Calzones

I think I finally got calzones right!  Took me 3 tries but tonight, they were perfect!

Calzones

2 c bread flour

1 tbsp dry active yeast           

1 tsp salt

Water

Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl.  Turn on mixer.  Pour warm water into bowl slowly until dough forms.  Allow to process for 2-3 minutes until dough gathers on paddle.  Turn off mixer and test dough for stickiness; it should be slightly sticky.  If it’s too wet, add more flour and mix.  If dough is correct, change to dough hook and knead in mixer for 7 minutes.  Dough should not be sticky at all.  Place dough in greased bowl, spray with Pam, cover with towel and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled.

Punch down dough.  Cut into 2 pieces.  Roll out dough into a 10 – 12” circle on corn meal covered pizza peal.  Layer on the toppings of your choice on half of circle.  Don’t forget the cheese! 

Pull dough over top of toppings and pinch to seal.  Cut several slits in top of dough pocket to allow steam to escape.

Bake on pizza stone or baking sheet at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve with sauce.

Yum! 

Back Home Again!

After 1,000 miles and 3 states in 4 days, I’m pooped!   Vacations are great!  The new baby is totally adorable, (congrats, Teresa and Michael!), the daughter is graduated with all proper Pomp and Circumstance and an Award of Excellence (congrats, Katt!) and the night in the hotel room with the private pool was… well, this is NOT that sort of blog!  ;-P

So, tonight we have:

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

½ large onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp savory

Salt and pepper

1 can beef broth or 1.5 C water with 2 beef bullion cubes dissolved in it.

2 cups shredded cheddar

Brown beef and onion til cooked through.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Stir in flour and spices.  Add broth and cook til gravy forms.

Spread in 9 x 12 casserole pan well sprayed with Pam.  Cover with tater tots.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Spread on cheese, return to oven and bake til cheese melts.  

This is very simple but quite tasty when you’re too tired for anything more complicated.  And the hubby likes it.   It also makes great leftovers.  Even the picky grandson will eat it! 

It expands easily for a crowd as well.  Double or triple and use a larger pan.  I use the smaller of my rectangular Pyrex pans.  If you use too big a pan, the meat layer would be too thin for all the potatoes and cheese.

You could also add different spicing to suit your taste.  Take the basics of meat, potatoes and cheese and add what ever you little heart desires: spices, veggies, wine, etc.  I’m too sleepy to get really creative tonight so it’s nice and simple for us.  Maybe next time, I’ll get a little crazy.  J

Good eating!!

1968 Meets 2012

Tonight, I cooked and served a recipe from a 1968 Pillsbury Cook-off Main Dish Cookbook that I have had for over 30 years.  Inside, I found a recipe I remember making back in the early 1980s for Butthead the Ex-husband.  I will try it again, soon. This night, I made a different one that went over very well.  It was simple to make, gave complicated looking results and was quite tasty.  I give you:

Baked-in Beefburger

2 C AP flour

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sage

½ tsp marjoram

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 c tomato sauce

Milk

Celery salt

Filling

1 lb. ground beef, as lean as possible

1 tsp salt

½ cup saltine crackers, crushed to crumbs

2 tbsp instant (dried) minced onion

1 egg

2/3 cup tomato sauce

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sage, and marjoram.   Combine water, oil and sauce.  Add to dry ingredients all at once, stir until batter comes together.  Turn out onto floured surface and knead 8 times.  Roll out to a 15 x 8 rectangle.  To facilitate rolling, do this on wax paper or patchment paper. 

Mix filling ingredients.  Spread filling on dough even with the 15 sides and within ½” of 8” sides.  Starting with 8” side, roll up jelly roll style.  Pinch seam.  Place seam side down in 9 x 5 greased bread pan.  Make 7 slashes 1/3 way through whole loaf.  Brush with milk and sprinkle with celery seeds or poppy seeds or sesame seeds, whatever you like.

 

 

Bake at 375 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.  Turn out onto cutting board and cut into slices through slashes.  Serves 4 to 8. 

This sounds way more complicated than it was to do.  And the results were fantastic!  We both really liked it.  I served it with some buttered corn for the veg but you could use anything your family likes or maybe a salad. 

Almost every recipe has some sort of biscuit and meat.  Lots and lots of Pillsbury flour! 

As I was making this, it occurred to me that there were things I was using to make this that weren’t available in 1968:

Pam.  As far as I know, Pam is a recent development.  Spray on grease is a wonderful thing.

An instant-read thermometer.  Also not something found in your typical kitchen in 1968.  I personally didn’t get one until this century.

Food processor.   I guess in 1968, they would have used a blender to smash up the crackers. 

I originally included my big Kitchenaide mixer on this list but my hubby says that had similar things in the late 60s.  I don’t know.  I was a kid.