Meatball Calzone

We’ve made it through the Holiday season and I’ve really enjoyed the beautiful snow and winter season we’ve been having lately. This is the perfect time to be cooking and baking comfort food.

Challah is the bread that is used for the Sabbath and at most festivals.  Usually you make two loaves of bread because there’s no baking or cooking on the Sabbath (Saturday). So you make two loafs, one for Friday and one for Saturday. I went to a bread making class and LOVED it!! If you ever get a chance you should take a class in bread making. It is not as difficult as you may think. In this class is where I received this wonderful challah recipe. My girls love when they get to have homemade sweet rolls in the morning for breakfast. I tried to make them using different kinds of dough and they never turned out soft and yummy like the rolls you find in northern bakeries!! I finally had this great idea to try making them with this Challah dough, and WOW they were off the chart. It really helps because the dough is sweet and it gives the sweet rolls that extra sweetness.

The most common way I use my recipe is for Calzones!! My family loves them and this recipe will make two large calzones. If you don’t like calzones you can use the dough for pizza!! Making your own pizza dough is a great way to save on the grocery bill. Or this recipe will make two loafs of bread. I will say if you are a full time working mom this is better for the weekend.  Here is the recipe and I hope you enjoy whatever creation you decide to make with this lovely versatile dough!!

6 cups of bread flour

2 scant cup of sugar

1 Tbsp salt

4 eggs

½ cup oil

3 pkg. yeast

1-½ cups warm water

Proof yeast in warm water. Measure dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and mix with the oil. Add proofed yeast and egg/oil mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until you form a dough. Turn out dough onto a floured service, and knead the dough until smooth & elastic. (For about 5 minutes) Place dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a wet towel and let it rise until double in size. Punch the dough and shape as desired. Brush a beaten egg over bread for glaze. (I never do this or rarely) Bake the bread at 350* for 18-20 minutes for bread and 12-15 for rolls.

***** If you are making pizza dough or calzones you only want it to rise one time!!! —- So after you let it double in size the first time you divide the dough in two. Each ball of dough you want to flatten with you fingers. Pour a half jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, cheese, and whatever meat you like. My family loves meatballs. Wrap it up like a baby and cut wholes in the top to vent. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes you have supper and lunch for the next day!!!

Here in Greenville, SC it has been raining and cold!! These are the days that just scream chili. All you want to do is go home put your pajamas on and eat something HOT. I know when you guys think of chili you usually think the red chili, well not today we are doing white chicken chili. Now those of you that used to visit the café, yes this is my recipe that I’m giving away!!! This was very popular in the café and it’s so easy to make you feel bad about taking all the compliments! Just kidding.

White Chicken Chili

2 boneless skinless breast of chicken cooked and cubed.

1 can green chiles

1 small onion (butter or olive oil to sauté)

1-2 Tbsp of chili powder (adjust it to your taste)

2 tsp. of oregano

1/2tsp. of white pepper (or to taste with black pepper)

1 can of navy beans not drained

1 can of great northern beans not drained

1 can pinto beans not drained

8 oz. of sour cream

1 cup of cream

Saute onion in butter or oil (2tsp) until soft. Add your spices to your onions. Then add chiles, beans and chicken. Let this come to a boil then turn down to simmer. Just before serving add your sour cream and cream. Now with the spices you need to adjust them to your own taste buds. I like things a little spicy, and the one thing I’ll add to my bowl at the very end is some hot sauce!! It’s great for supper and the left overs you could take to work to help save cost of eating out. There are so many cute lunch bags you can buy to take your lunch in these days. It’s very fashionable!!

These are my cute little ThirtyOne thermal totes I take snacks and lunch.

This time of year is an AWESOME time for soup!! This is also wonderful to your wallet! You can make soup out of anything. I know that sounds crazy, but growing up in a large family I learned a few things about making your dollar stretch. Now if you have heard me talk about food for any length of time you know now what I’m getting ready to say, “Now this recipe is a guide line”. You can increase or decrease or ad or subtract from this recipe. Today it’s Corn Chowder!!

1 small onion chopped

1 clove of garlic

¼ c. chopped green bell pepper

1 can creamed corn

2 cans cream of potato soup

2 cups of milk

3 oz. cream cheese

salt and pepper

Saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until everything gets hot and comes together. I always keep little cans of green chiles on hand and if I don’t have a bell pepper I use a can of chiles. Now come on how simple is this recipe? You can make this yourself and reclaim your budget on groceries!! Your children are eating vegetables and not deep fried foods. I always keeps these ingredients on hand for those days that are hectic and crazy. You will be eating within 30 minutes from the time you start on chopping the onion. Enjoy!

corn chowder soup

So Sunday the girls and I decided to do a baking project!! We decided on caramel apples!! Oh they where so good and so easy. No you guys pipe down out there – they are easy. I have a great cheat on how to make great caramel and chocolate apples. The girls went to the mountains to pick our apples, but you can by yours at a roadside stand or grocery store. At the grocery store they have in the produce department a package of caramel circles. For the chocolate just buy regular chocolate chips or candy chocolate. On the caramel package it says to warm the apples with the caramel on them, but I skipped that step. I find that the warm of your hand and gently spreading the caramel over the apple worked well for us. Then after the apple had the caramel attached to it we dipped our apple in melted chocolate and rolled it around in nuts!! Take a look at the picture doesn’t that look awesome. It tasted so good. Now if you wrapped it in a nice cellophane bag with a bow – what a nice teacher gift!! Most stores sell these for $5.00, but you’ve made 5 for $5.00!! Go us!

Yummy Caramel Apple

Help your kids eat more fish

Great tasting fish

Ok how many of you have kids or husbands that don’t like fish???? I have both that don’t like fish or shellfish, but I finally have been able to feed fish to them! The following recipe is easy and they will love it and ask for seconds. Fish is so good for you and if you look in the freezer section you can find it cheaper. You are going to want to get a fish that is meaty and slightly thick. I just find that after a while chicken and turkey get old and I’m looking for a different healthy protein. So when you are planning your meals this would be great for a busy night, because it is simple and quick. Now for those of you who like to watch your waistline – the amount of butter in this recipe isn’t enough to squawk about.

Baked Fish

1 lb. walleye, perch or pike fillets

¼ cup of milk

1 cup crushed potato chips or stale cereal

¼ cup grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ tsp. dried thyme

1 Tbsp. Dry bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. Butter, melted

Cut fish into serving-size pieces. Place milk in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the potato chips, Parmesan cheese and thyme. Dip fish in milk, then roll in potato chip mixture.

Sprinkle a greased 8” square baking dish with breadcrumbs. Place fish over crumbs; drizzle with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 500* for 12-14 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield 4 servings.

WOW!!! I’ve been so busy last week and then this week is slipping away. I did fix the Broccoli –n- Chicken Casserole for Tuesday night and we ate two meals from that dish. I promised to share this recipe with you and here is the recipe. Have fun with this and share with friends!!!

Broccoli –n- Chicken Casserole

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 16 oz. Sour Cream

3-4 cups of cooked Chicken (cubed or shredded)

2 cups Broccoli

1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers (crushed)

½ cup of butter (melted)

Mix the first 3 ingredients together and add chicken and broccoli. Add crackers and butter together to make the topping.  Put contents in a 9 x 13 dish then put your topping on top – put in a 350* oven. Let it bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling.

Now how easy is that dish?? Just put a salad with that and serve to your family and you will become a huge hit!! I always say recipes are just guidelines. So you can add any vegetable you would like or leave them out. This is a great dish to take to a friend after surgery, baby or moving day. My sister and I for years have had a little birthday tradition. Each year we fix each other dinner and deliver to each other’s home. It’s easy and it doesn’t cost a lot of money.

Here are some pics from the beach trip we just took!!!! The girls and family had a great time!!!

Tonight we are going over to friends for dinner, but still need to cook for lunch. Today is spaghetti – dad and kids love it and it’s easy. Plus yesterday when shopping at Wal-Mart I picked up a day old loaf of French bread (need to use).  That is a great tip for French bread pizzas you don’t need fresh bread and you save up to $1.50 a loaf. I always start with good store bought sauce and spice it up with my own seasoning. I add garlic (1-2 bulbs), 1-3 Tbsp. of Italian seasoning, and a little nutmeg (1/8 tsp.) to the sauce! So I’ll slice the bread and toast it while waiting for the water to boil for spaghetti. You want to set your oven at 350* and toast each side for 8-10 minutes. While both of those items are working brown your beef or turkey. Your spaghetti water should be boiling by now so throw in the amount of spaghetti you need to feed your family. After draining add your spices and turn a couple of times in the pan. Then add your sauce to heat. After the bread comes out sometimes I will rub a bulb of garlic over the bread and then spread it with butter.  In 20 minutes you have a great dinner.

I’ll be sharing more of my tips and recipes as we go along this sometimes mundane and sometimes exciting journey we call “what’s for supper”?