Surprise Pockets

Another one of the blogs that I like to read is Cooking During Stolen Moments. She has some pretty good recipes on there!

This is one that I thought would be definitely worth trying. Her title was Ham & Cheese pockets, but we used a variety of cheeses & meats. I tried marking each pocket, but they didn't always hold. So... these are now Surprise Pockets!

Surprise Pockets
(Cooking During Stolen Moments)


1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Cup warm water, divided
1 Teaspoon sugar
1/4 Cup melted butter, cooled to room temperature
2 1/2-3 Cup flour
1 1/2 Teaspoon salt
ham, chopped
Pepperoni
colby jack cheese
cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoon butter

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in the sugar and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour in the melted and cooled butter and the remaining warm water.
Add 2 c flour and the salt. Mix for 2 minutes. Work as much remaining flour as needed to make a dough that is smooth but not sticky. Knead on a floured surface or continue beating about 10 minutes. Add a bit more flour if the dough starts to get sticky while kneading.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise for 1 hour. Punch dough down, cover and let rise for at least another 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 evenly sized balls. Roll out into a circle about 6 minutes in diameter. Place some meat/cheese in any combination on one half of the dough. Fold remaining half over the top. Pinch close and then seal with the tines of a fork. Repeat until done.
If desired, brush melted butter over each pocket.
Bake at 375 for 12-18 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

To freeze, cool completely and place as many as will fit into a gallon-sized plastic freezer bags. To reheat, warm in the oven or microwave. Or, simply eat once thawed.

Serves: 12

Opinions: Good! Definitely would do again, next time will try to work on marking it better.


As always--comments are appreciated!

MMmm--Potatoes & Cheese!

I have to admit, I have a lot of 'favorite' foods. Chocolate, peanut butter, ice cream, cheese, sausage, shrimp, potatoes, Nutella, apples... the list could go on and on. However, the point is that when two or more of my favorite things are combined, I am a very happy lady.

See below. :)

Potato Cheese Soup

3 Medium potato, peeled & cut into 2" pieces
1 Small onion, finely chopped
1 Cup water
1 Teaspoon salt
3 Cup milk
3 Tablespoon butter, melted
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 Teaspoon pepper
1 Cup shredded swiss cheese

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, bring potatoes, onion, water, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat ; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Do not drain; mash slightly. Stir in milk.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend the butter, flour, parsley and pepper; stir into the potato mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; add cheese and stir until almost melted.

Serves: 6
Yields: 1 1/2 quarts
Prep Time: 10 m
Cook Time: 20 m
Total Time: 30 m

So, the overall consensus: YUM! Nate & I both loved this, and definitely want to make it again! Next time, maybe a bit more parsley, but no major changes.

*Sorry, this is an older recipe, no picture!*

Comments are love!

Creamy Hash Brown Potatoes

So, funny story. I recently tried going to meal-planning/grocery buying every two weeks, instead of every week. Of course I forgot a few things and still made multiple trips to Meijer, but that's not the point here. The problem is that my stack of recipes for the week was quite a bit higher than usual. So, when I see a recipe on the floor in the kitchen, I assume it's from that stack, not the stack of all my recipes.
Silly me, I shouldn't have made that assumption. Turns out, it was a recipe I had looked at but decided against, as there was another similar recipe that looked better--which I had bought the whipping cream for. Now, to find a use for that whipping cream before it expires...
Thus (isn't that such an amazing word?), when I placed the hash brown recipe on the table for Nate to make, I didn't look too closely at it. And... this was part of our dinner!

*It tastes better than that. Promise. It just looks funny. :) *

Creamy Hash Brown Potatoes
32 Ounce frozen hashbrown potatoes
10.75 Ounce condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
2 Cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
dash salt
8 Ounce cream cheese

Instructions:
Place all ingredients except cream cheese in a greased 3-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2-4 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream cheese, set on low. Heat until cream cheese is melted.

Serves: 6
Calories: 169


It's really not the taste I was going for, but it works. I would say that it needs something to make it smoother-milk, etc. It had a very strong cream-cheese flavor. Other than that, we both liked it. (Definitely went well with venison steaks!!)

The recipe was easy to cut in half.

You know the drill--comments are love.

Sausage Cheese Balls

Have I mentioned my feelings for Bisquick before? I like it because it's easy... I dislike it because everything you put it in tastes like Bisquick.

These are tolerable, but I would DEFINITELY use a substitute for the baking mix. (To be fair, the recipe called for baking mix... which basically means Bisquick.

Definitely something I would love to try again, but need to substitute the Bisquick.

Sausage Cheese Balls
(Jimmy Dean)

2 Pound pork sausage
1 1/2 Cup Bisquick
4 Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup finely chopped onion
1/2 Cup finely chopped celery
2 Teaspoon black pepper
2 Teaspoon minced garlic

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredient in a large mixing bowl; stir well. Form into 1" balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet; bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpick.

Yields: 6-9 dozen

Back again-with Cheesy Ham & Potato Casserole!

This time, my 'disappearance' from blogging was for legitimate reasons, I promise! Nate & I recently moved, and this time it was a lot harder than the move from one apartment to another! We are now renting a cottage, and when we moved some of our things in, we also had to move some of their things (dishes etc) out to storage. Not fun. And, I am super particular about how things should be packed.

Not that it was that beneficial--two of my Great-Grandma's fine china dishes still broke. :( Which was pretty devastating, but I have no one to blame but myself. Which is precisely why I insisted that I be the one to pack those---no being mad at Nate!

We are (essentially) moved in now, just finishing up the organizing/cleaning, so hopefully I will have some more time now to type up the recipes I've been hoarding and get them on here!

And I will apologize now for all the recipes without pictures... the camera was MIA off & on during all of this!

Cheesy Ham & Potato Casserole
(Home Cooking)

24 Ounce package golden round potatoes or hash browns
21.5 Ounce cream of mushroom soup
2 Cup diced cooked ham
1 1/2 Cup milk
2 Tablespoon butter
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon chopped onion
8 Ounce cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:
Place potatoes, mushroom soup, ham, milk, butter, salt, and onion in slow cooker and turn on low. Cook for 4 hours. Before serving, add cheese until melted.

Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 5 m
Cook Time: 4 h
Total Time: 4 h 5 m


This turned out very soupy, which may have had something to do with the fact that I used frozen hashbrowns. I would not recommend that--at least thaw them before using!
Nate isn't fond of the ham/cheddar taste, so I probably wouldn't make this again. Otherwise, if it weren't for the soupy-ness, I would say this has quite a bit of potential.

As always... comments are love!!

Warm Savory Cheese Spread

This was another mildly failed attempt at cooking. It was OK, but not something I could have more than a few bites of.
I am not a fan of mayo, so that may have had something to do with it. Maybe we will try it again, when there are more people to taste test? See if anyone else enjoys it more? It had an interesting taste....
We'll see.

(Note: I used my hearty whole wheat bread recipe for this!)

Warm Savory Cheese Spread (TOH)

2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Large onion, finely chopped
8 bacon strips, crumbled
1/2 Cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1/2 Cup finely chopped green pepper
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 round loaf (1 pound) bread

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Cut the top fourth off the load of bread; carefully hollow out bottom, leaving a 1" shell. Spoon cheese mixture into bread shell.
Wrap in a piece of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until heated through. Serve with crackers.

Serving Size: 4 cups
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 m

No, I have not disappeared from the face of the earth

...I have just been crazy busy, and have a million different reasons for not blogging lately. I haven't been recording recipes like I should have been either! So, once I get them recorded, I will post everything!
A little of what has kept me busy/stressed, and what recipes will be posted soon:

1. I accepted a position at the hospital! Super excited about that, but there were lots of decisions to make around that. I start November 16th!!!

2. We had a party with some of Nate's friends in GR... which I made my mother-in-law's cheesecake brownies for. You know how I brag about my Mama's cooking a lot? Well.... my mother-in-law (Sue), is spectacular too. Her cheesecake brownies are to die for. (Probably literally, if I ever actually become diabetic, because I won't be able to stay away from them, and my sugar will freak out more than it does now.)

3. We had Christmas with my (extended) family! Grandma & Grandpa go to Florida every winter, so we have Christmas early. Exceptionally early, since G&G left SUPER early this year. (Grandma, if you are reading this, this is an official complaint.) But, we had a great time with my family. I love my family!

(My super-amazing Grandparents!!)

(See how much my brother loves me? You can tell by how hard he is crushing me. Which was a lot.)

4. My aunt had surgery, and will have another surgery next week. Prayers are appreciated.

5. .....I have just been super stressed.

But, I will start posting more recipes, starting NOW!



Three Cheese Garlic Chicken Pasta
Heavenly Homemakers



2 Cup cooked chicken, cut into bite-Sized pieces
2 cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 Cup whole wheat pasta
3 Cup Milk
3 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup shredded white cheddar
3 Ounce cream cheese
Parmesan

Instructions:
In a skillet, saute chicken and garlic in olive oil. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a big pot with the milk, butter, and salt. Stir almost constantly, especially as the pasta is becoming tender and the milk is beginning to boil. Cook and stir over medium heat until pasta is tender and the starch from the pasta has thickened the milk, creating a creamy sauce. (This will be about 10 minutes.)
Stir in the cheddar and cream cheese, heat until cheeses are melted.
Stir in the chicken & garlic, heat until chicken is warm.
Sprinkle parmesan on each serving.

The lack of pictures for the recipe is due to my camera battery basically dying, and the fact that I keep forgetting to get another one. It will stay on long enough to take one picture, at least! lol.

Cheese Ravioli With Veggies

This was another "hmm.... that looks interesting" meal. This one turned out pretty good! We are going to mix up the veggies for next time, but we enjoyed it.
(We cut the recipe in half, of course! Too much for two people!)

Cheese Ravioli With Veggies
(TOH)

6 Quarts Water
1 16oz package frozen veggies
1 25oz package frozen cheese ravioli
1/8 Cup butter, melted
1/4 Teaspoon Mrs Dash
1/4 Cup parmesan

Instructions:
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, bring water to a boil. Add the vegetables; cook for 5 minutes.
Add the ravioli. Cook 5 minutes longer or until veggies and ravioli are tender; drain. Gently stir in butter. Sprinkle with Mrs Dash and parmesan.

Beans & broccoli aren't the greatest with this... I just picked the first two frozen veggies I could reach in my freezer. Next time, I'll try something else.

Serves: 6
Total Time: 15

(If you are wondering why there is only one picture... well, I didn't think taking a picture of boiling veggies & ravioli was that fun.)

Cheesy Ham Braid...

...in which we learn that I am not very good at making things look pretty. ;)

Cheesy Ham Braid
(TOH)
1 16oz package hot roll mix
1 Cup warm water (120-130)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoon butter, softened, divided
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2 Cup chopped, fully cooked ham
1 1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup Ricotta
Dash Parsley
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon cold water

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the hot roll mix and contents of yeast packet. (If you are wondering where the yeast came from, it was part of the hot roll mix box. You must be a first time hot roll mix user too. LOL.) Stir in the warm water, egg, and 1 tbsp butter. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 5 minutes. In a skillet, saute onion in remaining butter until tender. Remove from the heat, stir in ham, cheeses, and parsely.
On a greased baking sheet, roll dough into a 15x10 rectangle. Spoon ham mixture lengthwise down the center of dough. On each long side, cut 1" wide strips about 2" into the center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 mintues or until doubled.
In a small bowl, beat egg white and cold water; brush over dough. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
(Huh, that really doesn't look like the picture in the magazine...oh, I was supposed to tuck the ends IN?)
Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.



So... what would we do different next time?
1. Don't do ham & cheddar. Maybe ham & mozz?
2. Cut ham smaller! I definitely cut the ham too big! Oops. :)
3. Cut down on ricotta... a lot. Maybe substitute with mozz, at least partially?
4. Try to actually make it look braided. (Which is where the 'not good at making things look pretty' part comes in.)

Overall, it was yummy! Just making changes to make it better for next time!

Failed dinner... but Cheesy Bread Delights

Well, dinner tonight was a confirmed failure. No, I didn't burn anything, spill anything, etc. It just tasted like stuffing. Soggy stuffing.

I hate stuffing. Really, really hate it. Largely because I've had some very soggy stuffing before... not a good experience.
So to have this dinner, which I have really been looking forward to, taste like soggy stuffing, made me pretty sad. I followed the recipe word for word, so maybe it is supposed to taste like this. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

Oh well, we ate the non-soggy-stuffing parts, and had the Cheesy Bread Delights. :)

Cheesy Bread Delights


(Note: I never actually measure anything when I make these, so everything is approximate!)
1/2 loaf french bread, sliced (approximately 1 1/2" thick)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried herb/seasoning of your choice (today was something meant for dipping with olive oil... not sure what is in it)
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese (or any other cheese)

Preheat oven to 350.
Place sliced bread on an ungreased baking sheet. Combine the olive oil and herbs in a bowl; spread lightly over bread. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is melted.



Obviously, this isn't a hard recipe. I don't know where I got the original recipe, but I play with it every time I make it. Nate & I both love it, it's fun trying different seasonings and cheeses!
Sometime, I will try to actually measure how much of everything I use. We'll see if I ever remember... :)