Super Simple Chocolate Bacon Crescent Rolls

Probably one of the easiest things to make...and very tasty! Crescent rolls with chocolate and bacon filling. Mmmmm....

Ingredients:

• 1 can crescent rolls dough
• 8 slices of bacon, cooked and cut in half
• Nutella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll dough and lay out in triangles.  Smear about a tablespoon of Nutella on the large part of each triangle. Place 2 bacon halves on each triangle. Roll them up and place on baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Cheers!
CC

Caramel Apple Cookies

AMAZING! The best word to describe these cookies. I was having a cookie craving, but I didn't have any chocolate chips...so this idea popped into my head. These are a great fall treat!

Ingredients:

• 1 large apple (I used honeycrisp because it was what I had), peeled, cored, and diced small
• 1/2 bag caramel chips
• 2 3/4 cups Bisquick
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl mix egg, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin spice till smooth. 1 cup at a time, mix in Bisquick. Fold in apple and caramel chips.

TIP: cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper...it helps the cookies not stick to the sheet :) Spoon onto a cookie sheet in round balls about 2 inches apart and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Makes about 2 dozen (depending on how big you make them).

Cheers!
CC

Crockpot Cream Cheese/Tomato Chicken

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for super easy chicken made in the crockpot. But of course, I did not follow the recipe and let me tell you, it turned out really good! Full of flavor and very easy to make.

Here is the pin that was my inspiration in case you like this way better... Easy Chicken Dinner

I served it with vegetarian re-fried beans and tortilla chips, but you could also serve it with rice or wrapped in tortillas. I also topped it with avocado and cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of chicken breast tenderloins (thawed)
• 1 package cream cheese
• 1 can Rotel (tomato and green chillies)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 small can corn (drained)
• 1/2 yellow onion (diced)
• 1 potato (peeled and diced)
• Worcestershire sauce (a few dashes)
• Cumin (to taste)
• Cliantro (to taste)
• Season Salt (to taste)

 Put all items in the crockpot and stir. Cook on high for about 4 hours. Make sure chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

That's it! Hope you enjoy. Leave me a comment and let me know.

Cheers!
CC

Fall Flavored Apple Dip

If you read my posts, you know by now I can never just use some one's recipe....I saw a post about apple dip, then my friend Jessica sent me a recipe she uses (which I will have to try because it sounds amazing)...and then...I made my version. :) If you are longing for Fall flavors, this snack will hit the spot!

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1 tablespoon butter

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for at least two hours.Serve with your favorite apples. I like Honey Crisp. Mmmmm!!

Cheers!
CC

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Chip Cookies

I have been wanting to make some home made cookies for a couple weeks...and I finally decided to browse the baking aisle for inspiration. I found little caramel chips...and the light bulb light up! I also used milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet. I personally like the milk chocolate ones better.

These cookies turned out delicious! Nice and crisp on the edges and a soft in the center. The caramel and chocolate combo was sooooo soooo good! You could also add walnuts or pecans if you'd like. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup caramel chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a mixer, cream the sugars and butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and add to mixture. Then add salt. Mix together. Stir in the flour one cup at a time then mix in chocolate and caramel chips.

Spoon onto a cookie sheet. TIP: use parchment paper. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Make sure you keep an eye on them so they don't burn. The edges should be a slight golden color. Cookies will continue to bake while they cool because of the hot sugar in them.

Cheers!
CC

Broccoli, Mushroom, Cheese Chicken Roll Up

This chicken turned out so so so good! Better than I imagined it in my head! Made by rolling up chicken with broccoli, mushrooms, and cheese...a creamy mushroom sauce...and served atop white rice (or brown rice). Yum! For portion control, after the chicken is cooked, I cut the breasts in half...so this recipe would serve 4 adults. Making the chicken this way, it turns out so juicy!

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 1 bunch of broccoli, cut up
• 1 package mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup cheese, shredded (cheddar and jack)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz)
• 1/2 can milk (use the soup can)
• Chicken stock
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Mrs. Dash (original)
• Season salt
• Black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an 8x8 baking dish, pour in 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Pound chicken breasts thin then poke several times with a fork. TIP: Place chicken loosely in plastic wrap then pound it this (keeps from having raw chicken juice all over the kitchen). Sprinkle with spices. Place some cheese, broccoli, and mushrooms on top, then roll and place in baking dish. You will have cheese, mushrooms and broccoli left over to use in the sauce. Splash on a little Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle with spices. Top with half of the remaining mushrooms. Bake 30 minutes, basting with chicken stock halfway through cooking time.

 Use the flat side of the pounder

Nice and thin!

Spices and cheese

Veggies on top!

All rolled up

Rolled, spiced, and mushroomed :) Now just bake it!

To make sauce...mix soup, milk, splash of chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce, and pepper in a sauce pan. Dump in the remaining broccoli and mushrooms. Heat on medium low for about 15 minutes. You do not want it to boil. Stir often. 2 minutes before the cooking time ends, add in remaining cheese.

Serve atop rice and you have a fabulous dinner!

Cheers!
CC

Cupcake Designs

These cupcakes came before I started this blog. But I wanted to share them because they turned out so well!

These first ones I made for my sister's beach themed bridal shower. I used Dunkin Hines cake mix and frosting. For the frosting, I used a cookie press to squirt onto the cupcakes, spray painted the blue on with spray food coloring (you can get it at Micheal's), used brown sugar for the sand, and topped with sea shells I made with candy melts and candy molds (also purchased at Micheal's). For the marbled look of the shells, you pour chocolate into the mold, then white chocolate and gently swirl. This also looks good with pink and white candy melts.

These one's I did for my daughter's 1/2 (6 month) birthday. They are very simple, but still cute. It was an animal theme so I made animal chocolates from candy molds, used animal print cupcake liners. Simple but cute...especially since she couldn't eat them anyway.

These ones...I cannot take credit for. My sister made them for my Dr. Seuss themed baby shower. But she did such a great job...I wanted to share! The ones with blue cotton candy on top had little stickers that said "thing 1" and "thing 2." The others had various characters that she had printed using edible ink. If anyone wants to know how it was done just comment below and I will ask her.

Super Simple Homemade Iced Blended Coffee

I love love love frappaccinos. BUT....not working anymore has made those little extras something I go without. Let's face it, spending $7 or ore a day on one coffee drink adds up when you are on a budget. So I figured out a super easy and still yummy way to make my favorite summer splurge at home and save a bundle!

When I brew coffee, I always make just enough for my one morning cup, but a lot of people brew extra and never use it. So this is a great way to use that coffee! You will freeze the coffee into an ice cube tray. One tray will make 1 large cup of blended coffee.

Ingredients:

• Coffee (your favorite flavor will work well)
• Water
• Liquid Creamer (in your favorite flavor)

Brew coffee as normal. For 1 large cup, you need 2 cups of coffee. I've noticed people brew their coffee differently...but if you have never brewed coffee before...this is what I do...for each 1 cup of water used, I use one heaping tablespoon of coffee grounds.  Adjust from there if you like your coffee stronger or weaker. :)

Pour coffee into an ice cube tray and freeze.

Pour cubes into a blender and add about 1/2 to 1 cup creamer (depending on how creamy you like it). Blend. Pour into a cup with a straw and enjoy!

I used vanilla flavored coffee and vanilla nut flavored Coffee Mate....but you can use any flavor for this or even add a little chocolate milk mix for a mocha.

Cheers!
CC

Magnificent Marsala Penne

It's nearly payday...which means, my cupboards and fridge are in need of restocking. I pulled out chicken to thaw in the fridge over night and thought about what supplies I already had...and then I literally dreamed up this recipe. It was everything and more I could have hoped for! Magnificent! I made this for 2 adults (and a 1 year old)...and it would have been enough to feed 4 adults.


Ingredients:

• Multi Grain Penne Pasta, cooked (I used half a box and had a lot left over)
• 2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1 cup & 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• season salt
• pepper
• garlic powder or minced garlic
• Mrs. Dash (original)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Pour 1/2 cup of chicken stock into an 8x8 baking dish. Pound chicken breasts thin. TIP: lay chicken on plastic wrap and fold plastic wrap over the top (not tightly), then pound...keeps chicken juice from going all over the place. Sprinkle the listed spices on the chicken, then put 1/4 cup of Mozzarella in the center of each breast, then 1/4 of the onions on each breast. Roll them up and place in an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle with spices and add remaining onions on top. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Half way through baking time, baste chicken with chicken stock to keep from drying out.

Make sure to wash your hands and all surfaces where the raw chicken touched.

Boil water and cook pasta for about 10 minutes. While pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Bring 1 cup of Marsala wine to a boil and allow to reduce by half. Then add 1 cup chicken stock and whisk in flour. Boil for several minutes (this will help sauce thicken slightly). Reduce heat to low and when liquid is no longer boiling add a dash of garlic, salt, and pepper. Then add milk and butter, remove from heat when butter is melted. You do not want it to boil once the milk has been added!

Serve chicken on top of pasta, spoon on sauce then sprinkle with the remaining Mozzarella and some Parmesan cheese. I cut the breasts in half and served each of us half (portion control)...and it was plenty to make us full!

Cheers!
CC

Bacon, Cream Cheese, Egg Breakfast Muffin

Bacon....yum! Sorry this picture does not do justice to how tasty this was.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices cooked bacon (I like to use maple bacon)
• 1 egg scrambled 
• 1 English muffin (whole grain), toasted
• Schmear of cream cheese

Put it all together and eat! TIP: An easy way to make a scrambled egg...crack egg into a coffee mug, add a splash of milk and whisk with a fork. Microwave for a minute. It will be the perfect size for your English muffin. If you are feeling adventurous...add some jelly on top of the cream cheese. The best is blackberry or boysenberry (or as they call it here, black raspberry).

Cheers!
CC

Tuna Melt with Avocado

Have I mentioned how hot it is? I think I may have once or twice...So tonight I made tuna melts. They were fabulous, quick, simple, yum! Served with a nice side salad...great summer dish. This makes four sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices sour dough bread
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• 12 oz can tuna (in water)
• 3 tablespoons mayo
• 1 tablespoon mustard (I used honey dijon)
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Butter

 Toast the sourdough slices lightly. While they are toasting, mix tuna, mayo, mustard, relish, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of the toast. Place toast in skillet butter side DOWN. Place one slice of cheese, then tuna, then avocado, then cheese, then toast butter side UP. Let it cook until the cheese gets melty and then flip. Cook for a couple minutes...remove from heat and serve.

Cheers!
CC

Toaster Oven S'Mores with Nutella

I love my toaster oven. I am always trying to think of ways to use it...especially now since it has been so hot...I don't want to turn my oven on!

Ingredients:

• Gram Crackers
• Nutella
• Mini Marshmallows

Put your toaster oven on the toast setting. Place a gram cracker on the rack, then put a few mini marshmallows on top. I also put a couple butterscotch chips on mine (yum yum yum). Toast until marshmallows are golden. Spread Nutella on another gram cracker then sandwich the two crackers together! Sooooo soooo good and easy!

Cheers!
CC

Roasted Potatoes

It was way too hot to make these (it's 95 degrees here)...but I did it anyway because they sounded so good.

Ingredients:

• 2 large potatoes
• 1 medium onion (brown or sweet)
• Olive Oil spray
• Season Salt
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Mrs. Dash (original)

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Wash, peel and cube potatoes. Dice onion (not too small though). Place potatoes and onion in a large bowl. Spray with several sprays of olive oil (enough to coat). sprinkle in a generous amount of the spices and toss until coated. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Cook 10 minutes then turn. Cook 10 more minutes and turn again. Then 10 more minutes.

A few ideas to jazz them up a bit...I added Parmesan cheese the last 5 minutes of cooking time. You could use shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and drizzle with sour cream (this is what I am going to do next time).

Cheers!
CC

Did you make this? Change it? Let me know your thoughts!

Brownie Bites Made in a Cake Pop Maker

Nick absolutely loves brownies with Reese's chips. But with 95 degree temperatures and 55% humidity, the last thing I want to do is run the oven. So I figured I would pull out the cake pop maker and see if making brownies would work. It did! They turned out so delicious and if you are like me and like the edges of the brownies the best, then you will love this!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of your favorite brownie mix
• 1 bag Reese's Peanut Butter Chips (you won't use the whole bag)

Plug in your cake pop maker to pre-heat it. Mix up the brownie mix as directed on the box. TIP: My favorite brownie mix is by far Dunkin Hines Milk Chocolate.  Spray Cake Pop maker with cooking spray. Fill each cup with brownie batter half way, then add in 3 or 4 Reese's chips to each and fill the rest of the way with batter. They take about 15 minutes to bake through. I suggest trying out just a few first before you fill up the whole pop maker. This gives you an idea of what you are doing and a good technique and if you run a few, its not a big deal. Make sure you also poke the middle of them with a tooth pick to make sure the center is cooked through. If the toothpick is clean, they are done. How I fill my pop maker is with a squeeze bottle (I got in the baking and candy aisle of Micheal's). But you can use a pastry bag or a sandwich bag that you cut at the corner.

If Reese's aren't your thing, you can make them plain or with other things like chopped nuts, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, caramel....

Cheers!
CC

Did you try this? How did it turn out? Let us know!

Roasted Cauliflower

I've heard people say that roasted cauliflower tastes like french fries, but it a much healthier option. So I decided to give it a try. It didn't taste anything like french fries, but it was very good.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 6 sprays of olive oil
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• Mrs. Dash (original)
• black pepper
• season salt (just a tiny bit)
• balsamic vinegar
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Chop cauliflower into chunks then wash thoroughly. Place cauliflower in a bowl and spray with olive oil and add spices...then toss until coated. Place cauliflower on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes (turn cauliflower once during baking). After 15 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with a bit of balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese. Bake for another five minutes.

Cheers!
CC

Did you try this? Like it? Change it? Comment below and let us know how you made it!

Cream Cheese & Jam French Toast Sammy

Liv (my 15 month old) loves to eat dry cereal and a scrambled egg with cheese for breakfast. It's pretty typical...but lately I've been wanting to switch up her breakfast routine. At breakfast time, I just want whatever I make to be easy, quick, and yummy. I am not a morning person...so cooking with a cup of coffee in one hand is a must! My first thought was french toast with Nutella (yum)...but then I remembered this cafe my mom used to take me to that served cream cheese and jam sandwiches. And ding...the light bulb went off in my head. French Toast Sammy with cream cheese and jam in the middle. Delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• splash of milk
• 3 drops vanilla
• 2 slices of bread
• cream cheese
• jam

Heat a skillet on medium heat with cooking spray or butter to prevent sticking. Whisk egg, milk, and vanilla together in a shallow bowl. Soak both sides of bread in the egg mixture and immediately place in skillet. Cook both sides for several minutes to ensure egg is cooked through. Smear with cream cheese and jam and serve as a sandwich.

You can also switch it up with cream cheese and honey, peanut butter and honey (or syrup), add cinnamon to the egg mixture, or use cream cheese and fresh fruit. Be creative!

Cheers!
CC

Steamed Artichoke

Who doesn't love artichoke? But cooking this delicious vegetable may make some people scratch their heads...and I can't say I blame you. It just does not look very inviting. It's easier than you may think though. And I will tell you a simple and tasty way to get this from the market to your table.

Ingredients:

• Artichoke 
• Garlic powder
• Pepper
• Mrs. Dash (original blend)
• Melted butter or Mayo (optional) for dipping

Place steam basket in large pot. Add enough water to come just to the bottom of the basket. Too little water will boil out of the pan before the artichoke is finished cooking. Cover pot and heat water on medium heat until steaming, then turn down to medium low Slice the very top of the artichoke off, and also about 1/2 inch off the stem and wash thoroughly. Place the artichoke in the pot, stem down, and sprinkle top with the spices listed above. Cover and let steam for two hours. Artichoke is done cooking when leaves pull off easily. Serve with melted butter (spice it up with the listed spices) or mayo for dipping.

Cheers!
CC

Honey Dijon Pork Chops

Just a little something I threw together for dinner tonight.

Ingredients:

• 2 Pork Chops
• 3 tablespoons Honey Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Bread crumbs
• Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray bottom of a glass baking dish with olive oil, and then coat with a thin layer of bread crumbs. Place shops in the dish. Mix mustard, sauce, garlic, and onion and spread over the chops. Sprinkle a thin layer of bread crumbs over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chops, mine were pretty thin). Make sure meat is cooked through before serving.

I made some Chicken and Mushroom flavored Rice-A-Roni to serve with it along with peas. Gotta get those veggies in!

Cheers!
CC

Strawberry Cream Cheese Yumminess

The Commissary where I do my grocery shopping had strawberries on sale for just $1. I do love strawberries! So I made pancakes one morning topped with Nutella and strawberries...but what to do with the rest...hmmm...strawberries and cream cheese are delicious. Hence an idea was born. This is a great dessert or even part of a balanced breakfast.

Mine looks a little lopsided...but it tasted delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
• 1/2 package of strawberries, sliced
• 8 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough onto a cookie sheet but do not separate the rolls. Mix together cream cheese, vanilla, almond extract, and sugar. Smooth out half the mixture onto the dough. Place strawberries on half the dough and fold the other half over...pinch sides to close it up and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cheers!
CC

Did you make this? Make any changes? Let me know your thoughts!

Spanish Rice

This was my first time making Spanish rice. It was definitely not perfect, but it wasn't bad...as Nick would say, it was white girl rice. I will work on it though...

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 medium diced onion
• garlic, cumin, cilantro, salt, pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter

Combine all ingredients in a large-ish sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to medium low heat and cover...cook for 20 minutes or until rice is soft. Do not uncover to stir until rice is done. Once it is done cooking, mix it up and serve.

Cheers!

Chicken Fajitas

Being a So Cal native, but living in Louisiana I am really missing Mexican food. We went out one night to what we were told was the best Mexican food in town...it was okay...but not by So Cal standards. So right now I think my best best is to rely on my own versions. My cooking is still very white though...I need to brush up on my skills when I go home to visit...spend some time with my BF3 (who is Mexican).

I was really craving some good fajitas and these really hit the spot for me! This is my original recipe. I also made some Spanish rice to go with the meal...it turned out okay for a first try but next time I am going to make a few changes. I'll post the rice recipe in a separate post.

Ingredients:

• 1lbThin sliced chicken breast, cubed
• 1 large onion, diced (I used a sweet onion)
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• garlic, pepper, cumin, cilantro, salt, Worcestershire sauce

Spray a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, and a splash of lemon juice, garlic, pepper, cumin, cilantro and salt and cook until onion is browned. Add in bell pepper and  chicken and splash with a little Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Make sure to stir and flip chicken. Make sure chicken is cooked all the way through...cooks in about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with warm tortillas and your favorite toppings...salsa, sour cream, cheese, avocado, guacamole, etc.

Cheers!
CC

Did you try this? Make changes? Tell me your thoughts!

Bacon Wrapped Baked Potato

One of my all time favorite foods...the potato. There are a billion things you can do with a potato, and baked potatoes are one of my very favorite ways to make this delicious food. This recipe is a combination of something I saw on Pinterest and some potatoes made by Nick's step-dad. They turned out delicious!

Ingredients

• Large baking potato
• 4 onion slices (I used sweet onion)
• 4 slices thin maple bacon
• butter
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, Mrs Dash and olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potato really well (scrub the skin). Make 4 deep slices in the potato. Stuff butter, spices and an onion slice in each potato slice. Spray a little olive oil on a piece of tin foil. Wrap the potato with the bacon slices, then place on foil and wrap tight. Cook in oven for 3 hours. TIP Put the potato on the upper oven rack, then place a cookie sheet on the lower rack so that the drippings don't mess the oven.

Top with your favorite toppings...sour cream, cheese, salsa....

Cheers!
CC

Did you make this? Tell me what you thought...and if you made changes :)

Garlic Honey Pork Chops

This is a pretty simple recipe for pork chops and tasty! They are even better if you let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

The original recipe came from Pinterest, but I made a couple changes. Here is the original :) Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 2 pork loin chops
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (i use the lower sodium kind)
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• splash of Worcestershire sauce

Mix honey, soy sauce, and   Worcestershire sauce using a fork as a whisk. Mix in garlic and pour over chops. Poke chops several times with a fork. Let marinate in the fridge for a few hours. Preheat oven to 375. Place chops and half the mixture in a baking dish and cook for 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chops). Always check to ensure meat is cooked through. Halfway between your cook time, pour the rest of the mixture over the chops.

Cheers! CC

Ideas for Left Over Ham

We bought a Honey Baked Ham for our Easter dinner. We intentionally got one that was a little bigger than what we needed so that we would have left overs and so that we could make one of Nick's favorite things...Split Pea soup.




Ham Sammies

• Hawaiian rolls
• Swiss Cheese
• Ham
• Honey Dijon Mustard

Mac and Cheese with Ham

• Make Mac and Cheese as directed on the box
• Stir in Ham pieces
• Add some veggies as a side dish

Baked Potato with Ham

• Preheat oven to 400
• Wash potato and poke several times with a fork
• Microwave potato 6 minutes (10 minutes for 2)
• Place potato on foil and smother with butter, sprinkle with garlic, season salt, onion powder
• Wrap tight with foil and place in oven for 15 minutes
• Top with ham, butter, sour cream, veggies, cheese...whatever sounds good!

Split Pea Soup  (click for recipe)

Split Pea Soup with Ham

For Easter we ordered a bone in half ham from Honey Baked Ham. It was delicious of course and I had fun coming up with a few ways to use the left overs. But...the bone was for a specific purpose...Nick's favorite Split Pea Soup. This recipe makes a ton of soup...we froze half of it so we can enjoy it later.

When saving the ham bone, make sure you leave some meat on it. We left the back part that is not already sliced. and any meat not pulled off the bone. We also used an 8 pound ham...so you need to adjust the recipe depending on the size of your ham.

Ingredients:

• Ham bone with some of the ham still attached
• 2 pounds split peas
• 14 cups water
• 2 tablespoons flour
• pepper, garlic, onion powder to taste

Place ham in a large pot. Rinse and drain split peas. Add peas to the pot and add water. Make sure the ham is covered by water. You can add 2 more cups if needed, but any more than that and you should add another pound of peas (use between 6-8 cups of water per pound of peas). Throw in the spices (a few dashes don't add salt because the ham is already really salty).

Cover and cook to a boil on Medium heat. Once boiling, stir and reduce heat to low. Cook for 4 hours stirring from time to time. After 4 hours, remove ham meat from bone and cut up any large pieces. You should be able to do this with ease since meat will be tender.  Slowly whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour at a time making sure there are no clumps. The flour will thicken up the sauce just a bit. Remove from heat and serve.

Cheers!
CC