Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

I know I haven’t posted in a really long time… life has been really busy since March with taking care of our grandparents and starting college classes this past September.  So I decided to post a poem that I am sure we can all relate to.

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

“Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so

Much seek to be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

~ St. Francis of Assisi

What else can I do with ground beef?

Usually my family uses ground beef in spaghetti, taco salads, and meatloaf, but I didn’t want to make the same meal again within the same two-week span.  So I made Calzones.  We get the deliciousness of eating out, but not the cost.

Here’s the calzone recipe:

• 1 recipe of pizza dough
• Cornmeal (optional)
• 15oz can pizza sauce
• 1 lb Italian sausage, 4 oz pepperoni, or 1 lb of ground beef (cooked)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions or pitted olives (I just used one white onion chopped)
• 1 cup chopped mushroom or sweet bell pepper ( I used both)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• milk

Divide the pizza dough in half, roll out each half until you have two circles with a 13 inch diameter.  Cover the pizza pans with cornmeal (I just sprayed a little oil so that they wouldn’t stick).  Carefully put the dough on the pans and spread the pizza sauce on the entire pizza dough giving about 1 inch space around the edge.  Then layer your vegetables and meat on half of each pizza.  Cover with a generous helping of cheese.  Then brush the edge of the crust with milk and fold over the dough so that it creates a half circle.  Brush the top of the pizza crust with milk and bake in the over for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  My cookbook says it serves about six people…which is about right.  Enjoy with salad or anything else that suits your taste!

Here’s the pizza dough recipe:

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 package active dry yeast (or about 2 1/4 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• cup warm water
• tbsp oil (canola or olive)

Combine 1 1/4 cup of the flour with the yeast, salt, water and oil.  Blend and slowly add the rest of the flour until it is dough. Knead and then cover the dough until it doubles in size (about 30 minutes).  Its ready to be used.

IT WAS A "BIG HIT” WITH MY FAMILY!  YUM!