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...

Black Bean Soup

This is the Black Bean Soup recipe Brooke Anderson brought for Mexican night. It was super tasty and the squeeze of lemon gave it a nice kick. Plus, black beans are fat free and pack full of great nutrients. Healthy AND delicious- what a combo!

2 cans black beans
1 can chicken broth
1 medium onion (Brooke uses about a tbsp of dried onion)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Mix ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. To serve, garnish with sour cream and a squeeze of lime juice. Yum Yum!! They love to eat this with cheese quesadilla's.

Tostada's

Brooke Anderson couldn't make it, but sent in the following: We make tostada's with the store bought tostada shells, the refried beans from the recipe below, some cooked hamburger meat with taco seasoning in it, and whatever else you want to add(cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, salsa, lime). It is way quick if you can plan ahead by starting your beans in the morning. Plus it makes your house smell delicious all day!! Here is the recipe.

Refried beans without the refry

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
5 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin, optional
9 cups water

1. Place onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a crock pot. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on HIGH for 8 hours, adding more water when needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high. 2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. Note: I use my blender to mix it all up. I just put beans in, add some of the liquid, and mix. I prefer to do it all that way because it is easy.