Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm!

I thought that I would share a little something that I made last night. I know a lot of you may have made calzones before, I have myself. Really though, this was.so.easy. I made this dough in my food processor and it took me maybe 5 minutes. I got the recipe off of this website: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/processor-pizza-dough-684623/. Here's the actual recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup water, at body temperature
• 1 package (1/4 ounce, or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. Measure the water into a 2-cup glass measure. Add the yeast and sugar. Stir with a fork and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil.

2. Combine the flour and salt in the work bowl of a food processor; pulse to mix. Stir the yeast mixture again. With the machine running, add the liquid through the feed tube in one 5-second stream, then let the machine run for 10 seconds. (If the dough sticks to the side of the bowl, turn off the machine and add 1 tablespoon of flour through the feed tube before continuing.) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 30 seconds.

3. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl; rotate to coat. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Makes enough for two 10-inch pizzas.

This is what the dough looked like after I got everything mixed up. I know this is a pizza dough recipe, but I figured it would work on calzones, and I was right! (I have no idea why this sentence is bolded, and I can't seem to fix it, sorry!)

I also liked this recipe, because it only needs to raise for 45 min., and of course, I'm always remembering to make dinner at about 5:00 p.m. Plus, I always have the ingredients on hand. I just broke small pieces of the dough off of the big ball and rolled them out on my handy, dandy, Pampered Chef mat. You could use whatever fillings you want, ricotta cheese, mozarella, pepperoni, canadian bacon, pineapple, mushrooms, olives, etc. I made about 6 calzones out of this recipe so was able to make several different kinds. I put the fillings on 1/2 of my round and then folded the other half over and pinched the two sides together. You can brush them with an egg yolk and water mixture for a nice and pretty crust. (I didn't do this 'cause I was in a hurry, as usual!) I then baked them at 425 degrees for 20 min. They should look something like this:

(Photo courtesy of pastaluigi.com)

I didn't get a picture of my own finished product because by the time things were done I had a husband and kids screaming about how hungry they were. Uuugh! I served these along with some marinara sauce out of the can, I guess you could make your own if you have more time than I do! Good luck with that! Some cut up fresh fruit, and I was done, and everyone dug in! I got good reviews and, even better, everyone was quiet because they were so busy eating!

Now I know this is not a gourmet meal, but it's a good go to meal that is hearty and popular...a definite repeat in my house.