Pepper and Onion Calzones

I've been trying to cook one vegetarian meal a week to cut down on cholesterol for Matt and I.  This week, I decided to do that with some pepper and onion calzones.  (Well, honestly, the cheese probably negates the meatlessness, but at least I didn't have both!)
First, I sauteed the peppers and onions with some garlic for a few minutes in a frying pan, just to make sure they cooked all the way through.  After that, I decided to roll out the herb dough I bought at Trader Joe's (I know, cheating) on the counter.  I spread the flour out on the counter to roll it out that I don't have a rolling pin... wine bottle it was!  After it was an adequate size, I filled half of the dough with the peppers, onions, some ricotta, and fresh mozzarella.  (Note, in the picture, you can see that I didn't leave room around the edges, make sure you do that if you make these, it will make folding it over so much easier!!)

Filling the calzone

Once filled, I folded the empty half over onto the full half, closed it up, sprayed the outside with cooking spray, and transferred it to the oven.

Calzone!

 I cooked it for 35 minutes (for wheat dough!) on 400 and then enjoyed it when done!

Pepper and Onion Calzone

Pepper and Onion Calzones

Ingredients:
1 package pizza dough (or you can make one batch of your own!)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 ounces fresh mozzarella
Toppings of choice (I used 1 green pepper and one onion)
Cooking Spray or olive oil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook your calzone filling to about half cooked.  (Unless it's meat, then cook it through.)
Meanwhile, spread some flour onto your counter.  Take your rolling pin (or bottle of wine!) and spread out to about 3/4 length of a cookie sheet, just make sure you don't make it too thin.
After that, add ricotta to half of your dough, making sure not to go all the way to the edges.  After that, add the filling and top with mozzarella.
Fold empty dough half on top of filled dough half.
To seal the calzone, fold bottom extra dough edges (aren't you glad you didn't put the filling all the way to the edge!) over the top of the top layer.  Once you work all the way around, transfer to a greased cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 30 minutes (add 5-10 minutes for wheat dough) on 400.
When you take it out, let it rest for about five minutes and serve with a side of marinara sauce.
Enjoy!

Sausage Sandwiches

Today I wanted to make a quick dinner, so I decided to make sausage sandwiches.  Some of my two favorite things are sausage and beer, so I decided to combine the two in this super easy recipe!  I poured one can of beer (I used Labbat Blue, but you can use whatever you want) and added the sausage.  Then I covered it and cooked it for about 10 minutes.  After that, I added chopped peppers and onions and cooked those in the beer as well.  After another 10 minutes, I toasted the bread and served the sandwiches!

Sausage, peppers, and onions cooking away

Sausage Sandwich

Sausage Sandwiches:

Ingredients:
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 Hot or Mild Italian sausage links
1 can beer
4 kaiser rolls

Preparation:
Pour can of beer into frying pan and add sausage.  Cook for 10 minutes, covered.  Uncover and add vegetables.  Cook for another 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
While cooking the veggies, put rolls in the microwave or about 15 seconds to warm them up.
Once everything is cooked, put into sandwiches and enjoy!

Spaghetti Cupcakes

Have you ever cooked a big Italian meal and decided you needed a dessert to go with it, but couldn't decide what to cook?  Well, here's the perfect solution, spaghetti cupcakes!  Okay, they're not real spaghetti, but they sure do look like a big platter of spaghetti and meatballs! (Plus, they're really easy!)
First, make your favorite white or yellow cupcakes and your favorite vanilla frosting.  (We actually were going to use boxed for both, but didn't have any, so we made both from scratch!)
After the cupcakes are cool, the fun part comes!  Arrange 11 of them on a platter.  Frost a thin layer of frosting on each cupcake before putting the spaghetti on.  Put your frosting into a piping bag, or if you're like me and don't have a piping bag, cut the corner of a baggie and use that, just make sure your frosting is thick enough to withstand the piping process.  Also, make sure to make the "spaghetti" isn't perfect, just like real spaghetti would be.  After you put down the layer of spaghetti, roll the Ferrero Rocher candies in some of your favorite red jelly for the "sauce."  We used strawberry, but you could use raspberry if that's what you have on hand.  After that, put one candy on each cupcake as the "meatballs" and leave a couple of extras on the plate, as if they rolled off.  Sprinkle with some shredded coconut for the "parmesan." Now you're ready to enjoy!

I should also note that I was the sous chef for this recipe, as my sister did most of the actual cooking :)

Ingredients for Toppings:
Frosting*
*If frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar
12 Ferrero Rocher Candies
Strawberry or Raspberry Jelly, enough to cover the candy
Shredded Coconut, just a couple pinches

Kitchen Sink Spaghetti

Today Matt and I decided we wanted spaghetti, but I also needed to use up a bunch of vegetables that were about to spoil, so I did both.  I did cheat a little bit and use frozen meatballs (which I hate doing because they don't taste anything like homemade meatballs), but I had to work today, so give me a break!
First, I sauteed eggplant in a pan with a little olive oil.  Matt hates undercooked eggplant, so I made sure to do that one first.  That eggplant was actually frozen from before Christmas, so I actually had to squish the water it had retained out of it before going in the pan.  Once that was cooked enough, I added it to my sauce.  Then I sauteed garlic, onion, zucchini, and carrots until they were done and in the pan they went.
My sauce was comprised of sauce leftover from my chicken, sausage, and white bean casserole along with two half jars of different pre-made sauce, and a lot of extra garlic powder from me.  After I added all of the vegetables, I cooked the sauce long enough for the meatballs to unfreeze, and it was ready to eat!
It turned out delicious!  The only thing I would have changed was to cook the carrots longer.  Also, it would have been even more delicious with homemade meatballs, but what can you do?  I really liked all of the vegetables in it!

Kitchen Sink Spaghetti 

Kitchen Sink Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
1 box frozen meatballs (if you have time, make your own!)
1 zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces*
1 onion, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1/2 ince pieces*
1/2 cup chopped carrots *
1 jar pasta sauce
Garlic powder
Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Saute all vegetables in olive oil over medium heat.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.  Add to sauce.  Add meatballs to sauce.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on the package.
Once the pasta is done and meatballs are cooked through, combine and enjoy!
*All vegetables are just suggestions, feel free to use whatever you have on hand and tell me what you used!

Mediterranean Pasta

Today I basically Re-created the Mediterranean pasta I made last week, except I added roasted red peppers and chicken to make it a non-vegetarian meal.  I also used spiral pasta instead of linguini.
So, first I cooked the chicken with salt and pepper.  Then I added garlic and a bag of spinach.  I added feta and roasted red peppers to the bowl, then the chicken and spinach.  Finally I added the pasta and some olive oil.

Mediterranean Pasta 

Mediterranean Pasta:

Ingredients:
1 large bag spinach
Half jar of roasted red peppers, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb. pasta (whatever shape you would like)
1 container feta
2 chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil, to taste

Directions:
Cut raw chicken into bite-sized cubes.
Cook chicken and season with salt and pepper.
When done, remove and put in large bowl.
Add garlic to pan as well as bag of spinach. When spinach is cooked down, add garlic and spinach to bowl.
Meanwhile, boil pasta.  When that's done, also add pasta to bowl.
Next, add the feta and peppers.
Finally add enough olive oil to coat the pasta, and toss.
Enjoy!

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Today I wanted to make stuffed peppers because I had a couple of green bell peppers in the fridge, but I didn't have any ground beef.  So naturally I called my Mom and asked if I could use sausage instead.  She said she didn't see why not!  So, this is what came out!  First, I cooked the sausage.  I didn't have to de-case it because it was in a roll, so I just cooked it through.  That step took a little longer than expected because it was partly frozen in the middle.  After it cooked, I threw it in a bowl with two stalks of celery, a cut up piece of bread, some egg, and some cheese.  (I originally had roasted red peppers in there, but I didn't hear a pop when I opened the jar, so I threw them out in case of botulism!)

Stuffing mixture

After that was mixed, I put the mixture in the peppers and topped them with sauce and a little more cheese.  I then popped them into the oven!  I did not think about the fact that I was only making two peppers, so next time I would half the recipe I used.

Before Baking

I baked them for about 35 minutes, and they came out delicious!  Next time I would nix the bread, as it just tasted like bread in a yummy sausage filling.  Which means the egg would be out as well.  My mom included them as a binding, but I don't think we needed it.

Stuffed Peppers!

Stuffed Peppers:

Ingredients:
4 Bell Peppers
1 roll sausage
2 celery stalks, chopped
Shredded cheese, your choice (I used a four cheese Italian mix)
Tomato Sauce (Pick your favorite kind, or make your own!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Rinse and scoop the seeds out of the peppers
Brown the sausage
Put sausage, celery, and some cheese in a bowl and mix
Put filling into peppers
Top with more cheese and sauce
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until pepper is easily pierced by a knife.
Enjoy!

Coleslaw

This is my favorite coleslaw.  It's vegan (plus!) and it's just plain delicious!  I make this all the time in the summer, and this recipe is nice because I often halve the recipe for just Matt and I and then throw the rest of the coleslaw shreds into a stir fry. 

Coleslaw 

Coleslaw

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bag (or 6 cups) shredded cabbage
1 red pepper, diced
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Make the dressing first by combining the mustard, lemon juice, and garlic.  Add the oil a little at a time, whisking continuously until combined.
Add cabbage, pepper, and scallions to a large bowl.  Add the dressing and toss to combine.  Sprinkle with pepper and salt.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour to let flavors mellow and cabbage to soften.
Toss with parsley just before serving.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Roast Turkey

Matt's Dad cleaned out his freezer while we were at his house, (which was awesome!) and along with that clean-out came a 21 pound turkey.  Yes, 21 pounds.  Now, I didn't realize at the time that I took it that it was so big, I figured, why would one man have anything bigger than a ten pounder... WRONG!
Yesterday morning when I set out to cook it, I realized we forgot to pick up a roasting pan.  I was going to try and invent something using a 9x13 and some cookie sheets, but my oven is too small for that, so I called my mom.  She told me that I should cut the turkey in half and and use the 9x13, so that's what I did!  (Okay, really, Matt cut it in half... and it was still kind of frozen, so he had a heck of a time!)

Matt hacking away at our turkey

After it was cut, it fit perfectly in our 9x13 and became a great 11 pound bird.  I rubbed the outside with garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, and sage.  (I didn't have rosemary or thyme!)

Half turkey before going in the oven

Then I covered it with foil and cooked it for an hour on 325.  After an hour, I took the foil off and let it cook an additional 2 hours.  I pulled it out and when I cut into it, the meat was white!  We ended up going out to dinner last night with Matt's aunt, so we put it in the fridge.  When I took it out to make hot turkey sandwiches tonight, I realized the center was still a little pink.  However, after I nuked the sandwiches in the microwave, the meat cooked.  Next time, I will cook it for about 3 and a half hours.  However, it was very tasty and juicy!  I think it was a pretty good first attempt at a turkey!

Roasted Turkey

Roast Turkey

Ingredients:
1 10-11 lb. turkey
2 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. sage

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325.
Rinse turkey and pat dry.
Mix garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, and sage in small bowl.
Rub spice mixture over turkey.
Cover and cook for 1 hour.
Uncover and cook for an additional 2.5 hours, or until juices run clear.
Enjoy!

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Today I decided to try and roast a chicken in the Crockpot.  I had to do a little research beforehand to see if I had to put any liquid in there, and it turns out I don't!  I also have been trying to cook a little heart healthier, so I added some baby carrots, an onion, and some diced potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot beforehand.

Veggies

After I wrestled with the chicken (it was still a little frozen, so I had to run hot water in the cavity so the goody bag could come out), I rubbed the skin with salt, pepper, garlic, and dill.  I didn't have any real lemons, so I also added a bit of lemon juice. 

Raw Roasted Chicken

I cooked it on low for about eight hours, and then it was ready to go!  It turned out just a little bit dry, so next time I will rub the skin with olive oil to keep some of that moisture in there.  

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients: 

1 whole chicken (4-6 pounds)

1 medium onion

3 medium potatoes

A handful of baby carrots

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Dill

Lemon Juice

Preparation: 

Chop onion and potatoes and place in bottom of Crockpot with carrots.

Wash and pat dry your chicken.  Pull out goody bag and discard.  (Or you can save it and use if for stock.)

Rub outside with olive oil (heart healthy) or butter (better tasting!)

Add desired amount of salt, garlic, pepper, and dill.  If you're feeling super fancy, put the spices under the skin as well for an even deeper flavor.

Squirt in a couple tablespoons of lemon juice.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. 

Enjoy! 

Drunken Venison Chili

Tonight I decided to make some chili (I know I've been doing a lot of chilis lately, but it's just so good!)  I've never cooked venison before, but I decided to it a whirl because friends of ours left some venison in our freezer!  I also figured that chili would take away the gaminess.  I combined several different chili recipes into the final product, and it turned out great!
First, I browned the venison with some onions and garlic.  After the meat browned, I added a little bit of salt and pepper, tomato paste, and half a can of beer.  I cooked that down for about 5 minutes.

Venison cooking away!

Then to the crockpot, I added kidney beans, diced tomatoes, corn, the rest of the beer, the venison, and some spices.  I let that cook on high for about five hours.

Frozen corn!  (It's so much better than canned!)

Drunken Venison Chili

After it cooked, I served it with a sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  The venison turned out super tender and not at all gamey... it was great!  I also used a piece of cornbread I made a couple weeks ago that I froze!

Drunken Venison Chili 

Drunken Venison Chili:

Ingredients:
1 loin of venison (approx. 1 lb.) chopped into bite size pieces
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
1 can of beer (I used Labatt's!)
1 package frozen corn
1 large onion
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. cumin
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Brown venison in pan.  After almost browned, throw in onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
After about 5 minutes, add tomato paste, and half a beer.  Cook another 5 minutes, so the beer cooks out a little.
While the beer cooks out, put beans, tomatoes, corn, venison mixture, spices, and the rest of the beer into the crockpot.  Cook for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  I always stir occasionally, but if you're just leaving for the day, that's fine too!
Top with some shredded cheese and sour cream.  Serve with a side of cornbread that you froze from last week!
Enjoy! :)