Braided Calzone

I have a confession...

I don't like Pinterest.  I don't know a single other member of the female species that doesn't love Pinterest.  But I really don't.  While it seems to inspire most women to new heights of domestic and culinary creativity, it totally overwhelms me with amazing ideas that I'll never have time or talent to accomplish and images of home, fashion, hair, etc that I can never live up to.  So I mostly pass on it.

But every once in a while, in a moment of desperate restlessness or boredom, I go back on my former opinion, and take a peek.  The peek doesn't usually last long.  I get overwhelmed super fast.

But the other day, during one of these Pinterest "peeks" I did see an idea that I wanted to try.  It was a braided calzone.  I've been working on my homemade pizza skills for the last several months and this seemed like a really fun variation.  So tonight when my sweet friend, Julia, came over for dinner, I whipped up one of these:

Roll out your dough.  Homemade is awesome.  Store-bought would probably be pretty awesome too.

Load your fillings down the middle.  These are my pizza favorites: chicken sausage, mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts and roasted garlic.

Using clean scissors, cut strips in the sides and then braid that baby all the way down.

(Yes, I know that is a lot of cheese.  Don't judge me.)

I brushed mine with some olive oil and then sprinkled with coarse salt, garlic powder, oregano & a little Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 400 F for about 25 minutes until nice and toasty brown.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.

This turned out really delicious!  I served it with some marinara sauce for dipping and a salad and it made a fast and tasty dinner.  You could have a lot of fun with different fillings too.  

So I guess the moral of the story is that Pinterest does have some good stuff and if I just take it in tiny peeks, I can make it out the other end with my sanity still in tact and a good recipe or two :)

Have a good evening!

The Barefoot Contessa Brought Me Back...

So...  I'm back again.  After almost 2 years away from my little blog, a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa has brought me back.  I started writing this blog back in 2009 as a way to share recipes and it sort of turned into a creative outlet for me.  I've had good intentions of firing it back up again for at least 8 months but just have not sat down to do it.  But today, for whatever reason, I was restless out of my mind and I had Mocha Icebox Cake on the brain.

Restless + Obsessive thoughts about Mocha Icebox Cake =  Blog Comeback

Blog Comeback = Happy :)

Now that that is out of the way, most of you that know me know that I really love Ina Garten.  I have most of her cookbooks and her cooking show is my all-time favorite.  Aside from the fact that I  love her recipes and her super laid-back style of cooking, the first cookbook for hers that I ever picked up showed the dedication as: "My home is wherever Jeffrey is."  And that sealed the deal.  We both love men named Jeffrey so that's it.  Its meant to be!

A few months ago she did a special episode on Chocolate Desserts.  The last recipe was for a Mocha Icebox Cake.  I don't know if I've ever eaten an "Icebox Cake" and it probably wouldn't be the type of dessert I would have formerly gravitated toward.  But Ina promised that this dessert makes grown men cry and I trust that woman.  So I gave it a go.  I've made it twice in the last two months and I'm still thinking about it, so that should say something.

Here you go!

Mocha Icebox Cake
(Despite arrogance implied, I did modify this slightly to my tastes.  I think Ina Garten is almost perfect, but I wanted a stronger coffee flavor)

2 cups heavy cream, cold
12 oz mascarpone cheese (I swapped this for cream cheese and it was fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua (optional)
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla
About 24 oz good quality, thin & crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies. (See note below)

• In a mixer, blend the mascarpone/cream cheese, sugar, Kahlua, cocoa, espresso powder and vanilla until creamy.  With the mixer running, slowly pour in the cream and whip until stiff peaks form.
• Cover the bottom of a spring form pan with a layer of cookies, breaking some of them into pieces so most of the surface is covered.  Smooth a layer of the mocha cream over the top. Do another layer of cookies.  Repeat so there are 4-5 layers, ending with cream.
• I topped mine with more espresso powder and chopped chocolate chunks.  Refrigerate at least overnight, 24 hours is better.
• (Regarding the cookies, there is a brand called Tate's that you can buy at Whole Foods that she recommends in the video.  They are pricey though, so if you have time, here is a recipe online.  I made this recipe both times for the cookies and they were excellent!!)
• When its time to serve, run a knife around the outside and release the spring form pan edge and slice.

Here is what you'll get...

(Note, this is not my photo. I found it online and am using it from foodjoannie.wordpress.com)

I thought this whole concept might result in a soggy cookie, but it doesn't.  The cookie softens into this really lovely, cakey, buttery, chocolate-studded goodness that I am quite certain you will love!  

And it keeps in the fridge for about 5 days.

And you could make it gluten-free really easily by swapping the cookies for a gluten-free version.

And I think maybe I need to try this same concept without the espresso, beefing up the chocolate and using peanut butter cookies.

Go make this cake, give it to someone, say "I love you" and then bask in coffee and chocolate glow.

Love,

Jenny

Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Veggies and Tomato Wine Sauce

I have finally found it!  After years of searching and testing, tonight I have discovered what will now be my wintertime "go-to" slow-cooker pot roast recipe.  And I promise, that I will be forever faithful, never wavering, for better or worse, till death do us part...


Okay, maybe not till death do us part.  I got a tiny bit carried away.  After all, I found another recipe that I want to try with cranberry sauce and chipotle peppers.  But I am telling you, I take my relationship with red meat seriously!  And wouldn't you think that a girl who loves to cooks should have an awesome pot roast that she can whip out on a snowy, blustery day like today?  So she can sit down after work, eat her pot roast and then, glowing with warmth and satisfaction, get cozy with The Christmas Carol and begin a present-wrapping extravaganza?   I would definitely think so.  But I've tried a variety of slow-cooker recipes over the years and just haven't found "the one", much to my disappointment.


Until today.


This came off a random website and I tweaked a few things and it was everything that a pot roast should be.  There is nothing earth-shattering in this list of ingredients.  But they work wonderfully together.  Hope you try it and love it like I did!


Slow Cooker Pot Roast w/ Veggies and Tomato Wine Sauce

2lb boneless beef chuck roast

2 teaspoons paprika ( use the smoked kind if you have it, otherwise normal is fine or you can skip it too)

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 pkg sliced mushrooms

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, cut in 1/2-inch slices

2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed (or regular potatoes)

3 cloves garlic, minced

- Rub roast with salt, pepper and paprika.

- Heat olive oil in a pan and brown the roast on all sides.

- Place veggies in crock pot in this order: cubed sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic

- Place browed roast on top of veggies.

- Mix broth, wine, vinegar, honey or brown sugar and tomato sauce together and pour over roast.

- Cook on high for 1 hour and then reduce to low for 7-9 hours more (or leave on high for an additional 3 ½ to 4 hours)

- Remove juices and simmer them in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk about a tablespoon of flour, cornstarch or tapioca starch (my favorite) in about 1/4 cup warm water and add this to the juices. Stir until thickened.

- Serve slices of the roast with the veggies and gravy.

Merry Christmas! May your holidays be filled with lots of love and warm, yummy food!

Homemade Pot Pie (with Turkey leftovers)

I am a little late getting this post out as I'm guessing most of you will have already come up with a means for devouring your leftover Turkey by now.  That said, Jeff and I were trying to figure out what to do with his on Sunday and we decided to use it in a Pot Pie.  I've never made one from scratch before, but it was pretty simple and I had a lot of fun with it!  I think this might become a post-Thanksgiving tradition for us.

I did a little pot-pie research and ended up kind of winging it based on some simple principles.

1. Decide whether you want the pie-crust kind of pot pie or the biscuit-kind of pot pie.  If you want the biscuit kind, you'll have to look elsewhere.  Jeff and I are both definitely pie-crust pot pie kinds of people!

2. Decide whether you want to shave a few calories and just top your pie with crust or whether you're going to go all out and make this like a real pie with a top and bottom crust.

3. Once you have those very important pot-pie decisions made, proceed with making or buying a single or double version of your favorite pie crust.  You can find mine HERE, although for pot pie, I left out the sugar and I mix by hand instead of using a food processor.

4. Prepare your filling.  I chopped up about 2 cups of turkey leftovers and set them aside.  Then I diced 2 carrots, 1/2 onion and about 6 or 7 mushrooms and sauteed them, in that order (spaced about 2 minutes apart) in some butter.  Meanwhile, I defrosted 1/2 bag of frozen peas under some cool water.

5. Prepare your gravy.  For this I melted 5 T of butter in a sauce pan.  When it was just barely starting to brown, I added in 6 T of flour.  Stir constantly until smooth.  Slowly, stirring constantly, add 1 3/4 cups chicken broth and 1/2 cup of Half & Half.  After combined and smooth, add whatever seasonings sound good to you.  I did: 1/2 tsp salt, a few grinds of fresh pepper, about 2 tsp of italian seasoning a few hearty shakes of garlic powder and a dash of Marsala wine.  Stir over low heat until the gravy thickens.

6. Assemble.  Mix the gravy with the turkey and veggies.  Roll out your pie crusts and assemble the pot pie.

7. Bake at 425 F for 35-40 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

8. Let rest for about 10-15 minutes and dig in!

I think this would be a little bit easier to eat if I could make individual pies next time.  But I didn't have any oven safe bowls on hand.  And this was still lovely.

If any of you have creative ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers, I would love to hear about them!

Thankful!

Thanksgiving was amazing for me this year for a couple of special reasons.

1. Jeff and I hosted it together.
2. I got to prepare most of the dishes myself and I had a BLAST!!
3. Jeff took me to Walmart at 11:45pm on Wednesday night so we could buy stuff to make the table pretty  (that man knows how to make me happy!)
4. Most amazing of all, I ate everything that I made and did not get sick!

Those of you who have read this blog for a while know that I have had some health issues for years and have been on a long journey, particularly in the last year and half.  It has been a very difficult road for me.  Many many times I have wrestled with the Lord over my struggle with daily pain and fear of food and His "seeming" silence and inactivity in the middle of what has been one of the most difficult seasons of my life.

The thing is, He wasn't being silent or inactive.  He just wasn't taking it away like I wanted Him too.  Two weeks ago, I had a small surgical procedure and we found that my primary issue was actually not food at all!  My doctor found what she suspected might be the cause and was able to remove what appears to have been the primary source of my pain!  I was a bit sore recovering from surgery but I am thrilled to share that I have now spent 4 days in a row with no pain whatsoever!  Its been over a year and a half since I could say that and I don't know how to express the gratitude that I feel!

I am incredibly thankful that on Thanksgiving Day, I had the simple joy of being able to eat a dinner roll and a piece of pie.  But I am even more thankful for a God who has shown me, vividly, that although He doesn't always take away difficult things in the way or the timing that I want, He will forever show Himself to be FAITHFUL to carry me through them.

My camera ran out of space about 1/2 way through so I am missing pictures of us with one of our guests (Sorry Emmie!!)...  But here is a peek at our day.  Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season!!

Getting the Beer Brine ready!!  (And of course taking a few swigs in the process)

Prepping the dough for some Parker House Rolls from one of my favorite bloggers.

Getting that bird prepped for the Weber to do its magic...

Enjoying the lovely warm day while we wait for the last few dishes to finish cooking...

Aren't those pretty??  I was quite proud of them...

My mom brought her award-winning Apple Bavarian Pie and also a Pumpkin Bourbon Pecan Pie.  She is amazing!!

No caption is really needed on this one.   This was our bird taking a little rest before we dove in...

Happy...

Ready to give thanks and EAT!