by Chrysa Smith

Aargh! I went to look for my favorite Superbowl recipe and DRATS—I can’t find it. But it’s so easy, I’m going to loosely share it with you—whether you cook or not; whether you like reading about food or not; whether you give two hoots about Superbowl Sunday or not—because this recipe is good for any celebration that involves hearty snacking.

Don’t fret—it’s not the stadium snack sculpture pictured here. It is simply–stromboli. And when you make it yourself, you’ll have a little extra pocket change to place your bets or head to the mall.

While I do love Tostitos and Fritos and Chex Mex, the one problem I find with a day of grazing is that the calories turn out to be astronomic, without the gastronomic satisfaction you get from a real meal. Cocktail weenies and nachos don’t cut it. So I prefer stromboli—it covers protein, carbs and maybe, if you stretch it a bit, some vegetable. So here it is.

What you’ll need: frozen bread dough, onion powder, garlic powder, olive oil, cold cuts

Begin with the frozen bread dough. You can often find it packaged in two, so I like to make two at a time. You can always cook and freeze one if you don’t use it. Let the dough thaw and roll out thinly on a floured cutting board till the dough is thin enough to roll without tearing. Take a pastry brush and paint the dough with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic and onion powder—and then we start layering with cold cuts.

I usually purchase about 1/2 pound each of ham and pepperoni; 1/4 pound of provolone—but you can mix and match the meet and cheese as you like: proscuitto and mozarella; salami, ham and provolone or whatever combo floats your boat. You can even slice meatballs or cooked sausage into thin slices. So whatever meat you use, begin with one variety and lay the slices down next to each other without overlapping. Cover the entire surface area. Next is the cheese—do the same. After the cheese, add another layer of meat. And if you need the veggies, layer some sliced tomato on top.

Carefully roll lengthwise until you have one long form and seal the ends by pressing the dough together. Lay it onto a parchment lined baking sheet (I usually curve it into a crescent shape to fit) and bake at 350 degrees until lightly golden brown.

When cool, I slice the stromboli to snacking size and serve it along with some favorite marinara sauce—-try it. I think you’ll score big with your guests.

What’s your favorite grazing snack?