Chicken 'n Dumplings, by request, and a note about your health (sort of!)

So, this seems to be the week of the 'n recipes! Which means it's a week of truly delicious food. See the last post (HERE) for an explanation as to what makes the 'n so special! When I was trying to decide which recipes to post the other day, I posted a little poll on my personal facebook page (I will now do these on the Kelley's Kitchen Revival Facebook page, so be sure to click the 'like' button to the right of this entry!), and the recipe for green beans 'n bacon was the far and away winner. But, I had a special request for the Chicken 'n Dumpings recipe by an awesome girl, Ashley, and since she is a total foodie herself, and also has a great food blog (Click here to see her handiwork!) I am more than happy to oblige her!

Now, before I dispense with the deliciousness that is Chicken 'n Dumplins, there are a few housekeeping notes I'd like to get out of the way right now. First, let's sit down, and have a little chat about your health. Go ahead, get comfortable. Ready? Okay. There were a LOT of comments on the amount of butter in the Green Beans 'n Bacon recipe I posted earlier this week. A lot. Many of you were concerned for my health, perhaps rightfully so. Because I'm about to post another recipe which involves a fair amount of butter, I thought this would be a good opportunity to illustrate an important point. Just because I am a pre-med student, hoping to be a great doctor one day does not mean that I am dispensing ANY health-related advice on this website, nor does it mean I take particular care with my own health when it comes to nutrition. This website is strictly about GOOD FOOD, and sometimes good food is good, because it's so bad for you!

Plenty of Southern recipes fall into this category, including the one I'm about to share. If you're like me, and you like to live life on the edge, throw in that extra stick of butter and enjoy every last bite of deliciousness that results from its inclusion (and learn to love those extra pounds too, there's nothing wrong with a little extra cushion for the pushin'!). If you're like my uber healthy sister-in-law, Andrea, you'll learn my recipes, and then bastardize change them up, and make them healthier on your own. For example, when she makes my biscuits 'n gravy, she uses honey instead of sugar, and a heck of a lot less butter when she makes the chicken 'n dumplins. Whether you decide to live a little, and enjoy some great food, or healthy it up a little, and stay on the straight and narrow is between you, and your hips (or your heart), and your God! Amen!

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's introduce these beauties, known as chicken 'n dumplins, and talk about what they are, and more importantly what they are NOT. If you do a quick internet search for the words chicken 'n dumplins (or dumplings, for the grammatically correct folks) you will see a whole lot of recipes for a conglomeration of chicken soup with biscuits on top. Note, this is NOT (let me repeat that again, NOT) chicken 'n dumplins. It makes no matter whether the biscuits are from a can, or you slaved over the dough for hours, it is simply a flat out lie to call these monstrosities chicken 'n dumplins, and one of the seven deadly sins at this here revival. No. Chicken 'n dumplins are a beautiful marriage of shredded chicken, and fresh-made, hand-rolled dumplins, which combine with chicken broth to form a thick, delicious gravy. There's no pulling these bad-boys from a can, or in a boxed-dinner at your local Wally World. They are Southern home-cookin' at its finest, and take a little bit of time, and a little bit of work to master. But the end result is worth every minute of your precious time in the kitchen, trust me on this.

My Mom taught me how to make this recipe, and I've been trying to perfect it since I was a child. I can remember standing in the kitchen with her trying to help, but being WAY too slow to roll the dough, cut it, and add the dumplins to the pan. So, I got to sprinkle the paprika, while I watched her work. I loved watching the dumplings disappear into the boiling froth, and then pop back up, glistening and puffy. It was almost mesmerizing. My Mom learned the skill from her Dad, my Papal, who died this past February, and was a truly awesome man. His specialties were chicken 'n dumplins, and pone bread. Don't worry, I don't really understand what pone bread is, either, all I know is he made it, and it was delicious. Maybe we'll get my Mom to do a guest post, and teach us all a thing or two about it.
Papal:

With my brother and I as kids:

With us (and my Mom, and little Landon) as adults:


Okay, now onto the FOOD!

Hallelujahs:Delicious, Amazing, and completely nostaligc, really simple, common ingredients
Hellfires:They do take some time, and some practice, but come on, you can do it!

Chicken 'n Dumplins

Ingredients:
2-4 Chicken Breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Water
Chicken Bouillon Cubes
Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning (optional)
Paprika
Chicken Stock/Chicken Broth
3.5-5 cups Self-Rising Flour (ISH!)
8 Eggs
Salt/Pepper to taste

-The first thing you're going to do is get your chicken going. Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your stock pot. I like to use the same Paula Deen pot I featured in this post.
-You're going to use between 2-4 chicken breasts depending upon the size of the breasts (go ahead, giggle now), as well as how much of a chicken to dumplins ratio you would like. This time I used two breasts, and probably should have used 3.
-Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and rotisserie chicken seasoning. Place about 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes in the bottom of the pot as well.

-Now, if you've never heard of rotisserie chicken seasoning, it's just a little red McCormick bottle you can find in the spice section of your local grocery store. It's got a great flavor, and I use it in several recipes. Here's a peek:

-Now, you're going to fill the pot with water, until the water is about 3 inches higher than the chicken.
-Add 1 stick of butter (yes, 1 stick).

-Turn the burner on medium, about a 4. Leave pot uncovered.
-Then, set it, and FORGET IT! Let the chicken simmer down for as long as you can stand it. At least 2 hours. You don't believe me now, but the longer you let it simmer in the water the better it will be. You really want that chicken flavor to seep into the water. Go do your nails, take a bubble bath, color with your kids, but whatever you do, DO NOT leave the house, and go to the thrift store for two hours while accidentally setting the stove at 10, instead of 4. You'll come home to fire trucks surrounding your apartment complex. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that, and my old apartment complex still has the burnt/blackened pot on display in the office to encourage students to NEVER leave food on the stove while going shopping. True Story.
-You'll know the chicken is done when the water has evaporated down to about 1-1.5" in the bottom of the pan, and the chicken literally falls off the bones.
-Remove the chicken to a colander, and let it cool before shredding.

-Shred the chicken. How you do this is up to you. You can get down and dirty with it (like I do!), and use your God-given tools (your fingers!), or you can use two forks, or a fork and a knife. The method here is going to depend on the level of shredding you prefer. I happen to like mine really shredded, so my hands are the best tool for the job. If you prefer larger chunks of chicken, use two forks, and only shred until you're happy. Feel free to sneak a few tastes of the chicken along the way! Be sure that you have all of the bones out, even those sneaky little ones who try and stay put.

-Add your chicken back to the stock pot, with the remaining liquid, and add your chicken stock. I usually do about 2 of the big, Swanson boxes of broth, and 1 of the small stock boxes. The amount is not critical, if you use more broth, you'll add more dumplins to get it thick. If you use less broth, you'll add less dumplins. This isn't calculus here, there are no definite equations, just a pinch here, or a pinch there.
-Bring this pot up to a boil, at a little above medium heat, around 7.
-Add 1/2-1 more stick of butter to the broth.
-While your stock/chicken mixture comes up to a boil, begin your dumplins. You are going to be SHOCKED at how simple these are. There are only TWO ingredients!
-Add your 8 eggs to the bowl of your stand mixture

-Now, you're going to add the self-rising flour. It's very important that you use self-rising flour. I don't know why, I just know that it is. Go with me here.
-Add your flour, gradually, about 1-1.5 cups at a time. Be sure you're using the dough hook on your mixer.
-The amount of flour is going to vary a little, and I never measure it. I go by feel. I'm guessing about 4 cups of flour is going to be sufficient, but if it's too sticky, add some more. This is a recipe that's going to take a few batches of trial and error before you master it. In the end, you want the dough to be only slightly sticky, and you want it to basically slide off the dough hook (slowly) when you raise the mixer. Like this:

-Now comes the fun part. And by fun, I mean messy! You're going to need to clear off a large section of countertop. If you have a silpat mat you can use it, too. I have one, but usually I don't use it for this, it's just one more thing to clean up. Sprinkle your countertop with about 1/2 cup of additional flour.
-You're going to do your dough in sections, now. So grab a section of dough, a little larger than your fist, and place it on your floured countertop. Roll it around in the flour, and begin to roll it out, using your marble rolling pin. The marble rolling pin is essential, it won't stick like wood, and the weight will make your job SO much easier. You're going to roll it out pretty thin. Maybe 1/8-1/4". Again, you're going to have to play around with trial, and error here, how you like your dumplins. I like mine a little on the thinner side, and my husband likes his a little on the thicker side, so just play with it. Be careful, though, if you roll them out too thick, they'll get "bread-y" on the inside, like biscuits, and that's not what we're going for (remember the rant about the biscuits?).

-Now, you're going to cut the dough into strips. I like to use my pizza cutter for this, because it's much faster than a knife, and it's plastic so it won't ruin my countertops.

-Carry the strips of dough over to your simmering pot, and start ripping off little squares, and dropping them into the broth. You're going for about 1 inch squares here, but again, this isn't calculus, eyeball it, the irregularity makes it homey and old-fashioned, just like we love!
-As the dumplins begin to bunch up on top, you'll need to stir them as you add more, just do this gently.
-Occasionally, you're going to add a few sprinkles of paprika. I usually do a tiny bit of paprika at the end of each batch of dumplins. So, before you go back to roll out another batch, add a tiny bit of paprika. Don't go overboard here, though, this is really just a background flavor, not an in-your-face flavor.

-Go back, and roll out another batch of dough, adding them to the broth, and going back for more. Do this until you're out of dough, or until you're achieved the thickness you want in your broth.

-Keep in mind that your broth is going to thicken as it stands, too, so don't worry too much if it's still watery, and not gravy-like, right away. The first several times I made these, my broth didn't thicken the first day, but it was PERFECT on days 2, and 3. That might be the BEST part of chicken 'n dumplins, they just get BETTER the longer they sit in your fridge.
-Stir the dumplins as needed, as you go, just be gentle about it.
-Once you've added all of your dough, stir one last time, and cover the pot, simmering on LOW (2-3) for about 10 minutes.
-Voila! (See how the broth has turned into this thick, rich gravy?

-And lest you think that I am a perfectly clean cook, I'll let you in on a little secret: I make a HUGE mess everytime I make these. But, it's totally worth it. See what Shelby looks like when I'm done?

-The best way to serve this is over some hot, homemade mashed potatoes, and some bread or rolls to soak up all that delicious gravy!
YUM!!!!


Now, go get to work, and don't forget (in the words of one of our favorite family friends, Laura), Perfect Practice makes Perfect!

Plain Text Recipe
Chicken 'n Dumplins

Ingredients:
2-4 Chicken Breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Water
Chicken Bouillon Cubes
Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning (optional)
Paprika
Chicken Stock/Chicken Broth
3.5-5 cups Self-Rising Flour (ISH!)
8 Eggs
Salt/Pepper to taste


-The first thing you're going to do is get your chicken going. Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your stock pot. I like to use the same Paula Deen pot I featured in this post.
-You're going to use between 2-4 chicken breasts depending upon the size of the breasts (go ahead, giggle now), as well as how much of a chicken to dumplins ratio you would like. This time I used two breasts, and probably should have used 3.
-Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and rotisserie chicken seasoning. Place about 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes in the bottom of the pot as well.
-Now, you're going to fill the pot with water, until the water is about 3 inches higher than the chicken.
-Add 1 stick of butter (yes, 1 stick).
-Turn the burner on medium, about a 4. Leave pot uncovered.
-Then, set it, and FORGET IT! Let the chicken simmer down for as long as you can stand it. At least 2 hours. You don't believe me now, but the longer you let it simmer in the water the better it will be. You really want that chicken flavor to seep into the water. Go do your nails, take a bubble bath, color with your kids, but whatever you do, DO NOT leave the house, and go to the thrift store for two hours while accidentally setting the stove at 10, instead of 4. You'll come home to fire trucks surrounding your apartment complex. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that, and my old apartment complex still has the burnt/blackened pot on display in the office to encourage students to NEVER leave food on the stove while going shopping. True Story.
-You'll know the chicken is done when the water has evaporated down to about 1-1.5" in the bottom of the pan, and the chicken literally falls off the bones.
-Remove the chicken to a colander, and let it cool before shredding.
-Shred the chicken. How you do this is up to you. You can get down and dirty with it (like I do!), and use your God-given tools (your fingers!), or you can use two forks, or a fork and a knife. The method here is going to depend on the level of shredding you prefer. I happen to like mine really shredded, so my hands are the best tool for the job. If you prefer larger chunks of chicken, use two forks, and only shred until you're happy. Feel free to sneak a few tastes of the chicken along the way! Be sure that you have all of the bones out, even those sneaky little ones who try and stay put.
-Add your chicken back to the stock pot, with the remaining liquid, and add your chicken stock. I usually do about 2 of the big, Swanson boxes of broth, and 1 of the small stock boxes. The amount is not critical, if you use more broth, you'll add more dumplins to get it thick. If you use less broth, you'll add less dumplins. This isn't calculus here, there are no definite equations, just a pinch here, or a pinch there.
-Bring this pot up to a boil, at a little above medium heat, around 7.
-Add 1/2-1 more stick of butter to the broth.
-While your stock/chicken mixture comes up to a boil, begin your dumplins. You are going to be SHOCKED at how simple these are. There are only TWO ingredients!
-Add your 8 eggs to the bowl of your stand mixture
-Now, you're going to add the self-rising flour. It's very important that you use self-rising flour. I don't know why, I just know that it is. Go with me here.
-Add your flour, gradually, about 1-1.5 cups at a time. Be sure you're using the dough hook on your mixer.
-The amount of flour is going to vary a little, and I never measure it. I go by feel. I'm guessing about 4 cups of flour is going to be sufficient, but if it's too sticky, add some more. This is a recipe that's going to take a few batches of trial and error before you master it. In the end, you want the dough to be only slightly sticky, and you want it to basically slide off the dough hook (slowly) when you raise the mixer.
--Now comes the fun part. And by fun, I mean messy! You're going to need to clear off a large section of countertop. If you have a silpat mat you can use it, too. I have one, but usually I don't use it for this, it's just one more thing to clean up. Sprinkle your countertop with about 1/2 cup of additional flour.
-You're going to do your dough in sections, now. So grab a section of dough, a little larger than your fist, and place it on your floured countertop. Roll it around in the flour, and begin to roll it out, using your marble rolling pin. The marble rolling pin is essential, it won't stick like wood, and the weight will make your job SO much easier. You're going to roll it out pretty thin. Maybe 1/8-1/4". Again, you're going to have to play around with trial, and error here, how you like your dumplins. I like mine a little on the thinner side, and my husband likes his a little on the thicker side, so just play with it. Be careful, though, if you roll them out too thick, they'll get "bread-y" on the inside, like biscuits, and that's not what we're going for (remember the rant about the biscuits?).
-Now, you're going to cut the dough into strips. I like to use my pizza cutter for this, because it's much faster than a knife, and it's plastic so it won't ruin my countertops.
-Carry the strips of dough over to your simmering pot, and start ripping off little squares, and dropping them into the broth. You're going for about 1 inch squares here, but again, this isn't calculus, eyeball it, the irregularity makes it homey and old-fashioned, just like we love!
-As the dumplins begin to bunch up on top, you'll need to stir them as you add more, just do this gently.
-Occasionally, you're going to add a few sprinkles of paprika. I usually do a tiny bit of paprika at the end of each batch of dumplins. So, before you go back to roll out another batch, add a tiny bit of paprika. Don't go overboard here, though, this is really just a background flavor, not an in-your-face flavor.
-Go back, and roll out another batch of dough, adding them to the broth, and going back for more. Do this until you're out of dough, or until you're achieved the thickness you want in your broth.
-Keep in mind that your broth is going to thicken as it stands, too, so don't worry too much if it's still watery, and not gravy-like, right away. The first several times I made these, my broth didn't thicken the first day, but it was PERFECT on days 2, and 3. That might be the BEST part of chicken 'n dumplins, they just get BETTER the longer they sit in your fridge.
-Stir the dumplins as needed, as you go, just be gentle about it.
-Once you've added all of your dough, stir one last time, and cover the pot, simmering on LOW (2-3) for about 10 minutes.
-Voila!

Eat-Out-At-Home: DiRusso's Italian Sausage Sandwiches

This is another recipe born out of my deep longing for home food.  You know, it's kind of funny, I've lived in Utah for 6 years now, and I still call Ohio home.  And one thing my home state does well, is food.  Especially fair food.  Utah has no clue what fair food is, and let me tell you Utahns something very important.  Pay close attention here.  Krusteaz scone batter does NOT a funnel cake make, nor do Costco corn dogs make true fair food.  Now, my Mom's absolute favorite fair food is this delicious conglomeration of sausage, and red sauce, and mozzarella cheese, and delicious bread....all wrapped up in a square of tin-foil so you can take it with you all over the fair.  Otherwise known as the DiRusso's Italian Sausage Sandwich.

My Mom tells me that DiRusso's now sells their amazing sausages in the frozen food sections of the local grocery stores, so she can replicate them at home.  Unfortunately, my local grocery stores have not responded to my repeated requests to stock my favorite home foods, in particular the Ohio trifecta (Pierre's Cookie Dough Ice Cream, Dan Dee Cheesies, and DiRusso's Italian Sausage).  Lucky for me, my sweet Mamma always has her house stocked with the trifecta each time I come home for a visit. However, when I'm craving it here, in Utah, I've got to find some other way to satisfy my desires than hopping a plane to Ohio, because that would get old, and very expensive!

These sandwiches are delicious, and VERY easy to make.  While we may not have the DiRusso's brand sausage here (which does make a difference, by the way), we do have a couple of really good brands.  My favorite?  Colossimo's original sausage.  They used to sell it at Costco, but lately I've only seen the Red Wine version, which I don't like nearly as much.  I find it at Smith's now.  It's more expensive, but worth it in the end.  You can use whatever type of sausage you like, mild, hot, sweet, etc, but I prefer a mild sausage for this, the sweet just doesn't have the same "pop!" I like in the mild.

Also, you will notice that I add the vegetables in two phases.  There is a good reason for this.  You add the first batch in right at the very start, because you want your sausage to pick up the flavors from them.  It will really infuse into them, and change the flavor, for the better.  But, you don't want to add them all at once, because you will be adding water to them, and you don't want to be stuck with soggy veggies.  These sandwiches are incredibly simple to make, you'll be shocked at what great flavor you can get from such simple ingredients.

On a housekeeping note, if you scroll to the very bottom of this post, you can find a plain-text version of this recipe. I'm still working out the kinks of a print function.

Hallelujahs: Simple, Fresh Ingredients, Easy, Delicious
Hellfires: I can't think of any, other than the fact that Utah doesn't stock DiRusso's Italian Sausage.
Variations: Next time, I think Jon and I are going to sear them on the grill first, so we can get that smokey flavor in here, too.

Italian Sausage Sandwiches

5-6 Italian Sausages
1 Large Onion
2 Bell Peppers (whatever colors you have on hand)
Salt/Pepper to Taste
1 Jar of your Favorite Spaghetti Sauce (or homemade if you're feeling really daring)
Mozzerella Cheese
Sub Rolls


-Slice your vegetables.
-Place sausages, and half the vegetables in a frying pan on medium heat.

-Add Salt and Pepper to taste
-Sear the sausages on each side. You want to get some brown bits on the bottom of the pan (from the sausage, AND the veggies), without burning them.

-Add 1-1 1/2 cups of water to deglaze pan. Cover the sausages and turn heat down to 3-4. Simmer for about 20 minutes or so.
-Meanwhile, Toast your rolls

-Once sausages have simmered in water for approximately 20 minutes, remove lid, and increase heat so that the water evaporates.
-Add in the rest of your vegetables, and heat until hot, but still crisp.
-Heat your spaghetti sauce in a saucepan on the stove (or in the microwave)

-Once the sausages, and sauce are finished, make your sandwich! Place the sausage on the roll, add some cheese, then some sauce, then more cheese, and your veggies. If, like me, you're picky, and like the flavor of the veggies, but not biting into one, leave them out. You'll still have all the flavor of them cooked into the meat!
-If your cheese isn't melting, you can place these under the broiler, for a couple of minutes, too.


Plain Text Recipe:

Italian Sausage Sandwiches
5-6 Italian Sausages
1 Large Onion
2 Bell Peppers (whatever colors you have on hand)
1 Jar of your Favorite Spaghetti Sauce (or homemade if you're feeling really daring)
Mozzerella Cheese
Sub Rolls

-Slice your vegetables.
-Place sausages, and half the vegetables in a frying pan on medium heat.
-Add salt and pepper to taste.
-Sear the sausages on each side. You want to get some brown bits on the bottom of the pan (from the sausage, AND the veggies), without burning them.
-Add 1-1 1/2 cups of water to deglaze pan. Cover the sausages and turn heat down to 3-4. Simmer for about 20 minutes or so.
-Meanwhile, Toast your rolls
-Once sausages have simmered in water for approximately 20 minutes, remove lid, and increase heat so that the water evaporates.
-Add in the rest of your vegetables, and heat until hot, but still crisp.
-Heat your spaghetti sauce in a saucepan on the stove (or in the microwave)
-Once the sausages, and sauce are finished, make your sandwich! Place the sausage on the roll, add some cheese, then some sauce, then more cheese, and your veggies. If, like me, you're picky, and like the flavor of the veggies, but not biting into one, leave them out. You'll still have all the flavor of them cooked into the meat!
-If your cheese isn't melting, you can place these under the broiler, for a couple of minutes, too.

Lunchbox Lovin', and a trip down memory lane...

I know, it's amazing, I'm here, alive, AND posting recipes. My finals are over, so I should have a lot more to share with you guys now that time isn't such a hot commodity.

Today's recipe is so simple, I'm almost embarrassed to post it as my first "original" recipe on the blog, except it's so delicious there's nothing to be embarrassed about! This recipe is one that was inspired by my hometown, and my Mom. Good thing I introduced her, huh?

I grew up in NE Ohio, but, right now, I happen to live in Utah. Which, is a beautiful place, but probably one of the most generic, "white bread" places in the world. Now don't get me wrong, I happen to love white bread, nothing beats a plain old PB&J on Wonder Bread. And don't even get me started on the monstrosity that is "white wheat bread," BLECH! Anyway, what I'm getting at is that Utah County is very devoid of a lot of the immigrant communities I grew up around in Ohio. You want great Mexican food? You can find it on almost as many corners as a Mormon church. But, you want some delicious homemade Polish pierogis? You're SOL (which means "SORRRY out of luck," you crazy sinners, this is a revival, you know!). A quaint little Italian Bakery? Not a chance. Which, in my opinion, is a real tragedy.

I grew up near some really GREAT Italian bakeries, and pizza places (can anyone say Guido's in Chesterland? YUM!). Two of my favorites are T&T Bakery in Painesville, and Ianiro's, in Chardon, and if you're ever in NE Ohio, you MUST go there (and bring me back some Pizzelle's and Pepperoni Rolls!). You want great donuts? Biaggio's in Willoughby, but that's another post. This post is about something more savory, and more practical for your lover's (or your own) lunchbox. The number one specialty at these great Italian bakery's is something that is so incredibly simple, you can't believe how good it can be. They are called Pepperoni Rolls (say it with me now, pepp-er-oni-rolls, NOT pizza rolls), and if you want one from T&T bakery, you'd better be there at exactly 10:30 am, or they'll be sold out before you get one, and that would be a real travesty.



T&T and Ianiro's have two different takes on Pepperoni rolls, T&T's is cheese-less, completely reliant on the DELICIOUS bread they wrap around giant-sized pepperonis. Ianiro's, on the other hand, involves delicious bread, AND melty cheese, a winning combination in anyone's book. The husband and I don't agree on which is better, I prefer the simplicity of T&T's, and he prefers the melty goodness of Ianiro's, but really, let's face it, when you're talking about homemade italian bread, and perfectly seasoned pepperonis, is there really a wrong way? I think not.

Now, if you are unfortunately stuck residing somewhere outside a 200 mile radius of either of these two delicious bakeries (because I would SO drive 200 miles for a good pepperoni roll!), and in a location so white bread as to be completely devoid of immigrant bakeries, what are you to do? Suffer in silence, begrudging your locale? NO, my friends! Not if you're ingenuity is still intact...you make your own to hold you over until you can get into town, and get some deliciousness again.

Now, these pepperoni rolls are NOT as delicious as the one's they serve at my favorite Italian bakeries. And it's not because I'm not an Italian immigrant, it's because I'm using frozen bread dough here, and as good as it's gotten, nothing matches hand-kneaded bread in an Italian bakery. Again, this has nothing to do with laziness, it just never occurred to me before now to make my own bread. I think now that I have some more time, I might try it. When I do, I'll let you know how it goes.

Now, I don't know about you guys, but my husband has a job which affords him no lunch hour. He typically has 10-15 minutes to grab something in his car, between hospitals. Which either means fast food, or soggy bologna and white bread sandwiches, neither of which sounds like a good option to me. Put this together with my nostalgic longing for Italian baked goods, and my ingenious Mother (who came up with the idea), and you've got a winning recipe to makeover your lunchbox, or your lover's!

Now, you will notice a key difference in my original recipes, and the recipes I post from other websites, particularly in the measurements, or lack thereof. In true Southern style, I very rarely measure ingredients in family recipes. Mostly because my Mother never did, and neither did her mother, or hers, and so on and so on. I think there must be an edict somewhere that Southern women aren't allowed to measure ingredients when cooking savory dishes. It would be grounds for ejection in my Mother's kitchen, and I just can't risk that.

Also, I should note that while I prefer the cheese-less pepperoni rolls at T&T, when I make these at home I make them WITH cheese. The homemade bread is what really makes T&T's pepperoni rolls stand out, without that delicious bread, you really need the cheese.

Okay, onto the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 loaf of frozen bread dough, thawed (I use Rhode's, but only because that's all my evil, giant-box store carries)
1 stick of butter
Italian herbs (I use Italian seasoning, rosemary, and garlic powder...LOTS of garlic powder.)
Pepperoni
Shredded Cheese (I use whatever I have on hand, Parmesan, Asiago, Cheddar, whatever)

Directions:
Preheat Oven according to directions on your bread. I think last time I did 375, but I'm not sure that's what Rhode's recommends...sue me, I like to live adventurously. And everything turned out just fine.

Melt your stick of butter in a bowl. Once melted, add your preferred herbs, and stir them together. Now, if like me, you thought 2 sticks of butter might be better than one, and are left with GOBS of melted herb butter, don't throw this stuff out! Place in small tupperware container, and stick in the fridge for next time you get the inkling to add some buttery herb deliciousness to your recipes.



Now, roll out your bread dough into a looooooong rectangle. This part is not easy, and requires a little muscle. Frozen bread dough does not particularly prefer to be rolled out, but don't worry about hurting its feelings, Just push a little harder, and use a little muscle. Incidentally, I'm 99.9% sure that this hard labor COMPLETELY makes up for the calories in the food you are about to eat. So, go with it, and enjoy your cardio. I typically break the loaf into two halfs, to make the last steps easier, which means I get TWICE the workout.

-This reminds me of an important tool you MUST have in your kitchen. A good, heavy, MARBLE rolling pin. I don't want to see any of you using those flimsy $2 wooden ones from your favorite big box store. NO. They just will not do. They don't work very well, and they always make me think of wooden splinters getting stuck in my food. Nasty. You need to invest in a good quality, marble rolling pin. It will make ALL the difference in the world for so many of the recipes I will share with you. So, take the money you're about to save on fast food lunches, and put it towards one of these babies:

Oh, and I just did a quick google search, and you can get one of these babies for $11, so no excuses!

Once your dough is rolled out, spread some of the melted butter/herb mixture over it, until it looks nice and golden. Then, add some of your shredded cheese, sprinkling until you think there is enough. Then, add some more, just because. Layer your pepperonis, until you have enough to satisfy your craving. Add a bit more cheese, because you really can't have too much melty goodness.




Then, you're going to roll this entire thing up, longways, kind of like a jelly roll. Go slow, the pepperoni makes it so that the bread doesn't easily stick to itself, and you don't want to dislodge it all.




Once it's all rolled, cut it into 3-5 inch sections, and place on greased baking sheet. Cut vent holes in the top of each pepperoni roll, spread on some more butter/herb mixture (because really, you can't have too much butter. And before you get your panties in a wad about calories, don't forget all the cardio you did, rolling out the dough).



Place in your hot oven, and bake until they look done. About 15 minutes or so, usually. They come out with pepperoni, and cheese sticking out the sides, and smelling HEAVENLY.



Place in a ziploc bag, and store in the fridge up to 1 week. Place one of these babies into your lover's (or your own!) lunchbox next week, and see how quickly your fast food bill starts to decline! Because who's going to trade one of these for grease laden fast food?