Every year around this time, my brother-in-law, Robby, is quite the life saver. You see, we have a yearly date, in which, I call “Dinner and Taxes.” Robby and Laureann, as well as my nephews Carter and Caden, come over to our house to enjoy a homemade scrumptious dinner made by me. In return, Robby does our taxes. Seem like a fair trade? I believe so. Yet, you’ll have to ask Robby if he thinks so! 🙂
Now, yes, some of you are thinking how hard can it be to do them yourself? True. True. Yet, when Brett and I were first married and he started his business Timeless Pictures, it was all quite confusing. Robby has is own business as a realtor, so he has the exact software from Turbo Tax we need, and he knows all the ends and outs of business write-offs. Therefore, I slave away in the kitchen, we eat, and then the kids play away while Robby and I sit at the kitchen table. Laureann and Brett are there for support of course. (I am the NERD when it comes to finances, hence, why I take care of it all. It works out great for Brett and me in our marriage!) So, it’s become quite the tradition and we make it a yearly date. (We try to beat our time goal every year of getting them done faster! Last night was our record! Just over 2 hours!)
Here is the dinner that I made last night for “Dinner and Taxes:”
Vegetable Calzones, BBQ Chicken Calzones, Salad, and Homemade Appleasauce
Let’s start with the Vegetable Calzones. Here is the recipe that I got from the magazine All You, which I HIGHLY recommend for their great money-saving tips and awesome recipes!
The ingredients…
I set this aside and prepared the BBQ Chicken filling. The recipe I modified is found Here.
The ingredients…while the chicken is boiling in the pot!
I set that aside, and prepared the pizza dough. My absolute favorite pizza dough recipe that I use for these calzones and to make good ole pizza is from Money Saving Mom! Check it out! It’s super easy and fast!
Here is the dough ready to go.
I separated the dough into 8 circles and divided the vegetable and chicken mixtures.
Folded them up, sealed, brushed egg whites on top, and vented with 3 slits.
Put them in the oven for about 20 minutes and voila!
Of course, we all had 1/2 of each kind! Serve with salad and homemade applesauce (not pictured).
And the best part….
KID APPROVED!
Hope you give them a try! They are healthy, delicious, and pretty easy. They also freeze very well. They are on my freezer meal list to prepare before Damon arrives!
And lastly, THANK YOU, Robby, for always being willing to help with our taxes. I do hope you feel it’s a fair trade! 😉
To see what kind of cooking story my friend Stephanie’s blogged about, check it out here!
Varvelicious 