You Try to Volunteer Your Time...

and no one shows up! Yep, I was volunteering with AmericaVotes to survey Delaware, Ohio residents about their political beliefs. I drive 20 minutes north to Delaware, find a parking space, walk to the coffee shop where we're meeting, grab some coffee and nada. I could've been working my glutes instead!

I saw people reading the paper, playing chess, and enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee. Nobody with clip boards, signs, paperwork or T-shirts. This is why my beloved Democrats are not doing better in elections - we need to be better organized!

Farmer's Markets Are Swell

I quickly skedaddled- there was a Farmer's Market going on! I bought some huge, delicious blackberries. Yum! I also checked out the Worthington Farmer's Market - got some zucchini and white nectarines. I'm very curious about the heirlooom tomatoes -they looked weird, so I was scared to try them. Has anyone sampled them before?

My Latest Kitchen Adventure

Yesterday, I made Spinach Calzones, a Light and Tasty recipe. They tasted good - but I hated working with the refrigerated pizza dough. It wouldn't stretch to save my life - it stuck to everything. I had little globs of pizza dough all over the place.

I finally got six globs out of it, stuck the spinach stuff in the middle and then tried to close them. Yikes! Those suckers refused to close. What a mess!

Most of them were bulging open as they baked - luckily the cheese didn't ooze too much. However horrid they looked, they tasted great. I think they'd be even better with pizza sauce. (The picture is what they're supposed to look like. Needless to say, mine looked nothing like the picture.)

Spinach Calzones 6 servings (with my changes, it was 5 pts. Normally, it would be 6 pts.)

• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese (used regular fat - 1 1/4 C)
• 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese (used light - I hate fat-free ricotta)
• 1 green onion, sliced (used regular chopped onions)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tube (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
• 1 egg white (didn't use)
• 1 teaspoon water (didn't use)
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (I sprinkled a little grated Parmesan on top - about 2 T.)
• Pizza sauce, warmed, optional (didn't use, but I should have)

Cook spinach according to package directions; drain well. In a bowl, combine the spinach, Swiss cheese, ricotta cheese, onion, basil, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Roll pizza dough into a 15-in. x 10-in. rectangle; cut into six 5-in. squares. (Yeah right!)

Spoon 1/3 cup spinach mixture onto the center of each square; brush edges of dough with water. Fold one corner over filling to the opposite corner, forming a triangle. Using a fork, crimp edges to seal. (Mine didn't seal - maybe that's what the water was for.)

Place in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Prick tops with a fork. (Didn't do this) Lightly beat egg white and water; brush over dough. (Just used spray butter instead) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce if desired.