Super delicious birthday cookies

***A great friend of mine, Ashley, recently told me about some calzones that she had had at a friend's house.  At the party, everyone made their own calzones...sounds fun, doesn't it?  Basically, she said they all started with pizza dough, and then added the toppings of their choice from a big selection.  That sounds like my kind of party!

So, when I saw these calzones the very next day in The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, I decided that I just HAD to give homemade calzones a try.  It was just meant to be! 

Now, I have to warn you...These aren't the tomato sauce and pepperoni type calzones that you're probably used to ordering at your local Italian eatery.  These are truly "COWBOY" calzones...hamburger meat, sausage, onion, Rotel, and lots of cheese make up the filling.  And I also will admit that I used store-bought pizza dough...I just couldn't be bothered with making my own dough that night.  They still tasted fantastic!

I think you'll really enjoy these hearty calzones.  They'll fill ya up and leave you with a happy tummy!

Bon Appetit!***

Cowboy Calzones
Source:  The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond

Pizza Dough:

1 tsp or 1/2 packet of active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water in a bowl and sprinkle in yeast.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in olive oil until combined
4. Add water and yeast mixture slowly until ball forms.
5. Let it rise for 1 to 2 hours or can be refriderated for 2 days.


Calzone Filling:
1/2 lb breakfast sausage
1 lb ground beef
1/2 diced onion
8 oz can of Rotel
8 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
Salt and Pepper


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450.  In a large skillet brown ground beef, sausage and onion over medium heat. Drain excess grease
2. Add Rotel and cook for 2 mins. remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Combine ricotta, mozzarella, monterey jack, and egg in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Combine cheese mixture with meat mixture.
5. Divide dough into 8 equal balls. Roll into 6 inch circles.
6. Place one-eighth of the mixture in the middle of each circle.
7. Fold one half of the circle over and pinch the edges to seal. Brush with olive oil.
8. Bake for 12 to 15 mins

***This post is going to be difficult for me.  I'm writing this entry at the end of what has easily been one of the hardest weeks I've ever been through.  On the morning of March 5th, I found out that my GrannyRene had been rushed to the hospital.  She passed away later that afternoon.  It was so unexpected.  We had to say goodbye way too early, and my heart is broken.

My GrannyRene was one of the strongest people that I've ever known...Strong in every way.  She was so kind and loving...and was incredibly involved in the community...especially her church.  She volunteered so much of her time, because she truly enjoyed helping people and doing her part to make this world a little brighter.  She's taught me so many things through the years, including the fact that we have to take one day at the time...and that's exactly what I'll have to do. I know she's smiling down on me right now.

GrannyRene had a knack for making everyone feel loved...and you were richly blessed to have her in your life.  She was beautiful, classy, and a tremendous cook!  In fact, she was famous around here for her Chicken & Dumplings.  You may even remember THIS POST, where I shared her recipe.  The hand-written recipes and photos from that particular post are things that I will treasure forever.  She was so proud of this food blog and told so many people about it. She was so excited when she read that post and saw those photos.

I do find peace in the fact that she's with my grandfather, Papa, right now.  They loved each other so much, and I can't imagine how happy they are to finally be together again.  I have also found that getting back into the kitchen has been soothing...it puts me at ease and reminds me of GrannyRene. 

This is the dish that got me back into the kitchen.  Cooking can calm the mind, and making this pasta did just that.  It was just what I needed...comfort food to the highest degree.  It's easy to put together, and the taste is truly outstanding.  The creamy tomato sauce is brightened by the fresh basil and parsley.  This is a meal that feels luxurious and would be a great dish for a dinner party...easy, stress-free, but sure to impress.

I'm so blessed to have such wonderful memories of my GrannyRene...I know she'll continue to live on in our hearts forever.  I love you, GrannyRene...

Until next time...Bon Appetit!***


Penne a la Betsy
Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

¾ pounds Penne Pasta
1 pound Shrimp
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
½ cups White Wine
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Parsley, to taste
Fresh Basil, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

***Ahh...pancakes...one of those quintessential, scrumptiously delicious breakfast foods....But wait a gosh-darn-minute....Who says you can't have pancakes for dinner, anyway?  That's exactly what I made tonight...Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes, to be precise.  I took these over-the-top pancakes one step further by adding some mashed bananas.  WOW...that's all I can say!

It was one of those moments where I didn't have the exact ingredients that I needed.  But hey, sometimes those moments are just what you need for an awesome result!  The recipe calls for 1 full cup of sour cream, and I only had 1/2 cup.  Oh, what ever should I do??  I glanced around the kitchen, and my eyes fell upon the perfect solution...a few perfectly ripe bananas.  I peeled one of those suckers, put him in a bowl, and mashed him all to bits.  After adding the one banana to my 1/2 cup of sour cream, I had just the right amount.  Voila!

These pancakes tasted a lot like banana nut bread.  In fact, a drizzling of chopped pecans over the top would have made these pancakes even better.

While making these pancakes, I couldn't help but sing Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes" song to myself...

...Maybe we could sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now...

This recipe is certainly going in my regular repertoire...I KNOW you'll love these!!***

Edna Mae’s Sour Cream Pancakes
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Ree says this makes 12 4-inch pancakes; I got 6 that were closer to 5 inches

Ingredients:
7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream (I used 1/2 cup sour cream + 1/2 cup mashed banana)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter
Maple syrup

Directions:
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; you want it to slowly get nice and hot.

Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in the bottom of a medium bowl. Dump the sour cream in on top and stir it together very gently; it’s okay to leave the texture a bit uneven. Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and stir them into the sour cream mixture, once again, being careful not to overmix.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, a scant 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear all over the surface [See Pancakes 101 for this and other tips], flipping them carefully and cooking for about a minute on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve in a stack, topped with a pat of butter and a cascade of maple syrup.

The Christmas Tree...

It was mass chaos in our living room at 8:30AM this morning...hah...

Our pups...Lady & Hannah

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your family!!!

***Alrighty, here are the cinnamon rolls that I mentioned in my previous post. I put these together on Christmas Eve, and then baked them on Christmas morning. Let me just tell you...there's nothing quite like the smell of yummy cinnamon rolls wafting through the house on Christmas morning...ahhhhh...so wonderful! This is going to be a new tradition for us...fresh, homemade rolls on Christmas. I thought that I might try this recipe, and then maybe try a new one next year...until I found one that I really loved. However, I hit the jackpot on the first try! This is THE recipe that I'll always use.

The great thing was that I could prepare them on Christmas Eve. Just put them together...all the way until the step where they're ready to go into the oven. Instead of popping them into the oven, just put them in the fridge and let them rise for the 2nd time in the fridge overnight (they'll rise VERY slowly in the fridge). Then, in the morning let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then pop them in the oven as directed.

I looked and looked online and in my numerous cookbooks for the perfect recipe. I think the thing that got me about this particular recipe was the coffee glaze drizzled over the rolls...omg. You had me at coffee! I didn't look much further after that.

I found this recipe over on Pioneer Woman's blog. She's got a great story that goes along with them, so be sure to check out her post.

I will say that I decreased the ginormous amount of butter that she called for in this recipe. I also halved the recipe to suit my needs. I didn't need 7 pans of rolls...neither do my hips! :)

Try these today...you won't be sorry! I promise!!!***

Source: The Pioneer Woman