by Macki Aug 28th, 2011 // Swell Suppers

Swell Supper: Memory Making Calzones

In Oregon my mom’s best friend, Judi, is known around the valley for her cooking but her calzones and puffed pastry (she makes it from scratch, stretching it paper thin over the entire dining room table) put her on the map. Growing up my favorites were the calzones. We made the dough and selected ingredients from what seemed like a million options and cooked them up into all kinds of shapes and sizes (mine was roughly the size and shape of half a watermelon). I brought it home and shared it with my family, then continued to snack on it for days. Needless to say, calzones have a special place in my heart and I am very much looking forward to sharing this with my kids by making Rebecca’s Easy Calzone’s, with a side of Sprouted Mung Bean Salad and one of my favorite desserts, Rhubarb Bundt Cake.

The sprouted mung bean salad needs a couple of hours in the fridge to cool so begin with this recipe. Once you place it in the fridge move on to the rhubarb bundt cake. My mouth is watering as I type this. Rebecca brought this to my house for a BBQ and gave me the leftovers and I could NOT stop eating it! OK, back to directions. Preheat the oven, mix the cake batter and pour it in the bundt and place in the oven.

Now it’s time for the calzones. I like Rebecca’s idea of using pre-made pizza dough to save time. I also use ground chicken instead of beef as we have some cholesterol issues around these parts. The kids love stretching the dough and sealing it with the filling inside. The rhubarb bundt should be done so remove it from the oven and turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Place the calzones in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. My daughter taught me an awesome trick for getting away with sneaking a treat before supper since there is no way I can wait an hour before eating the rhubarb bundt – she says ‘ I need to try it to make sure it’s not poisoned’. I’m glad we are poison testers! Now set the table and serve dinner and watch how everyone devours the dessert. Now doesn’t that sound swell?