14 Appetizers for Kickoff

Heat oven to 350°F.

Unroll and separate crescent roll dough into 8 triangles. Place two pieces of ham on each triangle. Place a piece of cheese on top of ham towards wide end of crescent.

Starting at wide end, roll up crescent, ending at narrow tip. Tuck edges of crescent roll in and place tips down on ungreased cookie sheet. In small bowl stir together butter, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Brush tops of crescents with butter mixture. Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Heat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; spray with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; stir to dissolve.

Roll dough into 12×14-inch rectangle on lightly floured work surface. Using pizza cutter, cut dough lengthwise into 4 strips. Spread mustard, diced ham and cheese along the length of each strip. Stretch dough over filling; pinch to seal. Pick up short ends and gently stretch each dough rope to 24 inches. To make pretzel shape, form each rope into a “U” shape. Fold each end over to the opposite bottom of the “U” shape, making a pretzel shape. Press dough down where it overlaps in an “X” shape. Fold ends over so they lie under “U” shape. Press into place. Repeat with remaining dough strips.

Dip each pretzel, one at a time, into water-soda mixture. Remove with slotted spoon; place on rack. Let stand 5 minutes.

Beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg mixture. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Carefully transfer to baking sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until firm and golden. Serves 8.

Heat oven to 425°F. Slice 1 cup of pepperoni into thirds.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the baked potato, leaving ¼- inch around the edges.

In medium bowl, combine potato flesh, sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 cup provolone cheese, 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, and sliced pepperoni.

Brush potato halves with melted butter and season with remaining Creole seasoning and Italian seasoning. Turn potatoes over and butter and season the skin side. Place potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes or until the skins start to brown. Turn potatoes over and bake 5 minutes longer. Remove potatoes from oven.

Fill each potato with 2 tablespoons of pepperoni mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon pizza sauce over the potato mixture. Top each potato with remaining cheese and pepperoni.

Bake until cheese starts to bubble up and pepperoni has cupped and is crispy. Garnish with fresh basil and chives.

Heat oven to 375°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In large bowl, combine crackers and nuts. Mix butter and seasonings. Drizzle over cracker mixture; toss to coat.

Spread onto bottom of prepared pan.

Bake 10 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring after 5 minutes. Cool.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out refrigerated pizza dough onto lightly floured surface. Roll into 9×12-inch rectangle. Brush top lightly with olive oil.

Using fork, poke multiple indents into the surface of dough to prevent bubbling. Spread pizza sauce on top of dough. Sprinkle lightly with basil and garlic powder, to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over sauce. Top cheese with pepperoni slices. Carefully roll dough into long, tight log, starting at the long side. Place log on prepared baking sheet, seam-side down. Refrigerate 25 minutes.

Remove from refrigerator and cut log into 12 (1-inch) slices. Pour cornmeal into small bowl. Dip the bottom of each roll into cornmeal and place on baking sheet, cornmeal-side down. Sprinkle tops of rolls with Parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until sides are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Heat oven to 425°. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
On lightly floured work surface, roll and stretch pizza dough into 11×14-inch rectangle.

Layer pepperoni, Provolone cheese, salami, ham and mozzarella cheese across lower third of the dough rectangle. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon parsley and crushed red pepper.

Starting with the long edge, roll up jelly-roll style, tucking ends as you roll. Place seam-side-down on prepared baking sheet.

With sharp knife, make 4 to 5 diagonal slashes down center of roll. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with pizza seasoning.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve with marinara sauce.