Thursday, July 21, 2011

Jen's Ham Balls

Ham Balls:
2lbs. Ham loaf
1lb. Hamburger
1lb. Pork burger
4 eggs
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1.5 cups of milk

Mix together and form into medium sized balls.

Sauce:
1 can tomato soup
3\4 cup brown sugar
1\4 cup vinegar
1 T. Mustard

Pour over balls and bake at 350 for a hour to hour an a half.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Chewy Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies are a little more work than average, but worth every step! The recipe is from America's Test Kitchen.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

The final dough will be slightly softer than most cookie dough. For the best results, handle the dough as briefly and gently as possible when shaping the cookies. Overworking the dough will result in flatter cookies.

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 1/4cups (11 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2teaspoon baking soda
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2teaspoon table salt
  • 1 1/2cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar , plus 1/3 cup for rolling
  • 2ounces cream cheese , cut into 8 pieces
  • 6tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter , melted and still warm
  • 1/3cup vegetable oil
  • 1large egg
  • 1tablespoon milk
  • 2teaspoons vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
  • 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.

  • 2. Place 1½ cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft homogeneous dough forms.

  • 3. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 tablespoons each (or use #40 portion scoop). Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 teaspoons of sugar remaining in shallow dish (2 teaspoons per tray), discarding any remaining sugar.

  • 4. Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Mexican Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:
  • 1lb of pasta
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • medium onion
  • bell pepper
  • 1 stick butter
  • small box velveeta
  • 1 can Rotel
  • Cream / milk / chicken stock (whatever you have on hand)



Cook 1lb of noodles and set aside (If you use penne then I can usually freeze half of this for another night)

4 chicken breasts cooked or you can use rotisserie chicken

Saute 1 medium onion and 1/2 a bell pepper (red or yellow) in a stick of butter

Add one small box of velveeta cubed into small pieces

Add one can rotel tomatoes with mild chilies (you can drain if you want it to be milder, I leave the juice in and it's got a bit of kick to it)

Use either cream or milk or chicken stock to thin the sauce down to desired consistency once cheese is melted

Add cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

Toss with spaghetti and serve or place into casserole dish with penne noodles and top with shredded cheddar cheese and bake until bubbly at 350.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons EVOO
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 lb diced ham (I use leftovers, but you could easily buy the precooked and chopped kind)
  • 2 cups cooked chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 4 T butter
  • 1/4 c flour
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 14 oz chicken broth
  • 3 cups cooked rice (I use brown OR pasta, I've tried both and like them equally!)
  • 1 c shredded cheddar
  • 1 c shredded mozzarella or swiss (I usually use whatever I have on hand)
Preheat oven to 350.


Heat oil in a large, rimmed skillet over medium heat.

Add the onions and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender.

Then add the garlic, chicken and ham and cook for another 5 minutes until heated through.

Add the butter until it is melted, then stir in the flour, salt and pepper until combined.

Slowly stir in the chicken broth, then mix in the rice. (if you're using noodles, precook them and mix in here)

Transfer mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle the top with your cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. For the last 10 minutes cover with foil.