Dec 8, 2002 5 min read

By Jennifer Harr I recently bid adieu to the kitchen I’ve known and loved for the past two years.

It was a sad day when I walked out of my apartment for the last time, but the sadness was tempered by knowing that I was walking into a new kitchen, one that I own – or will in 30 years.

Moving day for the Harr family came smack dab in the middle of Thanksgiving week and it was an experience. I never knew how much junk (and that’s the word for it) we had accumulated until we were faced with the task of packing it up for a move across town.

But we also found that there were many things that we no longer used, and, in the spirit of showing the kids that it’s good to give, we packed up about a dozen bags of clothing, toys and other miscellaneous items to give to charity.

To do that, I instituted a rule of thumb that I felt was fair: if an item hadn’t been worn or played with for a year or more and was in good condition, it got donated. Proudly, I watched as 6-year-old Brianna dutifully set aside toys she would no longer play with. Some of them – like a Barbie jeep, were pilfered from the donation box by the ever-nebby, Gabriel. Nearing 2, Gabe got a great joy using the jeep to run over his action figures.

But even Gabe got into the act, nodding in some semblance of understanding when I told him to put the jeep back so that other children who have less might use this toy he won’t miss.

As moving day approached, I felt good because what we gave may help someone else. It’s a tradition my husband and I hope to keep up on a yearly basis.

The recipes I’m including this week are those that I made for my movers over the week that it took us to gradually transfer items from the old to the new. They’re quick and easy, so I hope you enjoy them.

For questions/comments or suggestions on column topics, write the Herald-Standard c/o Jennifer Harr, 8-18 E. Church Street, Uniontown, Pa. 15401 or e-mail jharr@heraldstandard.com.

SIMPLE STROMBOLI

2 packages pizza dough mix

1, 10 ounce package frozen spinach, cooked and drained

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1, 8 ounce bag Mozzarella cheese

Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Make the pizza dough according to package directions, adding in about one clove of garlic and some Italian seasoning. Cover and let the dough rise. Start the filling by cooking the chicken breast and then finely chop. Into the pan, add remaining garlic and saut? over medium heat until translucent. Add in the spinach, pepper and chicken and let the mixture cook about 5 minutes more.

In the meantime, rub some vegetable oil on your hands and bring out the dough.

I use a pizza stone, but use whatever pan you’d like.

Carefully start stretching the dough into a circle. It’s okay if some hangs over the pan.

Start at one end with a line of filling and a line of cheese and then roll the dough over top. Repeat this method until the stromboli is complete.

Bring the ends around so the stromboli is a crescent shape. Bake 20-30 minutes.

SUPER SUPPER SANDWICH

1 loaf of Italian bread

1/2 pound each of salami, roast beef and turkey breast lunch meat

1/2 pound each of Provolone and Muenster cheese

1 small jar pickled vegetables (I used spicy ones)

1 onion, thinly sliced (I prefer red, but any will do)

3 red peppers, roasted and sliced (or drained roasted peppers from a jar)

Lettuce

Fresh parsley, chopped

Olive Oil

Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Pour a small amount of olive oil in a cup and lightly brush peppers.

Put onto a baking sheet and roast about 35 minutes, turning frequently, or until the skins are charred. Put the peppers into a paper lunch bag and twist the top to seal shut, or put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. After about 10 minutes, peel the skin off, and slice the peppers into strips.

While the peppers are roasting, drain the pickled vegetables well and grind them in a food processor. Then, cut off the top of the bread, careful to keep it all in one piece and hollow out the inside. (Put the inside aside for making breadcrumbs later.)

Toast the bottom half of the bread and the top half until brown and crispy.

Use the ground pickled veggies to spread inside the bread, taking care to get not only on the bottom, but on the sides as well.

Start on the bottom with a layer of lettuce. Then a layer of meat and cheese, followed by peppers and onion and a bit of parsley.

Put another layer of meat and cheese and push those down tightly. Keep going until your sandwich is full and top off with a layer of lettuce, a drizzle of olive oil and a healthy sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Before adding the top of the bread to the sandwich, brush a bit of olive oil on it.

Then, either serve the sandwich or wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

One nice sized slice was more than enough for this hefty eater.