Pizza Bagels

Happy Friday!

I am so excited about this weekend.  It is Memorial Day weekend so that means no school on Monday AND I am going to Madison with my family.  I can't wait to see all my Madison friends and my bestie, Tamara, and I are running the Madison Half Marathon on Sunday.  This will be Tamara's first half and I could not be more excited to be sharing the experience with her.  This race was my first half three years ago!  It is a great race and I am super duper pumped about it.  The weather doesn't look so great, but that won't even matter because we are going to have so much fun together!

More exciting news: Brian is DONE with law school!  He has accomplished so much and I am so excited and proud.  I know he has worked so hard.  Now he has to study for the BAR exam, but at least he doesn't have any more finals!  We went to Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville last night to celebrate.  This was the place we went after his first day of law school orientation so it seemed appropriate to end here as well.  The food is great (Bri loves their veggie burger) and they brew their own beer.  It is an adorable restaurant and we always love it there.  Plus, Andersonville is a great place to just wander around to check out shops or other restaurants.

Now, I am just counting down the minutes until the end of the school day.  I can't wait to get on the road and head up to Wisconsin!  To celebrate even more, I am sharing this recipe for pizza bagels.  At my wedding shower, the hostesses gave me a cookbook with recipes from all of the people who were invited.  Bri's mom shared a recipe for pizza bagels and so I decided to make them for him! I had to adapt the recipe based on what I had in the kitchen, but they came up super yummy!  I kept thinking that this is the perfect recipe to make for my future children :)

Pizza Bagels

Ingredients:15-20 mini bagels, sliced
6 oz of tomato paste
1 small onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3-4 egg whites, cooked and chopped
pepper and garlic powder, to taste
16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Turn oven broiler on high and make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven.
2. In a bowl, combine the tomato paste with the chopped onion, red pepper, and egg whites.  Season with pepper and garlic powder and stir to combine.  Pour half of the shredded cheese in and stir to combine.
3. Place bagel halves on a greased baking sheet.  Spread a little tomato mixture over each half and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.  Place in the oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly (about 4-5 minutes).

Enjoy :)

Southwestern Pizza

Yesterday was Bri and my six year anniversary of when we started dating.  We decided to do something relaxed and so I decided to cook dinner for us and then we went and walked the 606 trail.  This is the new elevated trail in Chicago.  It was super nice and we walked about 3 miles.  Afterwards, we went and got gelato for dessert!  Yum!  It was a really nice night and a nice way to spend some time together on a weeknight.

This pizza is also a great weeknight meal in general.  Bri was a big fan because it is totally vegetarian.  It can also be made totally gluten free if you need it to be.  I like it because it is incredibly flavorful and it is a healthy meal.  I was inspired by the Southwestern Pizza on The Kitchn and then I adapted it and put my own twist on it.  It was a great dinner and now we have leftovers for lunch!

Southwestern Pizza

Ingredients:
1 lb of pizza dough
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 chili in adobo sauce, mince the chili
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2-1 cup mexican shredded, light cheese
1/2 avocado, chopped or sliced
1 lime

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Lightly grease a baking pan and roll out the dough.  Place dough on the pan.
3. In a separate saute pan, place the sliced onion and 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Cook over medium until your onions start to caramelize.  Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place black beans in a microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave for 1 minute.
5. Stir the minced chili, chili powder, cumin, salt, and 1 tbsp olive oil into the warm black beans.  Add a few tsp of the adobo sauce, to taste.  Mash this whole mixture with a fork so that you create a black bean paste and all the ingredients and well combined.
6. Spread the black bean paste over the dough.  Sprinkle the caramelized onions, corn, and tomatoes over the top.  Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, sprinkle the cheese over the top and cook for another 5 minutes.  Top with chopped avocado and a sprinkle of lime juice.

Enjoy :)

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust and Yummy Pizza Ideas

It's another Monday! That means its back to camp.  This week's theme is Reality TV and today is all about Top Chef! We are playing a bunch of food related camp games and competitions and I am excited!

After camp, I am going to get in a run and then I have Monday Night Pilates with Al Pal!  This is my little nickname for my friend Alyson who just turned 21!  I celebrated with her this weekend downtown and it was such a fun time! We went to Navy Pier to eat at Harry Carry's and watch the fireworks off the Pier.  It was a beautiful night! Afterwards, we waited until midnight and then Alyson got to have her first legal drink! We stayed overnight at this great Sheraton in the area and it was just great!  Happy Birthday Al Pal!

Today I have a yummy pizza crust recipe to share.  I made these pizzas for the 4th of July potluck my friends and I put together before the fireworks in our hometown.  I used whole wheat flour for this crust, but you can do any mix of all purpose and whole wheat.  After I made the crust, I decided on two different pizzas: Spinach, Red Pepper, and Feta and Carmelized Onion  Honey  and Goat Cheese.  Both were amazing!

Whole Wheat Pizzas

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:
1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast together.  With the mixer on, slowly pour in the water and mix until the dough just comes together.  Form the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, and place in a dry spot.  I put mine in the turned-off oven. Let rise for 18-24 hours.  I just do this part the night before I want to make my dinner.
2.  When you are ready to make the pizza.  Dust a lightly greased pizza pan or baking sheet with cornmeal.  Take half your dough and stretch it out to form the crust.  Place on the cornmeal, top with your pizza toppings and bake at 500 for about 8-10 minutes or until crust begins to brown.

Enjoy :)

Spinach, Artichoke, Pine Nut Pesto Pizza

Oh hey there! I haven't been here for a little while so I figured it was about time to say hi! I have been pretty busy with school stuff lately.  I can't believe that I am about to begin my last week of student teaching.  I have learned so much from the cooperating teacher, the teachers around me, and, of course, my students.  I truly feel prepared to take on this next year where I will be flying solo in my very own classroom!

I had to come home this weekend because I needed to take the teacher certification tests for Illinois.  So, yesterday, I spent the entire morning and afternoon taking tests.  It was super fun.  Aside from an hour Starbucks break, I was literally testing from 8 until 4:15.  It was awful! However, I am glad it was over and now I am just praying that the tests went well so I don't have to do them again!

After all those awesome tests, I came home in time to see the second and third periods of the Hawks Game! They won!!!! I ran six miles on the treadmill while watching and then showered and spent a lovely evening with my parents, some family friends, and Bri.  We had a yummy dinner and then I crashed for the night since I was exhausted!

Today I have big plans.  I am making INCEPTION COOKIES! I need to make enough cookies for every single one of my students.  That is about 150 cookies...  I have been promising them cookies for an end of the year celebration and now it is finally the end of the year! There are two more days and then FINALS! So, I feel that cookies are a great way to celebrate!

I also have a great recipe to share today that Bri and I threw together for dinner one night.  We decided to make our own pizza and we went with a Spinach, Artichoke, Pine Nut Pesto Pizza! We bought some whole wheat pizza crust from the store since we didn't have much time, but you could totally make your own.  Then we topped it with our pizza toppings, baked it, and had one heck of a dinner!

Spinach, Artichoke, Pine Nut Pesto Pizza

Ingredients:
cornmeal
16 oz store bought whole wheat pizza dough
1 can artichokes, rinsed and chopped
1 cup packed baby spinach
4 tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup pesto (your favorite)
1/2 cup shredded light mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and roll our your pizza dough.  Sprinkle some cornmeal on a cookie sheet or pizza pan and then place the pizza dough on top.
2. Spread the pesto over the pizza dough, top with spinach, artichokes, and pine nuts, and then sprinkle on both types of cheese.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until dough starts to brown and cheese is melted.

Enjoy :)

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

What better way to celebrate Pi Day than with a Deep Dish Pizza Pie!

I was feeling a tad homesick and so I decided to make myself a Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza.  I found a great recipe over at Girl Versus Dough and then went to town adding my own flair and customizing the recipe to include my favorite pizza toppings.  I went with a whole wheat crust, yummy tomato sauce, a mix of low-fat provolone and low-fat mozzarella cheese, and spinach, mushrooms, and onions as my toppings.  Holy cow this was a good looking pie and it was even better to eat!  I had tons of leftovers that I continued to enjoy throughout the week.  I love that this recipe had a healthy whole wheat crust, ensured that I got enough veggies, and left me feeling full all through the school day!  It wasn't too difficult to make and it was a fun project.  Plus, I just love using my cast iron skillet, its a great pan.

Pi day is pretty much the second most exciting day for me, after my birthday.  It brings together food and math!  That is what I am all about!  Today at school, we have a Pi Day party planned where students can bring in any kind of circular treat.  We are going to do a little warm up where we find the ratio of diameter to circumference of a few different circles   Guess what?  They all equal Pi!  So cool!  Then, I have a great Pi Day Math Rap to listen to as we chow down on our circular desserts.  I, of course, baked for my classes.  I made EIGHT pies.  Two for each of my classes.  There are four chocolate chip cookie pies and four oreo cream pies.  Don't worry, recipes will all show up here.

Without further ado, here is the recipe for my Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza Pi.  Happy Pi Day!

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients:
For the crust:
4 cups white whole wheat flour
3 tbsp corn meal
3 1/2 tsp active dried yeast
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup plus 4 tbsp lukewarm water
For the pizza:
28 oz can diced tomates, drained
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups sautéed vegetables (I used spinach, mushrooms, and sliced onions)
8 oz sliced low-fat provolone cheese
6 oz sliced low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan
olive oil

Directions:
1. Make the dough, mix together the dry ingredients and then stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Knead dough for 8-10 minutes, roll into a ball, and let rest for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 425.  Coat 12 inch cast iron pan with olive oil.  Once dough has rested, punch down dough and place in pan.  Press dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.
3.  Prepare the filling: in a large bowl, mix tomatoes with sugar, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  In a separate pan, heat about a tbsp of olive oil with the garlic.  Saute vegetables in the garlic and olive oil until cooked.
4.  Place sliced cheese on the bottom of your slightly cooked crust.  Spread tomato mixture over the cheese.  Place vegetables on top of the tomato layer.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top and drizzle with olive oil.
5.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Slice!

Enjoy :)

Weekend Getaway to St. Louis

I just had a super fun weekend in St. Louis.  I haven't been here in a while to visit Bri so I was excited to see him and experience more fun in the city!

I got in on Friday.  I missed school becuase I needed to be here by 4 to make sure I would be intime for Bri's concert.  That's right, he performed with the university orchestra.  This was apretty big deal and it was great to see him perform.  The shymphony was amazing and Bri did a great job! It was really beautiful music and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I got to sit with Bri's dad and stepmom and it was really nice to see them! After the show, we all went out to dinner with a bunch of Bri's friends to Dewey's Pizza.  The pizza at this place is pretty fantastic.  It is thin crust, and we had a red sauce pizza with spinach, sliced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and goat cheese. It was awesome!

The next day, I went for an amazing 8 mile run through Forest Park.  I love that this park is pretty much right next to Bri's apartment.  It has a great path for bikers and runners and, even though it had snowed, the path was clear.  I was planning on running 6 miles, but I was feeling so good and Bri was still sleeping, so I ended up going for 8.  At this rate, 13.1 will be easy peasy right?

After a much needed shower, I was pretty desperate for food.  Bri and I headed to Cafe Nadoz, which we heard was like cafes in Vienna.  We loved those cafes so we were excited to try this.  It wasn't really like the cafes in Vienna, but it was a pretty awesome place for lunch.  We both had really yummy sandwiches and split one of their European-style desserts, a Caramel Apple Bombe.  It was all delicious!

After Cafe Nadoz, we headed out to the Schlafly Brewery for a tour.  I found yet another beer I actually like and it was a great tour! On the way back, we stopped by my friend Michael's house and it was great to see him! After catching up, Bri and I headed back to the apartment to chill for a bit before dinner.  This meant watching 5 episodes of How I Met Your Mother...great show.

Dinner was on The Hill at Zia's.  The Hill is a great little neighborhood known for being like a Little Italy.  We arrived at Zia's to find that it would be about an hour wait.  We decided to get drinks and the famous appetizer of toasted ravioli at the bar while we waited.  This was a great plan until I took a bite into the ravioli and realized it was filled with...MEAT! I grabbed Bri's arm as we was about to take a bite and told him it was meat ravioli.  This was unfortunate as Bri is a vegetarian.  He was grateful that I stopped him before the bite and I ended up with a lot of leftover ravioli to take home with me.  Our dinner was great and Bri ended up being glad he didn't have an appetizer as his baked mostaccioli was a HUGE portion.  I had the portobello stuffed spinach ravioli with asparagus and red peppers.  Everything was super delicous and we ended the meal on a high note with some mini cannoli for dessert! Yum!

This weekend was super fun and I am sad that I have to leave today.  However, tonight is Oscar night and I can't wait to watch back in Madison with all my friends!

Lexington, KY

It's the first day of our roadtrip to South Carolina and it has already been an adventure.

First, there was a fairly epic snowstorm in Indiana that made driving rather difficult. We stopped for lunch at a Steak and Shake because it was the only thing still opened in good old Lebanon, Indiana. I haven't had food from that place in ages and it was pretty delicious! Then it was back on the road for more crawling along through the storm.

Road conditions eventually improved and we finally made it to Lexington. We had a yummy dinner at the Smashing Tomato and then got dessert at Coldstone! They have frozen yogurt now! It was a stressful driving trip, but ultimately nice day.

We returned to our hotel where Bri and I were able to get in a workout at the fitness center and then we all got some sleep. We gotta get ready for more driving tomorrow as we make our way to South Carolina!

Gingerbread House

This weekend, I was in St. Louis to visit Bri.  We had one super fun Saturday...check it out!

Bri's and my gingerbread home! 

Of course, Bri found a list of the most "life changing pizzas."  And, of course, one of the places was located in St. Louis.  So, we just had to go there for dinner!  The place is called Pastaria and aside from great pizza, they have all sorts of yummy soups, salads, sides, and pasta! It was a great place to go for dinner and we had a lovely evening.  We agreed that the pizza was extremely yummy.  The crust was fantastic!  Also, we tried some soup and their risotto balls.  Everything was delicious.  Cue the food:

Earlier that day, we put together our very first gingerbread house! We made the cookie pieces from scratch as well as the icing and then we got to decorating.  It was such a fun day!

For the gingerbread, we used Martha Stewart's recipe.  We made more than enough dough and so I saved half of it for a future gingerbread creation.  Then, we also used her Royal Icing recipe.  Everything was fairly simply and we ended up with one great looking home.

Pizza Puffs

Today I have a fun recipe for yet another appetizer that can be made in cupcake form.  These pizza puffs are the perfect bite-sized appetizer for a kids birthday party.  They are super simple and you end up with an adorable bite of pizza.  Just dip in marinara sauce and you are ready to go!  I made the basic version, but the original recipe has a bunch of ideas for different flavors of pizza, so you should definitely check it out.  Or, just add the flavors that you enjoy! My version below is for about 100 mini puffs.

Pizza Puffs (adapted from Six in the Suburbs)

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups flour
3 3/4 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 3/4 cups skim milk
5 eggs
5 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese
Marinara Sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease a mini muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and garlic together.
3. In a stand mixer, whisk the milk, eggs, and mozzarella cheese together until the eggs are well combined. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until incorporated.
4. Fill each cup in the mini muffin pan about 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm and with marinara sauce for dipping.  We had the marinara sauce in a mini slow-cooker with the pizza puffs nearby and it was perfect for a large party! You can also place the pizza puffs in the fridge and then reheat them by placing them in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes.
Enjoy :)

Pizza Party!

HALF MARATHON MONDAY!

That is what I have decided today is!

I went out to complete a 12 mile run...I ran into construction and started to take the detour.  Then I found out that the detour was not going to work for me while on foot...so I turned around.  Then, a construction worker let me through the construction and I was able to continue on my mapped out course.  It took me about 2 hours and 15 minutes with all the construction shenanigans and when I sat down to map out what I actually ended up running, I found that I ran 13.75 miles! WOAH! I felt pretty great and super proud that I did it.  I can't believe that my first half marathon was completely unofficial and a total accident, but I'm still proud that I was able to do it.  Plus, I ran the entire time!

I think it must be the new shoes...

I also recently discovered the greatest pizza crust recipe.  So, basically, I am full of success stories today.  I encourage you to try out this recipe ASAP.  Seriously, have a huge pizza party or make-your-own pizza night.  Whatever your style is, this recipe is great.  You will get amazing thin crust dough that is crispy with perfectly fluffy bubbles and has an amazing chewy crust! Plus, this is a no-knead dough.  I love low-maintenance food! The only downside, is that this stuff needs to rise for about 18-20 hours, so you need to plan your pizza night a day in advance.  Have fun!

No-Knead Perfect Pizza Dough (adapted from Some Kitchen Stories-originally from Jim Lahey)

Ingredients (for about 3 pizzas):
3 3 /4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:
1. In a big mixing bowl, mix flour, salt and yeast.  Slowly mix in the water and continue to mix for a few minutes, until dough just comes together.  Form dough into a rough ball (it will be a little sticky) and then place the bowl in a dry, room temperature area.  I put mine in the oven (off obviously) and let the dough rise for 18-20 hours.  The dough should more than double in size.

Preparing the dough...

2. When you are ready to make your pizza, take the dough out and place on a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into 3 equal balls.  Lightly coat each ball with flour and let sit under a wet towel for an hour.

So beautiful! 

3.  Preheat your oven to it's hottest setting (500 or 550).  If you are using a pizza stone, preheat the oven with the stone in it.  If you are using a baking sheet, make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven, but do not preheat the baking sheet. I used a baking sheet and covered each sheet with some corn meal to make a crispier crust-just a thought.

Some sauteed veggies

4. Prepare your toppings: I made three pizzas.  One was a Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese, Thyme and Honey Pizza (of course to use up more of those caramelized onions...).  One was a Spinach, Red Pepper, and Feta Pizza, and the last was plain old Cheese.  For the first two, I brushed the pizza dough with a light olive oil and for the last, I threw together a basic sauce and then covered it with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Make whatever you want!

5. When the dough is done resting, dust your hands with flour and start to form the dough into a pizza crust.  Start by stretching the dough with your hands and then flip your hands over so that your knuckles are working the dough and start to spin the dough into a traditional circle.  Place the dough on the baking sheets (with or without corn meal) and then prepare your toppings in whatever way you want.
6. Bake the pizzas for about 10 minutes if using a baking sheet and about 5-7 if using a stone.  The crust should be blistered and bubbly-that's how you know it's perfect!
Enjoy :)

My dad said this was the best crust he had ever had! 

Mini Greek Pita Pizzas

I went to a yoga class yesterday where we heard a simple message: the holidays are here and that means dealing the the stressors that can be brought by family and party planning.  So, while meditating, we were told to forget those things for a moment and think of something that fills you with joy.  We thought of that joyous moment or thing and let it fill us up.  Then, we sent that feeling to someone.  Anyone.  I could be someone you would like to thank or someone who you feel needs a little more joy.

The holidays are supposed to be about joy.  Sure, family is stressful, but it was nice to take a moment to remember and focus on something we are supposed to feel and probably take for granted when it comes around.  I don't think there is any better feeling than sitting with family and friends around an amazing meal and just laughing and enjoying each others company.

So, as the holidays come around.  Think about that.  And do some yoga :)

Of course, I would never leave you without a good food idea.  So, here it is.  It is the perfect little meal for a weeknight, or a great appetizer for a party.

Greek Pita Pizzas (Adapted from Pink Parsley)

Ingredients:
5 6-inch whole wheat pita
olive oil
1/2 hummus
3/4 cup grape tomato, halved
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1/2 cup low-fat mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup low-fat feta, crumbled

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 475.  Lightly brush olive oil over both sides of each pita and place, in a single layer, on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 5 minutes and then set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the 1 tbsp of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano.  Toss the tomatoes and red onion in this mixture and then season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread some hummus on each pita leaving a small margin around the sides. Next, sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the hummus. Then, drop some of the veggie mixture on top.  Finally, sprinkle on the crumbled feta.
4.  Bake in the oven for another 6-8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.  Allow to cool and then cut into quarters. Serve plain or with tzatziki sauce.  We went the plain route.
Enjoy :)

Whole Wheat Calzones

A while ago at work, I came across this blog that had a list of cute and inexpensive date night activities.  While I was in St. Louis.  Bri and I took a peek at the list and were amazed to see how much be had already done! One of the things that we hadn't done was the "make your own pizza night." This is actually pretty surprising.  I love to cook (surprise!) and Bri and his dad have this tradition of making their own Chicago-style pizza every year.  It would make perfect sense for us to have a date-night where we cook pizza together.  However, we had never done it! So, we rushed right out to the grocery store and got the ingredients for whole wheat pizza dough and the toppings that we wanted.  But wait, there's more! I have this goal over spring break to finally go through a TON of the recipes that I have had saved for EVER.  One of the recipes is for Whole Wheat Calzones from The Healthy Foodie.  This seemed like the perfect way to have make your own pizza night and help me with my spring break goal.  The recipe called for a basic lightened-up spinach calzone and she even threw in tofu to get some extra protein! We went for spinach-red pepper-mushroom (for me) and spinach-red pepper-tomato (for Bri).  It was the perfect date-night activity and it was super yummy!!!

Whole Wheat Calzones (dough from King Arthur and Calzone from The Healthy Foodie)

Ingredients:

For the dough (make 1/4 of the recipe for 2 calzones):
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lukewarm orange juice
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water
For the filling:
2-3 cups packed spinach
1 red pepper
1 tomato
salt and pepper
nutmeg
1 cup low-fat mozzarella
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 egg

Directions:
Make the dough (you should do this the day before) We made ours around 8 at night and started cooking around 4 the next day:
1. Mix all ingredients together and let rest for 30 minutes. Then, mix and knead until you have a smooth, soft dough.
2. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover it, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Then, place in fridge for about 16 hours. Remove from fridge, lightly brush the dough with olive oil, re-cover it, and let rise for 2 more hours in a draft-free, room temperature area.
3. Once the dough is ready, cut it in half and roll out two rounds, 6-8 inches in diameter.

Make your calzone filling:
1. If you are like us and want different fillings, then just use two skillets and sauté the veggies that you want with the salt and pepper (to taste), add the spinach at the end and sauté until it is wilted.  Remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl (or two small ones with half of each ingredient), mix the mozzarella, cottage cheese, egg and nutmeg (we also threw in a little cheddar cheese).  Add in the veggies and stir to combine.
3. Drop the filling into the middle of the calzone rounds.  Flatten it out slightly and push towards one side of the circle.  Fold over the other side of the dough and press into the other side.  Fold the edges together at least once (twice if you can) and press together with a fork.
4. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 18-20 minutes or until the dough is browned and a little crispy.
Serve with marinara sauce for dipping or anything else that you would like!

Enjoy :)