And I don't cook, either. Not as long as they still deliver pizza.

Stromboli per Kerry che è favoloso

1 pound pizza dough
4 ounces thinly sliced deli salami
4 ounces thinly sliced deli capocollo
4 ounces thinly sliced deli provolone cheese
1/2 cup jarred roasted red bell peppers, rinsed, patted dry, and sliced thin
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1 large egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Coarse salt or kosher salt, for sprinkling

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Press and roll the dough into a 12 by 10 inch rectangle, with the long side facing you. Layer the meat and provolone over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at all of the edges. Top with peppers and Parmesan.
Brush the edges of the dough with some of the egg wash. Starting from the long side, roll the dough tightly into a long cylinder, then pinch the seam and ends to seal. Transfer the Stromboli to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down.
Brush with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and coarse salt. Cover loosely with lightly greased aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
Transfer the Stromboli to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, slice into 2-inch-wide-pieces, and serve hot or warm.



Pizza dough:

4 - 4 1/2 cups (22 to 23 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

Pulse 4 cups of the flour yeast, and salt together in a food processor (fitted with a dough blade) to combine. With the processor running, pour in the oil, then water through the feed tube and process until a rough ball forms, 30 to 40 seconds. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes, then process for 30 seconds longer. If after 30 seconds the dough is sticky and clings to the blade, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and form it into a smooth, round ball. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, before using.

Yield: Two pounds of pizza dough

Substitute 2 cups whole wheat flour for 2 cups of the bread flour

Wine and cheese are ageless companions, like aspirin and aches, or June and moon, or good people and noble ventures.

Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyère


Substitute any semisoft melting cheese, such as Havarti, sharp cheddar, or Colby, for the Gruyère

1/2 loaf French or Italian bread (8 ounces), sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 shallots, minced
1 (10-ounce) package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups half-and-half

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 225 degrees. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and bake thoroughly dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, flipping the bread over halfway through baking. Using 2 tablespoons of the butter, spread butter on one side of each piece of bread.

Melt the remaining butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper and cook until the spinach is heated through, about two minutes. Transfer the spinach into a medium bowl. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer over medium-high heat until it measures 1/4 cup, about three minutes; set aside to cool.

Grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Arrange half the bread, buttered side up, in a single layer in the dish and sprinkle with half the spinach mixture and 1/2 cup of the Gruyère. Repeat to form a second layer with the remaining bread, remaining spinach, and 1/2 cup more Gruyère.

Whisk the eggs, reduced wine, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together until smooth, then pour evenly over the top. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and weigh the strata down with a large zip lock bag of sugar. Refrigerate for at least one hour - up to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat to 325 degrees. Meanwhile, let the strata stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove the weight, unwrap the strata and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyère. Bake until both edges and center are puffed and the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the dish, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

If life gives you lemons, make some kind of fruity juice.

Lemon Tea Bread

1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups (9 1/2 ounces) sugar
2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon zest
3 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bow,. Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (3 to 6 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in the flour mixture, milk, and lemon juice until just combined (about 20 seconds) Do Not Overmix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached (65 to 75 minutes), rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving.


Variations:

Orange Tea Bread: Substitute 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest and 1 tablespoon orange juice for the lemon zest and lemon juice.

Almond Tea Bread: Substitute 1 tablespoon almond extract for the lemon zest and lemon juice. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sliced almonds over the loaf before baking.

The honors of this world, what are they but puff, and emptiness, and peril of falling?

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 375o.  Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg.  Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups.  Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 Tablespoon basil.  Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 Tablespoon basil.  Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

His venture sounds like a banana peel awaiting its victim.

Banana Nut Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well (1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Generously coat a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Gently fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the nuts (if using). Do not over-mix; the batter will look thick and chunky.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, about 55 minutes.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for one hour.

Toasting the nuts: To toast one cup or under: put them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Simply shake the skillet occasionally to preven scorching and toast until they are lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 8 minutes. They can go from golden to burned very quickly. For more than a cup, spread the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven, shaking the baking sheet every few minutes, until the nuts are browned and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes.