"T" is for Tomatoes; Tomato and Onion Calzone

Today's vegetable is tomato, which I'm sure every one is familiar with. Without thinking about it, we probably do consume tomato's in some form at least two times a week. So why did I choose to make it the star for the letter T? Because its really just that delicious! There are a number of other "T" vegetables that I encourage other people to check out. I wish I could but selection around here is pretty awful! I'm looking forward to the local farmers markets coming back so I can get a better variety of vegetables. This recipe was something that I threw together based on what I had in the house. The ingredients are:

green onion

onion

roma tomato's

pizza crust-like dough

tomato sauce

olive oil & spices

I would've loved to have made a really intricate dish when tomatoes took center stage but tomato calzone's were just too perfect because I got to empty my refrigerator at the same time! These were my steps (also illustrated with pictures below):

1. Preheat oven 400˚F

2. Get a slight bake on the pizza crust (they have roll out dough available or you can make your own -- I encourage making your own so you can add minced garlic into the dough!)

3. Chop green onion, onion and tomatoes (the outer shell, no the seeds) and mix.

4. Place onto dough and roll.

5. Cut vents into the top and bake.

6. Mix oil and spices (of the Italian variety) and brush onto uncooked calzone.

7. Bake for about 10 minutes.

I opted for no cheese since I do not like it, but fresh mozzarella balls would be delicious inside the calzone. Also, the "spices" I mentioned really are up to you. I have my own secret mixture that I use to dip bread in, but I'll give you one hint: DON'T FORGET THE ROSEMARY! Rosemary is delicious! I also served with it tomato sauce for dipping.

Ratings

Taste: 5 out of 5

Level of Difficulty: Easy

"V" is for Vidalia Onions: Bacon and Vidalia Pinwheels

Today's alphabetical vegetable is vidalia. Vidalia is sweeter than it's other onions friends and can really be used in anything. I opted for the pinwheel recipe because the picture on the website looked just too good to pass up. Unfortunately, mine didn't turn out as pretty as theirs, however they are just as delicious! I changed the main ingredients slightly (and lost the butter - gross!) but otherwise they are the same:

vidalia onion
turkey bacon (its supposed to be healthier)
parsley
crescent rolls

A few adjustments I'd make to the recipe next time include: adding more onion and instead of the crescent rolls, I'd go ahead and get another type of Pillsbury role. The crescent type of role made it nearly impossible to create the large version the recipe calls for. Unless you're an expert at opening those cans and unrolling the dough perfectly so you can press the perforations together, I'd say, forget it and buy a different type (like the pizza). I made two versions because of the first dough-fiasco and the mini rolls turned out much better looking.

If you have a sweet tooth, this recipe is for you! Because of the onion and the rolls, it was a lot more sweet than I was expecting!

Ratings

Taste: 4 out of 5

Level of Difficulty: Easy

the star of today's show!

the stuffing

mini rolls, about to go into the oven

final product!

my apron :)