Pizza Bread

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen white bread dough
3 Tblsp. margarine, melted
1/4 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 oz. pepperoni
pizza sauce
other pizza toppings (optional)

Let the bread dough thaw in the fridge overnight. Preheat the oven to 350. Spread dough out flat on a cookie sheet. Melt the margarine. Add the spices to the margarine. Brush 2/3 of the margarine/spice mixture on the pizza dough. Lay pepperoni slices on top evenly over the entire rectangle of dough. Sprinkle all of the cheese on top of the pepperoni. Top with any other pizza ingredients you want. Roll dough into a jelly roll shape and place in center of cookie sheet with seam side down. Brush remaining margarine/spice mixture on top of roll. Bake for 30 minutes or till golden brown. Slice and serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

This is another of my sister's recipes she shared with me. You can use all mozzarella instead of the combination of cheddar and mozzarella if you want. I like making 2 at a time and making one that is just pepperoni and adding mushrooms and onions to the other. These are great to make up in advance and just pop into the oven when you're ready to eat. Good for potlucks too, of course!

Philly cheesesteak braid

Ingredients:

4 portions, frozen sandwich steaks, thinly sliced, cut crosswise into 1/2" strips
2 T. margarine
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 green pepper, large - cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
2 8oz. cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten

Preheat over to 350. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and stir steak strips in margarine until no longer pink; remove from skillet. Add onion and green pepper to skillet and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add cooked steak back to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Unroll 1 can of dough into 2 long rectangles. Place on ungreased cookie sheet with long sides overlapping 1/2"; firmly press edges and perforations to seal. Press or roll out to form 7" x 13" rectangle. On a second cookie sheet, repeat with remaining can of dough. Spoon half of meat mixture in 2" strip lengthwise down center of each dough. Use 1/2 cup of cheese on each and sprinkle over meat. Make cuts 1" apart on longest sides of each rectangle just to edge of filling. To give braided appearance, fold strips of dough at an angle halfway across the filling, alternating from side to side. Fold ends of braid under to seal. Brush braids with egg. Bake 16-22 minutes or till golden brown.

I found this recipe in a Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook. I've made this for card parties and get-togethers, or even for dinner. It looks so pretty and impressive, but it really is simple. You can add mushrooms if you'd like in addition to, or instead of, the green pepper.

Party Bread

Ingredients:

1 sourdough bread loaf, unsliced
8 oz monterey jack cheese, sliced
1/2 c. margarine, melted
1/2 c. green onion, chopped
2-3 tsp. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the bread lengthwise and crosswise without cutting through the bottom crust. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine margarine, green onion and poppy seeds; drizzle over the bread. Wrap loaf in foil, place on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

This is always a hit at get-togethers. It can be made up ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you're ready to bake it and serve it. The bread you start with is already baked and you're adding some fabulous ingredients and it looks like you went to a lot of trouble. To make preparing it easier, I use an electric knife to make the cross-cuts in the bread. Once it is baked and the cheese is all melted and gooey with the green onions and poppy seeds, you just pull a piece out and eat it. You can put a fork or a knife out with it to help people pull portions off the loaf easier. So yummy!

Crab Dip

Ingredients:

8 oz. imitation crab, flaked
8 oz. cream cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon (or 1 1/2 Tblsp. of lemon juice)
hot sauce, to taste

In a double-boiler, heat/soften cream cheese. Add the flaked crab and the lemon juice. Stir until smooth. Add 5-10 drops of hot sauce (more if you like it spicier). Refrigerate to firm up. Serve as a dip with crackers or on crusty breads as an appetizer.

This is a tasty appetizer that I've taken to many parties. It's one of those dishes that tastes like you've spent a lot of money and a lot of time and effort, but it's actually fairly inexpensive and easy to make. I made some to take to the get-together we're going to today and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Maybe I'll just snitch a little dip before we go...