I’ve been helping my mom clean-up a family members home who is declining in health the last month or two. Funny, it feels like we’ve been at this for years when in reality, it hasn’t been that long. *Sigh* It’s not a fun chore. The house is a disaster zone and hasn’t been cleaned in years. YEARS! It’s borderline hoarderism. I’ve had plans the last few weekends and haven’t been available to help. Darn! 😉 This last weekend we were back on track and I was due to meet up with my mom & Godmother Saturday morning for what has become a weekly Saturday tradition of donning gloves and masks and sorting thru some of the most interesting of things. Interesting is putting it nicely and sparing my dear readers some rather gruesome details.
Just as I was awakened by my hungry and needy cat Saturday morning, I received a text from a friend asking if I’d like to go to the Giant’s game that afternoon. Being I had committed myself to help my mom that day, I called to feel her out about a change of plans. I told her that I had been invited to a Giant’s game that afternoon and left it at that. We were both quiet and then my mom blurted out, “Go!!” Being the good daughter I try to be, I asked if she was sure. She said, “Yes. I’d go if I were you!! Go!!” She then assured me that she didn’t plan on doing too much at the house that afternoon and would be coming home early herself. Hearing that made me feel a bit better about breaking my plans to be there. My mom then asked if I’d be coming out for a visit after the game. My original plans did not include a visit to my parents, however being plans had changed, I told my mom that yes, I would come out. With that my mom excitedly replied, “I’ll make something special for dinner!” 🙂 Now how can one pass that up?!? 🙂
After spending a gorgeous day in San Francisco dodging foul balls while seated 3 rows from the field and watching the Giant’s beat the Rockies 9 to 3, I arrived at my parents. Although I wasn’t quite sure what a “special dinner” entailed, I surely was not expecting what we had. My mom made Calzones! Nothing fancy, pretty simple actually, but boy were they delicious! Memories came flooding back! In my late teens my mom went through a Calzone phase. We had just about any kind of Calzone you can think of from BBQ beef to pizza filling. This may have been around the same time I ruined my mom’s sourdough bread starter she stored in the oven. But that’s a story for another time! I remember coming home a number of times with the munchies (wink-wink) to a warm Calzone awaiting me at the table. Mmmmm!!!! Those. Were. The. Days. 🙂
Calzone filling possibilities are limitless! Have fun with it! Get the kids in on it, let them help make dinner and add the fillings of their choice. Our Calzones were filled with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and kalamata olives. 🙂
Calzone HOT outta the oven!
Calzones
Pepperoni
Mozzarella Cheese
Kalamata Olives
Olive Oil – for brushing
Parmesan Cheese, grated for sprinkling
Pizza Dough (we used store-bought dough from Raley’s, found in their Deli section)
Pizza Sauce (see below for recipe)
Pizza Sauce
(Courtesy ~ Tyler Florence)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 (28-ouce) can tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Over medium heat, heat oil in a saucepan until hot. Add all ingredients, cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, lower heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Note: this sauce freezes well.
Calzone Preparation –
Divide dough and roll into circles the size of personal pizza’s. On the bottom half of the circle, spread sauce and toppings. Fold top half over and pinch together to seal. You should end up with a half-moon shape. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 450-455 F degrees depending on your oven temperature for 18-20 minutes. After pulling from oven, brush hot Calzone with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
State of California shaped Calzone!? 🙂
As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned there is no shame in being “like mother like daughter” and there is no one else I’d rather be like than my mom. 🙂 So when I did my grocery shopping for this week, I picked up all the fixings to make Calzones! Although nothing beats mom’s cooking, I’m looking forward to trying! 😉
Mozzarella, Pepperoni and Kalamata Olive Calzone!
epicureantease 