Dijon Ham and Swiss Loaf

My mother in law gave me this recipe.  I was really skeptical at first, but quickly got over it.  Dont let the combination of ingredients scare you... especially the warm pickles!  This is SO good!

Dijon Ham and Swiss Loaf

Recipe from Lyn Denna

4 c. flour
¼ c. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. margarine
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ c. chopped cooked ham
2 Tbsp. Yeast
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1 c. water
½ c. chopped dill pickles

Set aside 1 c. flour.
Mix remaining flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
Heat water, mustard and margarine to 125-130 degrees; stir into flour mixture.
Mix in enough reserved flour to make soft dough.
Knead or mix for 4 minutes.
Divide dough in half and roll out in rectangle shape.
Sprinkle ham, cheese and pickle on top of dough.
Roll up into loaf shape, pinching off sides and along the seam.
Put in greased loaf pans and let rise.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers; reheat to serve.

Yields 2 medium loaf pans

Apple Jello

Apple Jello

1 large pkg. red jello

5 apples

Prepare jello according to package directions.

Peel, core and grate apples.

Stir into jellow mixture.

Chill and serve.

Freezing Meals Technique

For Christmas Tate and I made a bunch of freezer meals for his parents, so I thought I would share my favorite technique!

I love having a meal or two (or more if there is room) in my freezer for busy days, but I hate when they take up all of my freezer space, and when all of my dishes are in the freezer and I can't use them.  This is the best idea to solve that problem; (though I am sure this idea has been done before, I've never heard of anyone else doing it so I will take the credit).

I used this idea all the time when it was just me and my hubby... we could never finish a whole 9x13" casserole, but half that size would be great.  That is when I started making two smaller dinners out of one large recipe:

You will need one or more small casserole dish; 8x6", 8x8" and 9x9" all work well.  You can go smaller for individual servings, but the listed sizes will feed my small family of 4 (without leftovers).  Most importantly, you need a small enough dish that the contents will be able to fit into a gallon freezer ziplock bag.

The basic idea is to make one large recipe and divide it up between two smaller casserole dishes (or more for individual servings).  I usually make one to eat immediately, and freeze the other.

First, line the casserole dishes that will be frozen with tin-foil.  Fill the dishes with whatever it is you are making (this picture is two different recipes, but you get the idea). 

Put casserole dish in freezer overnight or for several hours.  When frozen, take out and remove the food from the dish (this is where the tinfoil comes in handy).

Once removed, place in a freezer bag - I label with the item, the date, and the cooking instructions.

Soups, stews, and sauces can be poured into quart sized bags and frozen.

And there it is!  No mess, less space, and no freezer burn!

When ready to eat, take out of bag and put back in casserole dish.

Frozen meals are best if used within 3 months.

Smothered Chicken

Smothred Chicken
Recipe from www.cucinafamiglia.blogspot.com

4 chicken breasts
Montreal steak seasoning
BBQ sauce
6 slices of bacon
4 slices of cheddar cheese
1/2 c. chopped green onions

Sprinkle chicken breasts with Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides.
Bake in skillet for about 6 minutes on each side.
While chicken is cooking, fry up bacon.  When crisp, break into pieces.

On top of cooked chicken, spread a layer of BBQ sauce, about 1 Tbsp. per breast.
Layer bacon on top of sauce, and top with cheese.
Cover with lid and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Layer with chopped green onions and serve with Honey Mustard Sauce (optional).

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

We have pancakes and waffles a lot at our house, but I myself am not a huge maple syrup fan... or maybe we just have it so much that I like to mix it up a bit.  Either way, I found this from a ward cookbook and gave it a try, (with some minor changes)... it was delicious... very sweet... but again, delicious.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup
Recipe (modified) from Joslyn Rappleye

1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. corn syrup
1/4 c. water
1 5oz. can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and mix.  Add the corn syrup and water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat.
Stir in the evaporated milk, vanilla and cinnamon.

Cornmeal Pan Rolls

These are a good alternative to everyday dinner rolls.  The cornmeal makes them a little... grainy... is that the right word?  Yes, grainy, but in a good way.

Cornmeal Pan Rolls
Recipe from Taste of Home

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 c. water
3 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, yeast and salt.
In a saucepan, heat water and 2 Tbsp. butter to 120-130 degrees.  Add to dry ingredients; beat until moistened.
Add egg; beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. 
Knead for 6-8 minutes (or just use your kneading blade in your mixer).
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch douh down.  Turn onto floured surface; divide into 18 pieces.
Shape into balls, and place in a greased 9x13" baking pan.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. 
Melt remaining butter and brush over rolls. 
Cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I absolutely love these!  For our ward Christmas party we had a competition for the best dessert, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Desserts were judged on display, holiday revelance, and of course taste.  These babies took first place!  Be sure to make extra... I came home with an empty bowl.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels
3 10oz. bags pretzel rods
24oz. pkg. chocolate (brown or white)
6 oz. chocolate (alternate color) for drizzling

Melt 24 oz. of chocolate according to package directions.  Once melted, pour into a tall skinny drinking glass.
One at a time, dip pretzel rods into the cup.  You will want to leave about 25% of the pretzel uncovered for a handle.Shake excess chocolate off into the pan or bowl that chocolate was melted in.  Lay pretzels on waxed paper to harden.  Refill cup as needed or lay it on its side and roll pretzels.  24 oz. should cover about 2 1/2 bags of pretzel rods. 

 Melt alternate colored chocolate.  Using a spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over chocolate covered pretzel rods.

Allow to cool and harden completely before removing from waxed paper.  Store in airtight container (these will last for a while).