT same thing- when we’re alone we resort to “single” phase – him with a pizza and scary movie- me leaving every dish by the sink and never eating a “real meal” —and then all we do after about 12 hours is realize how much we need the other person to function and be a slightly acceptable human being. absence makes the heart grow fonder, right :)
Lol – for someone with lacking motivation, you certainly still manage to come up with some pretty amazing recipes! PS Mr How Sweet’s comment is fantastic!
You know if this whole cooking thing doesn’t work out you should consider stand up comedy! I laughed so hard I almost cried! :)
oh this looks amazing!! buffalo shrimp, puff pastry..yes! i’m so glad it’s friday too..i can’t wait to lay in bed saturday morning and contemplate whether or not i want to leave it.
I’m going to make these tonight since its Friday and Lent. Love all the stories about Mr Sweet. He def sounds a lot like my hubs with his love for meat and enchiladas lol :)
You started my Friday off with a laugh, which is always a great thing. And, you posted a delicious recipe, too. Happy Friday! :)
WAHHHHHH. That looks so gooood!!
Yuum!!!! I love cute food!! :D
These are so cute and would make a delish party appetizer!
These look divine. I said divine. It’s better than being cheesy and saying “devein!” Shrimp! Get it!? Never mind.
Heavenly days, these look like perfection on a plate! My husband will LOVE these! Happy Friday!
Love Mr. How Sweet’s comment. haha! BTW, these look ah-mazing. Your day goes a little like mine. I get up, think about running, go running because I know its the only productive thing I have going all day, come back, eat lunch, bake, taste-test, cook, bake, oh, bake. Maybe go to the store. Watch re-runs of a show that I am definitely too embarrassed to name, let’s just say it’s on ABC Family so u can imagine how horrified I am already. Oh, oh, and there also might, just might be some moving around on the couch, you know from sitting on the right side of my body, then on the left. I might even, just might, think about going to Ulta and getting a new nailpolish…then I will just paint my nails with the crap that I already have.
I totally do the same thing when my Hubs is gone. Except I have to get up and go to work. Whah! But the watch junk on TV whilst eating junk and washing it down with wine/makeshift margarita/makeshift mohito? Done and done….You set the bar high my friend by making these, I may or may not rise to the challenge!
Mr. How Sweet’s comment cracked me up! I also am a total slacker when my husband is out of town. I don’t cook meals (well- maybe a salad), and it’s a great time to catch up on “chick flicks” and read books. The mini pizzas look amazing, Jessica! So does that chocolate caramel rice krispie treat you took of photo of at Disney. You need to create those and post the recipe! :-)
I am a total slob when I’m by myself. Whenever I have company over to my apartment I have to get my stuff together and clean.
And these look great!
ughh isn’t losing your groove soo annoying?! Hopefully Mr. How Sweet can (somehow) help you find it again!
HAHA I hate being home alone too! I seriously will turn on all the lights and then lock myself in one room. Any noise I hear outside freaks me out.
You crack me up. :) Hope you get back into your groove soon!
I’m glad you survived being home alone, and that I’m not the only almost-30 woman in the world who still is 100% convinced she’s going to be kidnapped while her husband is away.
I’m the same way when my husband goes away for work! It’s like I suddenly don’t know how to function properly anymore. Ha! Great post and awesome recipe, Jessica. Thanks for sharing!
Oops, almonst forgot to tell you! I’m having a great giveaway today with four potential prize winners, so you should enter!
I love your blog. I have yet to make any recipes, but the pictures and banter are so fun.
I hope you go all Stella this weekend and get your groove back girl ;) In my marriage, I’m the one always gone and traveling and yet somehow I don’t think it phases my husband. His response to me last night when I said “see you tomorrow!” in a somewhat excited tone was “oh, you’re coming home tomorrow? I forgot. Can’t believe it’s Friday already.” Ha, guess he was really missing me, right?
Have a great weekend!
These are the prettiest little pizza rounds ever! So gorgeous!
Glad you’re slowly but surely finding your groove after your trip :)
Those look fab! Ya know what else is delish in it’s solo form? Pie crust! I trim the edges and bake the scraps and eat them solo in the kitchen after pretending I threw them away. Fact 1: If no one sees you do it it doesn’t count. Fact 2: Scraps don’t have calories because they are scraps.
Are you pregnant? :)
hah, definitely not!
Oh yum, yummm, yummy, yum-o! These and some wine pleaz. STAT!
You are so funny.. thanks for a good read! and I love Mr. How Sweet’s comment at the top!!
So fun and fancy! A great party hors d’ouvre! Yeah, I can’t spell that word… Not sure how I feel about shrimp with buffalo, but I’d certainly make a chicken version :)
oh lordy, we will love these. i constantly have fights in my head like this. but my husband doesn’t travel so he usually nudges me to actually get out of bed. but he does the laundry so that helps. definitely helps.
These look soooooo good! I watch the the Friends episodes on Nick every night too! Oh, and whenever I’m home I watch 90210. I can’t get enough of either of them!
You are SUCH a great writer Jess!!
Im on this (semi) active health kick, which means I basically don’t cook anything that isn’t super healthy, although that doesn’t seem to stop me ordering it as soon as I leave the house (did I really go out for ice cream at 9.30pm last night?! Um, yep). Anyway, I can’t even really make most of your dishes at the moment, but I still have to read your blog, because it’s so totally adorable!
Haha you are so funny! Don’t worry, you sound completely normal … we’ve all been there! ;)
oh lord how good does this look. i love the stuff you come up with. your husband must be such a happy camper.
Holy heck, you had me laughing. I can TOTALLY relate. I actually started my blog partly bc my husband was traveling so much for work and partly bc I love cooking and taking pictures of it. I have made lists and had the days melt away only to make a new list at the end of the week for the following week. ;0)
PS This recipe looks freakin tasty!
Mini pizzas!! I love all things miniature. Even those gross baby corns you find at the salad bar. Your pizzas look better than those things, though.
And if it makes you feel better, I’ve been staying up until like 2am after my family goes to sleep just PRETENDING that I’m a single girl who doesn’t have any responsibilities except to catch up on awful TV.
Hah! I’m glad I’m not the only one having an extraordinarily lazy week. At least you cooked! And the buffalo shrimp pastries look fab.
That book wouldn’t happen to have the words shades and gray in it would it???
Perfect appetizers! I think it is totally legit to let go of yourself when alone and just indulge yourself however way you want to…
Jessica! You are writing my life this past week. I’ve had this past week and a half off (and I’m off until Tuesday of next week) due to me leaving my old job and waiting for my new job to start.
I’ve never watched “Lost” (I know, I’m weird) so I discovered it and have been sitting all day in my pajamas with unclean hair watching episodes back to back. Just like you, I had the place to myself because my roommate was gone for an entire week.
(And I had champagne for dinner Monday. It must be in the air).
Looks Wonderful! My Handsome Prince and I run 2 businesses together + kids, he’s always with me. The last time he was out of town for the night, I ordered $65 of who knows what from the local pizza place per the kids request, rented them a stack of DVDs, curled up in bed, read a whole book, drank a whole bottle of wine and ate a whole package of gummy worms for dinner. Issues!
ummm is the blueberry crumble ice cream not the best thing you’ve ever tasted?! i bought it for the same reason (limited edition, duh – had to!) and may have eaten half the pint as soon as i got home from the store. oops. :)
LOL, I love this post, it has brought a much needed laugh from as you said it a long week of blah, blah, blah. I think life would be great if we could all live a little more freely a little more often, and by the way the buffalo shrimp pastries look awesome, great post thanks.!
On a completely (somewhat) unrelated note…..I think I can GUESS which book you are reading….is it the same book that every woman across America is reading? I wonder….
Looks amazingly tasty! P.s. You crack me up!
Welcome back! We all have weeks like that, but glad to see your back with flare (and another awesome recipe).