Italian is my favorite!

Do you ever have those nights where you're thinking, 'what's for dinner and who's cooking it'?  I was having one of those nights, where I didn't feel like fixing anything, when all of the sudden, an idea popped in my head-- what about Calzones?!  I had bread dough and grilled chicken frozen in the freezer, asparagus, spinach and fresh tomatoes in the fridge, and I thought yeah, a calzone sounds delicious!  And because half the work was already done, it was easy too!  I came up with this recipe and must say it was yummy good!  If you're wanting something a bit different from the usual, try this!  

Vegetable Calzone

Bread dough (you can use frozen from the store or home made.  I usually split the bread dough into thirds, using some for that night for dinner and freeze the other two in a zip lock.  I pull them out later to use as bread sticks or pizza crust.  Now I have another use, Calzones!)

2 Cups warm water

3 tsp. yeast

2 Tbsp. Sugar

1/3 Cup oil

2 tsp. Salt

6 Cups of flour (half wheat and half white flour)

 

Filling: (experiment as much as you want!  You can add mushrooms, red peppers-- any kind of vegetable, this is just what I used that night)

10 Asparagus sticks cut in bit size pieces

1 Tomato seeded (use more or less!)

Several big handfuls of fresh baby spinach sliced diagonally in pieces

2 eggs beaten

2 huge spoonfuls of sour cream

1/2 C. Parmesan

1/2 C. Mozzarella

1/4 C. Romano (use any kind of cheese you want, more or less of the amount I've put.  Put in enough cheese to thicken the egg and sour cream mixture)

1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Lots of cracked pepper

1/2-1 C. Grilled chicken cut in bit size pieces ( Use any kind of meat: bacon, sausage, turkey...)

Roll out bread dough to desired thickness (mine was thin, I'd rather have more filling and less bread!).  Beat eggs, add sour cream and stir.  Blend in cheese along with seasonings and pepper.  Fold in vegetables and chicken until coated.  Place filling on the left side of rolled out bread dough.  

Pull right side of bread dough over the top of filling, careful not to tear the dough.  Bring the bottom dough up and over the edges of the top and pinch, sealing the calzone.  

Brush top of calzone with a lightly beaten egg white.

Cook at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Take out when golden brown.

Slice...ooooh, doesn't that look good?!

Thumbs up from the hubby!

Muffins & Kittens

Yummy banana muffins and yes, more of the kitty cats!  After all the pooping, peeing and scratching these kittens do, I'm not wanting to keep these kitties anymore!  Once the Humane Society has room for them, we'll have to say goodbye... I am considering keeping the nice litte black one though...

These banana muffins are delicious.  If you want something different than the normal banana bread, try these.  I think I prefer the banana bread, but John swore he liked the muffins better.  You can be the judge!  

Banana Crumb Muffins (All Recipes)

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Feel free to go to the website I linked with All Recipes at the top, I used a couple of the readers suggestions.  Instead of the melted butter, I used a 1/3 cup of oil and added a bit of cinnamon to the batter as well.  

Look what's hiding under our deck...

Kittens! 

  

Aren't they adorable?  The two I saw were black with blue eyes.  This is the second batch of kittens we've had under the deck.  Previously, the mom (a wild stray) had a little liaison with the neighbor's cat.  He was fixed right after that, but here the mom had another litter just three months later!  The dad must be a black cat, because the mom is grey with white and dark grey stripes, very interesting!  These kittens are so cute.  I wish we could keep one... 

Caleb was sure excited for the discovery!