Parting is such sweet sorrow

I had my final day at the adult foster care home where I've worked for the last 4 years. Saying goodbye to everyone was much harder than I ever imagined it would be. I've learned so much about myself and about what I can do. Lessons I may never learned otherwise.

There were ups and downs, as it is with life. I am thankful for who I've become because of everything I experienced.

I met a lot of interesting people over the years. I forged friendships that will go with me no matter where I move. For those treasured few, I am left without words to express my gratitude for their part in my life.

My dear friends Kate and Joshy decided we needed to celebrate our friendship over dinner last night. It was more than I could have ever asked for. Good friends, laughter, and food. It was perfect.

Kate posted a quick blog about our dinner that you can check out here:

http://kathleenjbade.blogspot.com/2010/10/rockin-fondue-pot.html

The only words I have for these two gems are- Thank you. I love you both.

Although I didn't make dinner, I did make a snack when I got home. It was a little project I started the day before- pepperoni chop bread.

My brother, Adam, has a friend from high school named Wyatt. Wyatt's mom used to make a snack bread that Adam really enjoyed. He brought the recipe home and my dad baked up the pepperoni chop bread. We ate it around the table playing board games one night. It was a hit.

When I moved out the recipe disappeared somewhere into the depths of my cookbooks. I found one similar the other day I wanted to try out. Guess what!? It was the recipe I remembered.

Jon gave it a thumbs up. He really liked that he could just pull a piece off and go back to what he was doing. Pizza flavor without the mess. Yum.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friend. Cheers!

Pepperoni Chop Bread
Makes 1 free form loaf

1 loaf frozen white bread dough
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 tsp. oregano
4 oz. thin-sliced pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Thaw dough at room temperature on a cutting board lightly sprayed with vegetable oil spray for 2 hours, or until thawed. Pat into a 10-inch circle on cutting board. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or in an air-conditioned house for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

Or dough may be thawed and risen overnight in the refrigerator, in a bowl lightly coated with vegetable oil spray. Pat dough into a 10-inch circle on a cutting board and continue with recipe.

Spread pizza sauce over dough. Sprinkle with oregano. Top with pepperoni, then mozzarella cheese.

Draw dough up around filling. With a large, sharp knife, slice bundle about five or six times across, then five or six times in the other direction. With knife, gently mix by lifting dough and pizza mixture from bottom and piling on top. The dough pieces should be about 2 inches square.

With a spatula, gently mound mixture on a lightly greased baking sheet, re-shaping into a circle and making sure most of the filling touches the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until puffy and brown. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Serve warm or cold. To reheat, bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes, or until heated through.