Antipasto Squares

Update - September 6, 2008. I'm participating in Susan's Bloiversary Bash. I decided I would submit one of my most requested appetizers. I had to dig back all the way to June, but I think this recipe is a winner! Wanna participate? Visit Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy
for more info.

No matter what weekend I plan a birthday party for Jesse, it rains. I think I we have had one dry birthday over the last 13 years. Luckily we purchased a really big tent years ago and it's just a give-in that it will go up when we plan his party. This year was no exception. What started out as a beautiful, sunny day, ended up in showers. This year the showers were welcome. It was hot and sticky and they offered cool relief and a beautiful breeze. We ended up sitting outside quite late, talking & laughing quite a lot. All the kids ventured into the house to play with the Wii. We even had some pre-4th of July fireworks. A little rain can never spoil our party.

As always, when we started to sing Happy Birthday Moose chimed in. There are only a few songs my dog sings, and Happy Birthday is one of them. He howls like a little wolf. Ken even joined in with him for a duet.

One of the biggest hits at the party were these Antipasto Squares. I don't know where they got the name Antipasto Square. When I think of Antipasto I think of salad, and there isn't a hint of salad in this recipe. No matter, every time I make them, they are the first thing on the table to get gobbled up. The men seem to really enjoy them. They are fast and easy and are always requested.

Antipasto Squares
Printable recipe

2 large packages Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (I think they are called Big & Flaky)
¼ pound each – thinly sliced:
Ham
Provolone cheese
Genoa Salami
Swiss cheese
Slicing Pepperoni

1 med jar Mancini roasted peppers drained (OPTIONAL). I do not use these in mine but if you like them – add ‘em in.

Mix together:
3 eggs beaten
3 Tablespoons grated cheese
Dash pepper (I add a dash of Mrs. Dash instead)

Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking oil. Open one package of the crescent rolls, unroll it in one piece and press it into the bottom of the pan. Layer meat and cheese in the order as listed above. The ¼ pound of meat is an estimate for me. I just layer the meat so it covers the entire pan, you don’t need to overlap the pieces. One note – I try to buy baked ham, not cooked ham. Cooked ham can sometimes be too watery. If you do use cooked ham, I would nuke it in the microwave on some paper towel for a few seconds, just to get some of the wetness out of the meat.

Pour most of the egg mixture on top of meat & cheese. Reserve just a little bit. Top with 2nd package crescent rolls and brush top with remaining egg mixture. Bake 25 minutes at 350 or until top is golden brown. Let cool, cut into squares. Serve warm or room temp.