Summer in the City

...means it's time to make your own calzones! We classed it up with Chilean wine, a spinach, mushroom and bell pepper salad, and, of course, good friends.


Calzone Recipe

The Dough:
1 cup warm water

1 packet rapid-rise yeast

3 cups flour

2 tbl olive oil

1 tsp salt

Dissolve the yeast in water first, then mix in the other ingredients.

Let rise for 15 minutes.

Punch down and kneed the dough, and divide the dough into 4 fist-sized balls. Roll each ball flat.

Dab with tomato sauce. (Not to much, or it'll explode like tomato lava all over your oven!)

Pile on your favorite pizza toppings -- grated cheese, chopped vegetables, mushrooms, olives, fresh basil and already-cooked sausage or pepperoni are all good options.

Fold over in half and pinch together the open side of the crescent.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees. Remember to let cool five minutes before chowing down!

Thanks to Susannah Hansen for the great recipe.

A fondness for the window box in my mother's kitchen.

Not To Be Outdone

Although she's a stranger to the blogosphere (as far as I know), I wouldn't want Mocha to think Lottie was getting all the love. My sister's boyfriend Perry did a photo shoot with our pretty pooch back in April. Now, he's moved on to people -- fashion photography, to be exact, is the class he's taking over the summer. But we all know his most fabulous model is of canine pedigree.

Woof.

Since moving home, I've spent a considerable amount of time hanging out with my family's bizarre yet lovable year-old puppy, Lottie. She is obsessed with turning circles, playing a very sophisticated game that is a hybrid between tug-of-war, fetch and hide-and-go-seek, and pretending her rug "Woolly" is a live animal that must be destroyed.

Last week, when we were going on a walk, she caught sight of a jack rabbit up ahead and I yelled, "Lottie! This is what you were made for!" Together we took off after it, but it hopped under a neighbor's fence, to Lottie's dismay.

I didn't get a video of that chase, but here are some pretty great ones of Lottie's indoor exploits.

Moving Week

This is (was) my first apartment in Austin.