A latchkey kid is a child who returns to an empty home after school (or other activities) or a child who is often left at home with no supervision because their parents are away at work.
I was a latchkey kid.
Growing up outside of Philadelphia in the 1980s, I had to let myself and my younger brother into the house after school. Both my immigrant parents had no choice but to work outside the house, making me responsible for snack time. The freezer aisle in those days was not as robust with choices nor would it have mattered. Splurge was not part of our vocabulary back then.
My adult self is kind of glad that we were instead forced to eat homemade for most snacks and meals. English muffin pizzas were our number one choice. Always around, easily topped with spaghetti sauce and cheese, and even more easily browned to perfection in a toaster oven, they were perfect for our elementary kitchen skills at the time.I still remember my earliest formal cooking lesson as a high-schooler at Upper Merion in King of Prussia. It was there in Home Ec that I learned to make pancakes and perfect the timing on the first flip.
Needless to say, I was no wiz in the kitchen back then, but we loved getting creative. The funny thing is that my kids now love my version of these pizzas. The recipe below is my Indian masala version that uses our jarred Punjabi masala sauce. My younger self looking to fit in likely never would go for these toppings, but my older self can't get enough. A tip on really getting the texture right? Toast them first for about six minutes to create a crunchier base that won't get soggy under the sauce and toppings.
Let me know what you think! xoxo Anupy
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 21 minutes
Makes: 12
Cook them for half the time, remove, cool completely, and either refrigerate or freeze in a container with the muffins separated by parchment paper. They can be finished off by little hands in a toaster oven and make a great afterschool snack.
Try our Masala Pizza on naan, too! Check out the recipe here.
Check out English muffin masala pizza in the video below! Subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're there and scroll down on this page to print the full recipe!
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ENGLISH MUFFINS SAVED ME FROM STARVING!
I was a latchkey kid. I had to let myself and my younger brother into the house after school and was responsible for snack time. English muffin pizzas were our number one choice. Always around, easily topped with spaghetti sauce and cheese, and even more easily browned to perfection in a toaster oven, they were perfect for our elementary kitchen skills at the time.
Recipe by Anupy Singla, Indian As Apple Pie
Servings: 12
Keywords: Masala, Punjabi, Indian Recipes, Pizza, English Muffins
Make Them for Later
Cook them for half the time, remove, cool completely, and either refrigerate or freeze in a container with the muffins separated by parchment paper. They can be finished off by little hands in a toaster oven and make a great afterschool snack.
This recipe is by Anupy Singla, Indian As Apple Pie.
If you share or copy this recipe, we’d greatly appreciate it if you let others know where you found it!
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