Holiday Ham

You HAVE to try this ham.  Super moist, delicious, and ridiculously easy!  I cut the recipe in half, and made an 8lb ham for our Christmas dinner with family.  Even the my brother-in-law, who generally doesn't say much, commented on how good it was! :) 

• 15 lbs whole bone-in ham (I prefer Cooks SuperTrim brand)
• 1 lb brown sugar
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• aluminum foil

1. In a medium size mixing bowl, mix yellow mustard and brown sugar until you have a thick"paste.:
2. Take all wrappers off of ham and trim away excess fat.
3. Line baking pan with Aluminum foil.  Place an EXTRA lining underneath the foil that you will place the ham on, because the paste/juices WILL leak out.  Clean up is a breeze! :)
4. Place ham on foil and spread brown sugar/mustard paste on top.
5. Fold and seal foil.
6. Do not open again until ham is done.
7. Bake at 350° for 4 hours.
8. Let set for about 1 hr then carve.
9. One of the best tasting hams you will ever have!

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Seriously, you all have to jump on this band wagon.  Save your health AND your pocket book.  Blake even says it's pretty good {and he is a true junk food lover!}!

Plain old brown paper lunch bag {I actually asked for them at our local grocery store, and they didn't have any to SELL me, so they just gave me a bunch at the counter!  Score!}

1/2 c. popcorn kernels

Place popcorn kernels in brown paper bag.  Fold top of bag over twice to seal.  Place bag UPRIGHT in microwave.  Microwave on high about 3 minutes.  Stop the microwave when popping slows to 1-2 pops per second.  I melted a tablespoon of butter and poured it over top.  Shake it up, add some salt.  Voila!  Delicious!

Tuna Casserole

I haven't put up a recipe in awhile.  Here's one we tried out a few weeks ago.  Blake gave it an A- and he doesn't even like tuna!  Our boys devoured it, and our friend, Dawn, gave it the thumbs up as well.  I'm posting it with the edits I made, but you can find the original recipe here.

1 (12 oz) pkg egg noodles
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 c. frozen green peas
2 (6 oz) cans tuna, drained
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can of milk (use the cans from the soup)
5 oz sliced fresh mushrooms (I sliced up about 8 mushrooms)
1 cup crushed Ritz or Town House crackers
2 T melter butter

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Cook pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.  Drain.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix noodles, onion, ONE (1) cup of cheese, peas, tuna, soup, milk and mushrooms.  Transfer to a 9x13 in ch baking dish.  Put remaining 1 c. of cheese on top.

Melt butter in microwave and pour over crushed crackers and mix until coated. Spread over top of casserole.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 425F until cheese is bubbly, and cracker crust is lightly browned.   Enjoy!

Thank you Jamie Oliver

For this wonderful recipe for a veggie-packed tomato sauce.  I'm making it this week, and I'm pumped.  And then, after the sauce is made, I'm going to make his Spring Pasta recipe and serve it with some oven roasted chicken breasts.  Yum! :)  I'll let you know how it turns out!

 Photo

Smoothie

My new fave snack:

A couple granola bites and this strawberry/raspberry smoothie:

1/3 c. milk
1/3 c. frozen strawberries
1/3 c. frozen raspberries
1 T. sugar
1/3 c. ice cubes

Blend milk, berries, and sugar.  Add ice and blend until smooth.  It actually makes a decent serving, and I use less sugar.  Yum!

Lasagna Soup

This recipe just received overall winner in one of your local newspapers.  I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I liked it, and it was very warming on this cold, rainy day.  But, so far, my favorite Lasagna recipe is still the Lasagna Cupcakes!

Husband rating: B



Lasagna Soup

1 lb. ground Italian sausage or ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
30 oz. diced tomatoes
15 oz. tomato sauce
32 oz. chicken broth
2 c. extra wide noodles or lasagna noodles broken into pieces, uncooked
2/3 c. Parmesan cheese
Shredded mozzerellacheese

Brown meat and add onion and pepper.  Saute until tender.  Add seasonings, chicken broth, tomatoes, and tomato sauce and boil for 20 minutes.  Add noodles and simmer until the noodles are tender {8-10 minutes}.  Stir in Parmesan cheese.  Serve in bowls and sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese.

Banana Ice Cream

As Blake pointed out, it's not really ice cream, but it is super easy, and really delicious.  Isaac ate it by the spoonfuls, and Blake and I enjoyed it on graham crackers.  It's a great way to keep those bananas from spoiling!

Banana Ice Cream
Peel, slice, and freeze 1 small banana.  Place frozen banana pieces in a blender with 3 tablespoons low-fat milk and blend until thick. Top with 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts.

**I didn't measure the milk, just guessed.  I think the walnuts would definitely be a tasty addition, but since I was enjoying it with a 2-year-old, we skipped that step!

Down-home Mac-n-Cheese/Made-up Italian Chicken Breast

The boxed Mac-n-cheese is just fine in a pinch, but I think I'm completely converted to the Down-home Mac-n-cheese whenever I have more than 15 minutes for a meal.  Easy and delicious.  I served it with a made-up Italian chicken breast recipe and peas on the side. 

Husband Rating for Mac-n-Cheese: A
Husband Rating for my made up Italian chicken breast: A
Husband Rating for peas:  B {"because they're served with the other stuff."}

Down-Home Macaroni and Cheese

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, divided

1/4 cup  flour

1 cup milk

1/2 lb.  (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked, drained

1/2 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

6 RITZ Crackers, crushed

HEAT oven to 350°F.
MELT 3 Tbsp. butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook 2 min., stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add VELVEETA; cook 3 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in macaroni.
SPOON into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with Cheddar. Melt remaining butter; toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through.

And, in case you're interested, here's what I did for my Made-up Italian Chicken Breast.  It was sooo tender.  It just fell apart under my fork!

Place chicken breasts on foil
Cover with Italian salad dressing
Wrap up chicken, loosely in foil
Bake at 350 until done {about 50 minutes}.

Granola Bites - Helper!

Do you remember that Granola Bites recipe I posted about awhile back?  I'd like to rave about it again.  I've started a granola bites revolution among family and friends around here.  If you haven't made them yet, you should.

Isaac loves them so much, he's been helping me make them lately.  We bury his hand in the granola like, as Isaac says, "pirate treasure."

Crescent Pizza Pockets

Haven't posted a recipe in a little while.  I'm always on the lookout for quick and easy lunches.  We had these the other day.  I don't recall if Blake gave them a husband rating, but he did say, "These are good!"

**I didn't measure out the pizza sauce, cheeses or pepperoni.  I also used turkey pepperoni to make them slightly healthier.

Crescent Pizza Pockets

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

1/4 cup pizza sauce

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup sliced pepperoni (24 slices)

1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

• Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough on cookie sheet and separate into 4 rectangles; press each into 6x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.
• Spread 1 tablespoon pizza sauce on half of each rectangle to within 1 inch of edge. Sprinkle each with 3 tablespoons cheese; top with 6 slices pepperoni. Fold dough diagonally over filling; firmly press edges with fork to seal. Sprinkle each triangle with 1/4 teaspoon grated cheese. With fork, prick top of each to allow steam to escape.
• Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve warm.

Chicken Potato Chowder

This is a lunchtime favorite in our home.  Isaac, especially, loves this one.  I don't use the measurements below at all,  I just kind of eye it.  I also use canned chicken breast to make it a quick lunch!

CHICKEN POTATO CHOWDER

1/3 C. diced and cooked boneless breast or ground chicken
1/4 C. cubed and cooked potato
3 T. shredded mild Cheddar or American cheese
1/4 C. milk
2 tsp. butter
Peas, carrots and/or corn

Mix chicken, veggies, potato, milk, and butter in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in cheese. Serve warm.

Italian Stracciatella with Mini Meatballs, Tender Cheese Tortellini and Baby Spinach

I know that sounds like a long name for a dish, but it's soooo good.  Don't let the name fool you, it's really easy to make and doesn't take too much time.  With a baby and a toddler running around, I don't have loads of time to focus on making dinner!

Since it's going to be really chilly in Iowa this weekend, I recommend making this soup and let it warm and comfort you through the cold temps.  I might just make it again, even though we had it earlier this week.  We ate it with some bread sticks and cranberry cocktail, but I think it would taste phenomenal paired with a nice glass of wine!  We reheated it today for lunch, and it was just as delicious!  To add more broth to the reheated mixture, I just added a little bit more chicken broth.

Husband rating: A-!!!  And that's coming from a guy who isn't a huge fan of soup!

Italian Stracciatella with Mini Meatballs, Tender Cheese Tortellini and Baby Spinach  **with my edits!**

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 egg
• handful parsley, finely minced
• big pinch of Greek oregano {I used the Cavendar spice that I have}
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 pound ground pork
• 1/4 pound ground beef

Soup

• 6 cups chicken broth
• Mini tortellini {I just bought a pre-made kind at Wal-mart}
• 1 egg
• pinch sea salt
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated for topping

Directions

Meatballs

1. In a bowl, combine the egg, parsley, Greek oregano, garlic, parmesan and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Mix together. Add the ground pork and beef and mix for a couple of seconds more until flavors are incorporated into meat, don’t over-mix. Roll into tiny balls the size of marbles.  {I just threw them into the chicken broth as I was rolling them and added the tortellini when I was done}.

Soup

1. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large pot. Throw in the mini meatballs and tortellini. Simmer for 8 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and sea salt. Slowly stream the egg into the pot while whisking the broth quickly with a fork to form stracciatella.
3. Place a portion of the baby spinach in a soup bowl. Pour hot soup over spinach and top with freshly grated parmesan.

Granola bites

I suck at making granola.  For real.  My older sister gave me a great recipe, but I always end up burning it because I get distracted with the kiddos and forget to stir it at just the right moment.  Or, my timer is beeping at me, but I'm changing a diaper, and that extra minute is just too much for the finicky granola!

Then, I found this recipe.  Super easy, and I love that it packs an extra nutritional punch with the flax seed and wheat germ.  You'd never know it was in there watching Isaac gobble these goodies up!  Mine turned out a little more brown {though not burned!} than it probably should have, so I'll just knock a couple minutes off the bake time next time.  I'm guessing it's because I used a mini muffin pan instead of the silicone cups.  You can also make granola bars using the same recipe, but it just seemed like a little too much extra for me at the time.  I might give them a go eventually.

Granola Bites

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C. quick oats
1/2 C. crisp rice cereal
1/2 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips {I used reg. chips because I didn't have the mini!}
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. canola oil
1/4 C. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
* optional: ground flax seed and/or wheat germ {I use 3 heaping Tbs. or so of each}.

Directions:
Mix all ingredients {except for the chocolate chips} really, really, really well. Start with a spoon, finish with your hands. Make sure everything is really blended. If your mixture seems dry after mixing then you may need to add a little more oil and/or honey - a teaspoon at a time - until it starts to clump up a little.  Then, stir in chocolate chips.

Holding the mini muffin cups, scoop the granola mixture in and form the mound compactly. I use a rounded tablespoon to help form them, a small cookie scoop would work too. You need to use both hands to press the granola and support the muffin cup at the same time. Line them up on a baking sheet to place in the oven.  Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until tops are golden.

**If you use a mini muffin pan, make sure you grease/spray the pan before adding the granola.  I used the spoon idea to help compact the granola into them.  I'd say cook them for 8-10 minutes in the mini muffin pan.  Once they cool, they pop out really easily with a butter knife.

Peppermint Bark

What's all the hoopla around peppermint bark?  I've never had the stuff, but they sure charge a pretty penny for it at Williams-Sonoma {that's their bark below, and FREE shipping!}.  I'd like to try it, so I went and found a recipe on the internet, and I do really like the festiveness of it.  One of my favorite parts about the Christmas Season is all the goodies involved, but I'm quickly running out of time to make it all.  Can someone please make this and send it to me? :)  Pretty please?

Peppermint Bark

12 oz chocolate chips
1 pound white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushed

Preheat oven to 250. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides. Spray foil. Pour the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes or until almost melted. Remove from oven, smooth with an offset spatula or knife. Place in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 20 minutes.

Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don’t let bottom of bowl touch water), until chocolate is almost melted. You can use your microwave for this if you’re brave! Remove bowl from water and stir until completely melted, stirring in extract. Let cool a little bit so it doesn’t melt the chocolate layer when you pour it on top. Pour this over chocolate layer, and, working quickly, spread to cover. Sprinkle with crushed candy.

Chill until both layers are firm. Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy. Trim edges. Cut into 2” wide strips. Peel bark from foil and cut each strip as desired. Chill in covered container. Makes about 2 pounds.

Baked Spaghetti

I don't know what it is about spaghetti, but whenever I make just a regular old spaghetti, I taste it all day and all night. I do enjoy it, but I'd like to limit the enjoyment to just the span of time that I'm actually eating it.

Enter this baked spaghetti recipe {in the local school's cookbook}. I think perhaps the cream of mushroom soup and the cheddar cheese help neutralize the acidity of the tomato based sauce. That's just my hypothesis. Either way, it's delicious, and I love the way it just melts in my mouth.

Since it makes such a large amount, I usually end up freezing 2 extra family meals worth, and then just defrosting and popping in the oven for about 25 minutes for a quick meal when we need it.

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb. hamburger {I've used ground turkey as well!}
12 oz. spaghetti
1 (26 1/2 oz.) can spaghetti sauce {or make your own!}
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Brown hamburger, drain. Combine with spaghetti sauce. Cook and drain spaghetti. Place 1/2 of spaghetti in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Top with 1/2 spaghetti sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 1 c. cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Mix soup and water until smooth and pour over casserole. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

*Sorry I forgot to grab a picture!*

Layered Pumpkin Loaf

This was a yummy little snack {pretty decent nutritionally too!}. It reminded me of a less-sweet version of the traditional pumpkin bars. The only thing I'd do differently next time is to make sure that I bake it a little longer. The center of the loaf {you can see in the pic} was clearly not baked. Then again, when the timer beeped, I let Blake check it since I was feeding our littlest member his dinner. He's sort of an amateur baker. The loaf came out a bit too soon. But, at least he tried!

The husband rating: No grade. Instead he said, "I'd rather have a real pumpkin bar." Nice.

My mom, however, thought it was very delicious and even asked for the recipe.


Layered Pumpkin Loaf

1 cup canned pumpkin {I actually used a whole can for more pumpkin flavor}

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

4 egg whites, divided

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 cups flour

2-1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. salt

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel Cheese, softened

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

MIX pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3 egg whites, milk and oil in large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, spice and salt; stir just until moistened. Beat Neufchatel cheese, remaining granulated sugar and remaining egg white with whisk until well blended.

SPOON half of pumpkin batter into greased 9x5-inch nonstick loaf pan; cover with layers of Neufchatel mixture and remaining pumpkin batter.

BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Loosen bread from sides of pan; cool in pan 10 min. Remove bread from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls

One morning, I asked Isaac what he wanted for lunch. He responded, "Pizza roll-ups!" He had never had pizza roll-ups before, and I had never really talked about them, but since he requested it, I started thinking of ways to make a pizza roll-up. Then, I remembered the Old Chicago {the restaurant!} classic, Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls! I found a knock-off recipe and got to work. They were SO good, that we had them twice in one week.

The husband rating? A+ {That's waaaay better than the D he gave my butternut squash pasta bowl, AND he thought my rolls tasted better than the ones at the restaurant! Say what?!}.


I diced the pepperoni, and mixed all of the insides together first. I figured it would be a more even mix then. I didn't measure out the amounts of cheese, just sort of eyeballed it. Also, I'm going to make them with turkey pepperoni next time so that they're a bit healthier!


Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls

- Pizza dough - enough for 1 pizza {I used the Betty Crocker kind where you add 1/2 c. hot water. The only one the original poster doesn't recommend is the Pillsbury kind that comes in a tube.}

- 1 package pepperoni

- 1 cup shredded mozz cheese

- 1 cup (or a few slices) Pepper Jack cheese

- 6 green onions, sliced

- Caesar or Ranch salad dressing, the supposed "magic" ingredient {I used Ranch!}

- Your favorite marinera sauce for dipping

Mix the dough according to the directions, roll it out into a thin rectangle and slice it into 6-8" long strips. Top each strip with pepperoni, cheese, green onions, and a fairly generous amount of Caesar or Ranch dressing {I didn't use a "generous amount" just spread a thin layer on each strip}. Roll the strips from end to end like a cinnamon roll - whichever side ends up flatter will be used as the "bottom". Place a pepperoni on the bottom and put the roll on a greased cookie sheet or baking pan. Bake for 18-20 min at 425 (or until dough is golden brown).

Pasta + Something Green

We had this recipe {Thanks Janelle!} for lunch yesterday. It was a big hit {bigger than some of the other pasta dishes we've had lately!}. From start to finish, including a trip to my computer to pull up the recipe, it took me about 20 minutes. I think it would have more punch with the crushed red pepper, but we used paprika instead for a milder flavor {since Owen likes to get gassier with punchier flavored foods, I keep it pretty plain these days}. Yummy and delicious!

Isaac liked the block of Parmesan cheese too.

Sometimes, I don't know why we bother to give him silverware

1. Set water to boil and when it does, add your chosen pasta -- for this I like penne or rigatoni.

2. Then, chop up one or two slices of good bacon into 1/4 inch slices (crosswise across the bacon, so you have lean and fat in every piece) and brown in a large skillet -- it's going to hold all the pasta in a few minutes -- giving it a stir as necessary. (I used 2!)

3. Then add a whole clove of garlic thinly sliced to the bacon (and rendered fat) and let it turn golden and start to crisp up.

4. Then into the same pan add something green (often baby arugula or spinach, which is easy to lay hands on in those plastic tubs, already cleaned) and saute it until the water evaporates. (I used spinach.)

5. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the greens, let it warm up and top with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese (not from the green can!) or thin slivers of cheese -- a nice textural change. (Ditto on the real parmesan cheese!)

6. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and crunchy coarse salt. (I used Paprika - for milder flavor - and Sea Salt).

Lasagna Cupcakes

I discovered this recipe quite by accident {via, via, via}, but oh my word, it's delicious! Bonus: It helps with portion control and freezes well for an easy, reheat-able lunch!

Things I changed from the recipe below: I used cottage cheese instead of the ricotta, and 36 wonton wrappers, to make 12 little lasagnas.

Lasagna Cupcakes

• One cup of your favorite pasta sauce
• 1 lb hamburger meat
• 18 wonton wrappers
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese , grated
• 3 ounces parmesan cheese , grated
• 4 ounces ricotta cheese
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray 6 serving muffin tin with Pam
2. Cook hamburger meat, season to taste, drain.
3. Reserve 8 tablespoons of Parmesan and 8 tablespoons of mozzarella—this will be the topping. The remaining cheese will be used in the lasagnas (note you can vary the amount of cheese to taste keeping in mind that the parmesan is salty, the mozzarella is sweet as well as salty and helps to hold the lasagnas together, and the ricotta is sweet and creamy).
4. Start assembling the lasagnas. Line each cupcake mold with a round wonton wrapper. Put a little Parmesan, a little mozzarella, and a little ricotta into each mold. Top with a little meat and a spoonful of sauce. Repeat layers of wonton wrappers, cheeses, meat and sauce, creating 3 layers in all, and ending with sauce. Sprinkle each lasagna with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella.
5. Bake until the lasagnas are nicely browned, about 20 minutes.
6. Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and remove from pan.

Creamy Chicken and Rotini Primavera

I've been on the lookout for quick, yet healthy-ish recipes for the family. We're eating less red meat, and more of the other stuff, which means Blake has been tired of the same old chicken recipes. This primavera is pretty delish, and the sauce is lighter since you make it yourself. Easily 30 minutes or less from start to finish. Ta-da!


Creamy Chicken and Rotini Primavera

1/2 lb. dry rotini
2 T. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast; cubed
1 lb. frozen vegetable mix, thawed or fresh veggies
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese {reduced fat cream cheese}
1/2 c. Italian dressing
1/2 c. milk {the recipe calls for 2%, but I used 1%}

Cook rotini according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breast cubes and cook until chicken is no longer pink.

Combine cream cheese, dressing, and milk. Whisk until smooth.

Add vegetables and sauce to the chicken and cook until heated through.

**I added the vegetables first and cooked them for a couple of minutes before adding the sauce. I also tossed my pasta together with the chicken mixture as a one pot dish, instead of spooning the mixture over the noodles on my plate. It tastes great with Parmesan cheese! :)