We had a boat load of cooked ham leftover, so I was in search of some ham recipes. This is a delish creamy spaghetti sauce. I can tell you right now.. DAD would LOVE this recipe!! HA!!
(This picture is my husbands helping, the entire plate is mounded... I wish I had his metabolism.)


Ham Fettuccine

12 oz uncooked fettuccine
¼ cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
3 T butter
3 cups cubed fully cooked ham
½ lb sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 ¼ tsp. oregano, basil, & parsley
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
¾ cup heavy whipping cream

Cook the fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add the ham, mushrooms (optional) & seasonings. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
Stir in spaghetti sauce. Bring to boil; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cream. Drain noodles; toss with ham mixture.

peanut butter addiction

Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

1 1/4 cups butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

10 oz bag Peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350.

Beat butter and sugar with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Sift together remaining dry ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture. Add peanut butter chips. Mix well.
Bake 9-10 mins.

bad breath Casserole? Hope not!!

This is one of the most delish meals I have had in a long time!! MMMmmmm.. good

Alfredo Chicken Lasagna

6-12 oz Chicken Breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 small can of sliced mushrooms
2 T chopped onion
1 garlic cloved, minced
1 T olive oil
1 T Flour
1 cup Alfredo sauce
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
4 Lasagna noodles, cooked
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In large skillet, saute chicken, mushrooms, onion and garlic in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in flour until blended; stir in Alfredo sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. In small bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning & parsley. Spread 1/2 cup Alfredo mixture in an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Layer with two noodles, half of cottage cheese mixture, and half of cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake for 10 minutes longer.
**This recipe can easily be doubled and put in a 9x13 pan**

and last but not least, the secret recipe!

Top Secret Chicken Bundles!

2 c. cubed chicken
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. milk
1 T. chopped onion
2 T. chopped pimento

Mix these ingredients, then add:

3 oz. cream cheese
3 T. melted oleo (blended together)

Spoon mixture on flattened refrigerator biscuits (2 packages). Roll.
Dip in melted oleo and roll in crushed seasoned croutons.
Bake for 15+ min. at 350.

More Appetizers!

Ham Meat Balls

1 Ham loaf - thawed
1 1/2 c. cracker or bread crumbs
1 c. milk

Mix and shape into 1 in. balls. Place on cookie sheet. Bake for 30 min. at 350. (turn after 15 min)

Sauce:
1 lg. can pineapple chunks (drain and save juice)
2 T. corn starch
3/4 - 1 cup brown sugar
3/4 c. vinegar
1 t. dry mustard
3/4 c. pineapple juice

Mix and bring to boil until thickened. Pour over ham balls in casserole dish. Bake for 30 min. at 350, covered.

Appetizers, continued.

Pesto Bruschetta

1 loaf (1 lb) French bread, cut in slices
1 jar (7 oz.) prepared pesto
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped (I used Roma)
1 pkg. (4 oz.) crumbled feta cheese (or mozzerella for K)

Arrange bread slices on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread with pesto: top with tomatoes and cheese. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 3.5 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

This ones from Taste of Home: Best of Quick Cooking.

Appetizers! Appetizers! Appetizers!

Here are all the recipes from last night. Enjoy! Sorry no pics.

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 lg. pkg. whole mushrooms
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. frozen diced onions (or 1 med. onion)
8 oz. bacon, fried and chopped (or 1 pkg. bacon bits)
1/2 c. + a little shredded cheddar cheese

Wash mushrooms and snap out stems. Mix the rest of the ingredients and stuff mushroom. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 20-30 min.

If you like meatball subs, you will like this!!

This casserole was different than anything I have seen before, maybe I live in a box, who knows. Anyway, I decided to give it a try. It is really tasty (well, besides the ground beef, I just give mine to B). One thing about this casserole is that the leftovers are not too hot. The bread gets kind of gooey, so if your family doesn't eat a whole casserole, then I suggest halfing it... unless you like gooey bread! :)

Meatball Sub Casserole

1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound ground beef
1 loaf (1 pound) Italian bread, cut into 1-inch slices (I only used half of the loaf for mine, the rest we dipped in Italian seasoning and olive oil)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
2 garlic cloves, minced

In a bowl, combine the onions, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink. My helpful husband did this step b/c I can't stand touching uncooked meats!!! (Makes me cringe just thinking about it)
Meanwhile, arrange bread in a single layer in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning and pepper; spread over the bread. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella.
Combine the spaghetti sauce, water and garlic; add meatballs. Pour over cheese mixture; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Pasta in a Casserole

We had this last night for dinner and B LOVED it.

Chicken Penne Casserole

1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used chicken tenders)
1/2 cup each chopped onion, green pepper and sweet red pepper (I didn't have red pepper, so mine went without)
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (oops, just realized I forgot to add this too)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (Parmesan cheese works just fine)

In a large saucepan, saute the chicken, onion, peppers and seasonings in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, process tomatoes and tomato paste in a blender; add to chicken mixture. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture. Spoon half of the mixture into a greased 11x7 baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheeses. Repeat layers.
Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through.

This only serves 4, so I am sure it would work to double the recipe and put it in a 9x13.

Almond LOVERS??

Ok, so this is the BEST EVER recipe for almond bars out there. SO incredibly good. It is comparable to banket without the bread around it. These are dangerous for me to have in the house... enough said.

Almond Bars

1 cup Margerine
10 oz block of almond paste
1 3/4 cup Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups Flour

Cream together first 3 ingredients (it takes awhile to get the paste broken up) until fluffy, add eggs, salt and flour. Beat until smooth. Put in greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins. They won't look completely done, but that is the way it is supposed to be.

Glaze:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp almond extract
Cream together and spread on top of bars.

Quick and Easy Dessert

I am not a huge angel food cake lover. Most desserts with it tend to be too dry for my liking. This dessert was not that way at all! Super good, and real easy!

No Bake STRAWBERRY Dessert

1 ring of Angel food cake
2 pkg. strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 pkg (20 oz) frozen strawberries
3 cups of milk
2 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz) carton cool whip

Cut cake into cubes and arrange in a single layer in a 9x13 dish. Dissolve jello in boiling water. Stir in strawberries. Pour over cake and press cake down. Refrigerate about 1 hour. Mix milk and pudding for two mins. Spoon over jello layer. Top with cool whip. Refrigerate.

P - DUB :) {heart} her

Pioneer Woman's Steak Bites

1 pound Sirloin Steak (without Much Gristle) OR Pre-cut Beef Tips
Kosher Salt To Taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper To Taste
2 Tablespoons Butter

(Instead of the salt and pepper I used Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Trim off the large obvious piece of fat that runs along the side of the meat. Next, cut strips less than 1-inch wide. Rotate the meat and cut into small bite-sized pieces. If you see any more large chunks of fat, gristle or long silvery membrane cut them off.
Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss the meat around a bit to thoroughly coat with the seasonings.
Next, turn on your ventilation fan overhead. Heat the skillet over medium high to high heat. As the pan heats, add about 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Allow the butter to melt, then brown, before you add the meat.
Place some of the meat in the pan in a single layer. It should sizzle loudly when it hits the pan – if it doesn’t, the pan isn’t hot enough. Don’t stir or disrupt the meat for 30-45 seconds. You want it to sizzle and brown on one side. Scoop as many steak bites as you can with your spatula and flip them over. Repeat until all the meat is turned. Cook for an additional 30 to 45 seconds—just long enough to sear the outside of the meat but NOT cook the inside.
Remove the meat to a clean plate. Add a little more butter to the pan and repeat the cooking process with the next batch just as before. Lastly, when all the meat is nicely browned and removed to the plate, pour all that browned/blackened butter all over the meat. And enjoy!

*These cool fast.. so keep them warm, or eat them fast!!*

DON'T WET your PANTS... PLEASE!!

Here is a surprise to you 'daily' checkers!!! YEAH!! Don't let the pure excitement make you wet your pants.

I have been harassed enough these days. Here are some of my additions! Let me know if there is something I didn't add that you want on here.