Honey Glazed Holiday Ham

We usually eat ham for dinner once a year during the holidays, so we have to make it good! This is a great recipe I found online. It's delicious, and even my picky kids love it! I usually double the glaze so we have extra for dipping (in other words, we like bathe our ham in it!). 

Ingredients:

1 (5 lb) fully cooked sliced ham 

1/4 cup whole cloves

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 oranges, juiced (or use prepared OJ)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the ham in a roasting pan and insert cloves. In a saucepan, combine all other ingredients; stir and simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Pour the glaze over the ham, and bake uncovered for about 1 hour. Pour extra sauce on ham just before serving.

Easy Corn Casserole

Our traditional Thanksgiving dinner always includes this dish! It's really good, and really easy to make.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 (8.5 oz) package Jiffy dry corn bread mix 

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14/75 oz) can creamed corn

1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 9x9 baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Chris's Homemade Pancakes

If Chris is home in the mornings, chances are the kids will convince him to make pancakes. He loves making breakfast, and loves cooking them on the ginormous electric griddle! Here is the recipe he uses. 

2 cups flour

2 cups milk (or buttermilk)

2 eggs

1/3 cup melted butter

1 tbps sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Beat the eggs in a small bowl, set aside. In a large bowl, blend the dry ingredients thoroughly.

Add the butter, milk and eggs to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is just blended with no large lumps.  Spray a griddle or non-stick frying pan with spray or lightly oil. Heat until drops of water sizzle.  Pour spoonfuls of the batter onto the surface. When bubbles rise in each pancake, it is usually time to flip it. Cook until golden brown.

Roasted Chicken

There are a million ways to roast a chicken. One of my favorites is the Pampered Chef recipe using the fluted stoneware. My other favorite is this one! Not much is measured, so it's really easy. This makes for a very tasty, moist chicken!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1/4 cup mayo

1-2 cloves crushed garlic

Rosemary, dried or fresh

olive oil (or softened butter)

salt

seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the mayo, a little olive oil, salt, garlic and rosemary. Take the chicken and run your fingers between the skin and the meat so that you lift the skin up a bit. Take the mayo mixture and using your fingers, push the mixture up under the skin, covering as much of the chicken as you can. Brush some olive oil and sprinkle some seasoned salt over the chicken. Bake for about 1 hour, or until done.

Bill's Awesome Spaghetti

Bill (aka "Boo" to our kids) is a dear friend of our family, and is also a pretty awesome cook. He makes this every time he goes camping, and it's soooo good!  I'm posting it to my blog not only to share it with others, but to keep it stored somewhere safe so I don't have to call him for the bazillionth time asking him for the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 package of McCormicks dry spaghetti sauce mix

1 package of Italian sausage (spicy is the best!)

1 large can of tomato sauce

2 cans diced tomatoes (roasted garlic, balsamic, or mexican blend are best)

1 small can tomato paste

1 package angel hair pasta

Cook pasta; brown ground beef and sausage together, then add all ingredients. Add to pasta. Not much more to it than that!

Family Pasta Salad

This is another great salad for bbq's and potlucks. Super easy, and always a hit at get-togethers! You light mayo and non-fat yogurt if you want to lighten it up a bit.

Ingredients:

1 package (16 oz) uncooked cavatappi pasta (I use bowtie or spiral pasta too)

1 package (8 oz) mild cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 small carrot, grated

1 cup mayonnaise

1 container (8 oz) plain yogurt

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Cook pasta, drain. Place pasta in bowl; add cheese, peas, celery, onion and carrot, mix gently. Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, salt and pepper in a bowl, then stir into pasta. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Spanish Rice

My dad, the true Mexican that he was, made spanish rice at least a couple of times a week. He never measured anything, but it always came out so perfect. I still haven't perfected my dad's rice, but this recipe is as close as it gets. He used tomato sauce, I use boullian cubes, with the end result being almost the same. If you have tacos, enchiladas, or any kind of Mexican dish, you gotta have the rice (and beans) to go with it. And no, Spanish Rice a Roni and canned refried beans don't cut it!

Ingredients:

2 cups white enriched long-grain rice (no Uncle Ben's or Minute Rice)
1-2 tomato boullian cubes, depending on how tomato'ey you like your rice
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cups water

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and add the rice. Fry the rice until it turns a whiter color, or very slightly brown. Add the onion and garlic. Add the water and tomato boullian cube. Stir, breaking up the tomato and making sure it's dissolved. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer until rice is done, about 15-20 minutes. Don't take the lid off to check it too many times, this ruins the rice. Keep covered until ready to serve, fluff with fork.

Yummy Crepes

This is probably one of my favorite desserts (next to pumpkin pie - nothing beats that)! They're so quick and easy to make, and chances are you already have all the ingredients needed to whip up a batch. These are best with a little bit of Nutella and whipped cream, or some butter and lingonberries, but you can put just about anything on crepes! Except Tabasco. That would be gross.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Traditional Potato Salad

I go back and forth between a couple of different potato salad recipes, but this is the one I tend to use the most. It's the pretty basic Best Foods recipe. Of course, you can always use a little more of this, a little less of that. But whatever you do, for the love of all things holy, please do NOT use Miracle Whip! You can also use red potatoes instead of russets, or a combination of both.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. potatoes (5-6 medium), peeled and cut into 3/4" chuncks
1 cup Hellmann's or Best Foods Real mayonnaise
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (optional)
paprika

Place chopped potatoes in 4 quart pan and cover with water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and cool slightly.

In large bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper. Add potatoes, celery, onion and eggs, toss gently. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Chill before serving.

Banana Bread

The kids used to love banana's, so much that I could barely keep them in stock. Then one day, they just lost interest. I don't know what happened. How does one fall out of love with bananas? They're so good for you, and loaded with potassium so they help with those pesky growing pains. You can even coat them in chocolate and freeze them. Now, I can't even pay Austin $1 to take a bite of one! Then again, he won't eat cheese or peanut butter either. Normal he is not.

Fortunately, Chris and I love banana bread so those neglected, over-ripe bananas will continue to have a place in our home! I found a basic bread recipe online, and adapted it to make it my own. Chris prefers his without nuts, and warmed with a little butter. I prefer it just like it is! Be sure to use over-ripened bananas - you get a better flavor! You can also substitute allspice in place of the nutmeg and cinnamon.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 lb (cubed) butter
1 tsp. salt
1 ts. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3-5 ripened bananas, mashed

NOTE: If you use 5 bananas, you should have enough to make 24 muffins. The less bananas used, the more "cake-like" it will be.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13x9 pan (or 2 loaf pans) with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar in pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter, add eggs one at a time. Add bananas, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour batter in pan(s), and sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Chris's Crispy Waffles

Chris loves to use the waffle maker. We have one of those put the batter in and flip it over models, the kind found in continental breakfast kitchens of roadside hotels everywhere. I think it's one of his favorite kitchen appliances, second only to his ginormous electric griddle, and possibly tied with his rice cooker! Chris digs making big breakfasts, and so do the kids, which is why they get so excited when Dad is home in the mornings. Guess they get tired of cereal, the breakfast of choice for hurried moms everywhere. Score one for Dad.

Anyway, here is one of Chris's favorite go-to waffle recipes. They aren't 100% whole wheat, but they're really good and they hold up well to gobs of strawberries and whipped cream! You can also freeze these up to a week and reheat in a toaster.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups non-fat buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 egg whites
Vegetable cooking spray

Pre-heat waffle iron.

Combine first five ingredients in bowl; stir well and set aside. Combine buttermilk and vanilla; add to dry ingredients, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.

Beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form; gently fold into flour mixture.

Coat waffle iron with cooking spray. Spoon just enough batter onto iron, spreading batter to the edges. Cook 5-6 minutes or until steaming stops (or your waffle maker light shuts off). Serve warm to happy children!

Cream Cheese Frosting

This frosting is so yummy, you'll want to eat it all by itself! It's awesome with carrot cake, pumpkin and zuchinni bread, on cakes, cookies and cupcakes. It's that good!

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners (powdered) sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Refrigerate any unused frosting.

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you google "chocolate chip cookies" you'll get so many different recipes your head will spin wondering which one to go with. You can't go wrong with the original Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip recipe! You can easily double the batch, and freeze any unused cookie dough for later use. Over the years I've made a few minor tweaks to the recipe that I think makes the perfect cookie even better! I listed those variations below.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 lb) butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz package Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, white and brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

MY VARIATIONS: Use 2 tblsp less white sugar, half the salt, double the vanilla, add a tsp of milk, and chill dough before baking. Also, use a cool cookie sheet with each new batch.

Corn Fritters

Hayley's class made these during colonial day, and they were so good they were gobbled up faster than they could make them! They probably aren't the healthiest thing out there, but it does have corn, so it can't be all that bad, right? The recipe has numbered steps, so it's easy for kids to follow.

Ingredients:

1 (20 oz) can of whole kernel corn

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

vegetable oil for frying

powdered sugar, syrup, butter (optional)

1. Drain the corn.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together corn, eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

3. Heat oil in a large frying pan.

4. Drop one tablespoon of batter in the frying pan.

5. Cook three minutes on each side or until light brown.

6. Drain fritters on a paper towel.

7. Serve with syrup, butter, or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 25 to 30 fritters.

Stephanie's Carrot Cake

I can't brag when it comes to my cooking skills, but I have to say that I rock it out when it comes to carrot cake! I've tried several recipes in search of the perfect one, made some tweaks here and there, and eventually came up with this one. It's a really moist, delicious cake! You can also serve these as cupcakes. Pair with the homemade cream cheese frosting, and it's delish!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup applesauce

3 cups grated carrots (you can find pre-grated carrots in the produce section)

1 cup shopped pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in carrots and applesauce. Fold in nuts. Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

4. Prepare cream cheese frosting, and serve with carrot cake.

Best Meatloaf Ever

Meatloaf - you either love it or hate it. I'm in the love it camp, and the kids are too. Chris wasn't a fan, until I found a great recipe he actually liked! It's the kids favorite dish, and there are rarely leftovers. So give it a try - it may convince you that not all meatloafs are the same!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (be sure to 15% or less)

1/2 cup crushed Ritz or Keebler Townhouse crackers

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 package dry onion soup mix

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. steak sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the ground beef, cheese, crackers and onion soup mix until combined. Whisk the eggs, ketshup and steak sauce in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the egg mixture into the meat. If it seems too dry, add a little water. Press into a loaf pan. Bake until center is no longer pink, about 45-60 minutes.

Crock Pot Stroganoff with Noodles

This is one of our family's favorite dishes! My picky kids love it. There are all sorts of variations on this recipe, but this one is our favorite.

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. chuck roast
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 cup water (you can eyeball this)
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
ground black pepper
1 package wide egg noodles

Put roast in large crock pot, and add dry soup mix and water. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add sour cream, and black pepper to taste. Roast should fall apart and shred easily.

Cook egg noodles as directed. Serve with roast and gravy. YUM!

Three Layer Chili Cheese Dip

This is one of our favorite dips! With some tortilla chips, it's almost a meal. Great for bbq's, game night, and when you're just plain hungry! I usually double the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 can prepared chili, no beans
Grated cheese (I prefer the Mexican blend)
tortilla chips

Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a square microwaveable dish (or something similar). Add chili on top of that, and then cover the top of the chili with the grated cheese. Microwave for about4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chili is warmed. Eat with tortilla chips.

Cucumber Sandwiches

I was recently asked to make some cucumber sandwiches for a fall tea/luncheon. I was a little nervous because I had never made them before, and I was a little skeptical about how just how tasty cucumbers and bread could actually be! I found a great recipe online, and made a few dozen little sandwiches. Not only were they really easy to make, they were delicious, and quite addicting! They are the perfect appetizer for showers, hostess parties, luncheons, teas, anytime you need a snack that's light and refreshing. Cucumber sandwiches are considered very manly, so I wouldn't recommend them for your Super Bowl party! I got a few requests for the recipe, so here it is:

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1 packet of dry Italian dressing mix (I use Good Seasons)
1/2 cup mayo
2 tbl. sour cream
2-3 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced and placed on towel or paper towel to drain
Loaf of sandwich-style french bread

Mix all ingredients except cucumbers. Spread mixture on two slices of bread. Add slices of cucumber. With a bread knife, trim crusts off of sandwich, and cut into two or four squares. Makes up to 2 dozen little finger sandwiches.

For best results, try to assemble the sandwiches just before serving.

Super Yummy Party Meatballs

This appetizer is always a huge hit at get-togethers, and I get a lot of requests for the recipe. The ingredients are a little unconventional, but they are super yummy, and even the kids love them! They're also really simple to make. This recipe is for a large batch. Because I use the entire bag of meatballs, I have to cook these in my large electric roasting pan or large pot.

Ingredients:

1 large bag of frozen meatballs (I prefer the brand sold at Costco).
1 large jar of Welch's grape jelly
1 12 oz. jar of Heinz chili sauce

In a large saucepan or crock pot, heat the chili sauce and jelly until it melts together. Add the meatballs (you may have to transfer to a larger pot, then add the meatballs). Simmer for about 2 hours, then keep warm in a roaster or crock pot.

Variations:

Add 2-3 tbps. dijon mustard for extra tang
Substitute grape jelly with cranberry or apricot preserves
Add pineapple juice/chunks
Add more/less jelly, more/less chili sauce