EASY CALZONES

EASY CALZONES FOR EVERYONE!!

  
2 sheets of pie crust prepared or make your own.(OR 2 pizza crusts.)
5 tomatoes sliced thin.
a Tablespoon Herbs (Rosemary, oregano, basil or any Italian herbs)
Cream cheese,
Parmesan, Mozzarella, Romano (or a blended package of fine shredded cheese)
salt and pepper to taste.
garlic and melted butter

Blend the herbs and cheeses together

Roll out one crust...lay slices of tomatoes all over the crust about 2 fingers apart. Place a spoonful of the blended herbs, cream cheese, and other cheeses on top of the tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.

add another sprinkle of cheese over the top of the tomato. Gently place the top pie crust or pizza crust over the top. Seal all the way around. Take a drinking glass and gently cut out each bump of tomato. Make sure each round Calzone is sealed. Use a little water to ensure seal.

Give each Calzone a bath of garlic and melted butter then drop gently into hot grease until they brown or float to top...(You could also bake at 375 until brown.)

Serve with a good marinara sauce.

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{Easy} Slow Cooker Rotisserie-Style Chicken

{Easy} Slow Cooker Rotisserie-Style Chicken

Ingredients:
 
-1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs.
-1 recipe herb-butter rub (I have included a choice of recipes below)

Easy Herb-Butter
1/2 packet lipton’s recipe secrets, Savory Herb with Garlic*
4 tbsp. butter, softened

Combine all ingredients.

*I have also used Grill Mates garlic, herb, wine dry marinade mix, and Weber Garlic & Herb dry marinade mix.

Fresh Herb-Butter
4 tbsp. butter, softened
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. fresh parsley
1 tbsp. fresh basil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper.

Combine all ingredients.

Instructions:

1. In the bottom of slow cooker, place balled up aluminum foil. (This will keep chicken elevated above juices. If you’d like to make more of a one-pot meal, you can cover the bottom with carrots and potatoes for the same purpose).

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry, placing it on top of the aluminum foil balls. DO NOT ADD WATER. This is very important in giving your chicken that rotisserie-style taste and texture. The chicken releases plenty of juices.

3. Cover chicken liberally with herb-butter rub.

4. For best results, cook on high for 3-4 hours, until chicken is cooked thoroughly, exact time will vary based on size of chicken. You can also cook on low 6-8 hours.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine does!

More Tips

Reserve chicken drippings and juice to make your own chicken stock for basically free, and much better than store-bought!  All you need to do is remove all chicken from bones. Replace all bones and any extra skin back into slow-cooker with the drippings and juice. Add water to fill slow-cooker, and cook on low overnight.  If desired, you can add more spices for flavoring, and more vegetables like carrots, peppers, onions, celery, etc. for nutrients and flavor.  Allow to cool and then store in freezer-safe containers in the freezer until needed.

Leftover Ideas

One of the things I love most about this meal is that it’s so versatile for leftovers. I love it when I can cook one thing and use it for different meals that my family loves, so that it’s easy on me without feeling like we’re eating leftovers all week. This meal is perfect for that.
-> Add some chicken together with pasta, california vegetable blend, and alfredo sauce for a baked chicken alfredo.
-> Chicken & dumplings using your leftover chicken and homemade chicken stock
-> Chicken pot-pie casserole
-> Chicken salad sandwiches
You can even freeze the extra chicken for a quick meal any time.

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Crisp Cucumber Salsa

Crisp Cucumber Salsa:

Note: 1/4 cup is only 16 calories! YES ONLY 16 Calories!!!


2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.
 

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Easy Cheesy Breadsticks

Who buys frozen garlic bread or cheese sticks - NO MORE!!

Share this with your friends...they'll thank you!!!

Easy Cheesy Breadsticks


1 (10 ounce) cans prepared pizza crust
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
marinara sauce


Directions
Preheat oven to 425.
Unroll pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet or Lg. Bar Stone, and brush with butter.
Sprinkle cheeses and spices evenly over the dough.
With a pizza cutter, cut dough lengthwise into 12 long strips. Then cut those in half to make 24 strips.
Do not seperate strips.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
Recut along each strip and remove from cooking sheet.
Serve sticks warm with marinara sauce.



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REFRESHING FLAVORED WATER IDEAS & RECIPES

~REFRESHING FLAVORED WATER IDEAS & RECIPES~

I’ve always liked drinking my water with a slice or two of lemon–-that extra little touch of flavor just makes water more appealing to me. There are a lot of other ways you can flavor water naturally. You can get really creative with it! Here are some ideas…

Add a slice of your favorite citrus to a tall glass of ice water…try lemon, lime, or orange slices. Or combine them…slices of lemon and lime…orange and lime…or try all three together!

Fresh mint is always a great addition to a glass of ice water.

Combine lemon slices with fresh herbs in your water…try lemon with mint, rosemary, thyme, or sliced ginger root.

Cucumbers are great in water, too! Slice up a large cucumber and add it to a pitcher of water…it’s really refreshing. You can also try cucumber with some fresh thyme added in. Or cucumber slices with lemon or orange slices.

If you want a more intense flavor to your glass of water, squeeze the citrus and/or twist the herbs you are using before you add them to your glass.

Besides lemons, oranges, and limes, you can try adding other kinds of fruit to your glass or pitcher of water…a small handful of your favorite berries (or mixed berries) is a nice addition to a glass of ice water. Other fruits you can try alone or in combination are: watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, grapes, and kiwi.

Orange and mint or strawberry and cucumber combinations to flavor your water–are also great ideas!

NOTE: I usually drink my flavored water the same day I make it…I think it tastes best that way. Depending on what you add to your water, it may get cloudy or bitter-tasting if stored in the refrigerator too long.

If you’re wanting to make a pitcher of flavored water, you basically just slice or chop up some fresh fruit, cucumbers, or herbs and place in a pitcher, add cold water and chill several hours. The result is water infused with a light, natural flavor. It’s ready to serve over ice, garnished with a slice of fruit or clipping of an herb of your choice. Here are some other recipes for flavored water you may want to try:

CITRUS CUCUMBER WATER

1 large lemon, sliced
1 large lime, sliced
1 large orange, sliced
1 large cucumber, sliced
1 half-gallon of water
Place all the sliced fruits and the cucumber in a glass pitcher and add water. Refrigerate for two hours to allow flavors to infuse, then serve in glasses over ice.

CUCUMBER–HERBAL WATER

5 cups water
10 thin slices of cucumber
2 lemon slices
2 sprigs of fresh mint
3 sprigs of rosemary
Put water in pitcher and add lemon slices and cucumber slices. Crush mint and rosemary to release flavor, then add to other ingredients. Refrigerate for several hours. Serve over ice in tall glasses. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

CUCUMBER–MELON WATER

1 large cucumber, sliced
1/4 honeydew melon, cubed
1/4 cantaloupe, cubed
1 half-gallon water
Place cucumber and melons in a glass pitcher and add water. Refrigerate for 2 hours, then serve over ice. Garnish with melon balls skewered on a swizzle stick.

HONEYDEW–LIME WATER

2–3 slices of ripe honeydew melon
1 lime, sliced
4 sprigs of mint
1 half-gallon of water
Add melon slices, lime slices and mint sprigs to a large pitcher; fill with the half-gallon of water and refrigerate 2–4 hours. Serve in ice-filled glasses. Makes about 8 servings.

HERB AND BERRY–FLAVORED WATER

1 cup fresh blueberries, lightly crushed
2 4–inch sprigs of fresh rosemary. lightly bruised (to release more flavor)
1 half-gallon of water
Add blueberries and rosemary sprigs to a large pitcher; fill with the half-gallon of water and refrigerate 2–4 hours. Serve in ice-filled glasses. Makes about 8 servings.

LEMON–LAVENDER WATER

3 large lemons, sliced
1/4 cup fresh lavender
1 half-gallon of water
Add lemon slices and lavender to pitcher; pour water over both and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve over ice and garnish with a sprig of lavender.

LEMON–MINT or LEMON-BASIL WATER

4 lemons, sliced
1 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh mint or basil leaves
6–8 cups water
6–8 cups ice cubes
Fresh mint or basil sprigs
Place lemon slices in a large pitcher. Rub the mint or basil leaves between the palms of your hands to bruise the leaves slightly. Add to the pitcher with lemon and pour in the water. Cover and chill 1–8 hours.

Strain lemon–water mixture and discard herbs. Divide lemon slices and additional fresh mint or basil sprigs equally among 6–8 glasses. In each glass, add 1 cup of ice cubes, then fill with lemon water.

LEMON, LIME AND ORANGE WATER

1 large lemon, sliced
1 large lime, sliced
1 large orange, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
1 half-gallon of water
Add citrus slices (and cilantro leaves, if desired) to a large pitcher; fill with the half-gallon of water and refrigerate 2 hours. Serve in ice-filled glasses. Garnish with your favorite citrus slice (and a sprig of cilantro, if you’re using that). Makes about 8 servings.

FROZEN FRUIT WATER

2 cups frozen apple chunks, grapes, or berries
1 half-gallon of water
Add frozen fruit to a pitcher; pour water over fruit and let sit at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Stir to distribute fruit flavor and serve in glasses with some ice cubes. (Note: you can chop up the same kind of fruit, unfrozen, and follow same directions. You’ll need to use more ice when serving the unfrozen fruit–flavored water).

ORANGE–MINT WATER

3 large oranges, sliced
10 mint leaves
1 half-gallon of water
Put sliced oranges and mint leaves in pitcher and add water; refrigerate for 2 hours to infuse flavors. Pour over ice and garnish with a sprig of mint and orange slice.

WATERMELON–BASIL WATER

2 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
10 basil leaves
1 half-gallon of water
Pour water over melon and basil; refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve over ice, garnished with a sprig of basil

FRUIT WATER

1 each of the following fruits: apple, lemon, orange, pear
4 large strawberries
Handful of raspberries
Handful of mint leaves
1 half-gallon of water
Cut large slices or thin wedges of each fruit; place them in a large glass pitcher and add cold water. Refrigerate 2 hours and serve over ice in tall glasses.

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