Macaroni and Cheese Calzone

Do you enjoy eating Macaroni and Cheese but hate that it isn't portable? Well now it is!

Introducing the Macaroni and Cheese Calzone! It's all the macaroni and cheese flavor you love with the addition of tasty sausage in a great convenient hand-held edible container! 

This is sure to be a great hit with your family, and leftovers are a snap! Just cover any non-eaten calzones with foil wrap and store them in the fridge until you are ready to eat them again. Now you can take macaroni and cheese on the go, to school, to the park, even to the movies with you which will save you on the cost of popcorn. Enjoy!

• 1 14oz box of your favorite Macaroni and Cheese, cooked and prepared how the package states (I used Kraft Mac 'N Cheese)
• 12 oz of your favorite Sausage (I used 4 3 oz Apple Gouda Sausages), cooked and sliced
• 1 package Active Dry Yeast (.25 ounces worth)
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 cup Warm Water
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Step 1: To make the dough, start by dissolving the yeast in the cup of warm water. You want to make sure the water is warm and not hot in order to give the yeast a little jump start. Once it has been dissolved add in the sugar, salt, and 1 Tbsp Olive Oil. Mixture together and slowly start to add in the flour. Knead the dough on a lightly floured area or just play with it in your hands until it becomes elastic. Place 1 tsp of Olive Oil in a bowl and place the dough in there, making sure to cover it with the oil (this will help prevent the dough from drying out). Cover the bowl with a paper towel and let sit for about an hour (or until the dough doubles in size).

Step 2: While the dough is sitting, make your Macaroni and Cheese and cook your sausages if you haven't already. Slice and dice the sausages to a size you like, and then throw the pieces in with the macaroni. Set aside.

Step 3: Once the dough has finished resting, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Farenheit and then break your dough into two equal pieces. Set once piece aside and with the other break it in half again. With a rolling pin, roll each of these dough pieces into separate circles. Place a good amount of the macaroni and sausage mixture in the center, then sprinkle some shredded cheddar on top of the macaroni, and finish by folding one side of the dough on top of the other side and pinch the edges closed. Do this with your remaining dough until you have four calzones. If you have extra macaroni, set it aside and eat it later.

Step 4: Take out your cookie pan and place a piece of parchment on it. Place the calzones on the parchment paper and then take a knife and carefully cut a hole or two in the top to prevent the calzones from exploding in the oven. Before you place the calzones in the oven brush them with the remaining oil to help give them a nice crust when they finish baking. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Enjoy!


Note: Serve these calzones with a side of cheese sauce or pasta sauce, or both! :D


 Yield: Makes 4 calzones

Super Stuffed Chili Cheese Sliced Baked Potatoes

Beware! These are not for the faint of heart!

There is so much gooey deliciousness going on here that at first we just sat and stared at this meal's awesomeness. You will not need a side dish with this, and if you can finish this in one sitting I will be impressed!

Seeing an image on Pinterest of a sliced baked potato (you slice the potato but don't cut it all the way so it is still attached) I used that for my inspiration. And since baked potatoes in themselves are already a tasty meal, I decided to add everything in my house that I felt would be a good match; I was not disappointed! We feasted on gloriously stuffed potatoes that night and went to sleep with full, happy bellies. Plus since we have leftovers, we enjoyed the meal the following day for lunch (we usually take leftovers for lunch, makes packing out lunches easier on me).

Feel free to add or remove components to make this meal suit your tastes as we did, and most of all have fun with this dish. Enjoy!

• 2 Russet Potatoes
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 2 tsp Cayenne Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Salt
• 2 slices of Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• 10.5 oz can Chili
• 1 Jalapeno (diced)
• 1/4 cup Green Onion (chopped)
• 1/4 cup Onion (diced)
• 1 Avocado (mashed)
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Flour
• 1 tsp Chives

Step 1: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and scrub your potatoes to get them clean. Once cleaned off, take a knife and carefully start slicing the potato, but make sure not to cut it all the way through. You want the potato to remain together to make it easier to eat. Next make your butter sauce by combining 2 Tbsp of melted butter with 1 tsp cayenne and 1 tsp garlic sauce. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and cover with the butter sauce, making sure to get some of the butter in between your slices and on the skin. Then place the sheet in the oven and cook for 50 minutes.

Step 2: When you have about 15 minutes left you will want to start heating up your chili and making your cheese sauce. For the sauce, start by dissolving the flour in the 1/2 cup flour. Once dissolved, place mixture on a sauce pan and combine it with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese,  the cayenne, and the chives. Stir until cheese is melted on medium to medium low heat. At the same time, heat up your can of chili in either the microwave or stove top (I cooked mine on the stove at low heat).

Step 3: Once the 50 minutes has passed, take the potatoes from the oven. Then start dressing it by first placing 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese in the potato cracks. Follow with the chili, and then top with the cheese sauce you made, jalapenos, green onions, onions, and avocado. Serve with sour cream, your favorite hot sauce, and diced tomatoes. Enjoy!


Yield: Makes 2 potatoes

Greek Deviled Eggs

Made these for the same party I brought the Cheddar Bacon and Jalapeno Deviled Eggs to and these Greek Eggs were by far the favorite! Enjoy!

• 12 Eggs
• 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 10 Black Olives (diced)
• 3/4 cup Feta Cheese
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tomato (diced)
• 1/2 cup Fresh Basil (chopped)
• 1 Tbsp Black Pepper

Step 1: Place all the eggs in a pot big enough to hold all of the eggs. Cover eggs with cold water and cook the eggs uncovered until the water boils. Once the water starts boiling, turn off the stove and cover the pot. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Step 2: After the 15 minutes pass, place all of the eggs into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Place bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to completely cool. Once cooled, peel all of the eggs.

Step 3: Slice each of the eggs in half and place the yolks in a bowl, set the whites aside. Mash the egg yolks. In another bowl, combine the olives, feta cheese, balsamic, tomato, basil and the mayonnaise. Add the mashed egg yolks on top and mix together.

Step 4: Place the yolk mixture in a Ziploc bag and cut off the corner. Place the egg white hole-side up and using the Ziploc, squeeze the yolk mixture into the holes of the eggs.

Step 5: Once all the eggs have been filled, sprinkle any leftover feta, basil, and the black pepper over the tops of the eggs. Enjoy!


Note: If you have any leftover yolk mixture, save it and make an egg sandwich with it later, or cut open an avocado and place the egg mixture in the spot where the seed is and enjoy!


Yield: 1 dozen eggs

Cheddar Bacon and Jalapeno Deviled Eggs

Yes it's egg season! 

Now I love a lot of things: puppies, grilled cheese, garlic, bread... I can go on and on! However I can't forget eggs as they are definitely on my list of things I love. Hard boiled, soft boiled, poached, sunny side up, scrambles; if you can cook an egg I will most likely eat it.

That being said, for my first party of the Spring time I decided to bring with me two different types of deviled eggs. I have been seeing a new trend online with bacon-jalapeno everything, so I decided to apply this trend to my deviled eggs. I also made some Greek Deviled Eggs, but I will post that recipe up tomorrow. Enjoy!

• 12 Eggs
• 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 6 strips Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• 1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar
• 2 Jalapenos (diced)
• 2 tsp Cayenne Powder
• 1 Ziploc Bag

Step 1: Place all the eggs in a pot big enough to hold all of the eggs. Cover eggs with cold water and cook the eggs uncovered until the water boils. Once the water starts boiling, turn off the stove and cover the pot. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Step 2: After the 15 minutes pass, place all of the eggs into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Place bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to completely cool. Once cooled, peel all of the eggs.

Step 3: Slice each of the eggs in half and place the yolks in a bowl, set the whites aside. Mash the egg yolks. In another bowl, combine the bacon (set aside a tiny bit of bacon to top the eggs with), jalapenos, 1 tsp cayenne, and the mayonnaise. Add the mashed egg yolks on top and mix together.

Step 4: Place the yolk mixture in a Ziploc bag and cut off the corner. Place the egg white hole-side up and using the Ziploc, squeeze the yolk mixture into the holes of the eggs.

Step 5: Once all the eggs have been filled, sprinkle the rest of the bacon, cheddar cheese, and cayenne powder over the tops of the eggs. Enjoy!


Note: If you have any leftover yolk mixture, save it and make an egg sandwich with it later, or cut open an avocado and place the egg mixture in the spot where the seed is and enjoy!


Yield: 1 dozen eggs

Cheesy Sweet and Tangy Fried Pork Chops

The 2 things I have found that my boyfriend loves almost as much as video games (keyword "almost") are my cat Catatafish and delicious food. Well let me change that, it would be a tie for second between video game and delicious food with Catata coming in fourth and me in first (I've told him it is ok to love video games more than me but he just won't listen).

Anyways, one of our new found loves with food is using the deep fryer. I was fortunate to receive a deep fryer for Christmas after all the hints I gave him ("Babe! These stuffed mushrooms would be delicious deep fried!" or "Omg, can you imagine what real authentic deep fried fish and chips would taste like?!") and I have to say it was one of the best gifts ever aside from my fancy knives.

So when dinner came around my eye caught the deep fryer and I knew it was time to bust the bad boy out! Since we love us some country fried steaks, I decided to deep fry us some pork chops! And since I had recently just talked to my mom, the combination of pork, apple sauce, and sauerkraut were stuck in my head (I mentioned to her I was cooking pork and she informed me of my Nana's favorite way to eat them as the combo I just mentioned). Going off of this combo I decided to use apple in the marinade and add some cheddar cheese to the mix since sauerkraut and cheddar go well, and apple and cheddar go well, so why wouldn't all three! The meal came out way better than expected, which made me super happy that I wrote it all down! If you make these, I am sure you won't be disappointed! Enjoy!

• 2 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Apple Cider
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Powder
• 1/4 cup and 2 tsp Flour
• 4 3 oz Pork Chops
• 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Butter
• 3/4 cup Sauerkraut
• Oil for frying in (I use peanut or canola oil, but any oil will do)

Step 1: Combine the honey, brown sugar, apple cider, mustard powder, cayenne powder, and 1 tsp of flour in a bowl. Mix well until it is smooth and not lumpy. Cover the pork chops in this mixture and set aside. 

Step 2: Set up the deep fryer and turn to 350 degree Fahrenheit. If you don't have a deep fryer, use a nice sized pan with a large enough rim that will be able to hold enough oil to cover the steaks while cooking (turn stove top to medium high).


Step 3: Go back to your pork chops and place 1/4 cup flour on a plate. Cover the pork chops in this flour on all sides and set aside (you may or may not need more flour, so keep it on hand). Once the frying oil is hot enough, start cooking the pork chops for 5 minutes each.

Step 4: While the pork chops are cooking, pull out a small sauce pan and combine the milk, butter, cheddar cheese, and 1 tsp of flour and melt at low to medium low heat. Stir every so often to make sure the cheese melts. At the same time in another sauce pan, heat up the sauerkraut on low heat.


Step 5: Once the pork chops finish, place them on a plate and cover them in the sauerkraut and then smother them in the cheese sauce. Before serving, add a pinch of black pepper if you wish. Enjoy!


Yield: 2 servings (2 pork chops each)

Homemade Samoa Cookies

Ah yes, Spring is here and that means it is time to start stocking up on some of your favorite Girl Scout Cookies! In my family there has always been a steady supply of Girl Scout Cookies during this time of year. The majority of the cookies found in our house were the Thin Mints, Tagalongs, and Samoas. Every so often a new cookie box would get thrown into the mix, but it was usually those three boxes that would be devoured first. If my parents were lucky enough, they would be able to stash a box somewhere in the kitchen that wouldn't get noticed too early, but with 5 kids in the house trying hide sweets was like trying to hide bacon from a dog; it just wasn't going to work out!

Well this year my dad came and visited me and with him he brought us a delicious box of Thin Mints (I still have the box with a few cookies left in the freezer). After he left, I really had an itch for some Samoas but couldn't find any Girl Scouts selling them anywhere, so I decided to make my own!

Using both a shortbread and vanilla cookie recipes I have made, I found a way to combine them both into a "melt in your mouth" cookie that retained its shape yet didn't crumble when you picked it up. I ended up making these for Easter weekend to give out as gifts, and so far the cookies never made it past the 2 hour mark after being opened and left up on a table for consumption. Hope you enjoy these as much as my friends and family did! Enjoy!

• 4 cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 cups Butter, softened
• 1 tsp Milk
• 1 cup Sugar (white sugar, not powdered)
• 1 large Egg, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp Vanilla
• 22 oz Caramel Candies (I used Kraft Caramel Bits, worked perfectly)
• 4 cups Sweetened Coconut Shavings
• 1 lb Chocolate (I used CandiQuik Chocolate that can be heated and reheated in the microwave, it was perfect)

Special Utensils:

• Donut Cutter or 2 Round Cookie Cutters in two different sizes, one for the cookie and one for the hole. You don't need to make a hole in the cookies if you don't want to.
• A Hair Dye Applicator (one of these bottles: http://www.partwell.com/images/pictures/photos/products/bu2/6-adhesive-systems/empty-applicator-bottle-partwell.jpg, this is for the chocolate drizzle on top. If you don't have one of these, then you can use a fork)
• Rolling Pin
• Parchment Paper

Step 1: Combine salt, butter, and sugar together. Add in 2 cups of flour and stir. Once mixed, add in 1 more cup of flour and continue to mix. Dough should still be sticky and not really malleable yet. 

Step 2: Beat egg in a bowl lightly and then add in the milk and vanilla extract. Combine to the dough mixture and add in the last cup of flour. Cover and place in the fridge for 1/2 hour.

Step 3: Once you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then break off a section of the dough and roll it with the rolling pin until it is 1/4 inch in thickness. You will want to keep extra flour on hand to prevent the cookies from sticking and use the flour as needed on the rolling pin, rolling surface, and the dough itself. Take a cookie sheet and place parchment paper on it and line the cookies on it. Thankfully these cookies won't spread out too much so you should be able to fit 12-15 cookies on the sheet at a time (I just did batches of 12 cookies). Place cookies in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should be white still or slightly golden, you want them to be soft. Place cookies on a cooling rack (you can lift the parchment paper and place that on the rack so you don't have to touch the cookies just yet so they can set) and continue to make cookies until you finished using all the dough. I ended us with 6 dozen cookies by the time I was finished.

Step 4: After all the cookies are made, take out the coconut and lightly toast it on the stove top in a big pan. Coconut will brown quickly so you will not need to cook them long. Cook until most of the flakes are golden brown to brown and then set aside.

Step 5: Melt the caramels how the bag instructs you too. Once the caramel is melted, add the coconut to it and mix together. Take a small clump of the coconut mixture and press into the top of the cookie. You will want to rinse your fingers from time to time to prevent the caramel from sticking. Do this until all of the cookies have the coconut mixture on top.

Step 6: Melt the chocolate how the package instructs you to, and then take your cookies and dip the bottoms of them in the chocolate. Set on parchment paper to set. Do this for all of the cookies. Once you are finished, place the rest of the chocolate in the hair applicator and draw lines on the tops of the cookies. If you don't have an applicator, then use a fork to drizzle the chocolate on top. Let set for a bit (cookies will taste just as good for a few days after you make them, so you can definitely make these in advance). Enjoy!


Yield: Makes 5-7 dozens, depending on your cookie size.