One of my least favorite tasks in the whole world is deciding what is for dinner. It seems so easy, but it never is.  And it’s made worse by the fact that I grew up with parents who are AMAZING cooks. And I have never had the time to become an amazing cook.  So the list of things I am good at making is not long enough for me not to get sick of having the same things over and over.

So, one of my goals for the year was trying out new recipes to expand the dinner repertoire.

Attempt #1: Homemade Calzones

They turned out amazing!  I was so incredibly excited.  And my husband loved them.

I started with a loaf of frozen bread dough.  Yes, I realize it’s probably cheaper and more “home-made” if I would have made the dough from scratch, but given that I’m still attempting to finish law school and work, that just wasn’t going to happen this week.  I might try it next time.  Anyway, I used Rhodes frozen dough, but I’m sure any could work.  I let it sit out for most of the day, wrapped loosely in cling wrap, to thaw.

Then I cut the loaf in half and rolled each part out into a long rectangle-ish shape.  I let it rest for a few minutes, then rolled it again so that it stayed put.  A little flour on the rolling pin does wonders.

Then I put the fillings down the middle.  I went for mozzarella cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes, and canadian bacon.  My husband went for all meats and cheese.

Then I used a pizza cutter to cut one inch strip on each side.  I folded the ends up over the fillings on each one, then braided the strips over each other, right then left.  When I reached the end, I just tucked the loose dough under.  Then I coated them with a quick egg wash and put them in the oven on a pizza stone.

Baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While they were cooking I made a simple marinara sauce for dipping.  A can of Hunts tomato sauce, a shake of pepper, some oregano and basil, and sugar to taste. I let that simmer while they cooked, and served them with a dish of it.