The State Food of West Virginia

When I first came to West Virginia when my husband and I were dating, he thought I was nuts because I had never had a pepperoni roll.  I had eaten pizza, pizza rolls, Stromboli, calzones, pizza bagels and all kinds of other pepperoni items but never a bona fide West Virginia pepperoni roll.  Apparently, years ago, pepperoni rolls became popular in these parts because they were a filling lunch for coal miners that didn't require any heating or refrigerating.  7 years into our marriage, I have learned that you can buy pepperoni rolls in all shapes and sizes in just about any grocery or convenience store in the state!  They're usually chewy, maybe a little hint of sweetness in the bread, and loaded with pepperoni.  My husband LOVES them and so does pretty much everyone else I know who grew up around here, so I set out to learn how to make them.  This recipe makes a dozen at a time and it only takes a day for my family of 4 to eat every one of them!  I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment but you could definitely do this by hand with a little determination.

Ingredients:

1/2 c milk
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 c melted butter
1/2 c warm water
1 pkg Fleischmann's active dry yeast
2 large eggs, beaten 4 1/2 - 5 c all purpose flour         Pepperoni Mozzarella Cheese          Bring milk to a boil and remove from heat immediately. Stir in sugar, salt, and butter. Set aside and allow to cool to lukewarm.  In a large bowl mix warm water and yeast. Stir until dissolved. Stir in lukewarm milk mixture, beaten eggs, and half the flour. Beat until smooth.  Add remaining flour gradually, mixing as you go. You may need a bit more or less than the total 4 1/2 cups called for in the recipe, depending on the humidity and other factors. Your dough should be elastic and slightly stiff but not dry.  It will pull away from the sides of the bowl like the picture. Spray the inside of a large mixing bowl. Put dough in bowl and turn dough over a couple of times to coat it all with the cooking spray. . Cover bowl with a towel and place in a warm place so it can rise. It will take about an hour to double in bulk.
	After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a smooth flat surface.  I use wax paper on my table and flatten it out into a circle about 16 inches across.  The circle is then cut into 12 equal pieces.     Stretch and flatten each piece into a rectangle (notice my pop-tarts for size comparison!)    Fill each piece with sliced pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.  The amount depends totally on your tastes.   Once filled, roll 'em up and pinch 'em closed!   Cover the rolls and let them rise again for about 45 minutes.  Bake at 350* for 25 minutes or until golden brown and you are unable to resist them anymore!
	

Fancy Schmancy

Sometimes ya just feel like eating high on the hog.  You know...skip out on the styrofoam plates for a night and break out the dishes you usually avoid using so there are fewer dishes to wash.  Maybe fillet mignon and caviar weren't on the grocery list this week but I'll bet that most of my friends have some chicken on hand.  So, here's my "fancy schmancy" (very easy) recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu. 

Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (how many depends on how many folks you're feeding, of course)
1-2 thin slices of smoked ham per chicken breast
1 slice of provolone or swiss cheese per chicken breast
Parmesan Panko Bread Crumbs (I buy these at Kroger, I'm sure you could find them other places)
Flour
Butter
1 egg lightly beaten in a bowl



What ya gotta do:

Preheat your oven to 400.  Throw some butter in a skillet and turn it on low so that it can be melting while you're assembling the chicken.  Begin by "butterfly-ing" the chicken breasts.  In other words, slice almost all the way through the middle of the chicken so that it opens up like butterfly wings.  Tuck ham and cheese into the butterfly and then close. Crank up the heat on your skillet of melted butter to medium (you'll need it soon). Then dip the chicken in the egg, roll in flour, dip in egg again, and roll in panko bread crumbs.  Toss that bad boy into your skillet and brown on both sides (approx 4-5 mins per side.)  Transfer the chicken breasts from skillet to baking dish and bake for about 30-40 minutes until chicken is done and juices run clear.  Serve hot!


I served this with baked potatoes and green beans on REAL glass plates with REAL silverware on an average Thursday night.  Because sometimes you just feel like eating something with a classy French name. "Cordon Bleu" is French for 'blue ribbon'. The Cordon Bleu was the highest order of chivalry under the Bourbon kings. It has since been used for other first-class distinctions. The term has migrated into the language as a figurative acclamation rather than actual decoration for high quality, especially for chefs.

Man, my mom was cool!

We all want our kids to have better than we did, right?  I've sort of made it my life's mission to see to it that my Riley Roo and Landon Boo (Roo and Boo for short) look back on their childhood and think, "Man, my mom was cool!"
With that said, I don't have the "My Super Sweet 16" kind of cash for elaborate parties and such.  I do, however, have one heck of a creative streak and a love for DIY.  I also have a love for reading other people's blogs for inspiration so I thought why not start my own? 
So, round 1 of my great blogging adventure will be dedicated to Roo's 5th Birthday Party we threw a few days ago.  IMO, the party was a huge success and when I looked around my back yard at all the family and friends enjoying "The Lorax" on the DIY outdoor movie screen, I knew I had added another feather to my cool mom cap!

I know some of you have seen the awesome Pinterest post about party lights made from glow sticks and ballooons, right?  Nailed it...not so much.  Apparently breaking the glow sticks and inflating the balloons 4-5 hours before dark doesn't work.  The balloons looked cute though!

We went with a camping theme since Roo is a lucky summer birthday kid and we can do fun outdoorsy stuff.  (Boo, my December baby, is not so lucky.) 

 

 

 

 The banners I made from burlap, used letter stencils and paint all bought at Hobby Lobby.

 





 

The campground signs I made from scrap wood my friend had lying around. Being married to a mechanic means you usually have old tires around to stack and put a trash can inside.

 

I don't know if everyone is lucky enough to have great people at their Walmart bakery, but we are!  The same lady has made Roo's last 4 birthday cakes and they've all been exactly what I wanted.  I took a picture with me when I ordered and a week later I picked up campfire cupcakes for my little man's celebration.  Yes, I'm a do-it-yourself-er but for about 12 bucks I saved myself a couple hours worth of baking and icing!

 

I rented a DVD projector from ATS Rentals for our back yard movie!  I highly recommend this company.  I try to support local businesses when I can, but when it came down to it, ATS saved me about 75% when compared to renting a projector from our local party supply place.  Not to mention, I got to keep this one for 4 days...the local rental was 4 times the cost for only 2 hours!  Anyway, we used a white vinyl tablecloth attached to the PVC frame of my son's soccer goal to make a screen, set up a popcorn machine, threw out blankets and chairs, and enjoyed "The Lorax" under the stars!

 

After the movie, we spent some time by the campfire, and then I crawled my tired butt in a tent full of pint-sized wild animals who were all jacked up on S'mores!  Might I add that my husband and adult friends wimped out on me and slept inside!  Oh well, they might've been more comfortable, but I got my feather in my cap!