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!!!

Abbi as a tree for Christmas play

Merry Christmas!!

I hope you guys are enjoying this beautiful time of year!!!! The kids are almost out of school and next week is Christmas. I wanted to share some pictures of a few things that have happened over the weekend!! Abbi had her play on Monday night and she was the cutest tree ever. Reed was our photographer, because we some how got stuck in a corner.  She was able to get these great shots from where she was seated on the floor. I had a wedding cake go out this past weekend and it was so beautiful with all the pretty colors. I find that I’m so busy this time of year and constantly baking, but I really am enjoying baking for the ones you love. The girls and I have to make some cut out cookies for Abbi’s class Christmas party and we’ll be doing that tomorrow. I hope wherever this blog finds you that you are happy and blessed.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Our beautiful photographer

Beautiful Winter Wedding cake

Abbi with wedding cake

cute little minnie mouse

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.

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.

These a just a few of the purses

Bags, purses and baskets

Hey Ladies!! Do you like purses and bags??

If you like purses, bags and organizing, then you will love ThirtyOne!!! I was in the mall looking for a cute bag to pack some clothes for a weekend trip, and that’s when I found Thirty-One. I walked down to the kiosk and asked the lady about her cute bag that was monogrammed. She told me about all the kids line and baby line of monogrammed bags they offer and I quickly signed up to have a party!! The bag I wanted to buy I ended up getting ½ off, I got $50.00 in free product, and 10% off my additional product purchase. I was so excited when I got my shipment and then as I started using all my bags I decided to sell ThirtyOne!!! I use them in my everyday life and don’t know what I did before these useful bags, purses and wallets.

I’ve been telling everybody about them so much that I thought I would share them with my Purple Kitchen people. If you would like to find out more about these awesome bags – just visit www.mythirtyone.com/danagoos!! If you would like to have a party I’m giving away a free gift for everyone who books a party with me. Has it been a while since you and your girlfriends have had a “Girls Night Out”? A party would be a great opportunity to get your friends together!!!

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!!!

Look what Reed did this summer.  After helping in the cafe over the winter she wanted to tackle something a little more difficult for her birthday this year. She actually baked the caterpillar and the leaf and all I did was ice the leaf. But she did everything else.  She chose vanilla cake with lemon butter cream icing. It was AMAZING!

Normally I would not be able to take the time to do this craft with Reed.  So when my lease came up this summer I made the difficult decision and chose my kids over my business.  For the first time in three years I was able to enjoy the summer with my children. We went swimming and we were able to go to Washington, DC for 4th of July weekend.  During this time I received numerous phone calls and emails from my loyal customers.  This was very encouraging during this difficult transition and I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your love and support.

After all the fun and relaxation I found that my passion for creating good food hasn’t left. It’s because of this that I have decided to still offer Chicken Salad ($11.95 a pound) Cake Balls and Peanut Butter Balls by the dozen ($15.00). So if you would like to put in an order please email me at dana@purplekitchen.com. Please give a 48 hours notice and put order in the subject line.

I know that in the past I have not kept up with my blog but now with some extra time on my hands I will be able to update for frequently so please check back often for decorating tips, quick and simple recipes for your family and future products and services that I might be offering.

Reed serving her caterpillar cake.

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