Ham and Cheese Savory Scones

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 stick frozen butter
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
3/4 cup ham diced
1/4 cup pre-cooked bacon pieces
2 tablespoons chives diced

Instructions

1. To make these Ham and Cheese Savory Scones, start by adding the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic and onion powder to a large mixing bowl and whisking to combine.
2. Grab your cold stick of frozen butter and grate your butter on a cheese grater or cut into small pieces and them move your butter back to the freezer. While your butter is chilling, chop your ham into bite sized pieces and dice your chives. Remove the butter from the freezer and add to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or a kitchen fork, work the butter into the flour mixture until you have no more large lumps of butter present.
3. Add in the buttermilk and sour cream and still to combine. Next add in the cheese, ham, bacon pieces and chives (save some of those yummy ingredients aside for topping!) and using a large spoon or spatula, stir to combine. Once mixed, transfer your scone dough to the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Once chilled, move your dough to a large floured work space or a large glass cutting board (my favorite!) Your dough should be a bit wet and sticky so flour your hands. Shape your dough into a large circle about 10-12 inches wide and about 1 inch thick.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8-10 wedges and then using a spatcula or pie server, scoop up the scone wedges and transfer to a parchment lined baking pan and sprinkle with your reserved toppings. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven. When done, remove from oven and serve immediately.

Notes: This is the first savory scone recipe I've tried. I quite liked them. I didn't have any chives so had to leave those out.

Source: A Wicked Whisk

Homemade Egg McMuffins

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 English muffin, split
1 slice high-quality Canadian bacon
Nonstick cooking spray
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 slice American, cheddar, Swiss, or Jack cheese

Directions

1. Spread 1 teaspoon butter on each half of the English muffin and place halves in a 10-inch nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling muffin halves and pressing gently to get good contact with pan, until both pieces are well browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a sheet of aluminum foil, split side up.
2. Melt remaining 1 teaspoon butter in the now-empty skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Add Canadian bacon and cook, turning frequently, until browned and crisp around the edges, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer bacon to lower muffin half.
3. Place the lid of a quart-sized, wide-mouthed Mason jar (both the lid and the sealing ring) upside down in the now-empty skillet. (The side the jar screws onto should be facing up.) Spray the inside with nonstick cooking spray and break egg into it. Poke the egg yolk with a fork to break it and season with salt and pepper. Pour 3/4 cup water into the skillet, cover, and cook until egg is set, about 2 minutes.
4. Using a thin spatula, transfer Mason jar lid to a paper towel–lined plate. Pour excess water out of the skillet and return it to the stovetop with the heat off. Flip Mason jar lid over and gently remove it to release egg. Place egg on top of bacon and top with cheese slice. Close sandwich, wrap in aluminum foil, and return to the now-empty skillet. Let it warm up in the skillet for 2 minutes with the heat off, flipping occasionally. Unwrap and serve immediately.

Notes: I insisted on following the recipe for my first try. It didn't go super well for me. My muffin halves didn't get an even toasting and ended up burning around the edges. And my American cheese slices pretty much disintegrated when I put the sandwich into the skillet to warm up. Lesson learned: it is much easier to just toast the English muffins in the toaster and butter afterwards if the buttery flavor is desired. Also: don't use American cheese. Either that or don't warm up the sandwich with the cheese on it. Using the Mason jar lid for the eggs was one part that was clever and worked well.

Source: Serious Eats

Italian Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups diced bell peppers and onions
1 (8 oz) tube Crescent Rolls
8 slices ham
15 slices salami
8 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, provolone or Italian blend)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Add olive oil to a large skillet over high heat. When it just starts to smoke, carefully add bell peppers and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and slightly blackened around the edges. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. In the prepared dish, layer crescent rolls, ham, and salami. Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper and pour on top. Top with peppers and onions and cheese.
4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Notes: I've been trying a lot of new breakfast recipes recently. This is the first one where my imagination of how it would taste and how it actually ended up tasting were way off. It was good, but not nearly as good as I expected because I didn't care for the salami in the recipe, and the salami was easily the strongest flavor. If I make it again I will likely substitute a different sandwich meat. 

Source: Kevin & Amanda

Omelet in a Bag

Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated Cheddar
1 tablespoon diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon diced tomato
1 1/2 teaspoons finely diced green onion
2 slices ham, chopped
2 mushrooms, sliced
Pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped chives
Special equipment: a 1-quart, resealable, boil-proof (FDA-approved) bag

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. 
2. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a 1-quart, resealable, boil-proof (FDA-approved) bag, then seal and smush the eggs to scramble them. Add the cheese, pepper, tomato, onion, ham, mushrooms, salt and pepper, then shake everything together. Squeeze the excess air out of the bag and seal. 
3. Put the bag in the water and simmer until the mixture is set, about 15 minutes; use tongs to remove the bag from the water. Open the bag, roll out the omelet onto a plate and garnish with the chives. 

Notes: Another very customizable recipe. It takes longer to get the water boiling than it would to just cook a regular omelet, but this is a simple way to cook multiple omelets all at the same time before school in the morning. Also great for camping.

Source: Food Network

Ham, Egg, and Cheese Grilled Cheese

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 slices whole wheat bread
8 ounces Wisconsin cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces thinly sliced ham

Directions

1. Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the top and bottom of the waffle iron or coat with nonstick spray.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add eggs whisking, until they just begin to set; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue cooking until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, about 3-5 minutes; set aside.
3. Working in batches, place bread into the waffle iron. Top with cheese, ham, egg mixture, additional cheese and remaining bread slices. Close gently and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Serve immediately.

Notes: Using a waffle iron for grilled cheese sounded like fun. We only have a Belgian waffle iron though, and it didn't work as well as I would have liked. The bread slices were slightly too long for each waffle and due to the hinge I couldn't close the lid on all the sandwiches evenly. Lesson learned: cut bread a little, only cook 2 at a time instead of 4, and maybe just use a griddle or George Foreman style grill.

Source: Damn Delicious

Biscuit Egg-in-a-Hole

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and frozen
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
1 small bunch fresh chives, thinly sliced
1 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking sheet
6 round slices Black Forest ham
6 large eggs

Directions

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
2. Pulse together the flour, baking powder, sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons each salt and pepper in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until pea-sized pieces form. Add the cheese and chives and pulse until just combined. Add the buttermilk and pulse a couple of times until the dough just comes together but is not fully incorporated.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat together gently into a ball. Use your hands to divide the dough into 6 even pieces. Generously coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
4. Using the baking sheet as your work surface, pat each piece of dough into a 3 1/2-inch round about 3/4 inch thick. Arrange 3 dough rounds along the top long edge of the baking sheet, spacing them out evenly and making sure there is a 1/2-inch space between the dough rounds and the edges of the baking sheet. Arrange the remaining 3 dough rounds in the same fashion along the bottom long edge of the baking sheet. Cut the center out of each round with a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Arrange these smaller rounds evenly across the middle of the baking sheet.
5. Brush the tops of all the dough pieces with buttermilk and bake until the smaller biscuits are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them and transfer to a plate.
6. Lay a piece of ham over each of the large rounds. Push each ham piece down into the hole so that it forms a cup. Crack 1 egg into each of the ham cups. If a little of the egg white spills over, it's okay. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper. Bake, rotating the pan front to back after 5 minutes, until the whites are just set and the yolks are still jiggly when you lightly shake the baking sheet, 8 to 12 minutes more.
7. Use a spatula to remove them to individual plates and top each with a smaller biscuit piece for dipping into the egg.

Notes: I believe this was my very first time making biscuits from scratch, so it was a bit of a learning experience. I was expecting as much and made it on a morning where the kids didn't have school. Afterwards Brittany told me she doesn't like to use the food processor for biscuits and preferred mixing them by hand. Now I  know! I think it turned out well, though. This was a tasty breakfast worthy of making another time. The kids didn't care for the spiciness of the pepper jack cheese in the biscuits, so maybe next time I will make it with cheddar.

Source: food network

Spring Stew

Ingredients

5 c. water
3 large carrots (2 c. diced)
3 large potatoes (2-3 c. diced)
1/4 c. chopped onion or 1/4- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
8 oz. frozen peas (1 1/2 c.)
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk or 2 c. instant dry milk
1/4 c. butter (optional)
1 c. cold water
4 Tbsp. cornstarch

Directions

1. Place 5 cups water in a large pot and bring to boil.
2. While water is coming to a boil, peel and dice carrots, potatoes, and onion.
3. When water comes to a boil, add carrots, onion, and salt to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add potatoes and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Add peas when potatoes and carrots are soft.
6. Add evaporated milk and butter.
7. Mix 1 cup cold water with 4 Tbsp. cornstarch. Add to soup. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Ready to serve.

Notes: We added chopped ham to make this soup heartier.

Source: This is a recipe Brittany's mom made often when Brittany was growing up.

Mom's Macaroni Salad

Ingredients
1 pkg. (1 lb) pkg. macaroni (or shells)
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. mustard
1/4 c. sour cream
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
ground black pepper (to taste)
1 c. ham steak, cut into small cubes
1 c. cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
2/3 c. frozen peas, thawed
2-3 carrots, shredded

Optional mix-ins:
cucumber, peeled and diced
dill pickles, chopped
tomato, diced
red bell pepper, diced
celery, chopped

Instructions

1. Prepare macaroni to al dente according to package directions. After macaroni is cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Once macaroni has cooled down, drain well.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. In a large bowl toss macaroni with ham, cheese, peas, carrots, and other mix-ins.
4. Fold in mayonnaise mixture until pasta is well coated.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight.
6. If the salad seems a little dry after setting up overnight, add some milk a little bit at a time until salad becomes nice and creamy again.

Notes: We enjoyed this pasta salad. More flavorful than others I've had.

Source: Family Favorite Recipes

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Ingredients
For the casserole:

1 whole cooked chicken, bones removed, meat diced or shredded (rotisserie chicken is excellent, should have 5-6 cups)
1/2 pound very thinly sliced deli-style honey ham, rough chopped
1/4 pound thin sliced baby Swiss cheese

For the sauce:

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the topping:

6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
2. Put cooked shredded or diced chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Rough chop the ham and scatter it over the top of the chicken. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.
3. To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly stir in the flour to form a smooth roux. Do not brown! Once the roux is smooth and bubbly, slowly pour in the cold milk while stirring briskly to make a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, smoked paprika and white pepper. Bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole, being certain to get some of the sauce around the edges of the pan.
4. To make the topping: Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized microwaveable bowl. Heat it for 30 seconds at a time and stop once it’s melted. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir in the panko bread crumbs, seasoning salt and crushed dried parsley. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
5. Bake casserole uncovered for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

Notes: Not quite as tasty as regular style chicken cordon bleu or the slow cooker variety, but still an interesting dish. And a lot easier to make.

Source: Freshdreamer via knowkitchen

Cuban Hot Pressed Pork Sandwich

Ingredients
1 loaf Cuban Bread (substitute: Italian or French)
yellow mustard, to taste
4 slices ham
4 slices roast pork
4 slices swiss cheese
pickles, thinly sliced, to taste

Instructions

1. Slice a loaf of Cuban bread almost completely in half lengthwise, and spread mustard along the bottom.
2. Add the ham, pork, cheese and pickles to the sliced loaf.
3. Place the sandwich in a large frying pan over medium heat.
4. On another burner heat up a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
5. Press the sandwich between the two hot pans until toasty (cheese melts)

Notes: I thought these were pretty tasty. We used French bread because that is what we could find. Based on the photos at the source I think Cuban bread may have resulted in thinner sandwiches. Although it wouldn't be as authentic, it seems like you could also use a George Foreman style grill to press the sandwich.

Source: Global Table Adventure

Farmer's Casserole

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers or shredded cheddar cheese (3 oz)
1 cup diced cooked ham or Canadian-style bacon
1/4 cup sliced green onions (2)
4 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk or one 12-oz can evaporated milk
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Coat a 2-quart square baking dish non-stick cooking spray. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onions.
2. In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture.
3. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before servings.

Notes: Makes 6 servings. This is from several months ago and to be honest I'm not entirely sure if this is the right recipe for the photo. It looks like we used sausage instead of ham and didn't add any green onions.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens 12th Edition Cook Book 

Malibu Chicken

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
5 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
8 thinly sliced pieces of ham
4 slices of swiss cheese

Malibu Dipping Sauce
2 Tablespoons Grey Poupon mustard
3 Tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

Chicken

1. Combine egg yolk and garlic and pour into plastic bag. Place chicken inside bag, seal shut making sure no extra air is inside, and make sure the chicken gets coated with egg yolk/garlic mixture. Place in fridge and marinate chicken for 4 hours.
2. In a medium bowl, mix panko, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper and dump evenly in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
3. Remove chicken from bag place chicken in baking dish. Coat the chicken with mixture and bake at 350 degrees F and depending on the size of your chicken breasts cook for 40 minutes to one hour or until chicken is cooked through. Monitor it starting at about 40 minutes. 
4. Place one slice of ham and once slice of swiss cheese over the top of each piece of chicken and bake addition two minutes until cheese is melted.

Malibu Dipping Sauce
Combine Grey Poupon mustard, mayo, yellow mustard and honey in a small bowl. Stir to make sure all ingredients are evenly combined. Use to dip chicken in.

Notes: Tasty! Much better photos at the source.

Source: Chef in Training

Baked Italian Sandwiches

Ingredients
French bread
Butter or margarine
Provolone cheese
Deli ham (or other lunch meat)
Italian bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese

Eggs (1 or 2)

Milk (1 or 2 Tbsp)

Onion (optional)

Green pepper (optional)

Spaghetti sauce, for dipping

Directions

1. Turn on your oven to 425 degrees. Put a chunk of butter or margarine in the bottom of a 9x13 (or larger) baking dish, and put it in the oven as it’s pre-heating so the butter can melt. Use enough butter to lightly coat the bottom of the dish.
2. While your butter is melting, take the bread and slice it to desired thickness.  
3. Mix some bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a dish. 
4. Beat the eggs and milk in another dish.
5. Optional: Saute some onion and green pepper to add.
6. Dip one side of one piece of bread in the milk mixture.
7. Coat it well in the crumb mixture.
8. Set it in the pan, making sure it gets coated with some of the melted butter.
9. Add a slice of cheese.
10. Add desired amount of lunch meat.
11. Add the sauteed veggies (optional).
12. Top it off with another slice of cheese and another slice of bread coated in bread crumbs and melted butter.
13. Put the assembled sandwiches in the oven for about 5-8 minutes on each side, or until the cheese melts and the bread gets toasted. 
14. If desired, broil them on high for 1-2 minutes at the very end to get a nice brown crispy finish on the bread. 
15. Serve with warm spaghetti sauce in individual dishes for dipping.

Notes: We had this over two years ago, but I remember liking it a lot. If I had posted this recipe when we first had it, instead of leaving the photo forgotten in a folder, I'm sure we would have made it again. See source for step by step photos.

Source: Fun, Cheap, or Free

Smoked Gouda, Ham, and Apple Grilled Cheese

Ingredients (for 1 sandwich):
2 pieces bread
Approximately 4 thick slices smoked Gouda
4-6 slices country smoked ham
1/4 apple, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. Heat one tablespoon butter in pan on medium-low heat.
2. Add one slice of bread to the pan and top with two slices of the cheese, all of the ham and apples and then top with the additional cheese and the other slice of bread.
3. After about three or four minutes, pick the sandwich up with a spatula and melt the remaining one tablespoon of butter.
4. Flip the sandwich over to grill the other side. Check after about three or four minutes to make sure it's not over-browning.
5. Flip again and cover with a large lid until the cheese is melted and the sandwich is warm throughout, about two more minutes.

Notes: This was a tasty sandwich. I noticed the apple flavor more with my second half of the sandwich, after it had a chance to cool a bit, but I don't know if that is just a coincidence. This was our first experience with Gouda cheese, which we found at the deli counter.

Source: She Knows Food&Recipes. I first found it on this page, along with the White Pizza Grilled Cheese we posted in August. 

French-Toasted Ham & Cheese

Ingredients

1 loaf Italian bread, about 15" long
1 8-oz. pkg. ham slices
1 8-oz. pkg. mozzarella cheese slices
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter or margarine
syrup (optional)

Directions
Cut 16 slice from the Italian bread. Fold ham and cheese slices to fit on 8 bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices to make 8 sandwiches. In pie plate with fork, beat milk and eggs together. Dip sandwiches in to egg mixture, one at a time, until well coated on both side.s Melt butter or margarine in skillet. Cook sandwiches until golden brown on both sides. Serve with syrup for dipping.

Notes: We liked this recipe. We had planned on using some leftover sandwich meat for the recipe, but it had spoiled so our sandwiches were just cheese. Dipping the sandwich in syrup overpowered the flavor of the cheese. Source: Freezer meals recipe binder that we were given as a wedding gift.

Yam and Ham Soup with Ginger

Ingredients
Medium-size onion
2 large carrots (about 1/2 lb. total weight)
1-inch piece fresh ginger
Medium-size orange (for garnish)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup apple juice
Small bunch parsley (for garnish)
3 or 4 medium-size yams (about 2 lbs. total weight)
3/4 lb. baked ham
2 Tbsp bourbon (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Halve and peel onion. Peel and trim carrots. Using paring knife or vegetable peeler, peel ginger. In food processor with steel blade, or with a chef's knife, coarsely chop onion, carrots, and ginger; set aside.
2. Wash and dry orange. Using grater, finely grate enough zest to measure 6 teaspoons; set aside. Note: this is used as garnish.
3. In large heavy-gauge saucepan or flameproof casserole, melt butter with oil over medium heat. Add chopped vegetables and 2 teaspoons grated orange zest and reduce heat to low. Cover pan and cook vegetables, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened.
4. Stir in chicken stock and apple juice. Cover pan, increase heat to high, and bring liquid to boil.
5. Meanwhile, wash and dry parsley. Finely chop enough parsley to measure 2 teaspoons; set aside.  Note: this is used as garnish. Pare yams with vegetable peeler and cut enough into small dice to measure about 6 cups.
6. Add yams to boiling stock and reduce heat to medium. Gently boil yams, partially covered, 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender.
7. Cut enough ham into 1/4-inch dice to measure about 2 cups; set aside.
8. Using slotted spoon, transfer 3 cups cooked yams to food processor or blender. Process, adding a little of the soup liquid, until yams become a smooth puree. Using rubber spatula, scrape puree back into soup and stir to blend. Add ham, and bourbon if using. Simmer gently until ham is heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste and keep soup warm over very low heat until ready to serve.
9. To serve, ladle soup into 4 individual bowls. Garnish each serving with 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley and 1 teaspoon orange zest.

Notes: This recipe comes from Great Meals in Minutes: Soup and Stew Menus.  We thought it was all right, but nothing we will make frequently.  I would also recommend against the orange zest as garnish unless you really know what you are doing; I garnished my first bowl and ended up with soup that had an overpowering taste of orange zest.

Homemade Pizza

BBQ Ranch Pizza

  

Ingredients:
Pizza Dough
3/4 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. (or 1 package) yeast
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. shortening

Toppings
1/2 - 3/4 c. light sour cream
Ranch dressing (dry) mix
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
BBQ sauce
Green pepper, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Pineapple
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Sift together all-purpose flour, wheat flour, and salt. Cut in shortening. Add yeast and water mixture to flour mixture. Mix well with a fork and knead until smooth. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
2. While dough is resting, prepare toppings. For the sauce, combine sour cream and your desired amount of dry ranch dressing mix. Start with a little bit and taste as you add to your liking. Add desired amount of BBQ sauce to shredded chicken.
3. Press dough onto a greased pizza pan or place on a preheated pizza stone that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. (If using a pizza stone, you may want to shape the dough and add the toppings, then transfer it to the pizza stone, although this can be tricky without a pizza peel.)
4. Assemble the pizza by adding sauce, shredded chicken, green peppers, green onions, pineapple, and cheese.
5. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and crust is cooked through.

Jalapeno Bacon Pizza

Ingredients:
1 pizza dough recipe (above)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
Bacon, cooked and chopped
Red onion, chopped (optional)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Prepare pizza dough by following the instructions above.
2. If you want a spicy sauce, add some of the seeds from the pepper to the cream cheese. Make sure the cream cheese is soft enough to spread over the pizza crust.
3. Press dough onto a greased pizza pan or place on a preheated pizza stone that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. (If using a pizza stone, you may want to shape the dough and add the toppings, then transfer it to the pizza stone, although this can be tricky without a pizza peel.)
4. Assemble the pizza by adding cream cheese, jalapenos, bacon, onion, and mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and crust is cooked through.

Notes:
This is one of John's favorite meals. You can make the crust with all white flour, but we have found that the half-wheat crust really enhances the flavor. I got the topping ideas from my sister, Kimberly, who makes really delicious pizzas! See also: Scrambled Egg Pizza.

Fried Rice

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 slices cooked ham, chopped
1 c. frozen peas
1 carrot, shredded
4 cups cooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste
Soy sauce, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Spray skillet with cooking spray. Scramble eggs in skillet. Remove from pan and keep warm. Heat chopped ham in skillet until slightly brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
2. Add peas and carrots to skillet and cook for a couple minutes until they are tender. Add rice, cooked eggs and ham to the skillet and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, serve with soy sauce.

Dinner Braids

Ingredients

Enough bread dough for one loaf of bread (Brittany has a homemade bread recipe here)

Your choice of ingredients for the filling (see some options below)

Directions

I found it a little difficult to write the instructions in a clear way of how to braid the dough, and since we don't have a picture of the entire bread braid, I searched for a video that you can watch to see how it is done. You can use any combination of ingredients that you would like. This is a recipe that you can be very creative with. You can find the video here.

Just a few notes on what I do a little differently than the lady in the video: I roll the dough out onto my greased cookie sheet so that I don't have to transfer it later. Instead of using a ruler, I just eyeball it and try to make my strips equal. I also cut the strips using the edge of a large metal spatula, since it is about the length needed for the strips. You can choose to brush the dough with an egg white, or you can bake the braid without brushing it. If you add bread crumbs or spices on top, though, you will want to brush it with an egg white, oil, or melted butter. This recipe isn't as complicated as it seems, and is a fun variation of some common meals.

Dinner Braid Fillings

Chicken Broccoli and Cheese

1 ½ to 2 C. cooked shredded chicken

1 to 2 C. cooked broccoli

½ can cream of chicken soup or chicken gravy or more to taste

1 C. cheddar cheese

Chicken Cordon Bleu Braid

Ham or canadian bacon slices—enough to layer on bottom of braid

1 C. cooked shredded chicken

1 C. shredded swiss cheese

Layer the ingredients on the middle section of dough; braid. Spread egg wash or oil on braid and sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs on top before you let it raise. Bake.  You may pour gravy on to serve.

Taco Braid

½ to 1 lb. cooked ground beef flavored with taco flavoring

½ to 1 C. favorite cooked beans (kidney, black, pinto, refried, etc.)

Diced tomatoes

Green onions

Sliced olives

Cheddar cheese

Any other taco toppings that would bake well.

Chicken and Cream Cheese

2 cups cooked chicken shredded

cream cheese

green onions

Mix together and fill in braid.

Cream Cheese Dessert Braid

4 oz. softened cream cheese

½ C. powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

Mix together well and spread in middle section of braid. Spread a small layer of jam or fresh fruit on top—you don't need a whole lot. Braid and bake. After it comes out of the oven, let it cool for 5-10 minutes then spread frosting on.

Frosting –this is about twice as much as you will need for one braid, so you can half it.

2 C. powdered sugar

¼ C. softened butter

½ tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. water

Other ideas

Chicken alfredo with peas, broccoli, carrots (all vegetables pre-cooked)

Cabbage bun filling (see here)

Pizza toppings—any variety, Hawaiian, supreme, etc.

BBQ pork or beef

Sloppy Joe

Cream Cheese Pasta

Ingredients
12 oz. garden noodles, cooked
1 large chicken breast, diced and cooked
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. parsley
1/2 bag of frozen California-style vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower)

Directions
Boil noodles in water until tender.  Dice chicken, then cook on medium heat until golden brown.  In a medium sauce pan, mix cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, butter, milk, and parsley on low heat until melted.  Add vegetables to chicken and stir until vegetables are cooked through.  Mix completed sauce with noodles and then serve.

Notes: Brittany added ham.  We didn't have California-style veggies, but we did have broccoli and cauliflower, so we used those.  Tasty.  We got this recipe from the Prairie 4th Ward Recipes and Remembrances cook book.