Citrus Marinated Ham

As we start to transition to summer- It's times to break out the fruit fusion dishes!  This one is easy and fast--Citrus Marinated Ham.  It's featured here as being served with peppered green beans and baked potatoes, but any number of sides would complement this dish.  I hope you enjoy the light and sweet flavors that compose this dish :)

Ingredients:

2lbs baked and sliced ham
1 can green beans
4 potatoes
3tbs butter

For marinated:

2 organes (for zest AND juice)
1tsp mustard powered
1tsp nutmeg
1tbs cinnamon
1tsp basil
1tbs black pepper
1tsp cayenne peper
1tbs sugar

Serves: 4
Time: 20 min (post marinade)

This recipe also does really well with chicken breast.  However, as those are marinated raw, please be careful to keep the meat chilled, and cook thoroughly :)  I hope you enjoy this easy, summer-loving dish as much as we do!

Directions:

1) In a large ziplock bag or deep dish pan, combine marinade ingredients.  Whisk together with an actual whisk, or a fork will do :)

2) Place the baked ham slices in the marinated.  It's best to cover the meat with the marinated, but if the two oranges don't do it, rather than buy another orange, just flip the meat over periodically.

3) Continue to marinated for whatever time you can.  At least 30 minutes and no more than 36 hours.  If you are marinated for a longer time, it's best to do so in a ziplock bag.  For this recipe I marinated in a deep dish pan for about 4 hours. As the meat is already cooked, it will take up the new flavors more slowly.  However, you also not need to worry about spoilage.

4) During this time you can prep the green beans by rinsing the can of beans and placing them in a microwavable container.  Add 2tbs of butter and a 1tbs of black pepper to them and set them aside.  Once the meat is almost done cooking at the end, you only need to microwave the green beans for a minutes, stir, and serve them hot!  During the marinade time is also a good time to preheat and/or start baking the potatoes if you choose.

5) Add a 1tbs of butter to a large frying pan.  On medium heat, melt and distribute the butter around the pan.

6) Add the orange zest to the frying pan and sauté the zest for a few minutes to soften them. (As pictured on the right.)

7) Add the marinade to the soften zest BEFORE you add the ham.  The reason for this is that you wan the meat to stay moist but to also finish infusing the ham with the marinade, which will work better with heat.

8) Once the marinade has come to a light simmer, place the baked ham slices in the frying pan and cook until warm.

9) This is a great time to cook the beans, and check that the potatoes are done.  If the potatoes are NOT done-- You will want to finish them in the microwave. 

10) Serve hot!  The rest of the cooked marinade make a great gravy once thickened with heat.

Cost:
ham                   $5
butter                 $0.20
seasoning          $0.60
breen beans       $1
potatoes             $1
oranges             $0.70         
Total                 $8.50
Per serving       $2.12

Russian Tea Cakes with Jam

These are an all year cookie-- Easy to do, fast, and travel well!  Customize them with your favorite jam, and you will have a buttery goodness treat whenever you want! Since there is no egg in them, or milk, they are party friendly!

Ingredients:

1c softened butter
1/2c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2c all-purpose flour
2/3c seedless jam or choice

Makes: 48+ cookies
Time: 30min total

These cookies store very well in an air tight container-- for up to two week!  They go great with tea, milk, champagne, and by themselves.  Can you tell they are one of my favorites ;)

Directions:

1)Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2)Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  the dough should be crumbly but firm.

3) Hand shape into small balls of dough.  Think about 1 heaping tables spoon per cookie.  When you roll the dough in your hands, it should form a ball easily that holds form.

4) Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.  There is enough butter in these that the baking sheet does NOT need to be greased :)

5) Bake for 10 min.

6) Use a spoon to create a pocket in each cookie.

7) Bake another 2-5 minutes.

8) Let the cookies cool before you add the jam to the pocket you created via spoon.

9) Serve these cookies the next day... They are best having had time to "set."

Cost:

Total               $2.35
Per cookie      $0.05... That's five cents a cookie!!

• 
  

Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches: Spring is in the Air!

These cookies were created for and inspired by my sister for her Bridal Shower-- And they were  big hit!  Per her request, there are no nuts or raisins in these carrot cake sandwich cookies, but both of those ingredients could easily be added according to taste.  In-spite of have cream cheese based frosting, the cookies last a surprisingly long time in the fridge, and travel well :)  I held off on posting the recipe so that it would be just in time for Easter-- But pretty much any reason for these little, sweet, sandwiches of joy will do!

Ingredients:

Cookies:

2 1/2c all-purpose flour

3 tbs cinnamon

1tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2c unsalted butter, softened

2/3c packed light brown sugar

2/3c granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1tbs vanilla extract

2c grated carrots

Frosting/Filling:

16oz cream cheese (2 bars)

1/2c honey

Makes: 3 doz. cookie sandwiches, (so 6 doz. cookies)

Serves: a small army of hungry ladies and gents!

These cookies have also been called Inside-out cookies.  The larger and flatter you want your cookie sandwiches, the more butter to flour you should add.  As this recipe tends to spread on the baking sheet, baking the cookies slightly longer will achieve the same thing to an extent.  Small, round cookies are recommend for the best tea-side cookie size!

Directions:

1) Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 2 baking sheets, or as many as you have-- this is an assembly style recipe.

2) Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

3) Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla before adding the graded carrots.

4) After you have mixed all of your "wet" ingdients, shift in the flour mixture.

5) Beat the cookie dough until the consitancy is smooth.

6)  Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake. remember these cookies tend to spread!

7) Bake the cookies at 375 degrees until cookies are lightly browned which should take about 17 minutes, depending on your oven.

8) Quickly transfer the cookies to cooling sheets.  (Kitchen hack: cut open brown paper bags to use as cookie cooling "sheets." Easy clean up too-- Just throw on the bag when you are done!)

Frosting/Filling:

9) Thoroughly blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth. (Or a blender if that's what you have...)

10) Chill the filling/frosting in the fridge while the cookies bake-- This will help when you spread the mix on the cookies later.  It will also help the the cookies are cooled before you assemble them.

11) Assemble the cookie sandwiches and store in an air tight container until ready to consume!

Cost:

Total $6.15           
Per cookie  $0.20

Twice Baked Potatoes, Family Size :)

Although I know football season just ended-- there is ways the next season... football, baseball, hockey, the olypics, and because it goes well with beer.  The twice baked potatoes featured here are easy, fast, and fool-proof!  The simple and universals approach for these means that even people who think they don't like potatoes will love these ;) Enjoy

Ingredients:

5 baking potatoes

1/2c bacon bits
3/4c moterilla cheese
1/4c milk
black pepper and seasonings to taste

Serves: 5, with two per person... but you know your guest!

Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes, almost all of which is back time

These are such an easy party food- But they also go great with steak and breaded chicken!  Twice baked potatoes also freeze amazingly for the busy days of the week.


Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2) Bake five washed potatoes for 40 minutes.  Make sure you poke holes in to skin of the potatoes in several places first to avoid having to clean up an explode potato from your oven!

3) Grate or slice cheese and mix with bacon and milk. The milk is a healthier version of the butter you usually see in recipes like this :)

4) Once the potatoes are cook enough to touch-- cut them in half longways (as shown in the image to the right).

5) Scoop out the soft potato centers and add them to your bacon bit  mixtures.

6) With a serving fork or potato smasher, mix the potato thoroughly with  the bacon bit mixture.

7) Re-fill the potato skins with the bacon bit mixture to just over the hight of the potato skin-- this will help make the potatoes look decadent AND it will make sure you use up your ingredients  evenly ;)

8) Place the filled potato skins on a backing sheet and return to the oven for 30 minutes, if a crisp top is desired.  The crisp top is highly recommend! 

9) Serve hot!

Cost:

Potatoes       $1.50
Bacon bits    $1.00
Milk                $0.15
Cheese         $0.75
Total              $3.40
Per serving   $0.68

Classic Cinnamon Rolls :)

You may have already seen the upside down version of these-- But sometimes-- The classics are where it's at ;)

Ingredients:
Dough:
2c warm water
1 1/2c sugar
1tbs yeast (or one package)
1tbs salt
1 egg
1/2c vegetable oil
7c flour

Filling:

3/4c butter, melted
1c  sugar (brown is best, used white with a tea spoon molasses)
2tbsp cinnamon
1⁄2c raisins 

Whipped Frosting (optional):
1 large egg whites only
1/4 cup sugar
1tbs  water
dash pure vanilla extract

Serves: 15 people

Time: 2 hr

Directions:

1) Dissolve yeast and warm water in a very large mixing bowl for about 5 minutes.  Add about two pinches of sugar to help the yeast out.

2) Add the rest of the sugar and water stir. This is a good step to move to a mixer with a dough hook if you have one.  Or you can stirr with a wooden spoon.

3) Beat the egg in a separate bowl, then add it to the yeast and sugar.  It won't mix properly with just the dough hook which is why it needs to be beaten first.

4) Add the oil to the sugar mixture.

5) Gradually mix in flour and salt to the liquid mixture. You might not need the entire amount of flour. Add flour until dough begins to move away from sides of bowl and is soft but manageable.  Take it slow!  The dough should look soft but not soupy.  It won't look like bread dough it will be far softer.

6) Cover dough and let rise until doubled. This will take some time, and is temperature dependent so it's difficult to estimate.

7) Punch dough down and divide in half. The dough wants more flower.  So be generous!  It will take quite a bit more flower to mange touching the dough, as much as a cup maybe needed for handling.

8) Roll out one half into a rectangle, be generous with the flower, execs will just fall off so don't be stingy.  Flower your hands supper generously.

9) Combine filling ingredients except raisins. Spread evenly over rectangle with rubber spatula. Sprinkle evenly with raisins if desired.

10) Roll up dough, beginning at long end. Pinch ends to seal. Using thread or dental floss, slice into rolls, about 14. Place cut side down in a greased pan.  Cutting with a spatula works well too.  The rolls will be very soft.  They may look like just lumps when they are in the pan.  Try and have the sliced edge down.  It may not look like it makes a difference with this dough, but it will once it bakes.  The rolls will tolerate a fair bit of abuse, try to be fast so they don't spread out.

11) Repeat with remaining half of dough and filling.

12) Cover and let rise until doubled.

13) In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not overbeat), about 3 minutes; reduce speed to low, add vanilla extract, and beat just until combined. Use immediately.

14)  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Time varies from oven to oven. Check at earliest time to prevent over browning.

15) Generously frost warm rolls, about 5 minutes after removing from oven.

Cost:

yeast                                1.20
salt                                  0.10
vegetable oil                   1.35
flour                                1.50
cinnamon                         0.10
raisins                              0.35
eggs                                 0.34
dash pure vanilla extract 0.10
crushed pecans                0.76
honey                               0.15
butter                               1.00
sugar                                1.50                   
Total                               $8.30
Per Roll                         $0.55