When Jon and I first moved in together he introduced me to a lot of American traditions, especially American food.
One of the first nights in our apartment, he opened up a can of Chef Boyardee and ate it right there in our kitchen with a spoon. No warming it up. No putting it in a dish. Just straight out of the can.
Chef Boyardee is something that reminds Jon of his childhood and family dinners. He has fond memories of the delicious, hearty pasta with beef and tomato sauce.
When I got the opportunity to test out some products from Chef Boyardee, Jon was ecstatic to share his childhood memories with Peanut. Well, that and to eat a ton of Chef Boyardee.
I was excited to try out some new recipes.
After experimenting with some of the recipes available on the Chef Boyardee Facebook page, we decided to try out our own little twist on the recipes and create some Chef Boyardee Calzones.
I have to tell you guys that Iím a little nutty about Peanutís diet and try my best to make sure that she is getting a grain, protein, veggie, and a fruit at just about every meal. So when making the calzones, I wanted to incorporate some of those ingredients into my recipe.
Thankfully, Chef Boyardee took care of some of the veggie, the protein, and grain since we chose to use the Cheesy Burger Macaroni.
To give it a little additional flavor and some more of the nutrition our little growing chicken nugget needs, I added ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, spinach, and egg and wrapped it all in a pizza crust.
To make the calzones, unroll the pizza crust and cut it into 6 squares.
In a bowl, mix a cup of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1 egg, and half a package of spinach.
Wrap a spoonful of the ricotta mix and some Chef Boyardee goodness.
Pinch the edges to keep the calzone nice and tight and brush the outside with some olive oil.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then cover the calzones with some tinfoil and turn the oven down to 350 while you let them bake for about 5-10 more minutes.
I love the golden color of these calzones and the delicious filling. It’s like a mix between a pizza and lasagna, without all the hard work and time (which we all know I’ll never have again).
But most important is the reaction Peanut had to this dinner.
Let me start by telling you that although Peanut is a very good eater, she is always skeptical of anything new that we place in front of her. After cooling off some pieces of the calzone, we cut it up and placed it in front of our beloved child and watched her intently.
She looked at me skeptically, then tried a piece. And another piece. And the rest of the pieces on the tray. Then she looked up at us and demanded more. By the end of dinner she shoveled almost an entire calzone!
To say that this was a success would be an understatement!
Are you intrigued? Well, there’s more!
You could win free groceries for a year by using Hector Boiardi’s original recipes to create their own! Let your little chefs help you create your own unique recipe that uses Chef Boyardee as an ingredient for a chance to win!
Enter Chef Boyardee’s Make It Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest from December 29, 2011 through March 11, 2012 for your chance to win free groceries for a year as well as one of ten $500 weekly cash prizes. Then visit Chef Boyardee’s Facebook page from March 26, 2012 through April 8, 2012 to vote for your favorite recipes from the Make It Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest. Each day, one voter will be selected to win a $100 cash prize.
So what are you waiting for?
Be sure to visit the Chef Boyardee Roundup page on BlogHer.com to check out other bloggers’ recipes!
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