Perfect for a Party: Pepperoni Rolls

A few years ago, my wife's college alumni group would gather on fall Saturdays to watch football games at a restaurant in Wilmington called Old Chicago. The organizer of the group had once worked there, and she introduced us to the restaurant's Pepperoni Rolls. They were UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE.

Sadly, Old Chicago closed a couple years ago and still sits empty. Happily, our friend not only knew the Pepperoni Rolls were delicious. She also knew how they were made, and gave us the simple recipe. Every so often, especially when we're watching football, we get a craving for these treats and make some ourselves. Once you see how easy this is and how good they taste, I'm sure you'll be making them for your next game.

Ingredients
 Pizza dough (You can use whatever you want. I often use the refrigerated canned kind, like Pillsbury, because its rectangular shape is perfect for this recipe)
Ranch dressing (optional)
Pizza sauce (or whatever spaghetti sauce you like)
Shredded mozzarella or Italian mix cheese
Sliced pepperoni (I often use turkey pepperoni to cut down on the fat content and greasiness)

Directions
Basically, you're just gonna make a pizza. Roll out the dough as best you can into a rectangle (again, this is why I use the canned kind). Brush a light layer of Ranch all over. Spread an even layer of sauce on top of that. Next, spread the shredded cheese all over and then evenly place pepperoni all over.

This is a great recipe to let the little ones help. My two-year-old loved helping put the pepperoni on.

Once your pizza is built, it's time to get rolling. Very carefully, roll one of the long sides up jellyroll style as tightly as possible without tearing the dough. This is not a skill I have mastered yet, which results in the final product being a little looser than what you might hope for, but it still tastes great! When it's all rolled up, cut the roll in half, then cut each half in half. Then each quarter in half, so you have eight equal pieces. Put another slice of pepperoni on each end of each piece of the roll.

In a baking dish coated with cooking spray, place the rolls on their end. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the dough is golden brown.

While the rolls are cooking, warm up some sauce, and serve it in on the side as a dipping sauce.

Cranberry Ranch Chicken

Now that we're closing in on fall, it's time for some yummy and easy comfort food!

When my friend Marcy first told me about this recipe six year ago, I thought it sounded kinda gross, but the Mrs. (who wasn't yet the Mrs.) thought it sounded good, so I made it. She was right, and this one-pot dish has become a staple of our dinner table, especially in the fall and winter.

This is one of those recipes anyone can make, because all it requires is dumping four ingredients in a dish, stirring and cooking. One tip, though, the better the quality of Ranch dressing you use, the better. When Marcy gave me the recipe she said to use the jarred Ranch you find in the refrigerated area of the produce section of the grocery store, like Marzetti or Marianne's. I've used regular bottled Ranch, and I've found the cheap store brand leaves things a little oily. Name brand (e.g. Kraft, Hidden Valley) work fine.

Ingredients
1 lb chicken cut into bite-size pieces
8-10 oz Ranch dressing (see note above)
1 can WHOLE BERRY cranberry sauce (NOT the jelly kind)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 lb egg noodles (cooked as directed)


Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray (makes clean-up a little easier). Mix the chicken, Ranch, cranberry sauce and onion soup mix in the casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Serve over egg noodles. For a little more balance and color, serve with a green veggie. I've found steamed broccoli is the perfect pairing.

Give this recipe a try. I'm pretty sure you and your family will like it as much as we do!