I made Calzones!!

So, Cincinnati has a wonderful hometown pizza place called LaRosa's pizza.  It's Steve's favorite pizza place ever.  Probably because he grew up on the West side of Cincinnati, which is also where this pizza place originated.  And if you are from Cincinnati, you know that people from the West side are very proud of the fact that they are from the West side.  And people from the East side are very proud that they aren't from the West side :)

Anyway, when I was a "working woman" aka before kids, we would go out to lunch once a week or so as a group.  Sometimes we would go to LaRosa's and for the most part I would always order a Calzone with spinach, pineapple and ham.  Yum!

For some reason, I had never attempted to make Calzones at home from scratch.  They just seemed difficult to keep all the fillings in.  Plus, I haven't found the perfect pizza crust recipe yet.  As in, every time I make a pizza at home, my husband always says he doesn't care for the crust.  Every. Single. Time.  Probably because it isn't a LaRosa's crust.

Anyway, I found this Calzone recipe on Pinterest.com.  The title of the blog post that was linked to the picture intrigued me.  "How to Make Calzones (And Freeze Them for Later!)"  Um, yes please!  So I followed the directions.  And they turned out great!  I didn't have any Ricotta or spinach on hand, so I used my own fillings.  But the crust was perfect for the calzones and I will definitely be making these again.

A couple notes...The crust recipe didn't make much dough.  If you want a LaRosa's size calzone, the crust recipe will probably only make 3 calzones.  I make it into 6 like the recipe said, but Steve and I both ended up eating 2 and the boys each had a smaller calzone.  Also, do whatever toppings you want, but I spread a little sauce on the dough and then added cheese and pepperoni for the boys' Calzones.  For ours, I made a mixture of browned sausage and onion mixed with some cheese and some cottage cheese (weird, I know, but it gives it a creamier texture just like the ricotta).  I didn't measure anything, just eyeball it.  Mine didn't look quite as pretty as hers, but they didn't look that far off!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/how-to/how-to-make-calzones-and-freeze-them-for-later-151276

Calzones

For the dough:
3/4 cups (6 ounces) of water
1/2 teaspoon of active-dry yeast (if using instant yeast, you don't need to dissolve it during the first step)
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Making the Dough:

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, heat the water until it feels barely lukewarm. Add the yeast to the water and stir. Set this aside to dissolve. It's ok if the yeast doesn't bubble, but it should be entirely dissolved.

Measure out the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and combine. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the water-yeast mixture. Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to combine everything together.  When it comes together into a cohesive ball, turn it out onto the counter along with any extra flour in the bowl that hasn't yet gotten worked in.

Knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic to the touch--about five minutes.The dough should still feel moist and slightly tacky. If it's sticking to your hands and counter-top like bubble gum, work in more flour one tablespoon at a time until it's smooth and silky.


Assembling the Calzone:

Preheat the Oven to 450°F

Divide the Dough: Divide the dough into equal pieces. Six pieces make good dinner-sized calzones. Eight pieces make nice smaller calzones for lighter meals and lunches.

Roll Out the Calzone: Press the dough into a flat disk, then use a rolling pin to roll it into an 8"-9" circle for larger calzones or 6"-7" for smaller calzones. Roll from the middle of the dough outwards, as you do for pie dough. If the dough starts to shrink back on you, let it rest for five minutes and try again. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Fill the Calzones: Spread a generous 1/3 cup of filling in the bottom third of the calzone (slightly less for smaller calzones), leaving a a clear border around the edge. Fold the top of the dough over the filling and press to seal. If you have enough dough, you can roll that edge up (simply fold it over on itself) to form a more secure seal. Transfer calzones to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake the Calzones: Brush calzones with olive oil or butter, if desired. This gives the calzones a nice golden color, but is not necessary. Slice steam vents in the top of the calzones with a sharp knife. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the tray and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the calzones are golden, browned on the edges, and the filling is bubbly.

Eat or Freeze Calzones: Allow to cool a few minutes before eating. Let leftover calzones cool completely, then wrap each individual calzone tightly in plastic wrap. Transfer to a plastic freezer bag and freeze.

Reheat Calzones: Thaw the calzone for a few hours in the fridge, or extend the cooking time to re-heat from frozen. If you put one in your lunchbag in the morning, it will be thawed enough by lunchtime. Unwrap from the plastic before reheating.

Reheat them in the microwave in one-minute bursts on HIGH until heated through (2-3 minutes total), or in the oven or a toaster oven at 300° until heated through.

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My Favorite Minestrone Soup and Beer Bread

It's that time of year -- the kids are going back to school, football is starting, and fall is right around the corner.  While I love fall, I hate to rush it.  After all, in my opinion it is way too short and winter sets in well before I would like it to.  But mother nature rushes on and while we're enjoying these last days/weeks of summer I am starting to think about fall.

This is a perfect fall dinner.  It's easy, comforting, and filling.  The beer bread recipe is a nod to Tastefully Simple.  If you've ever been to one of their home parties, you've probably tasted it.  I have tried a few recipes to make it and this is the closest I've found.  This bread is super delicious, but it is a heavy bread.  Not your typical light yeast bread.

The soup is a recipe a former co-worker gave me, back in the days that my daily companions were over 4 feet tall!  It was a copy-cat recipe of Maggiano's soup that she found somewhere on the internet.  I wish I knew the source.

Beer Bread
3 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounces beer {I used Bud Light Lime}
2 tablespoons melted butter
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Butter an 8×4 inch loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and beer; mix well. The mixture will be sticky. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes.
3. At the last three minutes of baking, remove from oven, brush the top of the loaf with the melted butter and return to oven for the final three minutes of baking.

Minestrone Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon flour
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups Maggiano's Marinara Sauce
1 small baking potato, diced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1/2 cup canned chick-peas, drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 dark green romaine lettuce leaves, diced
1/4 ounce fresh basil leaves (stems removed), chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus some for garnish
1/2 cup tubetti or other small pasta
In a large stock pot, melt butter over low heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and oregano. Cook, covered, until vegetables are soft but not browned, about 20 minutes.

Add flour and stir to form a paste. Add garlic, chicken stock, marinara sauce, potato and tomatoes. Raise heat and bring mixture to a boil.

Add zucchini, yellow squash, chick-peas, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in romaine, basil and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Reheat over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Divide pasta among individual serving bowls and ladle hot soup over pasta. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Servings: 8

My Notes:  I don't typically refrigerate for 12-24 hours.  Making the pasta separately keeps the soup from getting too thick.  I used dried basil.  And I use more Parmesan cheese -- this is the key to the flavor in my opinion!

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Southwest Stuffed Peppers

I found this easy recipe on Pinterest.com several weeks ago and finally had some peppers from my garden to use for it!  I modified the recipe to use some fresh tomatoes from my garden as well.  Here is the original recipe, but below is how I made it.  Easy and simple but yummy!

Southwest Stuffed Peppers Recipe

8 Servings, Prep: 25 min. Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients

·         8 medium green peppers - I just used 4 and baked the remaining rice mixture in a dish without peppers

·         1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)

·         1/2 can green chilies, undrained

·         2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped

·         1-1/2 cups water

·         1 envelope (5.4 ounces) Mexican-style rice and pasta mix

·         2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions

• Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. In a large pot, boil peppers in water for 3-5 minutes. I also boiled the tops and then chopped them up to add to the rice mixture.  Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside.
• In the same pot, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the diced tomatoes, green chilies, water and pasta mix. Also add cooked pepper tops if you would like.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  At this point, you might also want to add salt and pepper.  Because you are using fresh tomatoes instead of canned like the original recipe, there is less sodium and you might want to add a little.
• Fill each pepper about 2/3 full and sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted and peppers are tender. Yield: 8 servings.

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Sausage Pizza Loaf

This recipe comes from one of my current favorite cookbooks, Taste of Home Almost Homemade. I will admit that I have a little addiction to cookbooks, so I'm sure it will no longer be my favorite in a week or so. I read cookbooks in bed even, I love them so much. I realize that's not normal. But I don't think I'm in need of an intervention or anything, so don't worry.

My whole family really liked this one, and it was really quick and easy.

Sausage Pizza Loaf

1 pound Italian sausage

1/4 cup each chopped onion, sweet red pepper, and green pepper

2 packages (6-1/2 ounces each) pizza crust mix

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup chopped pepperoni

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion, and peppers over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Combine crust mixes and prepare according to package directions. With greased fingers, press onto the bottom of a greased 15x10x1 baking pan. (I just used a big cookie sheet here. I don't get too hung up on pan sizes and things unless I'm baking)

Combine the sausage mixture, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and egg; spread over dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, oregano, and garlic powder.

Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Pinch seams to seal. Arrange seam side down on pan and shape into a crescent. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 mins or until golden brown.

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Homemade Churros Recipe

So, Thursday night this past week was Mexican night at our house.  I wasn't feeling very good all day (pregnancy crap, AGAIN) and didn't feel like cooking anything for dinner.  In fact, the only thing I got accomplished on Thursday was a quick trip to the grocery store.  To most of my friends who think I'm "super mom" and do 50 million things a day, I realize this might be shocking; I know.  But really, my house was a mess and I needed to do laundry, but I just didn't have it in me to do those tasks.  But we were out of milk and eggs, so a trip to the grocery store was necessary.

Anyway, I saw some Taco Shells on sale at the grocery store and realized that I think my older son had only had tacos one other time in his life.  They are so easy to make, but I never think of it.  So, I bought the shells and already had everything else I needed.  

That afternoon as I was prepping everything for dinner, I took a quick break to look at my blog feed.  You know, 'cause I'm addicted.  I found a Homemade Churro recipe that I thought looked good.  I have made curros before, but they weren't the greatest and I thought it was time for a new recipe.

Um, these were delicious!  I'll spare you photos of the process because Joy the Baker does such a wonderful job.  Check out her post and her notes on how the process works.  They are easy, but like she said, there were several times in the process I thought I had ruined it.  She made a dark chocolate sauce for dipping, but I didn't and I think they were still wonderful.  This also made more than our family could eat at once and they really don't keep well overnight (I tried, by golly).  So find a friend and share them :)

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Churros and Hot Dark Chocolate
makes about 20 small churros, from The NY Times

canola or vegetable oil, for frying
1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs

Add enough oil to a large saucepan or deep skillet to measure 2-inches deep. Attach a candy/deep fry thermometer to to side of the pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter, water, 1 tablespoon of sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add flour all at once. Quickly stir together with a spatula until no lumps remain, and the mixture begins to form a ball. This will take about 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from heat and place loose dough ball in a large bowl.

With a spatula, beat the eggs into the dough one egg at a time. The mixture may appear to be a broken mess, but keep stirring. Keep the faith.

After the eggs are added, the mixture will be slightly gummy and slightly thick. That’s perfect.

Spoon batter into a large pastry, or strong Ziplock bag with a Aceto 829 (large open star) tip attached.

Heat the oil, over medium heat, to 350 degrees F.

Carefully pipe about 4 inch long dough segments into the hot oil. Use a pair of kitchen sheers to cut the dough from the star tip. It’s hard not to splash yourself with hot oil, just be as careful as possible.

Fry dough for 5 to 7 minutes. This might seem like a long time, but the dough through the center needs to cook through. The churros will be a deep golden brown, and may split slightly when cooked. Keep an eye on the timer. Remove churros from hot oil and place on a paper towel. After slightly de-greased, toss in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on a plate to serve.

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Peach-Glazed Meatballs

Another recipe from Taste of Home Almost Homemade. Excuse the kiddie plate!

Peach-Glazed Meatballs

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 onion, diced

1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules

1 and 1/2 pounds ground beef (I always use at least ground chuck or ground round)

1 jar (16 oz) peach preserves

1 bottle (12 oz) chili sauce

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs, bouillon and onion. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls. In a large skillet, cook in batches until no longer pink. Drain and return to skillet.

In a small saucepan, combine the preserves, chili sauce, and soup mix. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour over meatballs. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 min or until heated through.

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Chicken Taquitos

This is a super easy, fast recipe. It is great for freezing too. My husband actually likes this one, so it must be good. I could eat Mexican food every day of the week, so I really wear him out on it. If I weren't pale to the point of translucency I would swear I had Mexican ancestry! But he loves this one.

3 oz cream cheese, softened (i use reduced fat)

1/4 cup salsa (the fresh kind is best)

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1-2 green onions, chopped

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup shredded cheese (mexican, cheddar, pepper jack, whatever you have)

10-12 6-inch flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with foil and grease it. Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Put 2-3 tablespoons of filling down the middle of a tortilla and roll up tightly. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake 15-20 mins.

To freeze, assemble as above and put on baking sheet. Freeze on the baking sheet and them transfer to a ziploc bag. Add a few minutes to baking time for frozen taquitos.

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