What a Blessing

Isn't it nice when a friend invites you to their family gathering and you just feel right at home? What could be a better reason to get together than good friends and family, good food, and wonderful baby blessing? That was our weekend and it turned an otherwise lonely Sunday into a delight.

I had a request from those beauties - the Wright girls for a recipe after our gathering. Little sammies, little burgers are all the rage right now. Here are a couple of mini sandwiches for your recipe box.

(We joked about not having any good pictures for this post since the sandwiches got devoured so here are a few random ones I found on-line.)


Ham & Swiss Breakfast Minis (these are great any time of day!)

3 cans refrigerator biscuits (if you use Grands for a bigger sandwich you should only do 2 cans)
1 lb. sliced ham
swiss cheese, sliced

Bake biscuits according to the package. Cool and slice in half. Put a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss on each biscuit to form a sandwich. Place sammies on a cookie sheet.

Melt together:
2 stick butter (yeah boy!)
1/4 C dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Drizzle this mixture over the top of the sandwiches. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning bake the sammies at 375 degrees until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Here is a random guy picking poppy seeds out of his teeth which is what all of us do after eating those sandwiches. Un-appetizing I know - but funny.



Hot Roast Beef Party Sandwiches
(this recipe is Melissa's - she's got some good ones!)

1/2 C finely chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
2 pkgs. small dinner rolls (the Hawaiian ones work well - any kind that are still attached together in the package - you followin' me?)
2/3 C peach preserves
1/2 C mustard-mayo mix
3/4 lb. thinly sliced deli roast beef, chopped
1/2 lb. thinly sliced Havarti cheese
salt & pepper

Remove the rolls from the package and slice as a whole horizontally to create a top and a bottom. On the top half spread the mustard-mayo mix. On the bottom spread the peach preserves and sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Layer the cheese and roast beef on the bottom half. Put the top on and wrap the whole thing in foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees or until the cheese is good and melted. Remove from the oven and un-wrap. Cut into individual sandwiches and serve.

Notes: The quantities on this recipe can definitely be changed to suit your taste and budget. The weird thin meat in the little ackages that only cost like $1 at the grocery store actually work well in this recipe. And when I make the mustard-mayo mix I never measure - you know . . . spread how ever much jam on that you want. I don't think you could hurt this recipe. Also, my recipe never said where to put the salt & pepper, so put it wherever you want! Either of these sandwich recipes will be a show-stopper at your next get-together. Enjoy.

Love is in the Air

I love Valentine's Day!!! It's right up there with Christmas for me - I guess 'cause it's another time of the year that we get to eat lots of goodies and tell people how much we love them!


For Christmas I made some fabric brithday banners as gifts. They turned out great but I have been fussing with my design and I came up with this cutie for Valentine's. It's just what my dining room needed to get into the holiday spirit. I am not one big on decorating but I thought if I had some of these handy banners for holidays or special occasions, it would be just enough to make me feel festive.



While we are talking about getting into the mood for LOVE - I had a fun luncheon with the ladies I Visit Teach this week with my VT partner. We had the best time chatting and eating and of course we used the Valentine's theme. I tried a new recipe and ended up with a killer Muffuletta sandwich (courtesy of Giada). All 5 of us wolfed it down man! I was in charge of dessert too so, I had to go with the classic creme puff but I added a naughty Nutella/cream cheese filling. YUMMMMMMM! We couldn't keep our hands off of them.

So if you need a little reason to get some girls together for lunch, do it for Valentine's Day. For the Love of food, just do it!


Creme Puffs

1 C water
1/2 C butter
1 C flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
Combine the flour and salt together and set aside. Put the water and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir while still on the heat until it forms a ball of dough. Remove from heat and add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each (this is where you get your workout for the day). Drop by small teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack. Fill or freeze for later use. Just before serving, pile up the creme puffs and dust with powdered sugar or skip that and drizzle them with melted chocolate. Yields 35-40 small creme puffs.

Note: You can add a Tbsp. or two of sugar to the flour mixture for sweet-filled puffs if you desire. You can also make these larger and slice open, fill with a big scoop of ice cream, replace the top and drizzle with chocolate sauce!


Crazy Nutella Filling

6 oz. soft cream cheese
2 Tbsp. sugar
2/3 C Nutella
1 C heavy cream, whipped
1/2 C toasted hazelnuts (if you can find them - it was still good without)

Beat the cream cheese and the sugar together. Add the Nutella and little at a time. Fold in the whipped cream. Stir in hazelnuts and chill for later use.

Note: This is a thick and rich filling. You can add more whipped cream for a lighter flavor.



Traditional Vanilla Custard Filling

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 C cold milk
1 C heavy cream, whipped

Combine the pudding mix and the milk. Fold in the whipped cream and chill.


Giada's Muffuletta

1/4 C red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/3 C olive oil
10 large pitted green olives
1/3 C chopped kalamata olives
1/4 C chopped roasted red pepper
salt and pepper
1 round bread loaf
ham
salami
turkey
provolone
thinly sliced red onion
arugula leaves

Whisk the red wine vinegar, garlic and oregano together. Gradually blend in the oil. Stir in the chopped olives and peppers. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Cut the top 1-inch off the bread loaf and set aside. Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread (not too much though). Spread some of the olive salad on the bread bottom and up the sides. Layer the meats and cheese in the bread bottom. Top with the onions and arugula. Spread the remaining olive salad on the top of the sandwich. Replace the bread top. Serve immediately or cover tightly with Saran wrap and refrigerate up to a day ahead.


Notes: The olive salad is tasty! Make use of the olive bar at your grocery store to cut down on cost here. I ended up using two red peppers which was more than the 1/4 C called for and I liked it that way. I used the large Cibatta Loaf from Wildflower Bread Co. instead of a round loaf and it was incredible. You could also use the Cibattas from Costco. With my loaf of bread I got 6 very large sandwiches, which could have been cut in half but we all decided to scarf them down. But if you tried this for a potluck sometime, you could easily get 12 good sandwiches out of it. And go for the arugula - it's the best! Enjoy!

The Apple of My Eye

The apples of my eye.



THE Apple.

A friend of mine gave me a Southern Living Cookbook last year for my birthday and I love, love, love it! It has so many good recipes in it. I could spend hours just looking through it (I actually have spent hours looking through it).

A simple recipe I came across recently from this book was for a peanut butter apple dip. The book labeled it as a "family favorite" and it is pretty healthy to boot. When she needed a healthy snack recipe, I shared this one with a friend of mine who took it to her Achievement Day girls who devoured it - so I guess it really is kid tested - mother approved!

When I make this I need my own personal bowl for dipping because I dip and double-dip, and triple-dip . . . you get the idea. I can eat it by the spoon full. Actually, who needs apples?!
Here's the recipe:


Peanut Butter Apple Heaven

1 1/2 C plain, fat-free yogurt
1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1/4 C maple syrup

Using a whisk, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup together in a medium sized bowl. Add a little yogurt at a time and whisk well until it is all combined and creamy! Serve with sliced apples (bananas would be killer too).

Note: The consistency of the peanut butter is so different from the yogurt that if you try to mix them all together at once, you will NOT end up with creamy-heavenly results. You have to gradually bring the peanut butter closer to the yogurt consistency and then they will blend well. Also, I heard on the radio that the peanut butter re-call has not affected peanut butter in jars - it is only products with peanut butter in it like ice cream, crackers, cookies etc. So, enjoy all the dip you want!

Party Food

We had an Italian potluck at church last weekend and I didn't want to show up with lasagna - what I assumed many other people would bring - so dedcided to try something new and different. I found this recipe for Marinated Mozzarella in a Southern Living 2007 annual recipes book that a friend of mine gave to me. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! It gets better and better each day that it sits too. If you want to wow some guests at your next dinner party, pull this one out. It's a keeper!

Marinated Mozzarella

3 (8 oz) balls of fresh Mozzarella cheese
1 (8.5 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 C olive oil
3 Tb. finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Cut balls of cheese into small cubes and put in an 8x8 pan. Add chopped tomatoes. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the cheese. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours. However, this can be made days in advance as well. You can gently toss the cheese mid-way through your marinating time. Garnish with more parsley and serve in a pretty dish with crackers. Makes about 4 cups

Notes: I found fairly inexpensive fresh mozzarella at Wal-Mart, believe-it-or-not. You can really taste the delicious olive oil, so use some good stuff. And I reserved some of the oil from the drained tomatoes and drizzled a little of that in with the marinade. YUM YUM!

Gifts From the Kitchen

Okay - do any of you out there need some "neighbor gift" ideas? Here are a few for you. For the other doctors at my husband's office I decided to go with a nice bottle of Olive Garden Salad dressing. I needed to come up with a tag of some sort so I made these little chipboard olives. I sanded the edges and then used my dark brown stamp pad around the edges also. I thought they were cute (they are much cuter in person) - Matt didn't have a clue what they were. I'm hoping that the recipients will get it. I am going to write something on the back along the lines of: "Olive Christmas! Hope you do too." Or something about "spending time dressing up your packages" or "dressing up for the holidays." And something about "Pouring on the Christmas cheer." I haven't gotten as far as the specific wording yet. If you want to go all out, add a can of olives, a box of croutons, and a red onion all wrapped in cellophane.

Here are a couple of other recipes for salty gifts from the kitchen:

Savory Cheesecake with Crackers

2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese

1 1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 C minced onion
1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 eggs
2/3 C whipping cream

prepared pesto
sundried tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a spring form pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 C powdered Parmesan cheese and tap to coat the pan. Mix the cream cheese with the whipping cream and eggs until smooth. Add the salt and pepper, onions and cheddar cheese. Pour half of the cheese mixture in the pan. Top with 1/4-1/2 C pesto sauce and sundried tomatoes. Pour the rest of the cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour. Chill until ready to serve or package.

To package this I though you could slice it into generous wedges (4 or 6) and wrap in Saran Wrap. Give it away with a box of your favorite crackers and maybe a little cheese knife.

I saw a picture of something similar to this and they topped theirs with pinenuts. I would love to try pinenuts on this recipe. For my first attempt I think I would sprinkle them on the top before baking and hope that an hour in the oven wouldn't toast them to a crisp. We'll see. If you try it let me know how it goes!

Homemade Sweet Mustard and Beef Stick
(Recipe courtesy of my friend Tami D.)

1 can Coleman's dry mustard (in yellow tin)

1 C white sugar

3 eggs well beaten

2/3 C white vinegar

Mix mustard and sugar. Add the beaten eggs and then the vinegar. Bring to a boil in a saucepan slowly until it bubbles. Cool and package in containers. Give away with a good Beef Stick or Summer Sausage. I found Hickory Farms ones at Wal-Mart.

I also found some cute little ceramic crocks at Tuesday Morning for my packaging. I will put the mustard into disposable Tupperware and then inside the little crocks, wrapped in cellophane.

***Beware: I haven't tasted this yet but Tami says that a little goes a long way and it is addicting!

PS - (12-17-07) I just mixed up a batch of this mustard and it is SPICY! Like, make your nose run/horseradish spicy. So, if you like that kind of thing, go for it. It was a little much for me but I think I will still give it away with a disclaimer attached! It may be great mixed with a little Mayo to tone it down. I bet it would be good on sandwiches.

Good Luck Gifting!