Sausage Calzones

I'm sorry that I haven't posted for a while. I decided to go back to college and it has consumed 100% of my spare time. I am completing an internship now for a few months, so I can spare the time to do some of the things I enjoy (like baking!).

I have made Italian Calzones before, and have a recipe in my cookbook (using Italian sausage and chopped spinach) that my family has enjoyed for many years. But, I have to tell you - this recipe is not only faster than my original, but it also tops it in taste. This version reminds me of an inside-out sausage pizza! It is moist and flavorful without topping it with any additional sauce.

I adapted this recipe from a recipe called "Lasagna Calzones," by Gerry Speirs, on Pinterest. I made a few adjustments and substituted my favorite homemade pizza dough recipe for the Pillsbury refrigerated crust. Here's my new favorite:

Dough:

1-1/3 c very warm water
2 TB olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
3-1/2 c flour (all-purpose)
1/2 c wheat flour (or use more white)
2 tsp yeast

Filling:

1 TB vegetable oil
1 lb ground Italian pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean brand)
1 c tomato pasta sauce (I used Prego Italian Sausage & Garlic flavor spaghetti sauce)
1/2 c ricotta cheese
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese (approx. 8 oz)

I put all of the Dough ingredients in a bread machine, set it to the DOUGH setting, and leave it until it is done, about 90 minutes later. However, if you don't have this wonderful machine, you can still make the dough by hand. Combine the wet ingredients, then the dry, then knead in the flours until you have a light and pliable dough. Let rise in a greased bowl, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling. Heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet, and add the sausage. Cook, stirring constantly until meat is no longer pink. Remove from heat and add the pasta sauce, ricotta, and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Stir to mix.

Preheat oven to 400 F. degrees. Grease 2 baking sheets and sprinkle them with some cornmeal, if desired. Roll out the pizza dough to 1/4" - 1/2" thick on a floured surface. Cut dough into circles, approximately 6.25" in diameter. I used my Norpro Large Dough Press ($7), like this one at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-1041-Large-Dough-Dumpling/dp/B000IBP3NK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425849784&sr=8-1&keywords=norpro+large+dough+press

With the back side of the press, I cut the circles. But you could use a narrow-edged bowl, or cut out a circle of baking/wax paper to use as a pattern. Put 1/8 of the filling into one side of each circle of dough. It measures about 1/4 cup of filling, heaping, for each calzone. Put 2 TB of mozzarella on top of the filling, fold the dough in half, over the filling, bringing edges together to seal. With a moist fingertip, moisten the inside of the edges that will seal. Press edges tightly together in the Dough Press or with a fork.

Put the filled calzones onto prepared baking sheets. Make 2 knife pokes in the top dough each calzone, for steam to escape. Bake them for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove immediately from baking sheet. Serve warm with a side dish of salad for a delicious meal! Makes 8 calzones.

Note: If you rolled the dough too thick and you still have leftover filling, it also tastes great wrapped in a large flour tortilla (like a burrito). Spread a little butter on it, after wrapping, and bake it right alongside the calzones. Crispy and flavorful!

Instant Oatmeal "Packets"

Homemade Instant Oatmeal - the topping possibilities are endless!

My brother just called this week and reminded me that I haven’t put my Instant Oatmeal recipe onto the blog. We love Fruit and Cream Instant Oatmeal packets at our house; they are creamy, sweet, and so tasty. To save money, we buy non-Quaker Oats brands, like Great Value, but it is still pricey when each person in the family wants at least 2 packets in their bowl for breakfast. Also, the purchased packets sometimes seem a little too sweet.

Our solution was to make our own Instant Oatmeal. I’m not sure where the recipe originated, but we have been making and enjoying our version for years. Some of the benefits of making our own Instant Oatmeal are that we can determine our own portion size, the amount and type of sugar used (such as white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, Splenda, etc.), and the best part: choosing our own flavors! 

My kids usually favor Oreo cookie crumbs, so I use the food processor to crumble a package of Oreo cookies, and store this “topping” in a covered plastic container for easy access. My favorite flavor is chocolate chip cookie. I buy the cheapest, crispy, chocolate chip cookies, and crumble them just like the Oreos. One tablespoon of crumbs in a bowl of oatmeal is delicious! Fresh fruit is a close second-favorite for me. Fresh berries, Mmm, good!

Sometimes we do use purchased Instant Oatmeal packets, supplemented with a few tablespoons of our own Instant Oatmeal. We save money that way too, by using fewer of the purchased packets.

Instant Oatmeal

Yield: 8 servings, 4 cups dry mix

2½ c Quick oats

1¼ c Powdered quick oats*

1 ts Salt

10 TB Non-dairy powdered coffee creamer

  6 TB Sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Store in a covered container until ready to use. For a serving size comparable to a Quaker Oatmeal packet, measure out ⅓-½ cup of the oatmeal mixture into a bowl; add desired topping, and boiling water to desired consistency. Stir and enjoy.

*NOTE: To make the powdered oats, grind some oatmeal/quick oats in a blender or food processor on HIGH, to a coarse powder. This is what makes the mixture creamy.

Some Topping Possibilities:

• 2 Tbsp. dried fruit, chopped in food processor, with ¼ tsp. cinnamon

• 1 crushed Oreo cookie (food processor crumbles them well)

• 2 small crushed chocolate chip cookies (like Mothers brand)

• Use brown sugar instead of white, and add ¼ tsp. cinnamon

• Use brown sugar instead of white, add 1 Tbsp. raisins, and ¼ tsp cinnamon

• ½ crushed cinnamon graham crackers

• 1 tsp. cake decorating sprinkles

• ½ tsp. “Pop Rocks” candy—for a celebration day!

• 2 Tbsp. Butterfinger Babies, smashed, or ⅓ of a regular Butterfingers candybar, crushed

It takes a little advance preparation, but you save a lot of money doing them this way!

Store 4x the recipe in a gallon jar

Chili Bread - Dinner In a Beautiful Package

Chili Bread is one of our favorite meals! It tastes great and looks fantastic too. The best part is - it's not at all difficult to make.



I'll include the recipe for my white bread dough, but if you're in a hurry, Rhoades or any other prepared bread dough will be a quick way to get this meal to the table. 

I got this recipe at a Bosch bread-making class. There are a lot of variations you could make for the filling. In fact, whatever sounds good as a filling (as long as it's cooked, and not too thin) should work. (The cream cheese seals the inside bottom of the braid so that it doesn't get soggy.) Some variations that I have thought of are:

Pizza: thin layer of cream cheese, pizza sauce, pepperoni, sauteed peppers and onions, cheese, pineapple, and olives.
Calzone: Sausage, ricotta cheese, spinach, shredded Parmesan cheese, and seasonings.
Broccoli/Cheese: thin layer of cream cheese, steamed & drained broccoli, and thick cheese sauce.
Spaghetti: thin layer of cream cheese, spaghetti with thick sauce, mozzarella cheese. Coat exterior of bread braid with egg white, parmesan cheese, dried parsley, and garlic powder.
Chili Bread is still my favorite, though!

Chili Bread

 Yield: 6-8 servings

           1          Recipe white or wheat bread dough (2 lb loaf)

           3-4  oz Cream Cheese, softened

           1  can  Chili with beans

           1  can  Diced green chilies

          ¾  c       Sour cream

                        Grated cheddar cheese (opt.)

          1   can Sliced olives

Prepare your own bread dough (see recipe below), or buy frozen bread dough and thaw it. Preheat oven to 350 F.

After the first rise, roll dough onto large greased cookie sheet (half-sheet cake pan). Roll it ¼-½" thick. 

Down the lengthwise center third of the dough, spread the cream cheese. Spread chili over the cream. Sprinkle the diced chilies over the chili beans. Spoon sour cream evenly on top. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and olives.

Create the “braid” by folding up the short ends of the rectangle over the filling and cutting the long sides of the rectangle into 1½" strips. Fold the strips over the filling, alternating sides and pulling the dough to overlap in the middle, so that it looks braided. If desired, brush dough with egg wash (whisked egg with a little water).

Bake at 350 F. for 20-30 minutes (longer for wheat dough), until bread starts to brown and looks done. Serve in slices, with lettuce and tomatoes.

White Bread – Pillsbury

Yield: 1 Loaf

1⅛ c Milk (1 cup plus 2 TB)

2 TB Oil

3½ c Flour

2 TB Sugar

1½ ts Salt

1 TB Active dry yeast (1 pkg)

1 Egg

If you have a bread machine, just put all of the ingredients into the pan, liquid first. Then set on DOUGH setting until done. 

If not, heat milk and oil until very warm (120 to 130 F.). In large bowl, blend warm liquid, 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, yeast and egg at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough. On well-floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (or 15 minutes in mixer.) Place dough in greased bowl; turn greased-side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.

If you are making Chili Bread, continue with directions above.

If you are making a regular loaf of bread, generously grease (not oil) a 9x5 or 8x4-inch loaf pan. Punch down dough; and shape into 1 loaf. Place in prepared pan. Cover; let rise in warm place until light, 30 to 45 minutes. Heat oven to 350 F. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pan; cool. If desired, brush warm loaf with melted margarine or butter. 

Hearty & Healthy Lentil and Barley Soup

When you've cooked a healthy, vegetable-filled soup for dinner, and your 17-year-old, junk-food-loving son says, 
     "Mom, have I told you that this is my favorite soup? Can I have some more?" 
Then you KNOW that you've found a winning recipe! It doesn't get much better than that! 

I found this recipe originally in the Lean & Free 2000 Plus cookbook. I only altered it slightly. If you can't find pearled barley in the rice section of your local grocery store, it should be available in the bulk foods section of stores such as Fred Meyer or Winco. Take a few minutes to chop your vegetables in the morning, put all ingredients in the crockpot on LOW, and the delicious soup will be ready to eat by dinnertime.

I use my amazing Cuisinart food processor to pulse-chop the veggies

Lentil and Barley Soup

Yields: 6-8 servings

1 c     Dried lentils (any type)
1 c     Pearled barley (or other whole-grain barley)
1 can Petite diced tomatoes (about 16 oz.)
1 c     Chopped onion
1 c     Chopped or sliced celery
3/4 c  Chopped or sliced carrots
2 TB  Soy sauce
1/2 ts Pepper
1 ts    Dried dill weed
1 ts    Garlic powder
10 c   Chicken broth or bouillon

Place all ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker or crockpot. Set covered crockpot to LOW and leave it to cook all day, 8-10 hours, until vegetables, grain and lentils are tender. Serve warm. Season individual bowls of soup with Tabasco sauce, to taste (optional), and garnish them with freshly-chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley (optional).

Note: The soup could also be cooked in a large saucepan or 5-quart stockpot on the stove top. It would need to simmer for about an hour.

Creamed Eggs - A Stoddard Favorite

Creamed Eggs is one of those comfort foods that my Dad really liked when I was a kid. Grandma Stoddard really liked it too, and it was simple fare that she could eat without concern that it would give her heartburn or indigestion. 

As I mentioned in my Quiche Lorraine post, we enjoy eating "breakfast foods" for dinner at my house. Since this is essentially eggs and toast, Creamed Eggs would qualify as a breakfast food. We like to eat it on toast or over baking powder biscuits. It's also a GREAT way to use up a lot of those decorated, boiled Easter Eggs when the party's over.

Wikipedia calls it a breakfast dish made from a bechamel sauce. On the same page, it refers to Chipped Beef on Toast, and Biscuits and Gravy. Sounds like something out of a World War II cookbook!

Creamed Eggs

4 TB Butter
4 TB Flour
3 C Warmed milk
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Freshly-ground pepper
1/4 tsp Mustard powder (optional)
8 Hard-boiled eggs
Toasted bread or fresh baking powder biscuits

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, then slowly add the warm milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly so sauce will not scorch. It will thicken somewhat upon boiling. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add mustard powder, if desired. Thinly slice the eggs into the sauce. Cook and stir until mixture is warmed throughout. Serve warm over toast or biscuits.

Makes 4-6 servings

Roasted Vegetables with Garlic

 On Pinterest I came across a recipe for roasted broccoli. It sounded really good, but some of the quantities weren't specified. So, I did a little experimenting and came up with the measurements that I liked. 

The recipe is super-easy, takes only 25 minutes of cooking time, and is a great way to get your family to enjoy more veggies. I found the crunchy, garlic-laced broccoli pieces to be so addicting, that it was hard to stop eating them!

I tried roasting cauliflower chunks too. They didn't get quite as crispy as the broccoli, but the roasted flavor was still very good. You could probably use the same technique for any type of vegetable, varying the baking time depending upon the amount of moisture in the vegetables.

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

3-4 TB Vegetable oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 lb Broccoli pieces
1 tsp Minced garlic

Preheat oven to 425 F. degrees. Combine all ingredients in a closed ziploc-type bag. Knead the bag gently with your hands, until all of the pieces appear evenly coated with oil and seasonings. Spread broccoli on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pieces are lightly browned and crispy, but not burned. Serve  immediately.

Mashed Potatoes - With Flavor Added

Growing up, I never really liked potatoes -- especially mashed potatoes. My mom always made them from scratch (never from a box), but I don't think she put anything in them... maybe a little salt. And I didn't like them at all. 

Now that I live in Idaho, I've had to change my mind about potatoes. My new motto is: If you add enough fat and flavor, potatoes taste amazing! 

Anyway, I came across this recipe for "Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes" several years ago in a Costco Connection flyer that came in the mail. They're easy, and I love the flavor. I usually use Russet potatoes, and they've never turned out "gummy." 

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 9x13" baking pan, or 10-12 servings

5 lb   Baking potatoes
1/2 c Butter, softened
1 c    Sour cream (low fat is ok)
8 oz   Cream cheese, softened
1 ts    Salt, to taste

Scrub, peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut them into 2-inch pieces. Place them in a large stockpot and cover with water. Boil until fork tender, approximately 18-20 minutes.

Drain potatoes and add remaining ingredients to warm potatoes in large mixing bowl. Mash and mix well. To thoroughly mix ingredients you may want to use a hand or stand mixer. Taste and adjust amount of salt if necessary. 

If not serving immediately, transfer mashed potatoes to a shallow baking dish and cover with foil. Potatoes can be kept warm in the oven at this point, refrigerated, or frozen. 

Make-ahead tip: These can be made several days ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 F. and bake for 30-45 minutes or until hot.