Presto-Chango Calzone!

This is my second attempt at making a stuffed bread of sorts.  This one is definitely a keeper!  The great thing about this recipe is that you can throw in virtually anything that you want!  I put ham and salami in this, but you could put in some grilled veggies, or switch up the deli meats a little, and use different versions of the meats listed.  I think Ham Cappi and Soppresata would be an excellent Italian variation!  I used refrigerated pizza dough, one regular and one whole wheat.  Once I start making my own,  I  will start using that.  You can add the ricotta cheese, maybe do a mozzarella/ricotta mix, at about ½ cup each, per roll.  It really depends on if you like ricotta cheese.  It was terrific without it!  After heating thoroughly, I immediately wrapped up the second calzone and put it in the refrigerator for dinner for another night.  I love only having to cook once and having dinner for at least 2 nights!  You could also serve this as an appetizer, just slice each loaf a little thinner then you would have otherwise.

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

ñ     2 refrigerated pizza doughs, 15 oz each (you could also use homemade pizza dough or 2 loaves of frozen bread dough, thawed)

ñ     ½ lb sliced ham

ñ     ½ lb sliced hard salami

ñ     2 cups shredded mozzarella, or an Italian cheese blend

ñ     1 cup of marinara sauce (jarred or homemade), optional

Directions:

ñ     Sprinkle each pizza dough with flour, spreading some on your work surface as well.  Roll out each pizza dough as far as you can get it.

ñ     Layer ham and salami down the center of each pizza dough.

ñ     Top meats with 1 cup of the shredded cheese for each dough.

ñ     Fold short end of each dough in about ½” and seal.  Roll and pinch well to seal the entire calzone.  They should be 2 long rolls.

ñ     Bake, seam side down on a greased baking sheet for 20 minutes at 375ºF.  Loaves should be golden brown.

ñ     Let side for 5 minutes, then slice.  Serve with marinara if desired.

Mashed Sweet Potato Bake

Fall is my favorite time of year.  With it comes the smell of apple pie, pumpkin pie and bread, roasted turkey and chickens, and sweet potatoes amongst the many other vast arrays of fall goodies.  Eoin likes sweet potatoes, but there are just so many times we can eat sweet potato fries or baked sweet potatoes.  I decided that I wanted to test drive a baked mashed sweet potato dish that I could later incorporate into our Thanksgiving meal this year.  I used a hand masher, just to give the mashed potatoes a little more texture.  I wanted a few lumps!  This is extremely close, get subtly different from candied yams, which are one of my Dad's and my favorite dishes.  I used regular marshmallows, you could use mini marshmallows, but I really don't think it would make too much of a difference.  Eoin loved them, although it did make him an extraordinarily sticky mess!  I can't wait to make these again for Thanksgiving!

Yields about 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• marshmallows

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add sweet potatoes and cook until tender, about a half hour.

• With a hand masher, mash sweet potatoes, adding milk slowly.  Adjust the amount to achieve desired consistency.  Add butter and maple syrup, mash to mix well. 

• Spread mixture into a 9x13" baking dish.  Cover with marshmallows.

• Place dish into a preheated oven (I was cooking something else as well, so my oven was preheated to 400ºF)  Bake until marshmallows melt and turn brown, about 10 minutes.

Do-It-Yourself Watermelon Ices

Ingredients:

• 8 cups cubed watermelon, seeded
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. In a food processor, puree cubed watermelon, lime juice and sugar in batches until smooth.  Pour into a freezer container.
2. Cover and freeze for about 45 minutes. Mix the slush up a little, and then freeze until frozen. 

Eggplant Marinara with Pasta

We ALL know how I love eggplant.  This is just a simple roasted eggplant incorporated into the pasta sauce.  Great way to sneak some extra veggies into your pasta dishes because I know that some kids don't like the texture of the eggplant.  Easily served with a side salad.  I made a simple salad of Iceberg lettuce and carrots with tomato and avocado.  Pair with your favorite dressing and Bon Apetite!

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-size eggplant
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 1/2 tbsp basil
• 1 lb rigatoni, elbow macaroni, rotini, penne rigante (whatever your preference) cooked to al dente
• salt and pepper, to taste
• grated Parmesan (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Cut several small slits into one side of the eggplant.  Place eggplant directly on the rack, slit side up.  Roast for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

• Gently remove eggplant skin with a sharp knife, it should pull away easily.
• Puree the eggplant into a paste using a food processor.
• Over medium-high heat, heat oil and garlic in a skillet. 

•  Add eggplant, tomatoes, parsley and basil.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

• Heat sauce thoroughly and then toss with pasta.  Top with grated cheese, if desired.

Cheeseburger Pie

This meal I came across while looking for healthy budget meals.  I love when you get tried and true recipes from real people.  Don't get me wrong, celebrity chefs are amazing.  However, some of their recipes are not geared to the busy family.  So when someone comes along and has a recipe that is easy, looks good, and that Eoin will probably eat, I'm all for it!  This recipe is from a real mom, Anne Coleman.  It literally tastes like a Double Cheeseburger from McDonald's, just WAY better for you! 

 

Yields 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 can of crescent rolls
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion, or 1 tsp onion powder (I used the onion powder, as you should know by now, Bill is NOT a fan of onions)
• 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles slices (I used a mixture of bread and butter and dill pickles)
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp prepared mustard (I used Dijon, but used yellow mustard for the garnish)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp dill pickle juice (again, I used bread and butter pickle juice)
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 cups shredded American cheese (I used Colby Jack)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Unroll crescent rolls and press into the bottom and up the sides of a small baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. (or 8-inch pie pan)

• Cook ground beef in skillet until browned.  Drain well.

• Stir in onion, chopped pickle, ketchup and mustard.

• Sprinkle with flour and add pickle juice and milk.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. 
• Remove from heat and add 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
• Pour into prepared crust and bake 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

• Remove from oven and top with remaining cup of cheese.  Let stand until cheese melts. 
• Garnish with extra ketchup, mustard and pickle slices.

Slow Cooker Ribs

Seriously, there is nothing easier than this recipe!  I urge everyone to try this at least once!  I sometimes babysit my friend's child at my home.  Her son is 9 months older than mine, and sometimes they behave really well, and sometimes, not so much!  So it's easier to just have something as simple as a slow cooker meal to set and forget! 

Yields 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

• at least 2 lbs of baby-back or spare-ribs, whatever your preference.
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a 4 qt+ slow cooker. Cook on LOW heat for 6-8 hours.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

I have so many recipes to post still.  As usual, every day life has taken over and I am totally backlogged!  I hope to be able to post all of my recent recipes before the close of the month.  This is a simple, summery salad.  I actually had this as my lunch for yesterday, and it was de-licious!  My landlords have a vegetable garden that takes up their entire backyard.  One day, as I opened my door to come upstairs from a day at work, my landlady had left a bag full of cucumbers.  Nothing beats garden fresh produce!  These cucumbers were humongous!  Often we will get cucumbers and have cucumbers in vinegar for a side dish with dinner.  I decided that instead of a regular garden salad, I wanted to switch it up just a little bit!  I used chickpeas, but you could also use red kidney beans.  I added the tiny bit of feta cheese I had left (about a tablespoon's worth), but it wasn't enough to actually be detected so you could omit it if you wanted to.  I sent some over to my Mom to try, and she barely got a spoonful.  The younger of my two brothers scarfed it.  I guess that's a good sign, right?

Yields about 6 servings


Ingredients:

• 2 large cucumbers
• 3-4 tomatoes (I used vine tomatoes)
• 1 tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup of green olives (optional)

Directions:

• Drain and rinse your chickpeas.

• Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise, and then into 1-inch thick slices.

• Chop tomatoes into chunks and add to bowl.

• Slice onion thinly and add to bowl.

• Add the rest of the ingredients (vinegar, oil, cheese and olives) and toss to coat.