Stromboli Sandwiches

Our current cold, damp, wet, snowy, rainy, drippy (shall I go on?) days with temperatures hovering in the 30s have made me hungry for oven meals. Might as well enjoy them now as, believe it or not, this summer there will be stretches of weeks at a time when I avoid lighting the oven because of the heat it throws into the kitchen.

Although I truly do try to avoid eating too much bread because of the carbohydrates (our American diet contains too, too many carbos for good health), I have to confess that I love sandwiches. (Shhhh, don't tell anyone but bread tends to make me . . . how shall I put this? . . . a mite bloated in the intestinal region. Sorry, but it does. And that, in truth, is probably the only thing that keeps me from gorging on it. Oh, toast, toast, heavenly toast!)

Okay, back to the oven and a good sandwich. This is a recipe my mom sent me many years back. I especially like it because you can make the six large sandwiches and freeze them all or any portion of them you don't use immediately. When you want to use the frozen ones, just let them thaw on the counter and bake as directed in the recipe.

STROMBOLI

In large skillet, brown one pound ground beef with 1 cup diced onions.

Then add 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 cup catsup, 1/8 teaspoon oregano, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed. (Love that fennel!) I think sliced black olives are a nice addition to the skillet mixture also, but I don't add them all of the time because I realize there are people out there (yes, there are) who don't like black olives. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Split six kaiser rolls (or hamburger buns or hoagie buns) and spread one half of each bun with butter. Sprinkle a little garlic salt over butter. Divide the ground beef mixture evenly onto the six buttered bun halves.

Then put a layer of sliced mozzarella cheese over meat mixture on each bun. (The amount of cheese here isn't critical but please don't be stingy, because the mozzarella makes the sandwich ooey, gooey, and yummy.)

Put the top half on each bun, wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve immediately.

My mom told me she would frequently make the Stromboli meat mixture and freeze it in six small, individual containers. Then when she and Dad wanted an open-faced sandwich, she would defrost two portions of meat mixture, spread each on half a bun, top with cheese and broil for a light meal. I've never tried it this way but it sounds quick and easy . . . and uses half the bread!