The late Erma Bombeck was a much-loved humorist who achieved popularity with her newspaper columns syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers. Her final book entitled “If I Had My Life to Live Over Again,” written after her cancer diagnosis, revealed her regrets.
“I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded,” she wrote. It is the quote that sticks with me. As the summer unfolds, I plan to ask friends to stop by for a glass of wine, some iced tea, or a cocktail.
No la-di-da dinner will be in the mix, only some simple nibbles. A bowl of nuts. Maybe some seasoned popcorn.
Some cheese and crackers. And something else. One or two easy-to-prepare things from my kitchen.
And once everyone has a glass of choice, I’ll propose a toast to Erma. Onion Flatbread This tasty flatbread goes together quickly, especially when using storebought fresh pizza dough. I buy pizza dough in 1-pound plastic bags at Trader Joe’s and find that they work best when used within one or two days of purchase.
Yield: 6 servings INGREDIENTS Parchment paper All-purpose flour 12 ounces pizza dough 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, see cook’s notes 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced Coarse salt Finely chopped Italian parsley Cook’s notes: Sometimes I use a shredded cheese labeled “taco blend.” It’s shredded Jack cheese tossed with taco seasoning. DIRECTIONS 1.
Adjust oven.
