Stromboli

While pregnant, there was a period of time when I was restricted to bed rest. For a little over a week of this period, I was on strict bed rest and was hospitalized downtown. The hardest thing about the experience (besides the complete boredom!) was being away from my husband and son for a long stretches of time. Knowing how difficult this was, my good friend Christy made plans to send dinner with my husband and son during one of their visits to the hospital. This stromboli sandwich was what she made. One of my new favorite memories is of the three of us camped out on the hospital bed, devouring this sandwich together, while watching one of my son's cartoons that also came along for the visit. My little boy tends to be a picky eater, but this is one dish that he will cooperate with every time! As he gets older, it is probably an easy way to
sneak some extra vegetables into his diet as well. I followed Christy's recipe exactly, with the exception of the poppy seeds on top (only because I didn't have any in the house).

Stromboli

1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 medium green pepper, sliced into rings
1 tablespoon butter
2 loaves (16-ounces each) frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 pound thinly sliced hard salami
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound sliced mild cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until crisp-tender; set aside.
On two greased baking sheets, roll each loaf of dough into a 15-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Arrange the salami, ham and cheeses lengthwise over half of each rectangle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with onion mixture; sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder and pepper. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges to seal well.

Brush with the egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool loaves for 5 minutes before slicing.

Source: Christy's Kitchen Creations