Happy Thursday, friends.
My week has been busy getting all the final details ready for our 3rd Annual PUBlic Art Crawl in Huntington Village. I realized I don’t talk about my full-time job often, and after learning that my mom thinks I’m an event planner, which in her defense is partially true, I started thinking about how we identify ourselves.
Rarely do I ever identify as “The Director of Operations”, because while it’s an incredible role that I’m grateful for, my life continues outside of my job. That’s the part of my world I share here. There are exceptions to that, and this week is one of those.
Three years ago, we started a PUBlic Art Crawl as a way to bring people outside and enjoy all the public-facing art in Huntington. There are over 20 murals within walking distance in the village, and our goal was to bring highlight the abundance of art in our town. The program has grown tremendously, and this year, we’re shutting down Wall Street! (which, for non-Huntington folks- it’s the main artery in the village)
Even cooler? We spearheaded the FIRST street music festival called “Summer in the Streets” right in the heart of the village. We’ll be doing two more concert series after this one on Wall Street, and I just can’t believe I have a role in all of this.
I’m grateful that my job can positively impact where I live and plan on growing my family so beautifully, and it’s worth all the insurance paperwork.
With such a chaotic week, I’ve been cooking easy comfort food. I try hard not to fall into a pattern of “it’s a busy week so let’s order in” for two reasons:
1. yes, I am on a wedding diet. (I’m not looking to lose 100lbs- but I do want to tone up so I can be the most extra all day, confidently)
2. Ordering out is expensive and I cook better than 90% of the restaurants in town. Yes, I’ll die on that hill.
Today’s recipe is a delicious and easy meal that is also fun to eat. I love making these chicken calzones so let’s dive into it.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces Italian chicken sausage, sweet or hot,
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
⅔ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons Parsley
2 teaspoons Basil
1 or 2 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly ground pepper to your liking (if you’re me, its a heavy pepper hand)
1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
Step 1
Preheat oven to 475 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Step 2
Spray your skillet with olive oil (or use a tablespoon) over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until it’s not pink anymore. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 1 minute.
While all of that is cooking, grab a bowl (medium or large) and mix olive oil, ricotta, mozzarella, and seasonings. When the spinach and sausage are cooked through, mix them in, too. That’s your stuffing.
Step 3
Like a true Italian, flour your countertop and roll your dough into a 6(ish) inch log and then cut that into 5 pieces. Roll out each piece into little round pizzas and place 1/2 cup of the filling on one-half of the little round pizzas. Then, fold the dough over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. On top, cut a few slits to let out the steam, and brush the top of the calzones with a little bit of olive oil. Repeat until all 5 are made. (as you can see in my image, it’s okay if they’re not perfect- they’re still delicious. We embrace the perfectly imperfect here)
Step 4
Bake the calzones in the lower third of the oven until browned on top, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. You can serve with a marinara but I personally do a honey, fig jam mix for dipping :)
And, there ya have it. Thank you for being here! We’ll be back on Monday with a little bit of a soul.
Enjoy the weekend, friends. If you’re on Long Island and want to visit the art crawl, I’ll be there!
Highway to the calzone zone!!!!