Starving Artist Ink.

it’s so rewarding putting together simple ingredients, and coming out with something real…wonderful. delicious.

something that i made with my own hands. something that might not be perfect the first time around, that i have to make adjustments until it is just right.

growing up, mom and dad both shared the kitchen. a lot dishes included mom’s secret touches, while others were only perfect if dad made them. it was well balanced and wonderful.

the past month i have finally felt comfortable and confident enough to let loose and try my hand at baking.

i’ve been collecting recipes for a few years now. and i’ve been in love with food photography for a lot longer.

today’s recipe: pizza dough.

i made calzones. what is it about them that tastes SO different from a regular pizza? it’s the same ingredients… just. folded up.

like i said, simple ingredients…

it was my first time ever making anything like this, without the help and wise hands of someone else to make sure it was all coming together well.

wondering if the yeast would come out right… if i would knead the dough too little, or too much.

if it would rise….

(my kitchen wasn’t particularly warm today, so i aided it along a bit…)

there was no reason to worry, because the dough was absolutely beautiful.

so perfect… the second rise it puffed up quite large, so i was glad that i let it sit for as long as i could. (meanwhile, the kitchen warmed up since i baked some cookies)

i don’t have a rolling pin, so i used a jar of tomato sauce.

the dough was so easy to roll, and didn’t need much extra flour. it was super smooth..

(i separated it into four equal parts, but instead, combined them again-into half dough. i should have gone with my first instinct on the size needed… but i ended up just making one massive calzone, and left the other half of the dough in the fridge to make into something later on)

the monster calzone included minced steak, chorizo slices, onion, and mushroom with some grated mozzarella cheese.

fold it over and make sure to fold the dough-and make a tight seal.

poke a few holes in the top to let it breathe.

cut in half, or fourths… depending on who you are feeding and how hungry you are. : )

yumlish. perfect… but so filling…

the ‘toppings’ are endless. i was thinking of making a chicken one. oy vey… typing that out after eating this… the idea of that is just too much!