Calzones

As Autumn approaches, the chill in the evening air encourages me to turn on my oven again. I've been wanting to make Calzones for the longest time. Well, we finally made them last weekend and I must admit, they turned out really well. Sadly, my children called them Pizza Pockets and Hot Pockets because they've never seen them anywhere else! I tried a new pizza dough recipe for the calzones and liked it enough that later in the week we made pizzas out of it (which I'll share with you next). Want to make your own calzones? Here's how.

You'll need the following:

Pizza dough (make your own or buy uncooked dough)
Tomato sauce (I used Prego.)
Grated Cheeses (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone)
Pizza Toppings (we used only pepperoni for this first try, but next time, the sky's the limit)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out your pizza dough into 7" or 8" circles. I like mine thinner, Superman likes his thicker for a breadier calzone.

On one half of the circle, spread the sauce with the back of a spoon. How much you use depends on your taste. Again I only like a little sauce and Superman and Valiant like a lot of sauce.

Then add your toppings to the area you sauced: Cheese, pepperoni, etc.

Fold over your dough and roll the edges a bit to seal them.

Beat one egg and, using a pastry brush, do an egg wash on each calzone. That is what gives you the nice golden brown crust.

Bake for roughly 25 minutes, but check your calzones after about 15 minutes to guage their doneness. Remember, you want the insides to get bubbly hot and the outsides to get nice and golden brown.

When they're done, pull them out of the oven and serve. These were really, really good and I urge you to give them a try.

That's it! That is all it takes to make calzones. So, if you're like me, you'll be saying, "Why didn't I try this sooner?"

Wednesday wanderings...

I have a little bit to say, none of it important, so feel free to skim to anything you might find interesting. (This is definitely the "random musings" part of the blog!)

How is it that our share of a filling for a 13-year old is going to end up being $135...that's our share?! With insurance?! What did they use to fill his tooth? Crazy.

I cried when I saw Whitney Houston sing on Oprah. (I NEVER watch the Oprah show these days--she's really annoying. Superman actually had to hook up the cable for me because I wanted to watch these episodes and Biggest Loser was starting up again.) Anyway, so many amazing talents fall to the wayside with drugs and alcohol, when I heard Whitney had left her husband and was cleaning up, I was really rooting for her. Whitney Houston had an amazing voice...truly amazing. Then her personal life careened out of control. I can't even imagine what life is like when your every mistake is splashed across the tabloids, can you? I don't know if she'll stay clean and sober (I'm not sure I even believed her when she said she wasn't using drugs), but I am rooting for her. What can I say? I'm a sap.



This song feels like her old stuff. I don't know if I like it, but it is upbeat and she sounds good. The kids said they liked the beat.



Look at what we got yesterday evening! How did I get lucky enough to have neighbors who share such bounty? Aren't those tiny yellow tomatoes so cool? I'm just so excited.

Finally, the Biggest Loser Season 8 started last night. One of the contestants was a woman who lost her entire family two and a half years ago: her husband, her 5 year old daughter and her 2 and 1/2 week old son were all killed in a car accident. How do you go on from that? As she put it, every role in her life disappeared that day. Humbling.

Best lines from the Biggest Loser last night? Jillian to a young man: "Let go of the treadmill! Haven't you ever watched the show?!" and, again, Jillian to a 40-year old man: "There is no crying in tractor tires!"

Random, I know...have a good evening.

WIP Wednesday...

Guest Room/Gym - It's not done, but it certainly is ready to accommodate guests and a little bit of cardio. What do you think? Any takers?


The bed is ready to go...although the throw pillows aren't quite right. (Ignore the black towel on the bed. The cats have already begun enjoying the bed.)


The desk looks cute. I bought that lamp at a "clearance, clearance" price because I loved it ($10, I think.) It took me two years to find a way to use it.


This little guy will get hung in the corner next to the bed. (I had the bird and a friend was throwing away what she thought was a plant hanger- which we painted black and we combined them.)

Oh, the cost? $22 for new pillows. That's it! Everything else is stuff we had in our basement storage area. Not bad, eh? I really think it looks welcoming.

Make It Yourself Monday (Tuesday Edition)

Sorry about missing the day...I had this post as a draft, but it needed a few tweaks before posting. However, Valiant needed me more yesterday. So, here I am with another Make It Yourself Monday post - the Tuesday Edition.

I saw this post at Can't Stop Making Things and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Look at this "Message Tile" Gail made. She was even kind enough to give a tutorial here. I was intrigued, but I couldn't see a need to for "message tile" at my house. Maybe Superman's team would like them? Hmmm...
Then, Buttercup came home from Mrs. M's house with this little treasure and I knew it was meant to be. When Mrs. M came up with this project, she had the kids add feet to their tiles, so they can be used on furniture without fear of scratching...smart thinking, Mrs. M! Buttercup featured her hamster, Biscuit, on her tile and wrote her own name across the top (which I then obscured for this post)...I think it is super cute.



So, whether you think you need a "Message Tile" or a hot drink trivet or maybe a special paperweight, this is definitely a do-able gift idea. Emergency numbers just sitting on the counter for the kids or the babysitter. Drawings by each child creating a set of hot drink trivets as a gift for relatives. Team logos for a sports fan. The possibilities are endless and my mind is whirring.

So, what do you think?

I think Superman is working too hard. What do you think?

Notice the piece of trim on the arm of the chair! He fell asleep in the middle of a project.


Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, I was far away and didn't want to wake him with the camera. My poor super-hero threw his back out day before yesterday and he hasn't been sleeping well. (Of course, he could have just taken it easy today, but that wouldn't work for him.)

Snickerdoodles for Friday Delight!

When I was a little girl, I loved Snickerdoodles. My mom never made them at home, so I thought you had to get them at a bakery. They were a special treat. Now that I'm the mom, I'm discovering so many of those special treats are things I can make at home, so I do. This Snickerdoodle recipe is quick and easy, as long as you remember to allow at least 1 hour for the dough to chill before baking. (Since I was thinking on Wednesday, what I'd be making for Superman to take for Friday Delight, I remembered to allow the time to chill the dough.) I have no idea where I got the recipe, but it is definitely a keeper. (If you recognize it and know where it originally came from, please let me know.)

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened (I used salted)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions:
1. In a medium sized bowl, beat the butter for about 30 seconds on medium speed. Add the sugar, baking soda and cream of tartar, beating until well mixed. Slowly beat in the egg and vanilla until well incorporated. Beat in the flour 1/2 C at a time.

2. When all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 375.

4. In a bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Take enough dough to shape into 1" balls. (I used my Pampered Chef medium scooper.)

5. Roll each ball in the sugar cinnamon mixture and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cook for approximately 10 minutes.

Cool and serve!

The kids loved them, Superman's colleagues seemed to like them, so I'd say they were a hit!

September 11, 2009

This is my Friday Photo Flashback today. It is not about me, it is about us. All of us. On the West Coast, I was getting my children ready for school when I turned on the television and watched in real time, the destruction of the World Trade Center. Watched in horror as our world changed forever. Worried desperately about friends and relatives who lived and worked in NYC. Realized, with numb acceptance that my children were going to grow up in a world completely different from the one I was privileged enough to grow up in. For them, the threats weren't the vague threats posed by Cold War combatants. No, for them the threat is real and scary and unending.


Never forget...

Cream Puffs

While I was busy with the kids' curriculum and helping Charming, Superman took over dessert duties, both for Friday night and Game Night. Remember Superman is the only one who knew how to cook when we got married, so the man can cook.

When he asked me what I wanted for dessert Friday night, I said, "Beignets!" But then I said, "Okay, not beignets. I know you need the fryer for that and all that oil is a pain. Surprise me!" (Ask LoveAphid, she was on Skype with me during this conversation.) Anyway, he came back with Cream Puffs! Close to Beignets, but without the frying. How cool was that? We all liked them so much that he made them again for Game Night, a which point I whipped out the camera and informed him, "You are now a blog post!"


So, without further ado, here is a picture of the Cream Puffs that Superman made! (Don't they look yummy?)


I like mine plain (without chocolate and filling), so I nabbed some before he finished them and just sprinkled powdered sugar on them.

Want to make some of your own? He just pulled the recipe from Cooks.com and you can do the same thing...or you can just keep reading because I hate being told I have to click for a recipe...I'm lazy that way.

Cream Puffs from Cooks.com

1/2 c. butter
1 c. boiling water
1 c. pre-sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs

Put butter and water in small saucepan; stir over high heat until melted and liquid is boiling rapidly. Add flour and salt at once; raise saucepan a few inches above heat. Stir briskly. Mixture will come away from sides of pan and form a ball in center.

Cook and stir 30 seconds more. Remove from heat. Break 1 egg into the paste; beat fast until smooth and fluffy. Repeat until all the eggs are used.

Drop by whatever size you want (1/4 cup) onto ungreased cookie sheet 3 inches apart. (Superman used the ice cream scooper and prefers to use parchment paper.) Bake at 350 degrees until puffed and golden 35-40 minutes. Cool away from drafts. Cut off tops and fill with filling or ice cream.

Don't forget the Pastry Cream!

Pastry Cream from Cooks.com

1/3 c. sugar
2 c. milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

Mix sugar, cornstarch and eggs in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cool and fill cream puffs. (Superman says you'll get the best results if you let the cream chill for a long time - 2 plus hours.)

Finally, we (yes, I was part of it on Saturday evening) melted chocolate chips (because we didn't have Baker's Chocolate) and drizzled it on the cream puff and then sprinkled powdered sugar over the entire thing.

I think Superman should make dessert more often, what do you think?