Pizza Crisps - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs 80% lean ground beef
2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon sweet basil
1/2 cup diced pepperoni (from 6 oz pkg)
1 (8 ounce) can pizza sauce
4 ounces Italian cheese blend, shredded (1 cup)
8 ounces cheddar and american blend cheese (2 cups) or 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
36 slices cocktail bread
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350\u00b0F.
In a 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef with garlic and basil, over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until cooked through (5-7 minutes); drain well.
Stir in pepperoni and pizza sauce.
Cook over medium heat until hot (3 minutes).
Stir in Italian cheese blend and 1 cup cheddar-American cheese blend, stirring until cheese melts.
Arrange bread slices on 2 ungreased baking sheets.
Optional - Bake until crisp if a crunchier snack is desired (about 8 minutes).
Spread a generous tablespoon of beef mixture evenly over each slice.
Top each with about 1 teaspoon of the remaining cheese.
To freeze for later use - Place in freezer on baking sheets and leave until frozen (30 minutes); remove from baking sheets, and place in large resealable freezer bag (store in freezer up to 2 weeks).
Bake until heated through (15-20 minutes fresh or 20-25 minutes frozen).
Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Serve warm.