Pepperoni Bread

I grew up in West Virginia, home of the pepperoni roll. Coalminers took them in their lunches. I took them in my school lunches. And as an adult, I still love them. There is a great bakery near my parents that makes pepperoni rolls and my parents ship them to us by the dozen. Since I'll never get that recipe, I've tried my own variations. I refuse to make my own dough (that is probably the secret!) so these are fairly simple.

1 can refrigerated French bread dough
1 package sliced provolone cheese
sliced pepperoni
1 clove mashed garlic
4 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet.

Unroll dough and flatten slightly. Spread on half the butter with a pastry brush. Spread mashed garlic. Add cheese slices. Add pepperoni. Roll up the dough like you would a pumpkin roll. Cut a few slits on top of the roll. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Add the rest of the melted butter on top (makes it glisten). Let it stand for about 10 minutes before trying to slice it.

SECOND VERSION

1 can biscuits (I use Pillsbury butter flavored - DO NOT USE THE LAYERED KIND)
1 bag shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
pepperoni
* marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 8x8 glass dish and set aside.

Flatten each biscuit with your hands. Top with cheese and then add a few slices of pepperoni. Pull the dough around the filling and pinch the edges to form a ball. Place the balls in the dish ... they'll be a little snug.

Bake about 10 minutes until light golden brown. Then cover with foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.

* You can serve these warm and with marinara if you like. You could also add sauce into the dough, but that's not how we "roll" in West Virginia!!

Pizza Bombs

One of Rob's and my favorite pizza places makes a little delight they call Pizza Bombs. Missy knows what I'm talkin' about! Basically cheese, sauce and pepperoni rolled in dough and deep-fried. Delish, but highly detrimental to the waist line. These are a little more figure friendly and satisfy the craving.

1 can garlic-flavored breadsticks
4 pieces of string cheese (you could also use fresh mozzerella)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

Heat oven to 350. Spray 24 mini-muffin cups with cooking spray. Unroll breadstick dough and cut crosswise into thirds. Seperate into 24 strips. Cut each cheese stick into 6 pieces. Place 2 piece of cheese on short end of each dough strip. Roll up cheese in dough, pinching and sealing the dough to completely cover the cheese. Place rolls, seam side down, in muffin cups. Light sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm with sauce.

These would be great with Shana's red sauce with these! I always have some on hand now.

Crock-Pot Pizza

Mason's first babysitter (Miss Susan) asked each of us to drop a slow cooker at her house one week. She returned them with this inside. It's super simple and could feed a small army! I've adapted it to my family's tastes over the years and you could too. I suppose you could add in mushrooms or other favorite pizza toppings.

2-3 jars pizza zip sauce
16 oz. cooked elbow macaroni
1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled
6 oz. pepperoni
Large chopped onion (optional)
12 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (a little more)
2 handfuls of parmesan cheese

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Layer half the pasta, half the sauce, half the sausage, half the pepperoni, half the onion and half the cheese. Repeat the layers. Save half cup mozzarella cheese to sprinkle on top. Add one cup water. Cook on low 5-6 hours.