Homemade Calzones

Part 1: The Dough

Here’s what you need:

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 package)
1 teaspoon of honey
1 cup warm water
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (might need to add ¼ to ½ cup more)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil


In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in ¼ cup warm water. then, in a medium size bowl combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining ¾ cup water. Use a wooden spoon and mix the dough together. About 3 to 5 minutes of stirring should do. If it seems too dry do the opposite and add a bit more water.

Flip the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead it by hand for 2 or 3 minutes. dough should be smooth and firm. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl an cover it up with plastic wrap. Let it sit and rise for about 30-45 minutes. When ready the dough should stretch when lightly pulled.

Take the dough out of the bowl and divide it into 2 to 4 equal sized balls. Now knead each ball for a few minutes. Place them again inside a bowl. Preferably a separate bowl for each, and cover with a damp cloth. Let them sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.

You can either use it immediately or place it in zip-lock bags and freeze it. It’s good for a couple days.

Part 2: The Ingredients

Flip the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead it by hand for 2 or 3 minutes, the dough should be smooth and firm. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl an cover it up with plastic wrap. Let it sit and rise for about 30-45 minutes. When ready the dough should stretch when lightly pulled.

Take the dough out of the bowl and divide it into 2 to 4 equal sized balls. Now knead each of them for a few minutes. Place them again inside a bowl. Preferably a separate bowl for each, and cover with a damp cloth. Let them sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.

You can either use it immediately or place it in zip-lock bags and freeze it. It’s good for a couple days.

You Can add any of your favorite pizza toppings to the calzone. I used pepperoni, mozzerella, green pepppers and ham. You want to use 2 to 3 cups of ricotta Cheese mixed with an egg. Add any kind of seasoning you'd like.

Part 3: Assembling the Calzone

Get out the dough balls and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a few pizza pans.
Take your first ball of dough and begin flattening it out on your first pizza pan, Get it as round as possible. Don’t make it too thin. You want the dough to be about ¼ inch thick.

Once you have the dough flattened out into a nice circle it’s time to add the ingredients. Add ingredients to only one side of the dough, and don’t get too close to the edge. Keep your filling about ¼ inch way from the edge of the dough. Start with your ricotta. Then add in your meat and veggies, finally top that off with mozzarella cheese. Don't over stuff..

Now, once you have all your fillings in place you need to grab the empty side of the dough and wrap it over the fillings. Now you should have a half-circle. Roll the edges of the dough together and close everything up.

Get one more egg and beat it in a small bowl. Dip a paper towel in the egg and use that to brush egg over the top of your dough. Just enough to wet it. This will make the crust bake up nice and crispy. Now sprinkle a little more Romano cheese on top.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes till golden brown. It’s going to rise a bit more in the oven. Once you take it out of the oven let it cool, before cutting.

Use your favorite pizza or spaghetti sauce for dipping.



http://thingsbymike.com/mikes-calzone-recipe/

French Dip

This is Jason's favorite dinner. Very easy and I got it from Rachael Ray a few years back and probably have made it once a month, since I found it.

1 wide baguette
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 small onion, chopped
2 large clove garlic, divided, 1 chopped, 1 crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound sliced roast beef
6 slices provolone cheese

Preparation

kitchen tips Slice baguette open lengthwise just shy of actually completely splitting it open; you want it to open like a book and stay together. Then cut the bread in half so that you have 2 books. Transfer the bread to a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, or toast under the broiler but keep an eye on it so it doesnt burn! Once the bread is toasted, rub cut side with the crushed clove of garlic then drizzle it with a little EVOO and cover it with grated cheese.

While the bread is toasting, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add onion, chopped garlic, tomato paste and rosemary, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook until the onions start to get soft about 2-3 minutes. Add beef stock, bring up to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes to let the flavors come together.

Using tongs swish a few slices of roast beef at a time through the hot broth then transfer to the cheesy garlic bread. Once all the roast beef has been mounded on the bread, top each half with 3 slices of provolone cheese and transfer to the broiler or oven to melt the cheese.





http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/french-dip-with-italian-attitude/

Rachael Ray's BBQ Chicken 1 Pot Pie

We have a lot of Rachael Ray dinners that we really enjoy and this is one of them. I save a little money and make my own corn muffins and it tastes just as good.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/bbq-chicken-1-pot-pie/

Ingredie
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 to 3 onions, chopped 4 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 to 1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce, to taste
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 store-bought corn muffins
2 to 3 tablespoons butter, melted (eyeball it)

n a large sauté pan, heat EVOO and begin browning the chicken pieces in small batches making sure not to over crowd the pan. Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook until onions and garlic are soft, about 2-3 minutes. (If your pan is too small to cook all the chicken at once without overcrowding, work in batches, reserving cooked chicken on a plate. Add additional EVOO, if needed, to sauté onions and garlic.) In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, tomatoes and chicken stock. Pour into the pot with the chicken. Let this mixture cook for about 15-20 minutes or until reduced. To serve, split the muffins horizontally. Cover a cookie sheet with some foil and arrange the split muffins on the tray cut-site up and brush with melted butter. Toast under the broiler for 1 minute. Place the toasted corn muffin halves on top of the skillet stew.