Calzones and Lunar Eclipses

For weeks I have been toying with the idea of turning this into a blog mostly dedicated to my favorite subject - food. I cook a lot and therefore I go to the gym a lot. Rather, than hearing about "Today, I did 30 minutes on the stair mill, 20 minutes on the precore and then 10 on the treadmill, followed by weights for about 15 minutes..." I think it would be far more interesting to write about food.

On Wednesday nights, I make James dinner. For some reason this turns me into a 50s housewife. I have it done prepared and the kitchen clean before he gets there so that only the meal is focused on. When alone, I eat peanut butter sandwiches, apples and cheese, cereal, or whatever else sounds good. I will have a dinner of grapes and crackers alone. However, when I am cooking for another person, I go all out.

Last night, I made calzones, salad, and gingerbread with whipped cream and berries for dessert.

Here's the recipes...

Calzones
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup of flour
(2 1/4 total cups needed)
1 packet yeast
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup hot water (120-130*.. Not an EXACT science but I stuck it in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes)

Preheat oven to 375*

Mix this stuff together with a hand mixer (I got mine a few years ago from Walgreens for $10). It's going to make a mess. I really want one of those lovely Kitchenaide ones (hint, hint).

Once you're covered in this sticky dough, add another cup of flour a little bit at a time. Finally give up on the mixer and just use your hands. Knead the dough for maybe 5-10 minutes until it is elastic and smooth.

Let it sit for about 10 minutes or so (not over night like I originaly attempted... You will have to start over if you do that and your apartment will smell like a brewery from the yeast).

Roll it out to be about 1/4 thick. You can use a wine bottle if you don't have a rolling pin. I finally bought a $2 rolling pin a couple of weeks ago but I think I need to get a heavier one.

Put corn meal on a pan and put your rolled out dough on top of that.

Either cover the whole dough with toppings and you have a pizza or cover only half and fold over for a calzone.

I filled ours with ground turkey, spicey sausage, peppers (red, green, and a sweet italian orange one), onion, mushrooms, garlic, brocolli, zuchini... umm and what ever else I found in the kitchen. I used a bottled arribfsoignsog (however you spell it) tomato sauce (Seeds of Change makes a really great one) or you can use Vodka Sauce if you're feeling boozy. I will post a recipe on how to make the sauce from scratch later but last night I was feeling lazy.

I browned the turkey with a small chopped up onion and some garlic. I added the brocoli next, followed by the peppers. Since it was precooked sausage, it just needs to brown a little bit in the pan so add it about now. After adding the sauce, I added the zuchini and the mushrooms as they get too mushy otherwise. Simmer this bitch for about 10-20 minutes or until some of the liquid evaporates.

On top of half the rolled out dough, I put a couple of scoops of the above sauce. I used maybe 2-3 table spoons of ricotta and maybe 1/8 cup motzerella (how the fuck do you spell that?). Fold the other half over and seal with a little water around the edges. Brush with some milk and cook in a 375* oven for about 30 minutes or until the top looks done.

Whatever of the above sauce guts were left over in the sauce pan, I topped the calzones with.

Salad
The salad was lettuce (red leaf), spinich, mint, cilantro, mushrooms, radishes, avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and topped with blue cheese. Seee super easy.

Dessert
The ginger bread came from a box mix and whipped cream is the easiest thing to make to look impressive... Just take whipping cream and beat it with a mixer for a couple of minutes until peaks form. BUT when making the ginger bread, it is ONE AND ONE QUARTER CUPS of warm water... Not 1 1/2 like I accidentally read because then you have to get inventive like I did.

Ta-da. No you can impress da bitches.

But I managed to miss the lunar eclipse because I was too busy cooking.