Hawaiian Sandwich for 4-5

First, we need to gather the ingredients!

Lay 2 strips of heavy duty foil down.

Cut the loaf in half.

Remove a small layer of bread from inside the bottom half.

Spread half of the container or less on the bottom half.

Next, layer on the ham.

Next, layer on the Swiss cheese.

Spread butter on the top half of the loaf.

Poor the top back on.

Wrap it foil. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Delish!

Crockpot burgers with Mushroom and Onion Gravy

This is super simple!! I made 6 rather large patties of 80% lean ground beef. Make sure you season it!! Place those, yes raw!!, in the bottom of a crock pot and then mix together one can of golden mushroom soup and a can of French onion soup with a little water. I added an additional can of sliced mushrooms cause I like them!! Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Take out the patties, place the "gravy" in a pan and thicken with a little corn starch in water. Pour back over burgers and serve with rice. I cooked mine in beef broth. Delicious!!

Shrimp Tacos

I had been wanting to make shrimp tacos for a while and found a recipe on Pinterest that inspired me (of course!).  

2 lb. frozen shrimp, thawed and peeled

1 T. chili powder

1 T. onion powder

1 T. garlic powder

1 T. cumin

1 T. salt

Juice of 1 Fresh lime

Oil

First, mix all the dry ingredients and then toss onto the shrimp.  Squeeze the lime juice all over the shrimp and toss to cover.  Set aside.

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 Fresh lime

salt to taste

Next, combine all of these ingredients and set aside.

1/4 head cabbage, thinly sliced

Juice of 1 fresh lime

salt to taste

Then, combine these ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add shrimp in a single layer.  You will need to do this in at least 2 batches.  Cook 2-3 minutes and turn each shrimp.  Cook another 2 minutes and remove to a container with a bowl to keep warm.  Continue until all shrimp are cooked.

Heat up flour or corn tortillas, then place shrimp, yogurt sauce, cabbage and a bit of colby-jack cheese.  Delicious!

Taco Pizza

Pizza crust ( I used a mix)
1 lb. hamburger meat, browned and drained
1 can refried beans
1 can chopped green chilies
1 pouch taco seasoning
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Sliced black olives
Diced fresh tomatoes
Chopped cilantro
Sour cream

Combine hamburger, beans, chilies and taco seasoning on the stove and heat through. Partially bake the pizza crust. Spread the meat mixture in a thin layer, sprinkle with cheese and olives. Bake at 450 degrees until crust is brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with tomatoes, cilantro and dollop on sour cream. Enjoy!!

Chicken Ricotta Rollups

I was inspired by a recipe on Pinterest and created my own.


I had a chicken that I had roasted because it was in the fridge and it needed to be cooked.  I then pulled off the meat and set it aside


I added 1 container of part-skim ricotta cheese and a bag of frozen brocolli.


I had soaked lasagna noodles in some fairly warm water to get them soft.


I placed a noodle in a 9x13 baking dish, added about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture, sprinkled on mozzarella cheese and rolled up.  After all of the rolls were complete, I covered with a jar of pasta sauce and sprinkled with grated fresh Parmesan cheese.  I baked at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.




Chicken Ricotta Roll-ups


2 cups shredded chicken
1 16 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 bag frozen chopped broccoli
1 package of lasagna noodles, soaked in water to soften
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


Combine chicken, ricotta and brocolli in a bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Lay lasagna noodles in 9x13 baking dish and put 1/2 cup of chicken mixture at one end.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and roll up.  Cover with pasta sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Pancakes

Pancakes are amazing when they are well made.

Per batch I use:
1 cup flour
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in smaller bowl. Dump all wet into dry and mix until it just comes together. Griddle til done!

Another version is to use all or part buttermilk but you have to use baking soda instead.

Mini Cream Pies!

Cream pie filling is so versatile!  You can use it plain, add chocolate chips, coconut, the options are endless!  This is my mother's recipe that she used all the time I was growing up.


Basic Vanilla Cream Pie Filling:


2 cups of milk
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter
Dash of salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla


Mix 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup milk together in a small bowl or cup and set aside.  Add all the other ingredients to a saucepan and whisk together to combine.  Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until it just comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and add cornstarch/milk mixture and continue stirring until the pudding thickens.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and chill.




For Chocolate Cream Pies:
Stir in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted and chill.  Fill a pre-baked pie crust.


For German Chocolate Pies:
Stir in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes until melted and combined and chill.  Fill a pre-baked pie crust.


For Banana Cream Pies:
Slice or chop several bananas and layer with the chilled vanilla cream pie filling into a pre-baked pie crust.


For Pumpkin Cream Pies:
Mix in 1 cup of canned pumpkin and add cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Chill and put in a pre-baked pie crust.




Pie Crust (Paula Deen's Recipe)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold (I used butter-flavored Crisco)
• 12 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice water

I combined all the dry ingredients with the butter and shortening into a food processor and pulsed until it looked like coarse crumbs.  Then I put in the water until the dough just came together.  Remove and separate into 2 disks.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.  If you leave it in there longer, you will need to remove and warm up a little to roll it out.  For the mini-pies I used a biscuit cutter and placed them in the bottom of a cupcake pan.  Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes.  Cool and fill with cream pie filling.  Top with whipped cream (I used the canned stuff cause it made it look pretty!)