Loaded Calzone

By now, most of you reading this know about my deep, passionate love affair with… Italian food!  I have never made a calzone before but since I’m on a kick of making my own bread, breadsticks, pizza crusts, etc. I decided it was time to make my own calzone!!!

I simply took my pizza dough recipe, altered it a little and made a calzone dough, then filled it with all my favorite things!  That’s the great thing about pizza and calzones, you can “load” them with whatever you like!!

Ingredients (dough) – (makes 1 calzone, serves 4)

• .25 oz active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Start by combining the yeast and water.  Wait for the mixture to bubble, then add the oil, sugar and salt.

Now, add in the flour and work into a ball. Place on a floured surface and kneed for 10 minutes.

Now place the dough in a large bowl coated in olive oil, flip, cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

In the mean time prepare the filling ingredients.

Ingredients (filling)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan/romano cheese
• 1 cup homemade tomato basil marinara (for dipping)

Start by browning the ground beef. Once cooked and drained of grease add in the bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook on medium-low heat for an additional 5 minutes.

Next add in the spices and cook on low for an additional 3-4 minutes.

At this time the calzone dough should be doubled in size and ready to be rolled out. Roll the dough into a thin, oval shape.

Now start by filling with the ricotta cheese. (I added some of the spices to the ricotta as well to give it that little extra kick of flavor!)

Next, place the ground beef mixture on top.

Lastly, top with the remaining cheeses.

Now fold the dough over and use your fingers to crimp the edges and form a tight seal around the calzone.

Brush the top with olive oil to give it that nice brown crust.

Place in a 375° oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

By this picture you get an idea of just how GIANT this calzone is!  You can easily half the recipe to make a smaller version or divide the dough in half to make two calzones with different fillings for friends or family members with differing tastes!

That’s some Italian meaty-cheesy deliciousness right there!!!

Serve with a warm side of marinara sauce for dipping!

♣ Vegetarian Option: Substitute vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms or eggplant for the ground beef.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Mexican Casserole

When it comes time to decide on and prepare a dish to take to a party, I really feel the pressure!  It must be something that I can make ahead of time, transport to the party (which in LA can take 20 minutes or 2 hours!) and still be super-delicious when I arrive!  This particular occasion called for another “Gameday Grub” recipe, as I now like to call any dish I make that corresponds with football and beer.

This dish originated at my aunts annual Christmas Eve dinner. Since we (my brother and I) were the only children in the family my parents insisted on having Christmas at our house every year after we were born, so a few years later my aunt started the tradition of having Christmas Eve dinner at her house.  She would make a lot of small bites like sausage balls, pigs in a blanket and queso dip and chips (an Oklahoma standard), but one year she started making this Mexican Casserole. It’s almost like a chili con queso with tortilla strips and cheese on top baked into the form of a casserole.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 4 oz velveeta cheese
• 1 can rotel
• 1 can ranch style beans
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups shredded mexican style cheese
• 10 small corn tortillas

Taco Ring with a Twist

Yes, yes, yes!  I’ve never been so excited to not be doing homework, but instead to be doing my new favorite thing, blogging!!! I have 5 words of advice for all of you in the blogging world… NEVER TAKE AN ONLINE CLASS!!!!! I’m serious, you’re basically saying, I would like to teach myself the entire subject of ___________(fill in the blank) and then do the readings and homework as well! So just don’t do it to yourselves, I beg of you, you will regret it!  Ok, I’ve warned you, I feel like I’ve done my civic duties for the day, and if that wasn’t enough now I’m also going to share with you my yummy dinner recipe from tonight! Aren’t I just the best??!!

So today’s recipe comes from a childhood favorite of mine. When I was probably 11 or 12 years old my Mom took me to a Pampered Chef party (and people wonder why I love cooking so much!) and we made a taco ring, it instantly became a fav at the Bond household of picky eaters.

Yes, growing up I took after my Mom and her horrible pickiness in food. There is no greater person in the world than my Mom, but there’s gotta be something a little weird about you if you don’t like food Luckily after moving across the country to the West Coast and into the land of fresh veggies, fruits and fish I broadened my horizons and now love every aspect of food, from shopping for it, to cooking it, to eating it (that part is probably my favorite!) Although most of my recipes I post are somewhat new or innovative, I like to throw in an old classic here and there as well, ie. the taco ring of today! I added some peppers and onions to the ground beef to give it a little more flavor and texture (that’s the twist part!)

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion (chopped)
• 1 bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 (8 oz) cans of refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp homemade taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp water

Optional Toppings

• sour cream
• diced jalapeños
• salsa

Begin by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Next, add the bell peppers and onions.

Sauté for 5 minutes then add the ground beef and brown. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 375°.

Drain the grease from the ground beef, then add the taco seasoning, water and cheese.

Now it’s time to form a ring with the crescent rolls!

Start by placing a small glass on the center of a baking stone to get that perfect circle in the middle! Next, stagger the crescent rolls around with the wide ends overlapping in the center. Once they’re all on there it should look something like this ↓

Next, pile the meaty, cheesy mixture of yummyness onto the crescent roll ring!

Now it’s time to get a little messy, you basically need a system of how to roll the dough up around that mound of meat after removing the glass without it all dumping into the middle.

My recommendation: slow and steady! Look at that perfect little middle circle!

Once it’s all rolled up it should look something like this ↓

Now it’s time to pop this baby in the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and beautiful.

Place a ramekin filled with your favorite optional toppings in the middle such as sour cream topped with tomatoes and jalapeños, salsa or guacamole.

I love seeing that cheesy, ooey, gooeyness surrounded by all that meatiness and wrapped in flakey, delicious crescent rolls.

Ok already, I’m hungry!  Time to slice into this baby and go to town!

I’m now ready to sit down and devour this while watching tonight’s episode of “The Great Food Truck Race”!  What a great Sunday night Til next time bloggies!!

♣ Vegetarian Option:  Substitute meatless crumbles for the ground beef to make this recipe vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Gluten Free Mom has a recipe for gluten-free crescent rolls that could be used in place of the traditional Crescent rolls to make this recipe gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.