Ham Rolls

HAM ROLLS

We had a bbq last week for the holiday and I was itching to try something new! I take advantage of parties like this to make something with dairy in it, since we don't have it otherwise. This is a spin-off of this picture I saw on Nina's Recipes. She has GORGEOUS pictures, and is a wonderful photographer. It makes me slightly embarrassed to post my pictures after looking at her blog.

but I do anyway, since I'm really only here for the food!

Here's what you'll need:

• ham
• cheese
• cream cheese
• peppers
• dry italian salad dressing mix
• colorful bell peppers
• toothpicks (not pictured)

Mix together your cream cheese (let it come to room temperture, it makes life easier!) and dry italian seasoning.

Slice your peppers into long thin strips. I really love the colors together, it was just so bright and festive!

Smear some cream cheese on a slice of ham.

Add a slice of cheese, smear some more cream cheese, and top that with some pepper slices (1 of each color)

Roll them up and secure them with a toothpick. You can serve them whole, or cut them in half (thus showing off how pretty they are inside).

They were goobled up pretty fast. I might have had more than my fair share. But I made them, so technically the whole platter is my fair share, right?

HAM ROLLS

• 1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese
• 2-3 colorful bell peppers
• about 15 slices of ham
• about 15 slices of cheese
• 1 pkg dry Italian salad dressing mix
• toothpicks

Mix together the cream cheese and Italian dressing mix. Slice peppers into long, thin, slices. Smear cream cheese mixture on a slice of ham, add cheese. Smear a little more cream cheese on cheese, and add peppers (1 of each color). Roll up and secure with toothpicks. You can leave them whole, or slice in half. If you slice in half, the toothpick might have to be more towards the cut side, than center, to help hold things together better.

Friday Feature--My kitchen Cafe

BLUEBERRY LEMON MUFFINS

I want to start featuring other recipe blogs on fridays. There are so many good recipe blogs out there, it's impossible to visit them all. (although I do try!) Take some time today to go visit My Kitchen Cafe. She has wonderful recipes, and beautiful pictures. This is her recipe for Lemon Sugar Crusted Blueberry Muffins. (and I had to shorten the title, because I kept getting it mixed up for whatever reason!)


Here's what you'll be needing:

• oil
• flour
• sugar
• buttermilk (I put some lemon juice in regular milk (aka-rice milk here) to make my own)
• baking powder
• vanilla
• salt
• lemons
• butter
• eggs
• blueberries

In a pot, mix together 1 cup blueberries and 1 tsp sugar. Mash the berries, and bring it to a simmer and let it cook down.

Mix together the zesty rind of 1 lemon and sugar. This will make your kitchen smell fantastic! (and it gives the muffins a great taste)

And sorry about the electric pink blueberries. Wow, it's pretty bright.

Mix together all your dry ingredients

add 1 cup of washed and dried blueberries, and mix them in.

In another bowl, mix together your sugar, eggs. Then add the oil and melted butter.

and then the buttermilk, and vanilla

Fold in the egg mixture with the dry ingredients.

No need to beat everything together, let the lumps be!

Divide into your cups. Please don't fill them completely full. The recipe said to do that, and they got a bit too big for my comfort. 3/4 would be perfect, and let them rise just to the top. Although, that crunchy muffin top is pretty darn good.

Spoon your blueberry sauce onto each muffin, and swirl in with a chopstick or something about that size.

And then sprinkle with the lemon/sugar mixture.

Bake them up and enjoy!!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins from My Kitchen Cafe

Lemon-Sugar Topping:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• zest from one lemon

Muffins:
2 cups frozen blueberries (or 2 cups fresh)
1 1/8 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mix together the sugar and lemon zest. Set aside. In a pot, place 1 cup berries, and 1 tsp sugar. Simmer, mashing berries to make a syrup. Let it cook down for a while, and then cool. Mix together your dry ingredients, and add the rest of the berries. Mix together the eggs and sugar, then add the butter and oil. Mix well, and then add the buttermilk and vanilla. Gently fold into the dry ingredients. Don't beat it together, let the lumps be! Spoon into muffin pan (either with cups, or sprayed generously) and fill about 3/4 of the way full. Put about 1 tsp of the blueberry syrup on top and swirl into the muffin. Then sprinkle each with the lemon/sugar mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 375degs for about 17-20 minutes, until golden. Let them cool in the pan for a little bit, then transfer to a cooling rack.

My note: These were wonderful, but WAY too much work for a breakfast. I rather make these the night before or for a late morning brunch.

Lemon-Soy Marinated Steaks

LEMON-SOY MARINATED STEAKS

I'm a HUGE steak fan. Don't let my recipes with tofu fool you. I love a good steak. Slightly rare in the middle, nice and juicy. No one can make it like my husband's family can make it. I've never had a better steak. Only one has come close, at a Japanese grill. Even then though. . .I'd rather have a steak cooked by my brother-in-law, or father-in-law.

I got this recipe from a Walmart cookbook. I'll admit, I really dislike that store, and I avoid it at all costs. My sister gave me this cookbook though, and it has pictures for every recipe, which I LOVE! Here's what you'll need, and most of this stuff is stuff you'll have in the house!

• Brown sugar
• soy sauce
• oil
• garlic
• lemons (you'll need the juice and the rind)

Juice up one or two lemons (you'll need about 1/3 cup)

add the soy sauce, oil and dissolve the brown sugar in everything

add your lemon rind

then your garlic. You could also add some chopped onion, but we vetoed since Captain Jax wouldn't touch them if I did that. He's funny that way.

Put your steaks in a baggie. We used rib-eyes, since it was Mother's day and that's what my mother in law wanted.


Pour your marinade all over the steaks, and let them sit for about 24 hours, flipping them every few hours, to make sure the juices soak in good.


My fridge smelled so lemony and soy-y (??) after these sat in the fridge for a day and 1/2. I loved it.

Throw them on the grill and cook to your desired doneness. This family likes them medium rare. Well, I like them like that, captain Jax wants them still mooing.

LEMON-SOY MARINATED STEAKS

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Combine everything in a bowl until the sugar's dissolved. Place the steaks in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the steaks. Let them sit for about 24 hours, turning every few hours. Grill steak how you like best. This recipe can cover about 3 steaks nicely, about 1 lb each.

Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

SUN DRIED TOMATO HUMMUS

My sister and her boyfriend have been obsessed with hummus lately. I for one, have never tried it. Although I bought chickpeas, because I do want to try it sometime.

My sister tried like 4 different kinds, and decided they need lots of flavor, to help even out the bean flavor. And she's so thoughtful to think of me when she makes recipes and takes pictures like she knows I like them!


Basic ingredients:

• Olive oil
• chick peas
• sun dried tomatoes
• lemon juice

Drain the chickpeas, and grind them up good! On a side note, I have almost that same food processor she does! It's just the right size I think.

Add everything else and blend it up again, to get it all mixed good.

Serve with crackers. Pita chips would be really good too.

Thanks Sis for sharing this recipe for me!

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

• 1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• sun-dried tomato pesto
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• italian seasoning (or parsley)
• garlic (optional)

Directions:
drain chickpeas (or cook them so they are soft enough to mash) and blend them in a food processor (you can smash them up with a potato masher, but I would not recommend it...it takes a LONG time, and a lot of patience!) Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and continue to blend. Add pesto sauce (around 3 tablespoons) and blend that into the hummus as well. Add a little water if necessary to get the hummus to a nice consistency (about 2-3 tablespoons) and the italian seasoning and garlic if you want a little more flavor (the seasoning will help to take away some of the lemon taste if it is too strong at the end, you do not need much). spread on crackers or chips and enjoy the healthy alternative snack to dips.

Lemon Artichoke Chicken

LEMON ARTICHOKE CHICKEN

We celebrated Captain Jax's birthday a few weeks ago, and made his favorite dish. I had never made it before, although he's requested it from me a few times. I didn't have the recipe, and I had no idea how to cook it. Now though? I've made it twice since then. and I've started stocking up on artichoke hearts, so I always have some on hand.

Here's what you'll need:

• Chicken breasts
• chicken broth
• artichoke hearts
• lemons
• mushrooms
• butter (or olive oil)

Heat up some butter in a pan (or olive oil) and salt and pepper your chicken breasts. Brown them on all sides.

When they're done, place them in 9x13 pan, drizzled with a little olive oil.

Then add some broth and deglaze your pan, getting up all those tasty tidbits on the bottom. Add some grated lemon rind, and the juice of the lemon as well. I like extra lemon juice, then the sauce doesn't taste so chicken broth-y.

Saute you mushrooms in another pan (again, with butter or olive oil, your choice)

And let the sauce thicken up a little bit. (by adding some flour) not too thick though, we're not making a roux.


sprinkle the mushrooms over the chicken


Then pour the sauce over everything. Throw it in the oven for about 35 minutes.

After it's baked for a while, pull it out, add the artichokes

and some parmesan cheese

Bake it for about another 15 minutes.

And serve it up! (baked potatoes are wonderful, or some pasta)

Lemon Artichoke Chicken
Recipe Courtesy: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com

• 6 chicken breasts
• salt/pepper
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups chicken broth, divided
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp grated lemon ind
• 2 Tbso flour
• 1/3 cup broth
• 6 this pats butter
• 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half
• 1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
• grated parmesan cheese

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Melt 1/2 cup butter in skillet and saute the chicken on all sides until golden. It doesn't have to be cooked through. Remove to a greased baking dish. Add 1/ cup broth to skillet with lemon juice and rind. Deglaze the pan, then add remaining 1 3/4 cup broth. Mix flour and 1/3 cup broth until smooth; add to pan and stir until sauce is slightly thickened. Spoon sauteed mushrooms over chicken, pour lemon sauce over chicken. Bake uncovered 30-45 minutes at 350 degges. Remove from oven, add artichoke heart. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Put a pat of butter on top of each breast and bake until lightly browned.

Cook's note: Olive oil can be substituted for butter when cooking chicken, and left off the top of chicken breasts when baking. CHeese can also be left off, making this dish dairy free. This dish is wonderful with baked potatoes, and you can even make just the sauce and serve with the baked potatoes. We do, and it's easy!