April 20th, 2009 
duodishes 
We’re not that far out of college, but it’s been long enough where Friday nights don’t necessarily mean crazy mayhem on the evening agenda. There was a time when the work day’s countdown to 6:00 pm meant happy hour followed by a long night into the wee hours of the morning. These days, it means time to skidaddle home through LA traffic and chill. Hard. Saturdays are meant for partying; Fridays are not. Sometimes we just want to relax, sometimes we just want to hang at the apartment. Other times we want to cook. Most Fridays are great for making pizza and taking it easy, so we did.
It’s more like a calzone than a pizza. We actually made a large calzone and about 6 minis. We should’ve tried our hand at making a pizza dough, but it was Friday people! We were feeling lazy. That’s why our friend Trader Joe always has our backs. His garlic and herb ready-to-bake dough was just right. A quick marinara sauce topped the whole thing off. Literally.
Goat Cheese and Peppers Pockets – Serves 2 to 4
1 premade pizza dough
1/2 red onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint mixed mini sweet peppers, minced
4-6 ounces goat cheese
1 egg yolk, whisked
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1. Swirl a bit of olive oil in a pan. Add garlic, peppers and onions and cook until slightly softened, approx. 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Salt to taste.
2. As veggies cool, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and split into 2 or 4 even pieces based on preference. (Try the mini pockets by cutting dough with a glass or knife into smaller circles.)
3. Spread pepper mixture evenly between pieces of dough, followed by goat cheese.
4. Fold over and press edges of dough together with a fork. Lay on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
5. Whisk egg with milk. Brush mixture over each calzone and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until top browns. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.
Marinara Sauce – Approx. 3 cups
28 ounces whole tomatoes
1/2 red onion, minced
2 teaspoons red chili flakes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon basil, minced
Olive oil
1. Swirl olive oil in a sauce pan and add onions and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes. Crush with a potato masher or large spoon. Cook on low for 30-35 minutes, mashing tomatoes every now and then to break up the larger pieces.
3. Remove from heat and stir in basil and salt.*
*If you prefer a smoother tomato sauce, pop the tomatoes in a blender before stirring in basil and salt.
Click HERE for printable recipes.
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Mmm, this looks like my ideal Friday night meal! Is it bad that sometimes I think, forget the happy hour, I just want to sit on my sofa and watch mindless television?
I have never liked going out on Friday night because I am beat. Plus the older I get the harder it is to recover. Heck I had 6 beers last Saturday night and Monday I am still feeling it. Grrr…..
A good calzone is a beautiful thing.
Ha! I am totally feeling you on that one! I am only 27 years old, but going out twice a week is like torture to me now!!! I’d love to relax with one of those and veg out! WOW that looks good!
I’m so feeling you on the Friday night chill. You’ve basically described my ideal end of the week night-in. Pizza a/o calzones make is that much better. Yum!
I love a good homemade calzone, as long as the dough is good. I have not tried TJ dough as I am in love with Whole Foods dough and am afraid to try LOL!
What a great idea. I love goat cheese and in a pocket of peppers..well, it sounds delicious.
Marinara sauce from scratch. love it! i might try that tonight….and its only Monday!
wow this looks like a mouthful…a tasty one at that….
What a creative and tasty recipe. They look really yummy.
Oh My does this ever look so very delicious… amazingly so.. love the marinara sauce, simple yet packed with flavor.
I’ve never seen this meal before. What a great one.
I love the pre-made crusts at Trader Joe’s!
I love goat cheese, but usually just put some on a salad, I love the idea of putting it in the calzone.
I can’t wait to try that!
I know what you mean about Friday nights. My day’s of going out late on a Friday are long gone…as soon as I get home, I put on my jammies, and order a pizza! And that’s just fine with me!!
Goat cheese and pizza dough is enough of a party for me! They look delicious!
Stunning. Calzones are the bomb and those look particularly good.
Ah, Trader Joe’s. He’s always there to come to the rescue. Wonderful job on those calzones. Beats ordering out any day.
Looks great – I was feeling a bit lazy on the cooking front this weekend, took all kinds of shortcuts
I am a big fan of the big chill on Friday nights. I’m always way too exhausted to even think about getting all dolled up for a night on the town! I’ll take pizza and sweatpants over all that nonsense every single time!
Those pizza pockets sound delicious with goat cheese and peppers!
I love making giant calzones, and the goat cheese and peppers sound great!
Oooooh chile!
Fridays night with you guys sounds wonderful if you dish up meals like this!
What a delicious filling! Calzones rock!
I am the total opposite! All I want to do on Friday after work is head straight to a Happy Hour and gulp down lots of beer!!! But my body is not resilient enough to take the damage of gulping down lots of beer, so I usually spend all of Saturday lounging/recovering and want to do nothing but watch movies and cook on Saturday night.
That looks like a Friday meal I would have killed for in college!!!
Haha is it bad that I’m totally ready to let go of the long Friday nights? Maybe it’s because I just graduated… but I much prefer my and the boyfriend’s apartment… especially if it’s got this dinner in it!!
Friday night meal is always very special to me too, because this is the day where I get to choose which restaurant I want to eat. I cook everyday, but friday is a treat.
Your pizza pocket just look absolutely perfect for friday night meal.
Cheers,
elra
Considering I can cruise through a whole plate of jalapeño poppers, I bet I’d really love these. They’re all healthy and sh**.
I wouldn’t fret too much about not making pizza dough. I don’t like doing complicated cooking most Friday nights either!
Looks like lovely calzones though and I’m sure you had a perfect evening.
I’ve been in L.A. traffic on a Friday night. I dunno how you guys get used to that there. It’s madness! Trader Joe’s fixings, though, are the perfect antidote.
This looks so appetizing! And I should admit that I feel the same even though I’m 27, too. It sometimes sounds so tiring to go out even once a week unlike my college years. I don’t want to think that this is a sign of getting old. Let’s believe that it’s because the tiring work hours.
These sound great – I’m with you on the whoe moving party night to Saturday…something about a full week of work that makes partying on Friday seem silly now…wow I sound old and I’m not that far out of college either!
You have said it over on my site ‘Goat Cheese’ rocks any dish! Especially the dynamic duo’s!!!
Is that a whole wheat dough? Maybe I can splurge and eat that now and again…
These pockets look incredibly scrumptious! A great and tasty meal!
At my place, Friday and Saturday nights are always very similar to your Friday nights ;-P…
Cheers,
Rosa
Looks incredible! I’ve been in the mood for goat cheese lately, and this would definitely satisfy my craving. At least temporarily…
Made this. Best thing ever.
Thursday is Pizza Night; maybe Friday will have to be Pocket Night! Before the ‘current economic conditions’ hit, we used to eat out every Friday night. I’m surprised that I don’t miss it nearly as much as I thought I would. Recipes like this make staying home even more appealing!
Trader Joe’s pizza dough is good! But now you’ll totally have to try to dough that I posted today! I’m glad you already saw it!! Super quick
I like the sound of a pepper and goat cheese pocket! It looks great!
Love this. Goat cheese and peppers are wonderful together.
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