Nancy's Pizza Roll/Calzone

For at least 6 months, I have been hearing about this calzone/pizza roll that my friend and neighbor makes and often gives to other families. I knew it was something that my family would like since we love pizza and stombolli. And actually, while we lived in Virginia there was a great place called Vinnie's that had calzone's that Pete and I loved, so I was eager to try my hand at making them at home. It really was pretty easy and the results are fantastic. Everyone loved it--even the picky toddlers!! :) When I asked Nancy about it, she was excited and said that she was actually planning to make it soon and would send me the recipe with some pics. So...today, my sweet friend Nancy is our guest contributor. I also recommend trying to find a cute helper like she did! :)

Here's her recipe and pics:

Nancy's cute helper, Natalie

Pepperoni Roll

1 box Pillsbury hot roll mix
1 egg
1 bag mozzarella cheese
pepperoni
Marinara sauce (for dipping sauce)

Follow the directions on the back of the hot roll mix. (mix all ingredients, knead, let sit 5 mins, ) Then, roll out the dough into a large circle-- about 18" in diameter. Sometimes I sprinkle a little oregano on top of the dough at this point.

*From here there are 2 rolling options--

"Pepperoni ROLL" -- lay pepperoni and cheese all over the dough, then roll up like a cinnamon roll.

"Pepperoni CALZONE" (this has become my favorite, because the dough will rise a lot bigger!)) Only layer LOTS of pepperoni and cheese on half of the dough. Fold over the unused dough and crimp the edges (kind of like on a pie).


Cover and let rise for as long as you can-- I usually let mine rise for like 3 hours! (I start the recipe when the kids go down for naps around 2!)

Brush the top with milk or egg white. Bake at 375 for 15-20 mins, until golden brown.

Slice and eat with warm dipping sauce. I like to serve with a salad.


***Just another note-- I had tried adding more ingredients/toppings inside, and it just is NOT as good as just cheese and pepperoni. Trust me-- and I love LOTS of toppings on my pizza!

Baked Ziti pt.2

Long ago--okay, only a couple of months ago, but long ago sounds so much more...poetic or something--I posted the recipe to Baked Ziti, a family favorite recipe given to us by Heather W. I decided to make it tonight for our church Mannafest meal tomorrow, so I took some pics, since I found the missing camera, and updated that recipe with them. Check it out! :)

Italian Meatballs

A couple months back, my cousin, Kristi, had my family over for dinner while my mom was visiting. It was very last minute, so I was amazed that she decided to make meatballs from scratch and serve us spaghetti and meatballs. That would be a lot for anyone on one day's notice, but Kristi has three kids, the youngest of whom was only 3 months old at the time! Anyway, the meatballs were delicious and I, of course, asked for the recipe. A couple weeks ago, I finally got around to trying them myself. I've always thought meatballs = time consuming + a lot of work, however, that wasn't the case. These cook in the crockpot after you bake them, so they're pretty low-key. One thing I really like about this recipe is that it's pretty basic, so you could play with it and make it your own. I think next time, I'll throw in some grated parmesean--my family loves all things cheesy! :) Also, I halved the recipe, but next time I think I'll make the whole thing and freeze the leftovers for another busy time. Here's the recipe and some pics. Enjoy!

Meatballs

1 lb. lean (or whatever you prefer) ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 sleeve of saltines (I've used wheat Ritz in the past and they were good!)
2 eggs
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder OR 3 minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp. Italian seasoning (
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional...I like mine with a bit of a kick!)

*2 tbsp. olive oil for sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400. Crush crackers until finely ground.
2. In a large bowl combine w/beef, pork, eggs, garlic, Italian seasoning, olive oil and red pepper flakes.

3. Mix well with hands.
4. Shape into meatballs (whatever size you prefer--I made mine the size of my kids toy golfballs).

5. Line up on two foil-lined cookie sheets or 9 x 13 baking dishes.

6. Bake for approx. 35 min. at 400.
7. Add meatballs and 2 jars of spaghetti sauce (w/1 tbsp. olive oil mixed into each jar) to crockpot.
8. Leave on high for 1-2 hrs. then turn to low.

I usually have to add more sauce when having leftovers. Just depends on how much sauce you like.

Kelly's Manicotti

*This is for a large amount of crepes, so I'd "half" the recipe. Even by halfing it, you'll still get two great meals for 4 people (I like to bake one for dinner, and freeze another dish to pull out for dinner on a hectic day!).

For the filling:
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
1/3 c. parmasean
handful of chopped parsley
1 egg

--- Mix those ingredients well.

For the crepe:
6 eggs
6 c. flour
1 c. water
1/2 tsp. oil

---Blend in a blender until it gets light and frothy, with lots of air bubbles. If needed, continue to add water in small amounts until you get a fairly thin consistency. Use a spoon or spatula to scrape the sides and make sure all ingredients are well incorporated.

Put medium-sized saucepan (or crepe pan) on medium-high heat. I like to spray the pan with cooking spray before each crepe. After it's hot, hold the pan at an angle and fill half the pan with the crepe mixture, and rotate quickly to cover the bottom of the pan. When the edges of the crepe begin to curl up a little, it's done. (I've come to expect to ruin the first 2 or 3, until the heat of the pan gets just right!)

Put marinara sauce on the bottom of your baking dish.

Take a tablespoon of your cheese mixture and smear it onto half of a crepe with the back of the spoon. Beginning on the end with the mixture on it, tightly roll up the crepe. Lay it in the baking dish.

Once the manicotti is finished and in the dish, add one more layer of sauce on top, and sprinkle more parm.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or so, uncovered.

Thanks, Kelly! :)

Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells

Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
12-15 jumbo pasta shells
1 beaten egg
15 oz. of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese*
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese*
1 tsp of dried parsley
1/2 tsp of dried oregano
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

1. Cook pasta shells as directed on the package. Drain well. Cool shells in a single layer on a piece of greased foil
2. Meanwhile, stir together egg, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, the parsley and oregano.
3. Spoon the cheese mixture into each of the shells filling as full as you can. (although, I often leave a couple less full--these are for the kiddos, it's easier for them to eat the ones that aren't stuffed full)
4. Drizzle a bit of spaghetti sauce in a 9x13 pan, then arrange the shells on top.
5. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle a bit more of each of the shredded cheeses on top.
6. Bake, covered at 350 for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
Serves approx. 4

*I'm always a bit more generous w/ my cheese than this recipe--we <3 cheese! :)

Baked Pasta Florentine

Baked Pasta Florentine

prep time: 30-40 minutes bake time: 30 minutes

Serves 8 (or 4 twice!)

Ingredients:
10 oz frozen chopped spinach 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp, plus ¼ cup vegetable oil ½ tsp. of salt
1 ½ pounds ground beef (or turkey) pinch of pepper
1 medium onion, chopped 1 pkg. of seashell pasta
1 garlic clove, minced 1 cup shredded cheddar
16 oz jar of spaghetti sauce ½ cup bread crumbs
8 oz. can of tomato sauce 2 eggs, beaten well

1. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions, drain and return to the pot. *
2. Cook the spinach according to the package directions, drain and reserve the liquid. Add enough water to the liquid to make 1 cup and set aside. *
3. In a large heavy pot, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium heat. Brown the beef, onion and garlic in the oil, stirring well to crumble beef. Drain off the fat. *
4. Stir the spinach liquid, pasta sauce, tomato sauce and paste, salt and pepper into the meat mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes, cover and set aside.
5. Add the spinach, cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, and ½ cup of oil to the cooked pasta; stir gently to mix well.
6. Spread the pasta mixture evenly in a 9 x 13 dish (or I often make two 8 x 8’s and freeze one). Top with the meat sauce and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

* I get steps 1-3 started all right at the beginning, otherwise this can take quite a while. But it times out well if you start them all together.

From my friend Jenny Adler, (but I believe it's originally from Paula Deen)

Baked Ziti

Prep time: 25-30 minutes Cooking time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

6 cups(16 oz) cooked and drained ziti pasta (I use rotini)
1 large jar spaghetti sauce, divided*
16oz cottage cheese or ricotta
8oz shredded mozzerella
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 egg
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Baked Ziti
1. Heat oven to 375.
2. In a large bowl combine everything except 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce and the parmesan cheese.

3. Put pasta mixture in a 9x13 baking dish, top with remaining sp. sauce and sprinkle with cheese. (*I usually add more sp.sauce then what they say—close to two regular size jars).
4. Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, then last 5 min. uncovered.

This recipe freezes nicely, just add 20-25 minutes to the baking time.

(I started adding a pound of hamburger to mine—Pete likes it better this way, I think it’s great either way!)

this recipe passed on to me from Heather Wright :)