Tag Archives: Homemade

Zebra Balls

Posted in Dessert, Recipes by

We were on vacation with friends, and waiting in the hall while someone ran back into the hotel room for something, when this guy walks past with a clear container holding these amazing looking desserts of chocolate and white chocolate.  We were hungry, so it caught everyone’s attention.

“Do you mind if I ask, what are those?” my husband asked the guy.

The guy stops, looks down at them, then looks up at us and kind of shrugs.  ”You know, I’d call them zebra balls, but that wouldn’t be classy.”

We lost it. We laughed about it for days.

Then finally, we found where they had come from.  We were so excited to try them.

They did not live up to our excitement.

So, I decided to reinvent the zebra balls for us.  I had been wanting to make these amazing oreo bonbons a friend’s wife had made us before an exam, and I’d found a bunch of different recipes that all seemed fairly close, so I decided to try.  Plus, they called for food processing the Oreos, and we got a food processor for our wedding, 7 months ago, that had never come out of the box.

Zebra Balls Recipe

So, I got the food processor all unpacked, and ground a full pack (minus the one my husband had to taste test) until they were finely ground.  Then I mixed in about 3/4 of an 8 oz bar of softened cream cheese.  I kneeded it together until it was well mixed, and the crumbs all stuck together, instead of sticking to my hands.

Then I rolled out 1 inch balls.  They made way more than I anticipated from looking at the mashed cookies, so next time I would make them just a touch larger.  Then I stuck them in the freezer for a few hours.

Later, I melted chocolate chips (it took me two bags to cover them all), and covered them by tossing them back and forth between two small spoons.  I had wax paper spread on a cookie sheet for once they were covered.  When they were all covered, I tossed them back in the freezer to set up.

Then I melted a bar of white chocolate, with a little bit of oil, so that it gets nice and smooth, and used a spoon to drizzle white chocolate across to make the zebra lines.  I found that quick movements across a portion of the pan works a lot better than trying to do each, one at a time.

Then I let them set up in the fridge on the tray.  Once they’ve hardened, I broke off any long strings of white chocolate that were attaching them, and put them in an airtight container back in the fridge.

They taste amazing. And I love a little bite size snack to fulfill a chocolate craving that you can just grab and go.  These are going to be a family classic.

Homemade Calzones

Posted in Main Course, Recipes by

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.