Ham and Cheese Sliders

Apparently my hunger trumped my photography...one picture of these delicious sliders is all I took.

 

Please trust me, these are worth making.  Once again Courtney shared the recipe with me and I am so glad she did!

 

12 Hawaiian rolls (mini sliders)

12 slices of deli Honey Ham

12 slices of deli Swiss Cheese

Hellman's Light mayonaise

 

Sauce:

1  1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard (next time I am going to try Cherry Mustard)

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1-2 tablespoons diced Vidalia onion

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

Poppy Seeds

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Split rolls and spread each side lightly with Hellman's.

Fold a slice of ham to fit nicely in each roll, then top with a slice of Swiss.  Replace the top bun and place on foil lined baking sheet.

 

To assemble sauce:  combine all ingredients except poppy seeds in a small bowl and whisk together well.  Brush tops of rolls with the sauce or you can drizzle.  Sprinkle desired amount of poppy seeds on top and cover with foil.  Bake about 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.  Remove foil and bake an additional two minutes.

 

Remove from oven and place on wire rack!

 

These are delicious...

 

 Enjoy~

Spinach Salad

 This is a popular salad at our house thanks to Courtney. She found the recipe online and shared it at a recent family get-together!

Spinach Salad:

 Desired amount of spinach

2 cups of sliced fresh strawberries

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

1 cup toasted walnuts

Dressing:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Prepare salad dressing by combining all ingredients and set aside.

Toss desired spinach with desired amount of dressing.

Enjoy~

 

Rhubarb Sauce for Pork

 This is a great season for rhubarb and there are so many recipes to try...how about a savory rhubarb recipe?

 I saw a recipe with rhubarb and dried cherries for pork but decided a few dried cranberries would add another flavor.  We had a pork loin on hand so the sauce would compliment that nicely.

 Rhubarb Sauce:

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup hot water

2 generous tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion

2 cups sliced rhubarb (1/2" slices)

3 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of nutmeg

Sea Salt

Ground pepper

Combine the dried cherries and cranberries with Balsamic Vinegar and hot water, allow to stand while preparing remainder of recipe.

Saute chopped onion with olive oil over medium heat, cooking until softened.

To the saucepan, add cherry mixture along with rhubarb and sugar.  Reduce heat and summer until rhubarb has softened.  Stir in nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat but keep warm until ready to place over pork loin.

Serve with salad and fresh asparagus for a wonderful taste of late spring!

Enjoy~

Rhubarb Crisp

 We just love anything rhubarb at our home...this is another recipe that will be in the keeper file!

Rhubarb Crisp:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix the above ingredients in a small bowl and spread 1/2 the mixture in a greased  9" x  9" pan.   Pat down the crumbly mixture.

Place 4 cups diced rhubarb on top on of the crumble.

In a large saucepan, heat:

7/8 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cook until the sugar melts and the sauce thickens.  Pour the sauce over the rhubarb and sprinkle with the remaining crumbly mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until hot, bubbly, and golden brown.

Allow to cool on wire rack for a few minutes and then top with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.  Garnish as desired and Enjoy~

Multiple Fruit Pie

 Rhubarb has many happy memories in my life.  My Uncle Alfred had a patch of Rhubarb on the west side of his barn and our family loved cutting it and making rhubarb sauce.  Of course Mom used to make rhubarb pie that never lasted long enough!

 When Ben and I moved next door to his parents, not only did we have a rhubarb patch but so did they...I froze rhubarb for the winter months and made multiple recipes during the growing season.

 Never did I make multiple fruit pie until now...my inspiration was Jan Petteys who made and served us recently a pie similar to this.

Believe me, this is a keeper in the pie category at our home!

 Jan served us this pie on Friday night and she will provide me the recipe but I was determined to make a pie as soon as I could get my hands on a recipe via the internet.  I combined different recipes and the pie turned out well!

 Multiple Fruit Pie:

1  1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons quick cooing tapioca

1  1/4 cup raspberries

1  1/4cup blueberries

1  1/4 cup blackberries

1  1/4 cup rhubarb 

 Pie crust, of your choice

In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, tapioca, and fruit; toss gently and allow to stand while preparing pie crust.

Place bottom crust in pie plate (I used a 9") and spoon fruit mixture into crust.  Roll out bottom crust and cut steam vents then transfer on top of pie.  Trim and seal edges to your liking.  I brushed top of crust with 1/2/ and 1/2 and then sprinkled with granulated sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.

Allow to cool on wire rack, then serve with vanilla ice cream...Oh my goodness, even thought it is 6:30 in the morning I could eat a piece of this delicious pie right now. 

I hope you enjoy this pie~

Have a pleasant day~     

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Only one picture of this cake...what was I thinking perhaps it was  too early in the morning for thinking:(

I hope you can imagine the cake decorated with chocolate!!!

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 12 x 17 pan

In a medium sauce pan add the peanut butter, water, and butter; bring to a boil and remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl mix together the sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt and baking soda.  Add the peanut butter mixture and stir well.  Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Mix well.

Pour into prepared pan (I used a foil pan)

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter

6 tablespoons buttermilk

1/2 cup peanut butter

3  1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, buttermilk, and peanut butter to a boil.  Remove pan from heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.  I sifted the powdered sugar and added slowly. Spread over the cake and allow to set up, then melt chocolate chips and pour into a decorating bag and drizzle over the peanut butter frosting.

Enjoy~         

Roasted Asparagus With The Works

 Asparagus is a spring-time favorite at our home and this particular recipe is over-the-top delicious!

 The marriage of ingredients teases the tastebuds...I really hope you try this and find a new way to prepare asparagus!

 Oh, spring-time in Michigan surely could last for a good long time, with morels and asparagus leading the way!

 Asparagus With The Works:

Asparagus, about 3 dozen nice sized stalks

Goat Cheese, herb flavored, plain, or with cranberries

Pancetta, or you can use thinly sliced ham in a pinch

Pine Nuts, 1/3 cup or so

Lemon

Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 400-425 degrees

Wash asparagus thoroughly, trim the ends, and dry

Place asparagus on a foil lined cookie sheet pan

Arrange asparagus on prepared pan and drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar, sprinkle with 1 generous teaspoon of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper or to taste.  Make sure to roll the asparagus around to coat all around.

 Bake for 8-14 minutes (depending on thickness of stalks).  You want the asparagus to be a bit soft but yet firm.

Lightly crisp the pancetta in a frying pan while the asparagus is roasting.

Also pan toast the pine nuts but do not use oil.

Remove the asparagus from oven and top with crumbled goat cheese, then pancetta, and finally the pine nuts.  Sprinkle with a few squeezes of lemon juice.

For a crowning touch, garnish with chives (blossoms attached), and fresh edible flowers!

Enjoy~ 

  

      

Chocolate Chip Torte

 Why this is called a torte puzzles me...wish I would have asked the dear lady that gave me the recipe many years ago.  Dorothy Somers and her husband attended the same church that our family did.  She shared this recipe, among many others, that I treasure since her passing several years ago.

 I was reluctant to try this recipe until she provided us with a sample...it became a favorite then and there!

 The "secret" she said was the use of dates!

Chocolate Chip Torte

1 cup diced dates

1 cup hot water

1 teaspoon soda

Pour soda over the dates in a bowl and then add HOT water.  Allow to stand while preparing the following:

Sift together:

1  1/3 cup flour

3 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together:

1 cup shortening

1 cup  sugar

Add:

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

To the creamed mixture add the dry and date mixture alternately (beginning and ending with dry ingredients).  Mix until well blended and then stir in:

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cups chopped nuts

Grease a 9" x 13" pan and flour the bottom

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes

Dorothy was quite a lady, she came off quite gruff as many youngsters thought but she and her husband never had children so she had little tolerance for noise in church.  One particular Sunday morning one of our girls made a little noise and Ben took her our of church...that was a big mistake as far as Dorothy was concerned...she scolded Ben and said those two girls of yours are always good and you don't take them out again! 

Dorothy was so kind hearted and she is missed by those of us that were blessed to call her a special friend!