Source: Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients:
for the cake:
2 and 3/4 cups (343g) all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch (or you could use 3 cups cake flour, which is what I did)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (mine was salted, so I reduced the salt above by a tiny bit)
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
zest of 4 large lemons (about 1/3 cup, packed) (I had ginormous lemons, so I went with the cup amounts shown in parentheses)
juice of 2 large lemons (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, room temperature (I used the 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + milk to a cup trick)
for the lemon simply soaking syrup:
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
juice of 2 large lemons (about 1/2 cup)
for the lemon glaze:
1 cup (120g) sifted confectioners sugar
juice of 1/2 large lemon (or 1 medium - 2 Tablespoons)
Directions:
Lower the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray the inside of a 10 inch bundt pan with nonstick spray or grease thoroughly with butter (I did the butter, but a chunk of mine ended up sticking, so maybe I'll try flouring it, too, next time). Set aside.
Make the cake: Sift the flour and cornstarch together into a large bowl. Whisk in the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy - about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together fairly well. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the lemon zest and lemon juice. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick.
Pour/spoon the batter evenly into the bundt pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil if you begin to see the top browning quickly. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes inside the pan.
During this time, make the simple syrup. Combine the granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
Invert the slightly cooled bundt cake onto a wire rack set over a large plate or serving dish. Spoon the syrup on top of the cake. Allow cake to cool before glazing and serving.
Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Drizzle over cake. Slice and serve.
Make ahead tip: Prepare cake and syrup through step 6 (before glazing). Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months. The flavor will be amazing after this time! Bring to room temperature and continue with step 7 (glazing step).
Notes:
Another birthday, another bundt cake. This time it was for our ward's Relief Society Anniversary Party. Luckily, a woman in our ward who has a house in Arizona brought three giant boxes of giant lemons to share with everyone. I brought home a half-dozen of the beauties and knew immediately what I'd do with them. I ended up using 3 1/2 worth of juice and zest for this recipe. I loved how this cake wasn't too sweet, but it wasn't too tart either (as some lemony desserts can be). (Although as the days went on, the glaze did seem to intensify.) It was a hit at the party and luckily we had a little bit leftover to enjoy for dessert for a couple more days. Lemons = spring, in my book. And this cake just screams sunshiney springiness!
Saturday, March 28, 2015
7-Up Bundt Cake
Source: Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
for the cake:
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup lemon-lime soda (like 7-Up, Sprite, or Sierra Mist)
1 Tablespoon grated lime zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I ended up buying 4 limes and 2 lemons, thinking the lemons would be juicier than the limes - I was wrong - so I just mixed all the juice together and all the zest together and then added 2 Tablespoons of lemon-lime zest when needed and 4 Tablespoons of lemon-lime juice when needed)
2 ½ sticks salted butter
3 ¼ cups (13 ounces) cake flour (I went ahead and bought cake flour, but you can also make your own at home, if you so desire)
for the glaze:
1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice (I had about 4 Tablespoons of my lemon-lime juice mix left over and ended up using it all - it made the glaze a little thinner and tarter, but I thought it was great)
1 Tablespoon zest (my own special addition - it made it look pretty)
Directions:
Position the oven rack in the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease (I used butter) and flour a 12-cup tube or Bundt pan (I used my new birthday bundt pan - I have no idea how many cups it holds, but I think the label said it was 9 1/2 inches? At any rate it worked perfectly).
Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
Add the sugar, eggs, lemon-lime soda, lime zest, lime juice, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the jar of your blender. Run on lowest speed until combined. With the blender running, slowly add the butter in a steady stream and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add 1/3 of the flour and whisk until combined. Repeat twice until all the flour has been used.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 ¼-1 ½ hours (I think I cooked it even longer than that - I just kept adding 5 minutes to the timer and checking until a pick came out clean) or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (be sure not to over-bake it—it will take on an eggy flavor). Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely (about 2 hours).
To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon and lime juice until smooth. Place the cake, craggy side up, on a serving plate and drizzle with glaze. Let the glaze set for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.
Notes:
Happy birthday to me! I got a bundt pan (actually, I got two - people know me well!) for my birthday this year, and I decided to put it to good use a couple days later for the creation of my (belated) birthday cake. (I waited 'til Sunday to make it since my brother Nate's family was coming to visit for Sunday dinner - so fun to have them close for a little while!) Let me say, it was worth the wait! Totally lemony-limey and springy, but definitely not a "diet" cake. It was delicious!
Ingredients:
for the cake:
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup lemon-lime soda (like 7-Up, Sprite, or Sierra Mist)
1 Tablespoon grated lime zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I ended up buying 4 limes and 2 lemons, thinking the lemons would be juicier than the limes - I was wrong - so I just mixed all the juice together and all the zest together and then added 2 Tablespoons of lemon-lime zest when needed and 4 Tablespoons of lemon-lime juice when needed)
2 ½ sticks salted butter
3 ¼ cups (13 ounces) cake flour (I went ahead and bought cake flour, but you can also make your own at home, if you so desire)
for the glaze:
1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice (I had about 4 Tablespoons of my lemon-lime juice mix left over and ended up using it all - it made the glaze a little thinner and tarter, but I thought it was great)
1 Tablespoon zest (my own special addition - it made it look pretty)
Directions:
Position the oven rack in the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease (I used butter) and flour a 12-cup tube or Bundt pan (I used my new birthday bundt pan - I have no idea how many cups it holds, but I think the label said it was 9 1/2 inches? At any rate it worked perfectly).
Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
Add the sugar, eggs, lemon-lime soda, lime zest, lime juice, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the jar of your blender. Run on lowest speed until combined. With the blender running, slowly add the butter in a steady stream and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add 1/3 of the flour and whisk until combined. Repeat twice until all the flour has been used.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 ¼-1 ½ hours (I think I cooked it even longer than that - I just kept adding 5 minutes to the timer and checking until a pick came out clean) or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (be sure not to over-bake it—it will take on an eggy flavor). Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely (about 2 hours).
To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon and lime juice until smooth. Place the cake, craggy side up, on a serving plate and drizzle with glaze. Let the glaze set for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.
Notes:
Happy birthday to me! I got a bundt pan (actually, I got two - people know me well!) for my birthday this year, and I decided to put it to good use a couple days later for the creation of my (belated) birthday cake. (I waited 'til Sunday to make it since my brother Nate's family was coming to visit for Sunday dinner - so fun to have them close for a little while!) Let me say, it was worth the wait! Totally lemony-limey and springy, but definitely not a "diet" cake. It was delicious!
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Creamy Chicken Soup with Rice
Source: adapted slightly from Quiche the Cook blog
Ingredients:
1 small chicken breast, diced
3 medium-sized carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 Tbs oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cans chicken broth
~1 cup water
1/2 cup rice
1 teaspoon rosemary (I just shaked a few shakes - it was probably less than a teaspoon, but I don't really know)
1 teaspoon sage (I don't have sage, so I subbed marjoram - and it was, again, probably less than a teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk (or you could use cream)
Directions:
In a medium-large pot, heat the oil and cook chicken pieces (seasoning with salt and pepper to taste). Once chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and set aside. Saute the carrots, celery and onions in the residual oil and chicken juices until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add the chicken broth, water, rice, diced chicken, rosemary, sage, salt & pepper and let the mixture come to a boil. Continue to cook until the carrots can be pierced with a fork and the rice is cooked (10-12 minutes) (I actually let it simmer low and slow for a good long while - like an hour, but if you don't have that kind of time, a few minutes is probably fine).
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and flour until there are no clumps. Stir this mixture into the soup and stir until fully incorporated. Cook another 2 minutes (or another hour if you have the time), or until it thickens slightly.
Notes:
Ever since I saw this recipe I couldn't get the poems by Maurice Sendak out of my head.
Ingredients:
1 small chicken breast, diced
3 medium-sized carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 Tbs oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cans chicken broth
~1 cup water
1/2 cup rice
1 teaspoon rosemary (I just shaked a few shakes - it was probably less than a teaspoon, but I don't really know)
1 teaspoon sage (I don't have sage, so I subbed marjoram - and it was, again, probably less than a teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk (or you could use cream)
Directions:
In a medium-large pot, heat the oil and cook chicken pieces (seasoning with salt and pepper to taste). Once chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and set aside. Saute the carrots, celery and onions in the residual oil and chicken juices until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add the chicken broth, water, rice, diced chicken, rosemary, sage, salt & pepper and let the mixture come to a boil. Continue to cook until the carrots can be pierced with a fork and the rice is cooked (10-12 minutes) (I actually let it simmer low and slow for a good long while - like an hour, but if you don't have that kind of time, a few minutes is probably fine).
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and flour until there are no clumps. Stir this mixture into the soup and stir until fully incorporated. Cook another 2 minutes (or another hour if you have the time), or until it thickens slightly.
Notes:
Ever since I saw this recipe I couldn't get the poems by Maurice Sendak out of my head.
"In January
it's so nice
while slipping
on the sliding ice
to sip hot chicken soup
with rice."
In fact, as I made this soup tonight, I recited every month of chicken soup poems that I could remember (I did have to peek at the book a few times because I got stumped on April and June and July).
Let me just say, this soup is awesome. I didn't really change a ton from the original recipe - mostly just upped some of the ingredients so we would have more to eat (and more leftover for lunch tomorrow). Gregg, Cal and I all had second helpings tonight - it was just so flavorful and warm and hearty. Served up with a fat slice of some crusty artisan bread (homemade, and oh-so-easy, no less) we had a magnificent dinner on a chilly January night.
Crusty Artisan No-Knead Bread
Source: Mel
Ingredients:
3 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (about 17 ounces) (I used her whole wheat version and subbed 1 cup of the all-purpose with white whole wheat flour)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups room temperature water
2 Tablespoons honey (for the whole wheat version)
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until the dough is combined and has a shaggy, sticky texture (it's easiest to just get in there with your hands and do the job).
Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours. It
will get puffy and bubble.
Scrape down the sides of the dough and let it gentle deflate. Turn it out onto a lightly greased piece of parchment paper (I didn't lightly grease mine because it said on the box that it was nonstick or something - I thought that would be good enough, but next time I'll for sure spray a little nonstick spray on the paper because it was really sticky dough) and using your hands (lightly grease them if the dough is sticking too much) pat it into a thick oblong shape.
Fold one of the long edges to the middle. Fold the other long edge over the top, forming a thick log.
Take one short end and fold it in toward the middle and repeat with the other short end - basically like folding up a blanket or towel.
Carefully and quickly flip the mound of dough over so the seams are on the bottom. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and doubled, about 2 hours.
About 30-45 minutes before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a 6- to 8-quart heavy cast iron pot (like the popular enamel covered ones) (she also mentioned that her aunt uses a pyrex bowl or a crock pot insert - I didn't try them, but it's worth looking into if you're interested - just make sure they're oven safe to 450 degrees!) in the oven as it heats and let it stay there for 30-45 minutes.
When the dough is ready, remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid. Lift up the corners of the parchment paper and set the bread and parchment paper right into the pot. Cover with the lid and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid from the pot and bake for another 10-15 minutes (I did it for 5 because it was already pretty brown and I didn't want it burned black) until the top of the loaf is browned and lovely.
Carefully grab the corners of the parchment paper and remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes:
First of all, this bread looks and tastes pretty dang awesome, if you ask me. It's different than any bread I've ever made, but it tastes much like something you'd get in a restaurant bread basket. It's really soft in the middle, with a nice chewy/crispy crust all around. And it looks so pretty!
I admit, I was nervous to try this recipe, even though I really shouldn't have been. Mel made it seriously so easy (and really, you should go to her site and look at the step-by-step instructions; they're super helpful). I don't have an enameled cast iron pot, but I do have a lodge Dutch oven (you know, the kind you cook with outside over coals, size 12) and it worked just great. Also, I've never bought/used parchment paper till now, but it really was a life saver. My dough was much, much stickier than Mel's looked in her pictures, and it really just turned into an amorphous blob after its rise on the parchment, but you'd never know how ugly it was as dough after it came out of the oven.
Yummo-rama! This will definitely be making many more appearances in our house, especially on soup Thursdays (which is what we did tonight - paired with a delicious Creamy Chicken Soup with Rice, we had a mighty fine dinner if I do say so myself (and I do)).
Ingredients:
3 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (about 17 ounces) (I used her whole wheat version and subbed 1 cup of the all-purpose with white whole wheat flour)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups room temperature water
2 Tablespoons honey (for the whole wheat version)
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until the dough is combined and has a shaggy, sticky texture (it's easiest to just get in there with your hands and do the job).
Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours. It
will get puffy and bubble.
Scrape down the sides of the dough and let it gentle deflate. Turn it out onto a lightly greased piece of parchment paper (I didn't lightly grease mine because it said on the box that it was nonstick or something - I thought that would be good enough, but next time I'll for sure spray a little nonstick spray on the paper because it was really sticky dough) and using your hands (lightly grease them if the dough is sticking too much) pat it into a thick oblong shape.
Fold one of the long edges to the middle. Fold the other long edge over the top, forming a thick log.
Take one short end and fold it in toward the middle and repeat with the other short end - basically like folding up a blanket or towel.
Carefully and quickly flip the mound of dough over so the seams are on the bottom. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and doubled, about 2 hours.
About 30-45 minutes before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a 6- to 8-quart heavy cast iron pot (like the popular enamel covered ones) (she also mentioned that her aunt uses a pyrex bowl or a crock pot insert - I didn't try them, but it's worth looking into if you're interested - just make sure they're oven safe to 450 degrees!) in the oven as it heats and let it stay there for 30-45 minutes.
When the dough is ready, remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid. Lift up the corners of the parchment paper and set the bread and parchment paper right into the pot. Cover with the lid and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid from the pot and bake for another 10-15 minutes (I did it for 5 because it was already pretty brown and I didn't want it burned black) until the top of the loaf is browned and lovely.
Carefully grab the corners of the parchment paper and remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes:
First of all, this bread looks and tastes pretty dang awesome, if you ask me. It's different than any bread I've ever made, but it tastes much like something you'd get in a restaurant bread basket. It's really soft in the middle, with a nice chewy/crispy crust all around. And it looks so pretty!
I admit, I was nervous to try this recipe, even though I really shouldn't have been. Mel made it seriously so easy (and really, you should go to her site and look at the step-by-step instructions; they're super helpful). I don't have an enameled cast iron pot, but I do have a lodge Dutch oven (you know, the kind you cook with outside over coals, size 12) and it worked just great. Also, I've never bought/used parchment paper till now, but it really was a life saver. My dough was much, much stickier than Mel's looked in her pictures, and it really just turned into an amorphous blob after its rise on the parchment, but you'd never know how ugly it was as dough after it came out of the oven.
Yummo-rama! This will definitely be making many more appearances in our house, especially on soup Thursdays (which is what we did tonight - paired with a delicious Creamy Chicken Soup with Rice, we had a mighty fine dinner if I do say so myself (and I do)).
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Peach Salsa Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes (Slow Cooker)
Source
Ingredients:
1 (2 - 2.5 pound) boneless pork roast
salt and pepper
1 tablespoons oil
5 small peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups peach salsa
Directions:
1. Scatter the cubed sweet potatoes in the bottom of a slow cooker/crock pot. Put the lid in place and set the slow cooker to high.
2. Sprinkle the pork roast generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
3. Sear the pork roast in a skillet over high heat. Set the pork roast on top of the cubed sweet potatoes. Pour the peach salsa over the top, put the lid in place, and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-9 hours. (The pork is done when it measures 145 F on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast.)
Notes: Oh my heavens. This was delicious. I served it with garlic-mushroom couscous and green beans and it was one of the best Sunday dinners that we've had in a while. A few notes/adaptations:
- I think the outcome of this recipe is quite subjective to the quality of the salsa you use. As much as I wish I had home-bottled peach salsa in my pantry, I don't (but making some is now on my to do list for next summer!), so I picked up some fresh mango salsa from my grocery store's deli, then added a can of peaches (drained) into the crockpot. When making this in the future, I'll definitely always use something as yellow as possible (as opposed to tomato-based salsa with a few chunks of peach tossed in).
- This didn't have as much flavor as it smelled like it would. I was expecting more of a saturated, stand-alone flavor, but it wasn't like that. We had to top each piece with some salsa for it to have enough flavor. It worked out nicely though because the kids liked how plain it was and gobbled it up. This may also have to do with the fact that I used a huge roast (almost 4 pounds) so that we would have lots of leftovers to freeze for lunches and future pizza nights.
- The sweet potatoes were very soggy, delicious (maybe even my favorite part), but more mashed than cubed by the end.
Ingredients:
1 (2 - 2.5 pound) boneless pork roast
salt and pepper
1 tablespoons oil
5 small peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups peach salsa
Directions:
1. Scatter the cubed sweet potatoes in the bottom of a slow cooker/crock pot. Put the lid in place and set the slow cooker to high.
2. Sprinkle the pork roast generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
3. Sear the pork roast in a skillet over high heat. Set the pork roast on top of the cubed sweet potatoes. Pour the peach salsa over the top, put the lid in place, and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-9 hours. (The pork is done when it measures 145 F on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast.)
Notes: Oh my heavens. This was delicious. I served it with garlic-mushroom couscous and green beans and it was one of the best Sunday dinners that we've had in a while. A few notes/adaptations:
- I think the outcome of this recipe is quite subjective to the quality of the salsa you use. As much as I wish I had home-bottled peach salsa in my pantry, I don't (but making some is now on my to do list for next summer!), so I picked up some fresh mango salsa from my grocery store's deli, then added a can of peaches (drained) into the crockpot. When making this in the future, I'll definitely always use something as yellow as possible (as opposed to tomato-based salsa with a few chunks of peach tossed in).
- This didn't have as much flavor as it smelled like it would. I was expecting more of a saturated, stand-alone flavor, but it wasn't like that. We had to top each piece with some salsa for it to have enough flavor. It worked out nicely though because the kids liked how plain it was and gobbled it up. This may also have to do with the fact that I used a huge roast (almost 4 pounds) so that we would have lots of leftovers to freeze for lunches and future pizza nights.
- The sweet potatoes were very soggy, delicious (maybe even my favorite part), but more mashed than cubed by the end.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Ham and Cheese Tortilla Roll-Ups
Source: adapted slightly from here, via Pinterest
Ingredients:
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 can diced green chiles
1 small can sliced black olives (I didn't have any olives, but I would have loved to add them if I did)
1 tablespoon fresh chives (or one green onion, sliced) (I did the onion)
6 slices of ham (I doubled the ham to fit better on each tortilla - so two per instead of just one)
6 flour tortillas
~1/2 cup or so shredded cheddar cheese
a squirt of mustard
a sprinkle of garlic powder
Directions:
Mix your softened cream cheese with the mustard and garlic powder (you don't need much of either, just a little to give it a good flavor) in a large mixing bowl.
Drain black olives and give them a rough chop. Slice green onions or chop chives (both are tasty so use what you like best). Place green onions (or chives), roughly chopped black olives, canned green chiles and cheddar cheese in the bowl with the cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine. You'll really have to work it all in so it's completely combined.
Now for the roll-ups. Using a spatula, spread 1/6th of the mixture evenly on top of a flour tortilla and place a piece of ham (or two) on top. Roll up your tortilla tightly. Slice each roll with a sharp serrate knife into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. (Eat the ends that don't really stay together and look ugly.) Refrigerate till you're ready to eat.
Notes:
I remember my first ever introduction to Tortilla Roll-Ups (and only experience ever, really, until I made some for Halloween last year (those ones were salsa flavored and were a big hit)) was at the Cannon's home in South Weber after they moved away from being our back-yard neighbors. This must have been years ago. I'm sure I was no more than 12 when it happened. I don't know why my family and I were at their house eating Tortilla Roll-Ups, but I remember loving them so much. Now whenever I see them pop up on food blogs or pinterest, I pin away.
After my successful foray into the Roll-Ups world a few months ago, I've kept my eyes especially alert for new flavor combinations to try. I happened to have a half block of cream cheese and most of the other necessary ingredients (minus the olives, which I was bummed about, but honestly they were fine without) hanging out in the fridge on New Year's Eve, so I decided at the last minute to add these little beauties to the menu. I whipped up a half-batch and it was the perfect complement to our other apps we ate that night. So quick and so easy and oh-so-delicious are these little morsels. I foresee the Tortilla Roll-Up becoming a staple treat/snack/meal/appetizer in our house!
Ingredients:
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 can diced green chiles
1 small can sliced black olives (I didn't have any olives, but I would have loved to add them if I did)
1 tablespoon fresh chives (or one green onion, sliced) (I did the onion)
6 slices of ham (I doubled the ham to fit better on each tortilla - so two per instead of just one)
6 flour tortillas
~1/2 cup or so shredded cheddar cheese
a squirt of mustard
a sprinkle of garlic powder
Directions:
Mix your softened cream cheese with the mustard and garlic powder (you don't need much of either, just a little to give it a good flavor) in a large mixing bowl.
Drain black olives and give them a rough chop. Slice green onions or chop chives (both are tasty so use what you like best). Place green onions (or chives), roughly chopped black olives, canned green chiles and cheddar cheese in the bowl with the cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine. You'll really have to work it all in so it's completely combined.
Now for the roll-ups. Using a spatula, spread 1/6th of the mixture evenly on top of a flour tortilla and place a piece of ham (or two) on top. Roll up your tortilla tightly. Slice each roll with a sharp serrate knife into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. (Eat the ends that don't really stay together and look ugly.) Refrigerate till you're ready to eat.
Notes:
I remember my first ever introduction to Tortilla Roll-Ups (and only experience ever, really, until I made some for Halloween last year (those ones were salsa flavored and were a big hit)) was at the Cannon's home in South Weber after they moved away from being our back-yard neighbors. This must have been years ago. I'm sure I was no more than 12 when it happened. I don't know why my family and I were at their house eating Tortilla Roll-Ups, but I remember loving them so much. Now whenever I see them pop up on food blogs or pinterest, I pin away.
After my successful foray into the Roll-Ups world a few months ago, I've kept my eyes especially alert for new flavor combinations to try. I happened to have a half block of cream cheese and most of the other necessary ingredients (minus the olives, which I was bummed about, but honestly they were fine without) hanging out in the fridge on New Year's Eve, so I decided at the last minute to add these little beauties to the menu. I whipped up a half-batch and it was the perfect complement to our other apps we ate that night. So quick and so easy and oh-so-delicious are these little morsels. I foresee the Tortilla Roll-Up becoming a staple treat/snack/meal/appetizer in our house!
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Honey-Orange Glazed Ham in the Crock Pot
Source: here
Ingredients:
1/2 cup apple juice (I didn't have any apple juice so I just left it out - I had plenty of liquid)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 ham, bone-in or boneless, spiral or not, probably the most important key is that it fits in your crock pot
Directions:
Place ham in the crock pot. Cover with juices, sugar and honey. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, brushing with glaze occasionally.
Notes:
Couldn't be easier than that. We had this for Christmas dinner with a good ol' hash brown casserole (i.e. funeral potatoes), rolls, and a green salad. Simple, hearty, leftovers for days (the ham freezes great and can be used in soups, sandwiches, pizzas, whatever you want).
Ingredients:
1/2 cup apple juice (I didn't have any apple juice so I just left it out - I had plenty of liquid)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 ham, bone-in or boneless, spiral or not, probably the most important key is that it fits in your crock pot
Directions:
Place ham in the crock pot. Cover with juices, sugar and honey. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, brushing with glaze occasionally.
Notes:
Couldn't be easier than that. We had this for Christmas dinner with a good ol' hash brown casserole (i.e. funeral potatoes), rolls, and a green salad. Simple, hearty, leftovers for days (the ham freezes great and can be used in soups, sandwiches, pizzas, whatever you want).
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