06 February 2011

Sunday Brunch

When I think about Sunday brunch I don't just think about omelettes and cantaloupe. I also think about catching up with friends, reviewing the past week, and planning for the upcoming week. So I've decided that on Sundays I will share a favorite recipe and anything special that might have happened during the previous week.

Last week Jake got a job offer from a ranch back in Wyoming. As much as we like living in Montana it's just not right for us and this job is just what he's been looking for. He'll get to be horseback a lot more and we'll be a bit closer to town. The job starts March 1st so the majority of this week has been spent gathering boxes, sorting out junk for the garbage, beginning packing, and working on my February swaps.

Today and yesterday were spent cutting. Cutting for my Modern Stash Quilting Bees blocks, my Block-a-palooza blocks that I'm catching up on, and the applique pieces for my Birdie Big Block quilt. This week there will be more cutting, sewing, and packing. Jake will spend his days feeding the cows and supposedly the snow will let up for a few days and things will begin to melt and mud up. I guess that means that spring is on her way.

As for my recipe* this week...My favorite food lately has been pizza. Actually, I've always loved pizza, but I received the Pioneer Woman's cookbook for my birthday and I can't get enough of her pizza dough. It's fabulous! Usually I make pizza one night with half the dough and a couple days later make calzones with the rest. Tonight I made a pesto chicken calzone and it was delicious! I split the dough into 4 pieces (remember this is half the recipe) and flattened them onto cookie sheets. I made a creamy pesto by reducing part of a jar (1/3 - 1/2) of pesto into about 1/2 cup of milk. I spread the sauce onto the dough then added mushroom, olives, cooked chicken, cheese, and onion onto half of each piece of dough. Then I folded the dough over and pressed the ends together. I baked them in the oven until the dough had a beautiful crispy brown color. I served these with a hearty ground elk and veggie soup that had been simmering for a couple hours on the stove. Dessert was some Tollhouse cookies that I had made this morning. I wish I had taken pictures because the meal was definitely a success.

Since I decided to begin these Sunday Brunches at about 9.00 this evening I didn't get pictures this week, but I hope to have plenty for future weeks. If you would also like to participate in future Sunday Brunches just let me know. I would love to turn these into a linky party. If you're not a cook your "recipes" can be a favorite tutorial instead.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by. :)


*When I cook (unless I'm baking) I do not measure things out. I eyeball everything. I use a little bit of this and a lot of that and taste test often.

3 comments:

Jake said...

I enjoy a Sunday brunch with you. It is nice to slow down and catch up. Love cooking with you.

Bree said...

Those pesto calzones sounds delicious! I absolutely love pesto & have been on quite a kick for it lately. I've had the cookbook on my wish list for a while now & was bummed when I didn't get it for Christmas. It might need to jump to the top of my list!

Erica said...

I definitely drooled on my keyboard reading that recipe. Sounds so good! And good luck on the move!