Day 14: Guest Post from The Blue Ladybug --Stromboli sans Sauce

Today I have a special treat for you (in more ways than one), as we have a guest post from one of the awesome ladies behind my sponsor, The Blue Ladybug.  I was so excited when Mary Beth agreed to guest post here, as it was a rather last minute request on my part, because I was confident that whatever she sent me was going to be amazing!  I think you'll enjoy this recipe; it's actually perfect for a Friday night, so if you don't have anything planned yet, start baking...

And, The Blue Ladybug has a great sale going on right now on one of their outfits.  Sale ends THIS SUNDAY, so hurry on over there and order one of these adorable brother/sister fall outfits!

Without further ado...here's our recipe de jour!

Hi, I’m Mary Beth from The Blue Ladybug (shop & blog)! I’m so excited to be sharing with you a fall recipe for Lauren’s 31 Days of Fall from the Kitchen series this month! I love Fall! I love to bake in the fall, to make soups and hot drinks, make/can applesauce, search for the best deal on pumpkins, stock our freezer and pantry with venison, and celebrate family birthdays! There’s nothing like fall to get me inspired to create in my home! As the weather cools and the color changes, my heart just feels warmer… I’m so honored that Lauren asked me to guest post for this month! In fact the day she asked me, I was a little bummed because I had just come up with a couple new soups but we’d already eaten them, so I had no pictures and wasn’t plan to make them again for at least a couple more weeks (I really have to pace myself with soups- I plan WAY too many of them in my menus!). But that night for dinner, I was already making something yummy from my childhood that definitely is comfort food to me!

My mom always made what we called “Broccoli Bread” when I was little. It’s basically a stromboli but with no sauce. I guess you could call it a Pizza bread too. It’s a dough, stuffed with cheeses, pepperoni… and broccoli! Thinking about it now, the broccoli seems kind of random, but it’s totally good (I promise), and adds some healthy greens to this meal! My mom always made two- one with broccoli and one without (there were some picky eaters in my family!).

For the Dough: Use your favorite white bread dough recipe. I used this one. When your dough is done rising, punch it down. (I had to divide mine as it made enough for two)

NOTE: For a semi-homemade option (is that okay on this blog?), use frozen bread dough. This was what my mom always did. Simply take a loaf out of the freezer, and let it thaw on a plate until risen. Punch dough and proceed to shape it as detailed below.

Shaping the Dough: Form your dough into a long strip that hangs over the corners of your cookie sheet. (see the picture below). The dough will be about 6 inches wide all the way down. You want enough dough to fold up over all the filling and seal.

Filling: This is directly from my mom’s recipe, but I don’t usually measure anything. And I just usually use what I have on hand, substituting if I don’t have everything it calls for.

In this order- provolone slices (5-6)

Pepperoni (as much as will fit)

Shredded Mozzarella cheese ( about 1 1/2 cups)

Broccoli florets (about 2 cups- I use frozen)

Shredded Colby cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)

Parmesan cheese ( about 1/2 cup)

{Provolone + Pepperoni}

{Mozzarella + Broccoli}

{Colby + Parmesan} After all your ingredients are on the dough, bring the sides of the dough together and pinch to seal. I start in the middle and work my way down one side at a time. Once you have it all sealed, carefully flip it over so the “seam” is on the bottom. You’ll probably have to curve the loaf into a crescent on your cookie sheet to make it fit. Check your dough recipe for oven temperature (approx 350-375), and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is getting brown. My husband likes when I melt butter on the top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese towards the end. (I didn’t do that this particular time.)

You could also serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping! I just like it plain! My favorite part is cutting into it and having the cheese ooze out!

Enjoy some warm, gooey goodness! Very filling and delicious for a cool fall evening! And for a beverage pairing? Maybe a cold glass of apple cider! :)

Thanks so much, Mary Beth!  Be sure to head on over to Blue Ladybug Mamas and give Mary Beth some thanks for such a great recipe.

Happy Friday!