Homemade Mac N Cheese

I have been out of town for 2 weeks, and though I have had lots of delicious food, I haven't had a chance to share any of it with you! I was too busy having fun to even take pictures of the delicious food! So, my apologies for the temporary hiatus. Now as soon as my AC is fixed and I start cooking at home again, we'll be back in the swing of things! In the mean time, here's a tasty dish that would be great at a potluck bbq- our upcoming theme! I love the combination of flavors- the creamy cheese, the salty ritz topping, the bacon. It really culminates to something wonderful. When I made this in the picture, I had been out of milk and used evaporated. I wouldn't recommend it- it wasn't as smooth and creamy as it should have been.

1/4 C butter or margarine

1/4 C flour

1 C milk

1/2 lb velveeta cheese, cubed

6-10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 1/2 C elbow noodles, cooked and drained

6-10 Ritz crackers, crushed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk. Cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add velveeta and cook for 2 minutes or until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in bacon and noodles.

Spoon into a 2 qt casserole pan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with Ritz {I added about a 1/2 C Italian bread crumbs for a little extra flavor}. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.

Fruity Crepes

We voted that Jayme Welly won first prize for presentation the night we did breakfast. Add to it the fact that she was about 35 weeks pregnant and just let off bed rest... I've been dying for this recipe to make for my family. It is sooo dang good! Crepes take a little time, but are certainly worth the effort.

1 1/2 C flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 C milk

2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients. Add the rest. Whisk whisk whisk.

Filling:

1 box instant vanilla pudding, prepared according to box directions. Stir in your favorite fruit (bananas, strawberries, etc), then roll in prepared crepes! Serve with additional fruit, whipped cream, and chocolate and caramel sauce.

Popcorn Cake

My husband loves popcorn so I can't wait to give this a try for him! This 'cake' makes me want to go to a baseball game... Thanks, Cami Robson!

2 bags popped popcorn
1 stick melted butter
1 bag melted marshmallows
Stir contents together and add M&M's of your choice. Put in a bundt or cake pan and let chill in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Janece Perkins brought this yummy dessert recipe that she found on RealMomKitchen. You have to be careful with peanut butter & chocolate recipes because they can very easily become too rich. This had all the right balance so there was plenty of the moist chocolate and rich peanut butter, yet didn't stick to the roof of your mouth!


1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownie mix
ingredients called for on box


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 9x13" pan with cooking spray or shortening.(For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.)
In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Filling:
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2-3/4 C creamy peanut butter
2 C powdered sugar
2 tsp milk

In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.

Topping:
1 C semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 C butter
In small, microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on high 30-60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Store covered in refrigerator. (Best if taken out of the fridge about 15 minutes before serving so the chocolate topping has time to soften for cutting.)

Strawberry Cream Dessert

I apologize for how ordinary these pictures are. I would have loved to have the time to stage these all to look their very best- at least as good as they tasted! Alas, the night didn't play out quite like I hoped and I ended up getting most of these shots as I dashed in and out of line while women were serving up... Sorry to all those I cut in front of! I hope you are able to tell from the title and recipe just how good these all were, if the pictures aren't appealing enough. This dessert tasted just like it's called- strawberry cream! From Rachel Schaub.

2 1/4 C graham cracker crumbs (about 36 squares)

6 tbsp sugar

10 tbsp butter, melted

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 C confectioners sugar

24 oz whipped topping, thawed and divided

1 pkg (3 oz) strawberry gelatin

1/2 C boiling water

1 C (8oz) strawberry yogurt

2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 C graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into an ungreased 9x13" pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in 1 C whipped topping. Spread over the crust.

In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin into boiling water. Stir in yogurt and 6 C of the whipped topping until blended. Pour over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Spread remaining whipped topping over strawberry layer. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, combine 2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs, 1 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 1/2 tsp butter; sprinkle over whipped topping.

3 Layer Brownies

These were a tasty surprise. A layer of marshmallow creme and a layer of peanut buttery chocolate with crispy rice all over a moist brownie. I love the assortment of textures in this- creamy, chewy, crispy, ooey gooey! This is from Janna Ellsworth.

1st & 2nd Layers:

1 box brownies

Ingredients as called for on box

10 oz mini marshmallows

Prepare and bake brownies according to directions on box. Remove from oven and cover with marshmallows. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes.

3rd layer:

1 1/2 C chocolate chips

1 C peanut butter

1 tbsp butter

2 C Rice Krispies

Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in Rice Krispies. Spread over brownies and cool completely.

BONUS!!!

The woman's group at our church was having a Do-It-Yourself night. To kick start it a bunch of us signed up to bring side dishes and desserts for sampling and sharing! Sound familiar?? It was like a bonus exchange night! I was super excited when they asked me to grab pictures and share the recipes that were brought. As soon as I get them, they'll be posted. In the meantime, here's a few of the many dishes...

In the meantime, check out this recipe and this recipe that were my offerings. Stay tuned... And if you were one of the people who brought something- I'm waiting! ;)

Raspberry Crunch Salad

When the sign up sheet went around for the dinner, I put my name down for a dessert. Then I thought about this. It's called a salad, but it's so good it's really more like a dessert. Plus, I was totally craving it! Voila! Don't worry, I made up for the fact it's a salad. This is a given at about every Mormon potluck. But really, if it wasn't there, I'd be pretty disappointed. The crust is salty pretzels over a sweet cream cheese layer topped with a tangy raspberry jello topping. The sweet, salty, tangy combo is just perfect!

2 C crushed pretzels {I put them in a sealed ziploc bag and crushed with a rolling pin}
1/2 C butter
1 C sugar + 3 tbsp
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can (16 oz) pineapples, crushed or tidbit
12 oz Cool whip
3 C boiling water
6 oz raspberry jello
10 oz raspberries, frozen

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix pretzels with 3 tbsp sugar and butter. Press into 9x13" pan. Bake 5 minutes and cool. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and 1 C sugar until fluffy. Mix in cool whip. Fold in drained pineapple. Spread over pretzel mixture and put in fridge to firm.

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Mix raspberries into jello carefully. Place jello into fridge for 15-20 minutes or until syrupy. Pour over cream cheese layer and chill until set. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Chocolate Strawberry Pudding Cake

I signed up to bring a dessert and since the Raspberry Crunch Salad is called salad, I thought I better make an unmistakable dessert as well! What's wrong with that? This mostly looks like a blob once it's served, but could potentially be really pretty in the bowl. It makes a TON so don't try to put it in a triffle bowl- Use a punch bowl. The pudding soaks into the cake bites and makes for the most moist and gooey chocolate cake goodness ever. This is one of my top 5 desserts. What do you think?

1 box Devil's Food cake mix & called for ingredients
4 C milk
4 tsp strawberry jam
2 boxes (4 serving size each)white chocolate pudding mix
1 C chocolate syrup
30 oz strawberries, sliced
1 container (8 oz) cool whip

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 9x13" pan. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a large bowl, mix milk and jam. With wire whisk, beat pudding mix into milk about 2 minutes or until blended. Cut cooled cake into 1" pieces. Arrange half of pieces in 3 1/2 quart serving bowl. Drizzle 1/2 C of the syrup over the cake pieces. Spread 2 cups of the pudding. Reserve 1/2 cup of strawberries for garnish; arrange remaining strawberries over pudding. Add remaining cake pieces. Top with remaining chocolate syrup, remaining pudding and the whipped topping. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled.

Garnish dessert with strawberries {I dipped mine in chocolate- 1 C chocolate chips melted with 1 tbsp of shortening}. Store covered in refrigerator.

The original recipe called for mandarin oranges instead of strawberries. I haven't tried that yet, but I bet it'd be good, too. BTW- don't use raspberry jam instead of strawberry; raspberry makes the pudding a unappealing purple-gray color.

Chocolate Chip Cookies & Ice Cream sandwiches

This is like a major family secret that I am revealing to the world {or at least to the 5 followers of the blog- 2 of which ARE family...} Although the recipe doesn't call for it, I'm pretty sure there is crack in these cookies. Even I have a really hard time only eating one. I have learned that if I can't seem to stop myself, I brush my teeth. I think the only way they could be better is if you served them with ice cream. Oh, Look!

Now we're just asking for an increased pant size. And loving every minute of it!

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 C shortening

1 C butter {best if it's softened}

1 1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 C brown sugar

3 eggs

3 tsp vanilla

4 1/2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix thoroughly shortening, butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough into 1" balls about 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until barely set up. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet.

Ice Cream Sandwiches:

I used a round cookie cutter that was slightly smaller than the size of the cookies I was working with. I'd push the cookie cutter into slightly softened ice cream and use a knife wedged under the cookie cutter to help get the ice cream out still mostly round. Push the ice cream out onto the bottom of one cookie, pour some magic shell on top, then gently press the second cookie on top. Freeze for an hour or so until the ice cream is re-hardened. These would also be really good with Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

There is absolutely NO way this dish could be photographed in a manner that would capture the excellence of its flavor. Seriously. I think this is my new favorite. I have an uncle that has 6 daughters. No typo. 6. Shoot me now. What's even crazier is that they each one is sweeter, cuter, and more talented than the next. The kind of girls that you want to hate because you envy, but can't because it'd be like hating Mother Teresa. And that's just wrong. AAAAAnyway, the 6 girls made a blog to keep connected as they get married and move around. They feature all kinds of ridiculously awesome things, including *GASP* recipes! I've seen a couple ones that I'd like to try, but when I saw a recipe for Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas, I couldn't wait! I'll be honest, it wasn't as knock-your-socks-off as I'd hoped when I first tried it, but it had potential. A few days later, I tried it again, with a few minor tweaks and ran it past my judges panel {my hubby, my 3 year old, and my temporarily wifeless neighbor who, by the way, said it was heaven sent!}. It was as knock-your-socks-off as I'd hoped!! Yay! The chicken is so incredible in and of itself and would be excellent in quesadillas, fajitas, whatever! Ready to rock your taste buds???

Chicken filling:

1 lb chicken {I used 2 chicken breasts}

1/2 medium onion, diced

6 tbsp honey{3/8 C}

5 tbsp lime juice {approx 1 large lime, but I just got a bottle of lime juice}

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Place the chicken and onion in a crockpot. Mix together the other 4 ingredients in a small bowl; pour over chicken and onion. Cook on low 6-8 hours if chicken is frozen, 4-6 hours if thawed.

{The original recipe calls for the chicken to be cooked and shredded then placed in a bag with the whisked other ingredients for at least 1/2 hour, but I hate messing with raw chicken so to the crockpot with it! Plus, it hasn't worked out that I've been able to make the enchilada's the same day as I made the chicken, so it's easy to cook, shred, then let it sit in the sauce in the fridge until I am ready to use it. Handy!}

Enchilada's:

8-10 tortillas

1 lb monterey jack cheese, shredded

16 oz green enchilada sauce

1 C sour cream

Pour about 1/4-1/2 C of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Fill the tortillas with chicken and all but 1 cup of the cheese. Place the tortillas in the pan as you go. Mix any remaining chicken marinade with the enchilada sauce and sour cream. Pour over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until tortilla edges are brown and crispy.

I served this with black beans tossed with lime juice and sour cream. My neighbor especially liked it with extra sour cream on the side.

Fruit Filled Breakfast Cake

Remember when I said I had another recipe I was also planning on bringing to the breakfast themed Exchange? Well, I couldn't just keep it all to myself just because everyone didn't get a sample that day! This is why breakfast is so great- it is the only meal where people don't think twice about the bulk of the meal being called 'cake'. Think about it. What cake would you feel good about feeding to your kids for dinner? Yet I have multiple breakfast cakes that I whip up to kick start my family's day without a second thought. Breakfast is awesome.

1 pkg white cake mix
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 C sour cream
3 eggs
1/4 C water
1 can of your favorite pie filling {peach is pictured above}
1/2 C sliced almonds, toasted
1 C powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat first 5 ingredients with a mixer until well blended. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Gently spoon pie filling across the batter. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and cool 10 minutes. Mix sugar and milk; drizzle over cake. Serve warm or cool completely.

By the way, I went into my kitchen to grab this recipe and ended up with a leftover piece of this... I am, at this very moment, picking almonds out of my teeth and hoping you give this a try!

Tuna or Chicken Melts

This is what always pops in my mind when I'm thinking of something outside the 'box' for lunch. It is all of 3 ingredients, adds much needed {and neglected} fish to my diet. This is the ONLY fishy thing I can tolerate, so don't hold your breath for lots of seafood recipes. Wrong blog. Sorry! In the mean time, whip up a couple of these for lunch or dinner!

6 slices bread

2 cans tuna

1 can cream of mushroom soup

cheese, as desired

Drain and rinse the tuna. Stir gently with the soup. Spread across the pieces of bread and top with cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

I've also done this with a can of chicken and liked it.

Alfredo ala Lindsey

Nice title, right? I don't really call it that, I just don't have another name for it! I love Italian food and was excited when I came across two different recipes for alfredo that I merged into this singular sensation. It's pretty simple and I think it tastes even better on the veggies than on the noodles- incentive to add some vitamins to your diet! Several ingredients, but I promise it's not that difficult.

1/2 pkg linguine
1-2 C broccoli florets{ I just used a frozen vegetable blend}
2 tbsp butter
1 lb chicken breasts, cut to bite size
1/2 medium onion
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 C milk
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1 C chicken broth
1/4 tsp pepper

Prepare linguine according to package directions. Add broccoli during last 4 minutes of cooking time {if you are using frozen veggies, you can either cook them separately or add to boiling water, bring back to a boil, then add the noodles. } Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and onion; cook until chicken is well browned, stirring often. Add soup, milk, parmesan, cream cheese, broth and pepper. Cook until mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve over or toss with the noodles and vegetables. Serve with additional parmesan.

Breakfast of Champions!

Wow. That's all I've got to say. Wow.

This Exchange has been my favorite yet- even over desserts! Of course, the food was amazing. That's a given. But more than that, I was so impressed with the women that showed up and how incredible they all were! Nothing against those of you who have made it before and couldn't this time, but I was at the tail end of a pretty traumatic family incident, having just earned 'Worst Mother of the Year' award. I was even wavering on making it that night! I would certainly have missed out! The women who came all made me feel so much better and my crazy experience opened up a whole evening of conversations that most people don't have, but everyone needs to hear! I really appreciate how much everyone opened up. I feel so much closer to you all and it was good to know I'm not the only one to have such miserable mom moments! Having a bunch of incredible food to drown my worries in certainly helped, too! I'm still waiting on a couple recipes. Patiently. Waiting. So I can make them again as soon as I have them. Patiently. ;) Teaser of what's coming... Jayme Welly's crepes.

Audrey Maycock's Scones

Jennifer Fulton's Spinach and Egg souffle.

Sheree Mower's Crepes.

Don't forget to check out past breakfast recipes as well... Just click on the "Breakfast" label link to the right of the blog and all the breakfast posts will pull up.

We are postponing our next gathering a bit. Since we're hitting summer, there are a lot of people heading in and out of town. With that in mind, we voted to skip the third Thursday of June and make up for it the first Wednesday of July. Normally, we draw to see what theme each gathering will be, but since it's the middle of summer and right after the 4th of July, I thought it would be fun to do BBQ foods. Potato and pasta salads, baked beans, grilled anything! Whatever recipe you think of when you are invited to a barbecue! Check out the link for Grilling posts for some ideas. I might have to send my hubby this time, since he's The Grill Master... Nah, I just don't see him enjoying talking about postpartum depression as much as I would! ;) Mark your calendars for July 6th!

Ham and Egg Souffle

I am so proud of Brooke for making two different things! I usually can't help myself from bringing an extra dish and had one planned, but as those of you who were there know, it was just not in the cards for me that day. So, yay, Brooke, for stepping in for me without even knowing it! I couldn't get enough of this. It was so moist and fluffy and just the right kind of salty. I was surprised when she told me her secret was soda crackers! Genius! This will definitely be at the next brunch I host!

2 C coarsely chopped ham

4 eggs

20 soda crackers

2 C milk

2 C sharp cheddar cheese

Roll crackers into crumbs and set aside. Mix ham, cheese and cracker crumbs together. Beat eggs and milk together. Add all together and pour into a oblong, glass baking dish. Set a pan of water in the oven with the souffle. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Sticky Buns

Brooke Anderson was awesome to host for us this week. One of the best perks of hosting is that your family gets a sampler of the different dishes that are brought. Brooke's boys were so excited about these sticky buns, I wouldn't have been surprised to see them sneaking back in to swipe some! I wouldn't blame them! Some of you may remember these. The recipe is pretty similar, but it's the small differences that matter! Brooke, I gotta say, looking back at the picture of the other ones I see what you mean; cook and serve pudding is the way to go!

Pecans(optional)
20 frozen Rhodes rolls
1/2 pkg cook and serve butterscotch pudding powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter

Grease bundt pan and sprinkle pecans in bottom. Place rolls in pan. Sprinkle pudding powder, then cinnamon over the rolls. Melt brown sugar and butter together and drizzle over the rolls. Cover with a wet cloth and let rise 8 hours or overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Turn over onto serving platter and ENJOY!

***TIP*** A 12 cup bundt pan works best. If you have a 10 cup pan, ya might wanna reduce the number of rolls you put in and maybe put a piece of tin foil under the pan in the oven to catch any spillage. I discovered that I had a 10 cup bundt pan when I made sticky buns...

Baked French Toast

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. It was my favorite until I had a few of the things from the exchange. Like Brooke's Egg Bake, or Jayme's Crepes, or Audrey's scones... Way too much good stuff to choose from! This is prepared the night before so it's super nice to wake up, throw it in the oven, and go back to bed for another half hour. Admittedly, the apple topping takes more time than the Baked French Toast itself, but I've never made it without. The topping adds SOOO much more to the goodness. Trust me. Or be lazy and just put syrup on top. I'll never know. ;)

1/2 C butter

1 C brown sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 loaf texas toast (bread sliced 1" thick){I've used regular sized bread in a pinch before and just put 3 layers instead of 2. Still incredible!}

5 eggs

1 1/2 C milk

1 tsp vanilla

Grease a 9x13" pan. Mix together melted butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Pour into greased pan. Arrange bread slices into 2 layers on top of mixture. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour over bread slices, being careful to not miss any areas. Cover and refrigerate over night. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. Prepare apple topping while baking.

Topping:

4-5 green apples

3-4 tbsp butter

3-4 tbsp brown sugar

Core and slice apples. Saute in butter and brown sugar until soft. I like mine really soft, and if I start cutting the same time I put the toast in the oven, it's all done about the same time.

Spoon the apple topping over the baked french toast when it's done cooking. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Serve immediately.

Whole Grain Blueberry Waffles and Buttermilk Syrup

Michelle Kleinman made her debut with grand style! She got the blueberry waffle recipe from eatbetteramerica.com citing it as a healthy AND tasty way to make waffles. Lest you start to wonder if Michelle is a health nut, check out her Buttermilk Syrup! The Buttermilk Syrup is what she had growing up and swears she'll hardly touch maple syrup any more! I'm going to have to introduce my family to this!

Waffles:
3/4 C flour
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C quick cooking oats
3 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 C skim milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
1 C blueberries, rinsed (if using frozen, thaw and drain)

Lightly spray waffle iron with cooking spray; heat waffle iron. In large bowl, stir together flours, oats, baking powder and sugar. In small bowl, stir together milk, oil and egg. Stir into dry ingredients, stirring just until large lumps disappear. Gently stir in blueberries.
Pour slightly less than 1 cup batter onto center of hot waffle iron, spreading batter to edges. Close lid of waffle iron. Bake 3-5 minutes or until waffle is golden brown. Carefully remove waffle. Serve immediately.

Buttermilk Syrup:
1 stick butter
1 C sugar
1 C buttermilk
1 tbsp Caro Syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil. Let boil 1 minute and remove from heat. Add baking soda and vanilla. Stir and serve!

Crustless Ham and Egg Tarts

These look super elegant- like something you'd pay $40 for and still be hungry after eating. But they are actually pretty simple and quite filling- Not to mention delicious! Jenn Fulton brought these and I've noticed that trend with her food- very sophisticated looking and tasting, but simple enough for real life! These would make a beautiful offering for any brunch buffet or as an hors d'oeuvre for a party.

2 tsp olive oil
12 thin slices ham {Jenn says deli ham rounds are the perfect size}
12 large eggs
12 medium cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil all the cups in a 12 cup muffin tin with the olive oil (cooking spray would also work). Line each muffin cup with a slice of ham. Leave the ends of the ham sticking out over the top slightly. Break one egg into each ham slice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with one sliced cherry tomato, a sprinkle of Parmesan and a sprinkle of chives.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until the egg has set. Let cool 5 minutes before removing tarts from the tin. Run a knife around each muffin cup to loosen and remove. Serve.

Note: This recipe can be done with scrambled eggs. Just scramble the eggs before pouring them into the ham.

Grape Party Drink

Jen made this when she hosted our Dessert night and even though it obviously wasn't a dessert dish, it was so good everyone wanted the recipe! It's like a hearty grape cider. Someone was talking about making it for a bridal shower and we all thought it would look awesome in a punch bowl with some frozen grapes or grapes frozen in ice cubes.

1 can concentrated white grape juice
1 bottle white grape juice
1 liter Ginger Ale

Mix and serve!

Lazy Maple Pull- Aparts

First of all, if LAZY is in the title, the recipe is worth exploring! These are like a lazy day Butterscotch Sticky Buns or Sticky Buns- In my opinion, those are both better, but with this one you don't have to plan ahead! If you haven't already decided to keep crescent rolls on hand, I think I've provided enough recipes to justify starting to do so! Just a heads up, the picture makes these look bigger than they are. If you are feeding more than 4 or 5, I'd suggest doubling it.

1/4 C butter or margarine

1/4 C packed brown sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 C chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In ungreased 8 or 9" round pan, place butter, brown sugar and syrup. Place in oven for 2-4 minutes or until butter melts. Mix until well blended; sprinkle with pecans. Remove dough from can. Separate long roll into 2 shorter rolls at the center perforation. With a serrated knife, cut each roll into 6 slices.

In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon. Dip each side of each slice into the sugar mixture and arrange over butter mixture in pan. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. Bake 17-23 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute. Place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan. Turn plate and pan over; remove pan.

Savory Crescent Chicken Bakes

I have roughly 13,000 different chicken bake recipes, but this is one of my favorites. Comes together easily and is so very tasty. I'll occasionally make it for lunch when Mac & Cheese gets old. The butter crescent roll outer shell covered in crunchy bread crumbs combined with the creamy filling with just the right kick give it such a good flavor and texture.

1 pkg cream cheese, softened
2 C cooked chicken {I used 1 can of chicken, rinsed.}
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives {I did about a tbsp of dehydrated}
1 tbsp chopped pimentos {optional}
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbsp milk
1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough {I put just a little less filling in each and used almost 2 rolls}
1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1/2 C seasoned croutons, crushed {I had some Italian bread crumbs that were delicious}

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in chicken, chives, pimientos, pepper and milk. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles; firmly press along perforations to thoroughly seal.

Spoon 1/3-1/2 C chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly and pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with croutons. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with additional chives, if desired.

I was making this for my family, so I had a couple bakes for the adults made just like the instructions, but then I pulled apart some crescent rolls into their pre-cut triangles and made little ones for the kids.