Calzone - Mediterranean

I've made calzones before and they were puffy pillows of hot deliciousness. It's been a while since we've had them and I decided to make them again but with a twist.

Wegmans has a really amazing Olive Bar. I picked up a mix of feta, marinated artichokes and olives. I tucked the mix in the rolled out dough with a drizzle of olive oil and baked them at 400 for 25 minutes.

Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin with Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad

The organic tenderloin marinated in cracked peppercorns, powdered onion, celery salt, soy sauce and malt vinegar.

Grilled with large moist portobello mushrooms, this tenderloin reached 145 degrees very quickly. It sliced beautifully and was juicy and tender.

Served with olive tapenade and olive goat cheese, and an onion, tomato and cucumber  salad.

Greek Pizza

Mineo & Sapio's cheese and parsley sausage is browned.

Pizza dough is swiped with a layer of olive oil.

 Lay a thin strip of cheese around the edges of the pan,

and fold the edges of dough over the cheese. Tuck them under so that there will be a cheesy crust.

Add in several types of mushrooms minced, chopped garlic and olive tapenade.

Layer it into the pan and spread it out evenly.

 Leto made a teeny tiny fairy sized pizza.

 Then add a thin layer of cheese.

Bake at 380 degrees until the crust and cheese are golden brown.

Slice and serve with a large vegetable salad.

Chicken Souvlaki Salad

This past summer, when I was canning, I tried making a jar of tzatziki base that could later have yogurt or cultured sour cream added to it. During the winter we tried it out as an alternative to

sauerkraut and as a sweet relish. Both were delicious, but this was the first time using it as I'd intended and it didn't disappoint.

 I love this Tzatziki recipe, it comes from fellow blogger Kalyn. I really admire her as a food enthusiast, home chef, gardener and writer, I think you might too.

Our salad had wild spring lettuces, sweet peppers, kumatos, Stacy's Pita Chips, mix of olives and feta from the Lexington co-op.

The chicken was marinated in Greek Goddess for two hours and then grilled. The meal was flavorful and filling and I will definitely make this again!

Garlic stuffed Olive Herbed Focaccia and Spinach-Ricotta Dumplings in Red Pepper Sauce

I led a class on Italian cooking yesterday and felt honored to be surrounded by such a lovely group of ladies.

We made this delicious focaccia!

2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbls olive oil
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbls thyme and oregano

Olives stuffed with garlic cloves
Olive oil for brushing onto surface and sprinkle with salt.

Proof yeast. Mix with flour and olive oil. Mix, adding a little flour until a soft elastic ball forms. Place in an oiled bowl and cover until doubled in size. Divide and pull into round disk shapes. Place in cake pans, dimpling the surface. Insert olives into one or both, which ever your prefer. Bake until golden brown. approximately 15-20 minutes. Pop out of pans and bake for five more minutes. Best served still warm.

4 large, fleshy red bell peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 5 fresh basil leaves salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons yogurt


Cook on a high heat and use an immersion blender to make smooth.

For the Dumplings:
3 bunches spinach, stems removed
3 eggs or yogurt
3/4 cup freshly grated Italian parmesan cheese, plus cheese for garnishing
3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
 2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, plus flour for dredging
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 tbls sage 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted









We ended up putting these in a large, well oiled pan and under the broiler to bake when boiling our dumplings led to half results, sometimes this mix isn't quite firm enough to handle boiling. Baking it produced beautiful little rounds of hot cheese and spinach.

Photos courtesy of Kate Goehrig Scott.

Chicken and Apple Sausages in Hot Peppers Olive and Herb Focaccia

This recipe comes from Evan Kleiman's "The Best of Casual Pizza Oven Cooking: Pizzeria", which I snagged in mint condition from Buffalo's burgeoning Westside at West Side Stories. If you are in WNY, you MUST make this your first stop when looking for new and used books!

Layer onto an iron skillet and cook at 475 degrees Chicken Apple Sausages from Applegate Organics, Hot Peppers,  Slivered Red Onion,  Minced Garlic,  Minced Parsley, and Olive oil.

2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbls olive oil
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbls dried thyme
Olives stuffed with garlic cloves

Extra olive oil for brushing onto surface and sprinkle with salt.


Proof yeast. Mix with flour and olive oil. Mix, adding a little flour until a soft elastic ball forms. Place in an oiled bowl and cover until doubled in size. Divide and pull into round disk shapes. Place in cake pans, dimpling the surface. Insert olives into one or both, which ever your prefer. Bake until golden brown. approximately 15-20 minutes. Pop out of pans and cool for five minutes. Best served still warm.