“It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.” ~ Ernie Harwell

February 7, 2015February 7, 2015Leave a comment

My friends and I, The Regular Crew, as they are called, will pretty much come up with most any reason to have a “gathering”.

These gatherings are always a fun, good excuse to try one of those new appetizers that cover up Pinterest. This gathering is no exception except that is will be bittersweet because the reason for this gathering is to say goodbye to 2 of our own, as they embark on their next life adventure in Indiana. 😦

While trying not to get too blue about that fact for the moment, lets focus on the app at hand.

I know most everyone has had the ham and cheese sandwiches with the popyseed/mustard spread and those really can’t be beat so today, so I’m not going to change up the original idea of the sandwiches but the way they are constructed.

Ham and Cheese Rolls

(adapted from Kevin & Amanda)

1 can refrigerated pizza crust
3/4 lb deli ham (thinly sliced, but not shaved)
12 slices Swiss cheese (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350º.

Spray a 9×13 in baking dish with cooking spray.

Unroll pizza dough and stretch/press it out until it is around 13×18 in size.

On a cutting board, layer ham and cheese evenly on top of pizza crust. Tightly roll up the longer side, all the way to the edge. Pinch together and place seam side down.

Cut into 1 inches slices (12 in all) and arrange in baking dish.

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat,

Combine the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and poppy seeds.

Whisk until all the butter is melted and ingredients are completely combined.

Pour evenly over rolls.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

-abp

“The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.” ~ Martina Navratilova

January 24, 2015January 30, 2015Leave a comment

I got a HUGE compliment from my husband!

He told me that the ham I baked for Christmas dinner was the best ham he had ever had!

BTW – he turned 50 this month, so that means the best ham in FIFTY years!

(Happy Birthday REP!)

It was a good Ham – for the first time ever, we ended up eating the whole whopping thing.

We had ham sandwiches, fried ham in biscuits and chopped ham in farmer omelets, etc.

Made me feel very frugal. 🙂

So if you have a hankering for a good ham (would be great for Sunday dinner) or just a great compliment from your hubby (or wife). You need to give this very delicious but very easy ham a try.

Best Ham Ever

(adapted from South Your Mouth)

6-8 lb. bone-in, cured ham
½ cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup prepared dijon mustard
1 orange, cut into wedges
1½ cup of coke
1 Large turkey baking bag

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Score the Ham 1/4 inches down in a diamond patter.

Place the ham in the baking bag on it’s bottom (cut side out). Place bag on a roasting pan.

Mix mustard and sugar together in a small bowl until combined. Spread mixture over the whole ham (in the bag).

Place orange wedges around the base of the ham and pour coke around the bottom on the ham (not over the top – you do not want to wash your sugar mixture up.

With a puff of air into the bag, close the opening tightly and with a sharp knife, cut 3, 1 inch slits on the top of the bag.

Cook for 1.5 – 2 hours.

Let ham rest for 30 minutes before serving.

-abp

“I’m a maniacal perfectionist.” ~ Martha Stewart

October 8, 2014October 8, 2014Leave a comment

I am very impressed with people who can put dinner on the table and every single bit be homemade, every single time.

I can do it and have done it but I have found that if you really want to try and cook at home most weeknights, you have to take shortcuts or you will burn out.

I have gotten to the point that if I have cooked the main dish, I don’t feel too bad if I heat up a can of green beans or corn to go with it.

Or both.

Don’t judge. I never claimed to be Martha Stewart. 🙂

Here is one of those “I only have a short amount of time and a short amount of energy” dinners.

A main dish and canned veggies.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders

1/4 cup of grainy, coarse mustard
1/4 cup smooth dijion mustard
1/2 cup honey
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
salt and pepper
4-5 small sprigs of fresh rosemary, divided

In a small bowl, combine the mustards, honey, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil.

In a sauté pan or cast iron skillet, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Add the onion and the leaves of one rosemary sprig and sauté over medium heat until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Transfer the onion and garlic to an oven safe dish (or if the saute pan you used is oven safe, you can just use it). Place the chicken on top of onion/garlic mixture. Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken to taste.

Pour the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken. Arrange the rosemary sprigs around the chicken in the pan.

Bake the chicken covered at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and continue to cook for an additional 20 – 30 minutes uncovered, or until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through.

This was really so very good!! It was actually much better than I even expected it to be!! The flavors were fabulous and the chicken was incredibly tender. It will most definitely go on the weeknight rotation.

2 side notes:

1. The sauce was so good that I would omit the canned corn and add a bag of “boil in the bag” (keepin’ it simple) rice, then serve the chicken and the sauce on top of it.

2. I LOVE rosemary so I would never leave it out but if you are not a fan or do not have it on hand, this recipe could easily be made without it and it would be your basic Honey Mustard Chicken but still delicious!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

-abp

“Going to the gym wouldn’t be on my list of favorite things to do.” ~ Kate Moss

January 21, 2013Leave a comment

After lots of eating out, take out and a few crockpot dinners I decided I might put a little more effort into tonight’s dinner. But not too much, I don’t want to over exert myself considering I already went to the gym today. 😉

Tell me – will it ever not be a chore to go to the gym???

I’m thinking no.

I just don’t get all those people who love working out.

It’s weird. (no offense to my working out friends)

I wish I were weird.

Sorry – back to dinner. So tonight I’m making Baked Shrimp Scampi. Nice and simple.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

1 cup butter
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used dry because it’s what I had)
1.5 – 2 pounds raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

Preheat oven to 450º.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley. When the butter melts completely, remove from heat.

Arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp. Stir to coat.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

Serve over angel hair pasta. Top with parsley and squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Like I said. Nice and easy. Not to mention quite tasty! I very much enjoyed this meal! To make it even better we finished dinner off with an old fashioned Strawberry Shortcake!

Nothing beats a childhood favorite!