Black Bean/Brown Rice Cakes with Yogurt/Lime/Cilantro Sauce

Black-Bean and Brown-Rice Cakes

from marthastewart.com, posted by Kristin

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 large scallions, coarsely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 cup cooked brown rice
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus leaves for serving
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
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DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, pulse half the beans with scallions, jalapeno, and cumin until a chunky paste forms. In a large bowl, combine bean puree with rice and remaining beans; season with salt and pepper. Divide mixture into eight 3-inch-wide patties. (To freeze, wrap individually in plastic and freeze up to 2 weeks; thaw before cooking.)

2. STEP 2

   Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil; place in oven to heat, 5 minutes. Carefully place patties on hot sheet; bake until bottoms are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let rest on sheet 5 minutes before removing.

3. STEP 3

   Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, cilantro, and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Serve patties topped with yogurt sauce and cilantro leaves.

Freezer Burritos with Spanish Rice, "Refried Beans", & Chicken

Freezer Burritos with Spanish Rice, "Refried Beans", & Chicken
Burritos del congelador con arroz espanola, frijoles refritos y pollo

Here is the link to the recipe I used.  I just added some chicken breast to round things out!

http://www.mamamiss.com/2012/05/11/freezer-burritos/ 

(PS I used 1 part chili powder, 2 parts ground coriander because I ACTUALLY ran out of cumin!)

If you're interested in the differences between the two or making them homemade, here are some awesome flavor boosters used in Latin cooking:  Recaito y Sofrito.

http://myhalalkitchen.com/puerto-rican-rice-doesnt-always-need-goya/

(I used sofrito I found at the grocery store.)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/07/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole-recipe.html

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 (6 oz) pkg. chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon prepared, Dijon mustard
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces (I boiled mine)
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups cooked, chopped ham
6 slices of extra thin Swiss cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Prepare stuffing as directed on package.  Mix soup and mustard in medium bowl; stir in chicken, broccoli and ham. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with cheese slices and stuffing.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

http://pinchofyum.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Author: Pinch of Yum

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  15 mins

Serves: 3 cups

Makes the equivalent of about 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup.

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ cups chicken broth (I used homemade stock)
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or on your own, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. parsley, etc)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the chicken broth and ½ cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the remaining 1 cup milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms.
3. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan with the broth mixture over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes. The mixture will thicken a bit as it cools.

If any of you are interested in my sweet potato enchilada recipe, it is as follows:

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1-2 sweet potatoes (or 1 butternut squash)
2 packages of tortillas (corn or white flour; whole wheat does not work as well)
1 can of sweet corn (or 3 cups frozen)
1 can of black beans (or 3 cups cooked)
1 taco seasoning packet
4 oz cream cheese
1 onion, diced
You can also throw in any veggies- red pepper, jalapeno, summer squash, have all worked well)
8-16 oz of mexican blend shredded cheese

Enchilada sauce:
either canned OR
28 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chili powder
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup canola oil.


For the enchilada sauce, bring a pot to medium heat, add in canola oil. using a whisk, incorporate the flour and spices. slowly pour in the tomato sauce. let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

For the enchiladas:
poke holes in the sweet potatoes and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Let cool, and peel the skins off. mash the sweet potatoes, cream cheese, and taco seasoning together. (I use an immersion blender for ease, but hand mashing is fine). Add in the beans, corn, onion, and any other veggies. 

Layering:
Spray a 9X13 pan with canola oil. layer tortillas on the bottom. You can either make roll ups with the enchilada mix and tortillas, layering in the pan, or spread the enchilada mix on the tortillas, layering lasagna style. Either way, make sure there is a layer of tortillas on both top and bottom. Cover with enchilada sauce to taste and top with shredded cheese.

bake at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese melts and enchiladas are warm.

Ole'!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

So pungent that my 6 month old reached for it.  Or maybe he's just tired of squash.

Easiest recipe ever, from Allrecipes.com: 

Makes 8 servings with these ingredients:

• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer

• 1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
• 8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

Be Italian

I'm feeling pleasantly Italian with a big pot of Ragu simmering on my stove. This one is loosely inspired by this Smitten Kitchen recipe. I've added carrots and white beans to beef it up nutritionally, and the resulting pasta sauce is both decadent and healthy! All quantities are fairly approximate, since I just dump in more tomatoes etc.. until everything looks right. 1 T olive oil 1 T butter 1 package sweet italian turkey sausage 1 can Cannellini Beans, drained 1 package chopped mushrooms 2 carrots, minced (I throw them in my food processor b/c carrots take forever to cook when I just cut them up) 2 cloves garlic 1/2 onion, chopped Fresh basil, chopped, to taste (I use a whole package) 1 cup white wine 1 big can whole tomatoes (or diced or crushed or whatever) drained, reserve the liquid splash of balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper to taste Remove sausage from casings and crumble. Sautee, along with the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil until browned. Splash in a little balsamic vinegar. Add mushrooms, basil, and carrot and sautee until mushrooms have given off their liquid. Add the drained tomatoes and the white wine. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the alcohol has cooked off the wine, then add the beans. Add the tomato liquid if the mixture seems too dry, turn your heat to low, and simmer for at least an hour. Serve over pasta, with cheese if you like. *note- while you're chopping carrots in the food processor- you could easily toss in other veggies like celery or brocolli if you want to hide them in this sauce. :)

Baked Potato / Mashed Potato Soup

I adapted the 'freezer baked potato soup' here: http://momonamission.me/potato-soup-is-freezer-friendly/ and a similar recipe here: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Mashed-Potato-Cheese-Soup-498042?columns=5&position=4%2F57  to make it vegetarian:

Also, last time, the soup I made seemed so small, that this time I made 6 batches to divide between four of us, so each person got about 1.5 batches, FYI. (I find there is SO much variation in how much soup a recipe makes!)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 shallot (large, finely chopped) (I used a regular onion)
• 1 clove garlic (or two small, pressed)
• 2 tbsps all purpose flour
• 6 cups mashed potatoes 
• 2 cups chicken stock (I used vegetable stock)
• 3/4 cup half and half (I could only fit about 1/4 cup per recipe in the pots and I didn't want to add more for fear it would be too thin - but once it cooled, I saw how thick the soup was so I ended up adding more milk when I cooked my litttle batch.  You may want to do the same, depending on what consistency you like.)
• 8 ozs shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• salt (and pepper to taste*)
• 
  
• 
  
• Recommended garnishes:
• bacon (if you don't care about vegetarian)
• green onions
• sour cream
• or serve with grilled cheese sandwiches 

Three Bean Cheesy Casserole (by Shelly)

This recipe is inspired by the Santiago Salsa recipe from The Kitchn.

 However, they are laboring under the misconception that this is a dip- I think it's more of a casserole (although it could easily double as a filling for vegetarian tacos, or serve as a dip, I suppose, if you have some really strong tortilla chips!)

3 Bean Cheesy Casserole

 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
 1 (15 ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 can rotel tomatoes (use mild for a mild version)
 1/2 of a sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
 1 can green chiles
 1/3 can of Chipotles in Adobo sauce (dice the peppers and be sure to add the sauce as well)
 2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend (or cheddar or whatever), divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika

 Reserve 1 cup of cheese and mix the ingredients well. Pour into an oven proof baking dish, and top with remaining cheese. If unfrozen, bake at 350 for 30 minutes. If frozen, thaw, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 Serve with any of the following: Cornbread (recipe to follow), tortillas, sour cream, salsa, sliced avocado, cilantro, green onions....

 (My recipes tend to be more like guidelines- so here's where I add that you can put just about anything you like into this casserole- I've added cilantro, green onions (diced), banana peppers, pickled jalapeno wheels (in lieu of the chipotles), chopped fresh tomato, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, etc.... with good results. You could probably add some brocolli or shredded cabbage without going too far off course if you want more green veggies!)

 Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (even Southerners take short-cuts, y'all!) :)
 1 egg
 1 cup milk (buttermilk is best)
 1 cup shredded cheddar
 1/2 can pickled jalapeno wheels

 Combine ingredients- adding more milk if batter seems too dry. Pour into a greased oven proof baking dish. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

 (For a mild version, leave out the jalapenos. Some canned corn kernels are a nice addition if you leave out the peppers.)

 If frozen, thaw, then wrap in foil (or in the case of the frozen cornbread I'm providing- leave in the pan with the foil on top) and bake at 350 until heated through.

When the moon hits your eye like a big PIZZA pie that's amore!!!

Homemade Pizza Sauce
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/homemade-pizza-sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce

• 1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (I ran out, so I used marjoram in addition to the oregano)

• 1 to 2 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed (once again, I ran out and combined with star anise)

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine tomato sauce and paste. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Cool.

1. Pour into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Freeze for up to 12 months. Yield: about 4 cups .

Editor's Note: Use the sauce with crust and toppings of your choice to make a pizza; 1-1/3 cups of sauce will cover a crust in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. pan.

Pizza Dough Recipe (makes 2 medium pizza crusts) from favoritefreezerfoods.com

• 2 ½ tsp yeast (or one package)

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 cup warm water

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 ½ cups flour (I used high gluten flour---1 1/2-2 cups and whole wheat flour---1/2-1 cup depending on what batch is was...some of your pizzas are wheaty-er than others depending on my level of courage at the time I did that batch.  :)

• 1 Tbsp garlic powder

• ¼ cup olive oil

Start by proofing your yeast. Heat the water until it’s warm to the touch but not hot, then add the yeast and sugar. The sugar helps the yeast grow, salt prohibits yeast growth so don’t add the salt yet.

The yeast will start to foam if it’s still good. This can take up to 10 minutes but if you know your yeast is good you can skip this step.

Mix the flour, salt, garlic powder together. Now add the olive oil and the warm water and mix together.

I usually use my kitchen aid mixer with the bread hook. If you don’t have one you’ll have to knead the dough by hand.

Mix or knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, it shouldn’t stick to your hands, mixing bowl or countertop.

If the dough is too sticky add more flour, if it’s too dry add more water.Try not to overwork the dough.

Shape the dough into a ball and let the pizza dough double in size for about 30-45 minutes.

Place the dough in a bowl and lightly coat in olive oil to keep it from drying out, cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.

Keeping the dough someplace warm helps it rise faster. If your kitchen is cold turn your oven on to the lowest temperature for two minutes then turn off the heat, turn on the dome light and put the bowl of dough in the oven.  It should be warm but not hot when you stick your hand in there. You also might want a metal pan just in case.

After the dough doubles punch it down with your fists to remove all the air and preheat the oven to 500 F (250 C). Prepare your sauce, cheese and other toppings as the dough rest for 10 minutes or so.

Cut the dough in half and then roll. Top as desired or leave off topping and par bake the crust for the freezer.

I baked the pizzas on round metal pizza pans.

A par baked crust will take 3 minutes, just until the outside starts to cook, the middle is still raw and it’s not golden yet.

Remove the pizzas from the oven and let cool on a wire rack completely.  wrap with plastic wrap or waxed paper individually, and then cover both crusts with foil. Put in freezer on a flat surface until needed. 

OR

Spread about cup and a half of pizza sauce on your par baked crust.  Then add about 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used various combos on your pizzas.)  Then add toppings as you see fit.  If you are going to freeze them made like this, put them on a cookie sheet or pizza pan (without covering them) and put them in the freezer.  Let them sit, uncovered for about 3 hours so all the ingredients harden.  Then wrap in saran wrap, followed by wrapping in foil.

If you are going to eat them fresh, bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min.

If you are going to eat them from frozen, bake at 350 degrees for 25ish min.

  

Visa Pizza Commercial Mombo Italiano

This is what I was imagining myself to look like as I was throwing your pizza dough, ladies!

Six Sister Stuff Baked Chicken Taquitos

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese)
12 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (a rotisserie chicken works great for this!)
1 (1 oz) packet dry Ranch Dressing mix (here is a recipe for a homemade Ranch Dressing mix)
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
3-4 Tablespoons green onion, chopped
20 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Salt
Non-stick cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cover a large baking sheet (I use a cookie sheet) with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Mix together cream cheese, chicken, bacon, cheese, and green onions. Add in about 1/2 of the dry Ranch dressing mix and taste- add more if you want more of a Ranch taste (I ended up using only 1/2 of the packet). Mix well. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a flour tortilla and roll it up.
Place taquito seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat about 20 times (I had to use two baking sheets because all of my taquitos would not fit on one). Once finished, spray the tops of the taquitos with non-stick cooking spray (or you could lightly brush some olive oil on them) and sprinkle with salt (I like to use sea salt).
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes (or until edges and tops are golden). Let cool for a couple of minutes. Serve with Ranch dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping (my husband also likes to dip them in "Salsa Ranch"- just mix equal parts salsa and Ranch dressing

Crockpot Recipe for Red Lentil, Chickpea, and Tomato Soup with Smoked Paprika (contributed by Kristin)

Crockpot Recipe for Red Lentil, Chickpea, and Tomato Soup with Smoked Paprika  (contributed by Kristin)

copied from http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/03/crockpot-recipe-for-red-lentil-chickpea.html

Crockpot Recipe for Red Lentil, Chickpea, and Tomato Soup with Smoked Paprika
(Makes about 8 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

1 large yellow onion, diced small
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. sweet paprika
(I buy both smoked and sweet paprika from Penzeys or The Spice House)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. Vege-Sal (or use 1/2 tsp. salt)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup red lentils
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed
5 C chicken or vegetable stock (or use 3 cans chicken or vegetable broth)
2 cans petite dice tomatoes with juice (14.5 oz. can)
sour cream or plain yogurt for serving, optional

Heat olive oil in frying pan and saute the diced onion until it's soft and starting to brown lightly, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried thyme, Vege-Sal, and black pepper and saute 2-3 minutes more, or until spices are fragrant.  

Add onion-spice mixture to CrockPot, then rinse out the frying pan with 1 cup of the stock and add to crockpot along with red lentils, rinsed chickpeas, and rest of stock.  Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until lentils are starting to soften and dissolve into the soup.  (I cooked mine for 2 1/2 hours.  Cooking time will depend partly on how old the lentils are.)

When lentils are starting to soften, add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes with juice.  Cook for 1-2 hours more on high, or until the lentils and chickpeas are both quite soft.  Then remove about 1/2 the soup to a bowl (or the large 8-cup measuring cup I had worked perfectly.)  Puree the soup you removed using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.  (If you're using a food processor or blender, be very careful with the hot soup, pureeing in batches if necessary.)  

Stir the pureed soup back into the soup in the CrockPot; taste and add more salt or fresh ground black pepper if desired.  Let soup cook about 15 minutes more, then serve hot, with sour cream of plain yogurt if desired.

Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli  
Olive Garden Copycat
http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/olive-garden-pasta-e-fagioli-recipe.html

1 lb. ground beef (I used Italian sausages to keep things interesting)
1 c. onion, diced
1 c. carrot, julienned
1 c. celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (I used black beans I had cooked and frozen previously)
1 can white beans (I cooked these from dry as well, soaking them with a sprig of rosemary to add flavor, a tip I read in a Williams-Sonoma version of Pasta e fagioli)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato juice (I used low sodium)
1 TBLS white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 lb. ditali pasta (I used macaroni since I had a huge bag of it on hand)

Instructions:

1.  Brown the meat in a large pot over medium heat.  Drain off most of the fat.

2.  Add onion, celery, carrot & garlic and saute for 10 min.

3.  Add everything else except the pasta and simmer for 1 hour.  (Throughout the process I added homemade chicken stock as was needed.  The recipe as is makes a VERY thick stew.  I think I added about 2 cups or more per batch.)

4.  About 50 min. into the simmering, cook the pasta to al dente, and then add it to the big pot for the last five minutes!

MONGOLIAN BEEF
(P.F. Chang's copycat from http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/03/pf-changs-mongolian-beef-copycat-recipe.html)

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe:

(Recipe adapted from Food.com)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil , for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak (I used more than that per family)
¼ cup cornstarch
2 large green onions, chopped

Directions:

Sauce:
Heat 2 tsp. of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.  Don't get the oil too hot.
Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then increase the heat to medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

Beef:
Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.  Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.  Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.  As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté until brown. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.  After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels.  Dab excess oil off meat with a paper towel and add to medium saucepan with the sauce in it.  Put the pan back on the oven over medium/low heat.  Add chopped green onions and let sauce simmer until warm. Serve over rice.

Additionally, I included 4 cups of white rice as well as some blanched carrots and zuchinni tossed in Chinese 5 Spice to make it a complete meal!  I apologize...it seems as though the zuchinni did NOT freeze well.  Ours was mushy and gross.  So sorry!

Homemade Freezer Calzones

The recipe is from Motherhood on a Mission blog. It makes 8 medium sized calzones.
Here is the list of ingredients for the dough. 

• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons Oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

You can use whatever filling you like or whatever you have on hand. My family loves ham with cheese and veggies. I usually just use whatever frozen veggies we have in the freezer.  

Directions:

1. Sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup hot water. (You don't want the water to be too hot, just hot enough) Set the mixture aside for two minutes.

2. Mix the flour with Oregano and garlic salt in another bowl.

3. Add the lukewarm water to the yeast mixture and stir gently until most of the yeast is dissolved. Add the olive oil.

4. In yet another bowl, bigger bowl this time, I measured out about half of the flour mixture and added the wet ingredients (yeast mixture) to it. With a standard hand mixer I mixed it all on medium speed for about 4 minutes. Then I stirred in the rest of the flour mixture and kneaded it until it was smooth and shiny and no more sticky. 

(*Note: if you have a KitchenAid you can put all of the flour in at once and mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture using the dough hook for 4-5 minutes)

5. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, or remove the dough from the mixing bowl, clean and spray the bowl, and put the dough back in. Turn the dough so the oiled side is facing up. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.

6. After dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough down. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and, using flour-dusted hands, knead the dough once or twice and shape it into a ball.

7. Divide the ball into two balls of equal size. Cover them with a damp towel and let them sit for 15-30 minutes. After they've rested, divide each ball into four equal pieces; this will give you eight pieces total.

8. Using a rolling pin or your hands, work a chunk of dough into a flat circle, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. If the dough springs back as you try to roll it, just let it rest for another 10 or 15 minutes and then try again. Scoop filling onto one half of the dough and fold the other half over the filling. Use a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with the other seven pieces of dough.

9. Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and put your calzones on top (you might have to do this in two batches). I also, like to brush the calzones with some olive oil to add more flavor. Bake 5-8 minutes, or until dough is just beginning to lose it’s shine and harden. You don’t want the calzones to turn golden.

10. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Transfer to a freezer-quality ziploc bag and place in the freezer.

To prepare: remove desired number of calzones from the freezer. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. *Note: be sure to let calzone(s) thaw while oven is preheating. When oven is ready, place calzone(s) on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Noodles & Company Pesto Cavatappi (Copycat Recipe)

Noodles & Company Pesto Cavatappi (Copycat Recipe)

Borrowed from http://cooking-with-cristina.blogspot.com/2011/07/noodles-company-pesto-cavatappi-copycat.html

Noodles & Company Pesto Cavatappi (Copycat Recipe)

Source: Yahoo Answers

Ingredients:

3/4 box cavatappi noodles (you can use any shapes you like but use a hearty noodle)

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 pint sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup white wine

1/4 cup cream

7 oz. pesto (I used store bought but I bet it would be amazing with homemade)

EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil - hellooo, Amy!)

shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Cook pasta as directed on packaging.
2. While pasta is cooking, saute the tomatoes and mushrooms in about a tablespoon of EVOO. 
3. When the pasta is almost done, add the wine to the tomatoes and mushrooms and reduce for 2 minutes. Then add the cream to the tomatoes and mushrooms and reduce for another 1-2 minutes. Add the pesto and stir well.
4. Drain pasta and add to the pesto mixture. Stir very well and let sit a minute to soak up the pesto. 
5. Plate and top with shredded parmesan cheese!

I added chicken to this recipe. 

~ Kristin