HOT HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES

If I had a dollar for every time I made these sandwiches, I would be a happy girl!  Just looking at them right now makes my mouth water!  Oh my goodness, they're A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

My friend Matresa gave me this recipe years ago.  I have made them for so many occasions...bridal showers, baby showers, birthday parties, holiday get togethers, and sometimes for my family on days that I know will be busy.  These are good by themselves with some chips or you can serve them with soup.  I have not found a person that does not like them.  The best thing is you can make them the day before and then bake them up the next day.

I have made them on all different kinds of rolls.  The original recipe called for Pepperidge Farm finger rolls.  When PF stopped making them, I used SaraLee dinner rolls.  These particular sandwiches in the picture were made using King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls.  I have also used turkey in place of the ham and a ham/turkey combination.  You could even experiment using your favorite cheese.  I think Havarti or Provolone might be good.

But what really makes these taste so good is the sauce that you pour on top.  I doesn't look great when you are cooking it but it takes these rolls to whole nutha level!   Oh and the smell in your kitchen is absolutely divine!

Trust me, you can't go wrong if you bring these for your New Year's celebration!  You will get a ton of compliments and I just bet it will become one of your favorite go-to recipes!

HOT HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES

1 pound Sliced Ham (I use Black Forest)

1 pound Sliced Swiss Cheese

2 packages King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls (or other pre-made dinner rolls)

1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

1-1/2 sticks Butter

1-1/2 tablespoons Dry Minced Onions

1-1/2 tablespoons mustard

Cut rolls in half making a top and a bottom.  Place bottom half in a buttered, glass baking dish.

Layer ham, then cheese on top of rolls.

Put top half of rolls on top of the ham and cheese.

Melt butter and add remaining ingredients.  The mustard doesn't really combine well and that's fine.

Cut along perforated edges making single sandwiches.

Pour butter mixture over the sandwiches.

Place toothpicks in several of the sandwiches, cover with glad wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

Remove the glad wrap and toothpicks and place in a cold oven.

Turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.  I always try to take these out of the fridge about an hour or more before I put them in the oven.  A cold dish put into a hot oven can cause it to break. Watch closely to make sure the onions on top and the bottoms do not burn.  

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

SNOWBALLS

SNOWBALLS

These cookies are my son and my husband's favorite cookies! I originally got this recipe from a friend of mine, Mayna Premo, and they had a little chocolate kiss in the middle.  She called them Secret Kiss cookies.  I don't know why I started making them without the little kiss in the middle but we love them with or without and prefer them without!  Without the kiss, I think they are considered Sand Tarts or Wedding Cookies.

These cookies are super buttery and practically melt in your mouth.  The best part is that they are very easy to make.  I don't know anyone who doesn't like them so they are great to give as a gift or to bring to a party.  Christmas is not the only time to make these.  I think these would be great for New Years Eve, New Year's Day, birthdays, potlucks...really anytime is a great time to make these little yummies.

Now that I think of it, I think I will make these for New Year's Eve! 

SNOWBALLS

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees

1 cup Butter, softened

1/2 cup Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1-3/4 cup Flour

1 cup Pecans, chopped small

1 Box Powdered Sugar

1 regular Bag of Hershey Kisses (optional)

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla.   

Add flour and nuts

Mix well.

Chill dough.

Choose option:

For kisses....Mold dough around kiss and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

For snowballs....roll dough into ball a little smaller than a ping-pong ball.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Take cookies out of the oven and let cool a little bit. Maybe about 10 minutes.

Roll cookies in powdered sugar.

When cooled roll in powdered sugar again.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies according to which cookies you choose to make.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

GLAZED CARROTS (LIKE CHEDDAR'S)

My 21 month old grandson is pretty much obsessed with carrots.  My daughter packs them in his lunch when he goes to MDO and there is never any left.  He really likes the carrots at Cheddar's restaurant  (probably because they are all sugared up).  Tonight, I was cooking and my daughter, son in law, and my grandson were coming over eat.  I decided I would attempt to make them like Cheddars.  He only ate the carrots so I think I got it! Ha!

It was the easiest thing ever.  I think the carrots got more compliments than the rest of the meal! Ha!  I am not a big carrot lover but I like these.  Sorry I did not get a picture of the finished dish but everyone came in to eat and I just forgot to take a picture.   When I make them next time, I will take a picture and post it to this blog post.

Carrots are full of vitamin A, vitamin K, Folate and that's just a few nutrients found in this vegetable. Glad to have a recipe that makes me WANT to eat carrots!  Try them and let me know what you think!

GLAZED CARROTS

1 - 16 ounce package of Baby Carrots

1/2 stick of Butter

1/2 cup of Brown Sugar

3 tablespoons Honey

Boil the carrots for 15 minutes in a medium saucepot

Drain the carrots and place back in the saucepot and over the fire at low heat.

Add the butter.

When butter is melted, add the brown sugar and honey.

Cook another 5 minutes and serve.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

STRAWBERRY DIP

I love super-easy recipes.  This recipe wins the prize for being the tastiest and easiest!

I made it this past weekend for a bridal brunch for one of my daughter's dearest friends, Melissa.  She is a girl with a beautiful smile, beautiful heart and one of the most entertaining lives! Ha!  If anything is going to happen, it will always happen to Melissa and I love to hear her newest stories.  I am so happy that she has found her true soul mate.  She deserves every happiness and I cannot wait to see them begin their happily ever after in just a little under 3 weeks!! So excited!

Okay, back to the recipe.  I don't know where I got this recipe but I know I have made it a hundred times (I may be exaggerating a bit)! I have made it for showers, holidays, funerals, just about any time people gather together, this is a delightful thing to serve. Unless you are allergic to any of these ingredients, you will love it and it is totally a gluten-free dessert! Yep, it;s pretty much perfect! I mean, if you can work a mixer and you over the age of 5, you can make this recipe!  It has 2 ingredients...marshmallow creme and strawberry cream cheese.  How can you go wrong...I could eat either of these with a spoon by themselves but mixed together and dip a strawberry in it....ohhhhh myyyyy goshhhh!! Heavenly!

STRAWBERRY DIP

(2) 7 ounce jars of Marshmallow Creme

(1) 8 ounce container Strawberry Cream Cheese (fat-free is just as good)

Strawberries for dipping

Empty 2 jars of marshmallow creme into a medium sized bowl.

Add cream cheese.

Mix well using a hand mixer.

Pour into a bowl and serve with strawberries.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

CRANBERRY SAUCE

My husband loves the canned cranberry sauce.  It's really the only thing he asks for at Thanksgiving. This year he didn't say specificallyyyyy he wanted canned cranberry sauce soooooo I decided to introduce him to something new....cranberry sauce from scratch!

It's really easy and I think it's really good and I hope he really likes it or I may be hearing about this for years to come!

I am going to make this a short blog because I am actually cooking Thanksgiving dinner today.  All my kiddos came up to the ranch and my daughter and her husband have to make it back home tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with his parents.  So thankful that I can still spend holidays with all of my kids.

Anyway, here is the recipe.  You may want to double this as it only makes a little over a cup.  Let me know what you think and I will let you know what my husband thought!!  Deal? Deal!

CRANBERRY SAUCE

1 Bag of Cranberries

1 cup of Orange Juice

3 Cinnamon Sticks

6 Allspice

6 Whole Cloves

1 Cup of Brown Sugar

Place cranberries in a medium saucepan, over medium heat, and cover with orange juice.  Cook until cranberries pop, about 10 minutes.

Place the spices in gauze or a spice bag and place in saucepan.  (I didn't have anything so I just had to place them in and pick them out at the end.)

Add the brown sugar and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Spoon into a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate.

ENJOY!

ITALIAN CHICKEN

I sure have missed my blog.  Life has gotten hectic lately and some things got shuffled to the bottom of the to-do list.  I hate when that happens!

In addition to just being busy, I have been battling my health, as well.  Because I am stubborn and I do not like to take medicine, I have been trying to heal my body by changing my diet.  I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last year...not fun...boo...hiss!  I told the doctor, that I went to for help, that I would like to try things like diet changes, supplements, and vitamins to try and get my levels back in order.  He told me he would give me 6 weeks to try all that but if my numbers did not show improvement and I still chose not to do the radioactive iodine therapy or take medicine (side effects are horrendous), then he would not see me.

So, I had a goal and something to prove!  I got busy eating differently.  I gave up gluten, soda, caffeine, and cut back on my sugar significantly.  I started adding more things to my diet that I thought my body could use to heal itself, such as fruit, vegetables, green, white and oolong tea, juicing, and new grains that I had never tried before, like quinoa.  By the end of the six weeks, all of my numbers were normal except one which was about 13 points away from being normal.  When I went back to the doctor, I was told that it was just a coincidence that my numbers were within normal range.  That was last year, at this exact same time, and I have never been back.

Bad news....when the holidays came around last year, I started going back to my old way of eating. By February, my hair was falling out and by June, all my symptoms were back.

Good news...I have a new doctor and I have gotten back on track again. I feel better than I have in months.  It took a while, but I know I do not want to feel like that again.  This time around, I am probably 95 percent gluten-free.  I have found that eating gluten is okay for me. It's just not okay to have a meal like spaghetti (gluten), meatballs (gluten in the binder), and garlic bread (super gluten) then cake or pie (super-duper gluten) to top it all off!  Excessive gluten makes me feel heavy and it causes my heart to palpitate and race like crazy! Soooo not worth it.!!  I am not saying that this would work for everyone and I am not telling anyone to not take medicine or have any procedure that their doctor has recommended.  I just wanted to share my experience with you.  Thanks for letting me!

Now what is this blog for? Cooking!!  So, let's get to it!!  This chicken is ah-maaa-zing!!!  For those of you who are gluten intolerant, I read that the Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix is no longer gluten-free...just FYI.  Didn't know that until I started typing this and decided to look it up! I just assumed it was gluten-free! Nevertheless, this recipe has great flavor and it leaves the chicken actually juicy. Baking chicken breasts can be tricky.  I cannot stand a dry, overcooked chicken breast so I have started using a food thermometer.  Chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees. Also, it seems like the chicken breasts have doubled in thickness these days, so I pound mine and cut them in half.  I don't want them really thin but I also don't want them really thick so, just somewhere in the middle!

I have served this chicken with different sides over the years.  It really goes with just about anything. This time I made creamy mashed potatoes and confetti salad.  So, when you are looking for something easy, quick, tasty, and healthy...try this recipe!  And...there is only 4 ingredients!! So much to like...I don't think you will be disappointed!

ITALIAN CHICKEN

1 package of Good Season Italian Dressing

1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder (I add about 5 times this amount...just saying)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed (approximately 2 lbs. or a little less)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the first 3 ingredients in something like a pie plate. 

Dredge the chicken in the mixture, pressing to make sure it adheres.

Wish I would have taken this picture from the side so you could see how thick it was.

Don't forget to rinse your chicken before you start.

Pound chicken to the thickness you desire

Leave the chicken wet and press the dry ingredients onto the chicken breast.

Place chicken on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Of course, the baking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken breasts.

That's all there is to it!  

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

BRAISED KALE WITH BACON AND ONIONS

I didn't grown up eating Kale.  In fact, I only knew of kale as those pretty little decorative plants that you grew in a flower bed.  However, over the past few years, and maybe because of the popularity of Food Network, I hear of kale more and more.  It actually could be because of the health benefits of kale too, that so many people are choosing to add kale to their diet.

Last night was the first time I had ever cooked kale by itself...not in soup or as an added ingredient in dishes.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor, the color, and the texture when cooked.  My husband and I both thought it reminded us of collard greens both in the way it looked and also in the flavor. I like most of my vegetables to be a little crunchy....not mushy.  I don't want them to just dissolve in my mouth.  When cooking kale, it reminded me of spinach because it shrinks as you cook it.  So, you may start out with what looks like a lot of leaves but they wilt quickly.

This dish was simple and I have added it to my favorite veggie list! I think it would really be good to add a little kick like crushed red pepper to the dish, but my 18 month old grandson was eating with us so that was a big NO-NO.  A little chow-chow or some pepper relish would be good added to it, as well....at least I think so!

This recipe came out of a Lodge Cast Iron cookbook.  I absolutely love cast iron but I only have one good skillet which is what I used for this dish.  Now that I think about it, this skillet came from my mother-in-law, Joy. You know, I think today I am going to change that and order some pieces.  I like to watch The Pioneer Woman and she has an entire collection.  Oh wow, boy have I diverted from what I was talking about.  Annnnnyway.....if you have a cast iron skillet, use it for this recipe.  If not, just use any skillet.  I don't really like non-stick pans.  I have one but I only use it for cooking eggs or pancakes. I just don't think they get things browned-up as well.  But if that is what you have...by all means use it....it will definitely work!

The good thing about this dish is that it will go with just about anything....especially cornbread!  It doesn't get much more Southern than that!

BRAISED KALE WITH BACON AND ONIONS

1 (16 ounce) bag of chopped Kale

5 slices of extra-thick-cut Bacon, chopped into small pieces

1 medium Onion, split lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 can of Chicken Broth, (I use Campbells)

Kosher or Fine Sea Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper

Cook the bacon in a 10 inch cast iron skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned and fat is rendered, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes.

Raise the heat to medium-high, and add about 1/4 cup of chicken broth and and handful of kale and toss until wilted. 

Continue adding chicken broth, a little at a time, to keep a good steam going, and add more kale.  Stir constantly and allowing each addition to wilt before adding more.

When all of the kale has been added and has been wilted down, add salt and pepper to taste.

It should be tender but still retain its lovely green color.

Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

OVEN SWISS STEAK

Well, this dish has received 5 Stars at my house!  My daughter declared this as her  new favorite dish and I think I am in agreement!

I was looking through an old magazine called "The Best of America's Test Kitchen" and found this recipe.  I used to make Oven Swiss Steak but I haven't made it in years....because I can't find my recipe! Ugh!  But I am glad now that I couldn't find it because this one is better!!  It literally cuts with a fork...no need for a knife.  It has a deep, rich flavor and it is perfect served over mashed potatoes.

The recipe called for a Top Blade Steak but I couldn't find it at either of my local grocery stores so I decided I would experiment with 2 different cuts of meat.  The first was  Boneless Heavy Beef Chuck Tender Steaks and the second was Thin Sliced Sirloin Steaks sliced in half.  I forgot to look at how much they weighed so I ended up with about 3 pounds of steak or 12 small pieces of steak.  This recipe calls for 3-1/2 - 4 lbs of meat so, I could have added 2 more steaks cut in half for a total of 16 pieces of meat.  I would say this recipe serves 6 to 8 people easily.  Oh...and I would use only the Sirloin Steaks next time.  They cooked up perfectly and had very little fat.

I decided to keep it simple tonight so I just made mashed potatoes and sauteed kale (I will blog that tomorrow...super easy).  It was just right.  I would have loved to have rolls, garlic toast, or some kind of bread but I am trying to limit my gluten right now sooooo no bread....Booooo!!  I love bread!!

I was so tempted to change up this recipe because that's just what I do but I decided, no matter what, I was going to follow the recipe perfectly.  I did mess up and I added the sun dried tomatoes too early but it didn't seem to make a difference.  Try it and let me know what you think!

OVEN SWISS STEAK

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

1  (3-1/2 TO 4 pound) Boneless Top Blade Roast OR Thin Sliced Sirloin Steaks
     Garlic Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1 large Onion, halved and sliced thin
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 (14.5 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes
1-1/2 cups Chicken Broth (I use Campbells)
1 tablespoon Sun Dried Tomatoes, packed in oil, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and season with garlic salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Brown steaks in groups, making sure not to crowd the steaks, about 3 minutes per side (my stove took a little longer). 

Transfer the steaks to a plate and repeat with the remaining steaks and oil.

Add the onion to the empty pot and cook them until softened, about 5 minutes.  You may need to add a little oil if there is not enough to saute the onions.

Add the tomato paste, flour, garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the diced tomatoes and the broth and bring to a boil.

Return the steaks and any accumulated juice to the pot.  

Transfer the pot to the oven and braise, covered, until the steaks are fork-tender, about 1 hour at 350 degrees, decrease heat to 325 degrees for 30 minutes and then decrease heat to 300 degrees for the last 30 minutes.

Transfer steaks to a plate and tent with foil.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Skim fat from the sauce. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the sauce over the steaks and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve over or with mashed potatoes.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE