Not sure about most folks but, my Mom raised six children and always had a complete dinner on the table every night.  I learned a lot from her about organization and cooking.  She threw more parties then I could ever imagine. (and at 85, she is still doing so too!)  If it was a large party or small get together, she always had the right food, enough of it and everything was always super tasty!   I remember when I helped her make these little ham sandwiches as a part of an upcoming cocktail party, and thought it was so odd we were pouring a mustard & butter sauce over the tops of all these little sandwiches we worked on building. (ok, I thought she was crazy!)  LOL  somehow, the sauce just seeps into the bread and creates a wonderful and tasty "crust" and turned a simple ham sandwich into a cocktail party - treat!  I decided to try and turn that into a stromboli for dinner and I will admit, I am glad i did and now I am excited to try all sorts of cheese/meat combos with different sauces too!  I have seen similar sandwich recipe all over the internet - I'm sure back in the 1960's my Mom got her recipe she uses from the Chicago Sun Times 'recipe section' as that is where she got most inspired... I don't know who else to credit for this recipe so, the credit goes to my Mom!  ~Enjoy! Diane 

Ham n' Cheese Stromboli with Mustard Sauce 

Mom's Ham n Cheese Mustard Sauce Ingredients:
5 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard
1 teaspoon Minced Onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Poppy-seeds

Combine all sauce ingredients in small saucepan on stove top, let butter melt and stir everything together, turn off burner, set aside to prepare/assemble stromboli.  

Stromboli Ingredients: 
1 package/tube of Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Dough
or 
Homemade Pizza Dough (this recipe for the New York Times/Cooking section) 
2 ¾ cups  bread flour
2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
2 teaspoons sea salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup warm water
2 or 3 tablespoons medium or coarse cornmeal

If making Homemade Dough:
Put the flour, yeast and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, pour the oil through the feed tube, then add the water in a slow, steady stream. Continue to process for 2 to 3 minutes (the dough should form a rough ball and ride around in the processor). The finished dough should be soft, slightly sticky and elastic. If too dry, add a bit more water; if too wet, a tablespoon or so more flour.
Lay a 12-inch-long piece of plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Work the dough into a rectangle on the plastic, about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Press your fingers into the top of the dough all over, making indentations as though it were a focaccia bread. 
Fold the left third of the dough over (as you would a letter) and repeat the indentations. Fold the right third over and make the indentations again. Cover the folded dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes.
Cut the dough in half, form each piece into a neat ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer. The morning before you want to make pizza, transfer the dough to the refrigerator to thaw.

Assembly for Stromboli: 
Preheat oven to 380.
Lightly brush olive oil over a non stick cookie sheet.  Lay pizza dough (that has been rolled out in a large rectangle) onto cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with cheese leaving the edges bare by about 1-2 inches all the way around. Next, lay one single layer of ham over cheese.  Starting from bottom (short end) roll away from you (upwards), tucking in edges slightly as you go.  Turn the completed, rolled stromboli to center onto cookie sheet, lightly pat down all over to create a flatter (more square) stromboli (((once rolled it will look like a circular log, you want to pat that down a bit)))  Check over your dough and pinch together any seams or holes in dough that may have opened up.  place three small "airholes" on top of dough with a knife - this will let the bread vent while cooking.  Place in oven and bake for 15 mins.  Pull cookie sheet out of oven and use a knife to make slits in the top of the stromboli dough (about 2 inches long), at this time you will also baste your bread with the mustard sauce - depending on how large your stromboli is...you may not use ALL the sauce. If needed, use a paper-towel to quickly mop up any sauce that has puddled around stromboli on the cookie sheet and place back in the oven to finish cooking another 15 minutes (keep an eye on the crust for any burning)  you want a nice brown crust without any burning of the bottom crust.) 
Take out of oven and let cool 5 minutes before slicing and serving.   

   Updated: 2022 Adding a link for my Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.

     The preparation on this recipe is simple and easy (and who doesn't like that on busy days.)  You can make my homemade 'drop type biscuits' or use store bought.   Great thing is, you decide what works for you, even changing up the filling works (see my kitchen note at end of the recipe) I've also added the link to my Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.  It all tastes great!  
     I used my smaller cast iron Dutch oven for this recipe as it has a heavy lid for going into the oven and creating a nice steam for my dumplings to rise but, you can certainly use a cast iron skillet and cover it with foil (just make sure to get a tight seal.)  I hope you make and enjoy this as much as we do.  ~Enjoy! Diane 

Dutch Oven Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil or 1 Tablespoon of ghee
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot 
1 1/2 cups chicken broth 
3 cups cooked chopped chicken; See Kitchen note if using raw chicken 
1 tablespoon dried parsley 
salt & pepper to taste 
2 cans cream of chicken soup, or make my homemade version (here) 
1 can Pillsbury biscuits or homemade my 'drop' biscuits (see note below) 


Instructions 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

• In an ovenproof Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet, lightly salt and pepper vegetables and cook onion, carrots and celery in olive oil or ghee over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until softened. Add in the chicken broth. Let simmer. 
• In a bowl, combine cooked chicken*, condensed cream of chicken soup* and parsley. Stir into vegetable mixture. 
• If using a can of store-bought biscuits, peel each biscuit in half and place on top of chicken mixture covering the entire top surface, or make homemade "drop" biscuits and do the same (see below). 
• Bake 20 minutes, covered with lid of Dutch oven (with foil if using oven proof skillet) then remove lid/foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.   Serve hot.

If you cannot find Pillsbury Home-style Biscuits, you can substitute my homemade "drop" biscuits in their place. (see recipe below)

Homemade "Drop" Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk

Directions:
Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in medium size bowl. Cut in butter with fork, until crumbly. Stir in milk to make a soft dough. Tear dough into 6 pieces, roll slightly into ball, flatted and lay on-top of Chicken mixture. Makes 6 biscuits.

​
Kitchen Note 1:  Switch the filling up a bit, you can try adding in some cooked wild rice, different vegetables like green beans or peas - it's a wonderful recipe!  Pure comfort food! 
Kitchen Note 2:  You can use raw chicken in this dish just make sure you cut your pieces small to ensure it is cooked thoroughly during bake time. Add the raw chicken to the first step in my recipe (when adding the vegetables into Dutch oven.) 

Fresh fruit needs a good dessert!  I love making these super easy pots de cremes.  Just a fancy (french) name for a light set, super luxurious custard.  Baked in the oven, in a 'water bath' so to speak (bain marie style, yep - another fancy french name) You can dress these up and down - use fancy ramekins, or as I did - canning jars.  I know - before you start screaming "canning jars are not to be used in an oven"  I hear you and disagree when using a low oven temp and bain marie (wet) cooking. If you feel safer using ramekins - go for it. By all means, don't discount this recipe in thinking its too hard...its not - I promise and the end results are astounding. Think of a rich custard that is as smooth as silk with a burst of vanilla bean flavor.  There are so many flavor variations too - the traditional is chocolate with a bit of liquer and coffee add in too but, I've seen maple ones and salted caramel and even vanilla/lavender... Enjoy! ~Diane  

Vanilla Bean Pot de Creme with Raspberries 


Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup milk
• 9 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• 6 egg yolks

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 300. (You will be using a 9x13 baking pan to hold all the molds and approx twelve 4-to 6ounce jars/vessles to hold the custard.) 
  
• Combine cream, milk, vanilla bean paste and 5 tablespoons of the sugar.  Heat mixture until it's hot and the sugar has dissolved, remove sauce pan from heat.  Set aside.
• Whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar together.  The cream mixture should be warm to the touch — not hot before proceeding to next step.  (or you will cook the eggs) 
• Slowly whisk a small amount of the cream mixture into the yolks to temper them. Continue adding the warm cream until all of it has been added. 
• Bring a teapot filled with water to a boil. Place pot de creme vessels in a large deep baking pan lined with parchment paper, if preferred. We want the custards to cook evenly and slowly. 
• Gently stir the custard, then fill each vessel with it. Add hot water until the water is halfway to two-thirds up the sides of molds. Cover baking pan with a  'lid' of tin-foil to seal in steam. 
  
• Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 55 minutes — the cooking time will vary depending on the size of the vessel. To test, reach into the oven and using a kitchen towel to protect your hand, gently shake one of the molds — the custard should be set, but will still jiggle slightly, like gelatin. Remove the molds from the hot water and place on a cooling rack.
  
• Let cool, then refrigerate, covered for at least 8 hours before serving
• Top with a fresh fruit compote or serve with fresh berries (I use raspberries) 

Recipe Adapted from: Bucheron 
Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home 

Blueberry & Sour Cream Loaf
*recipe makes ONE- 9x5 inch loaf

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, *optional
1 cup blueberries (thawed, if frozen)

 demerara sugar or powdered sugar for sprinkling/topping, *optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease One 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, *nuts and blueberries. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe and Photo by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home