Look for caper berries near the olives in the supermarket; they should be next to the capers, but they're much bigger and have a stem. In a pinch, substitute about a tablespoon of chopped capers. Japanese eggplants have thinner skins than typical globe eggplants, so you can leave the peel on. The light purple color is pretty, too.
Once you try these mini-sized calzones, you may never go back to the large ones. Not only do these pretty bites take advantage of convenient refrigerator crescent rolls, but they can be made ahead and popped in the oven right before company arrives.
Cook up as many pizzas as you want tonight, and freeze the rest. The key to the deliciousness (and believe us, these cheesy pizzas are amazing) is to make fresh ricotta cheese, which is more moist and creamy than store-bought. It's fast and easy to do in the microwave.
For a quick weeknight dinner, serve your family Beefy Calzones. You can get a jump-start on the prep by making a ground beef-kidney bean mixture ahead of time and freeze the portion that you don't use.
A quick sauce made with ripe summer tomatoes and fresh herbs does double duty: It's in the savory filling and spooned over the golden-brown crust once baked. If freezing some of the calzones, you can either freeze the remaining sauce in a small zip-top plastic freezer bag, thaw in the microwave, and reheat or serve with your favorite lower-sodium marinara (we recommend Dell'Amore).
Black beans mingle with onions, peppers, garlic, cornmeal, and spices in this tasty taco filling. Try it in burritos or as a dip for tortilla chips. No black beans? Red, pink, or pinto beans are great subs.
