5 Ways to use leftover Easter ham

Anyone else have lots of delicious ham or ham bones after the weekend?  I can never decide which I like better, the freshly baked ham, or all the ways to use the leftovers!  Here's 5 of my favorite ways to use leftover ham:

1.  Creamy Ham and Wild Rice Soup - This is one of my favorite soups, and a great way to use leftover ham.  You can also cook it with the hambone in, then remove the bone and cut off any remaining ham to add back in to the soup.

2. Split Pea Soup - The classic leftover hambone recipe!  So inexpensive, feeds an army, and tastes delicious, especially with extra freshly ground pepper.

3. Ham & Bean Soup - Ok, so we really love soup around here!  Here's a comfort food classic that's always a hit!

Holiday Memories 2015

Sorry, girls, but I haven't gotten around to much blogging lately.  We've still been cooking like crazy (just not as many new recipes), and traveling here and there and everywhere for all the holidays.  I just can't keep up!  But I did remember to jot down a few memories from Annalyn's 4th and Emelina's 2nd Christmas (spoiler alert:  they are not all sugarplums and candy canes.  You two are maniacs these days and take turns challenging us at every turn.) In sort of random order, not even chronologic... see previous sentence for reasoning:

-Annalyn's first Christmas program - Ok, so there really is nothing cuter than putting 30 preschoolers on a stage to sing Christmas songs.  You loved every second of it and belted out every word.  Between songs you started the always fun trend of "Hi, Grandma! Hi, Daddy!" (That's right, no shout out for Mama...)  Afterwards we all had cookies that I got to come help bake with your class the day before and the kids enjoyed a visit from Santa.

 

-First time either of the girls met Santa - for one reason or another, you girls had never seen Santa before Annalyn's Christmas program, so it was a big surprise when he showed up with presents for all the kids and siblings.  Annalyn shocked us all and got scared when you was sitting with your class and Santa reached over you to hand a present to another kid.  Usually, you are fearless when it comes to social interaction, but a big guy, red suit, room packed full of people you don't know - I get it!  Emma did better than we expected, and while neither of you wanted to sit on his lap, you both thanked him for the gift, gave a high five, and took a candy cane when he offered.  Good enough for me, girls!

running to see Santa!

-Annalyn running downstairs to try to see Santa - This had to be one of the cutest moments of Christmas for us.  Not long after we tucked you in tight and reinforced the need to go to sleep so Santa could come, we heard you throw open the door, sprint down the stairs, into the kitchen, then back into the living room, frantically trying to catch a peek of Santa.  Daddy and I were in the office looking at pictures we'd taken from Christmas Eve, so we heard more than we saw.  Your eyes were wild with excitement, and it was obvious that sleep would take a while, but eventually you gave in so that Santa could make his stop and enjoy what was left of the cookies (although you and Emma ate most of Rudolph's carrots).

I would like to caption this one, "the bulldog and the Grinch"

Banoffee Pudding

Remember this crazy delicious banoffee pie that I made (and then made again about 823,304,329 times...)?  Well, when we had an abundance of ripe bananas, I decided to make banana pudding. You know, the traditional wafer cookie, banana slices, and pudding all layered together in a pretty trifle bowl.  Then I added cinnamon to the cream before I whipped it, because well, who doesn't like a little cinnamon with everything banana (really? Just me?).  That one little change instantly reminded us of my cinnamon whipped cream topped banoffee pie.  So I did what any self-respecting cook would do - I made another batch and tweaked it some more until this recipe was born.  Instead of plain sweetened condensed milk, I used dulce de leche (or in my case, boiled sweetened condensed milk for about 2 hours until it made dulce de leche).  Again, I added some cinnamon to the cream and layered in some mini chocolate chips.  It was heavenly.  Go ahead, try it - here's how Mama makes it:

Banoffee Pudding

Ingredients:

- 1 large package instant vanilla pudding (about 2/3 c. mix)

- 1 1/2 c. water

- 1 (14 oz) can dulce de leche* 

- 3 c. heaving whipping cream

- 1 t. cinnamon

- 1 box vanilla wafers

- 5 ripe bananas, sliced

- 1/3 c. mini chocolate chips

*(or sweetened condensed milk, boiled in the can for 2-2.5 hours)

Three Ingredient Homemade Dog Cookies

Well, my friends, the holiday season is here! Time to get started stocking up the freezer and cookie jars with goodies to celebrate this warm, snugly time of year.  This Christmas, don't forget your furry friend!  (Or your friends'/family's furry friends who are visiting!)  Here's a super easy recipe for cutout dog cookies that are easy to whip up, and great for little helpers to practice their cookie making skills (just think - cookies minus the egg, minus caring what it ends up looking like = Perfect for the kiddos!  And because lets be honest, Fido doesn't care if the candy cane is uneven and crooked).  They also make a great addition to hostess gifts (because you're invading their houses,too). You can use any kind of baby food, just be sure to check that its ingredients are safe for dogs to eat (a few good ones are sweet potato, carrot, pea, green beans, apple, banana).  You could even substitute peanut butter.  Here's how Mama makes it:  

Three Ingredient Homemade Dog Cookies

Ingredients:

- 2 c. rolled oats

- 1 medium ripe banana

- 4 oz. sweet potato baby food

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy

Here's a super simple way to make turkey and gravy if you only need to serve about 6-8 people or less.  Maybe you live away from family and are having a small Thanksgiving meal. Maybe you have to work on Thanksgiving so you don't have all day to tend to and baste a perfectly roasted bird. Maybe you have only a few people that like turkey and the rest want ham. This is a great way to free up the oven and make turkey and gravy all at once!  I made it this week with a small 3 lb. turkey breast as an easy weeknight meal.  Based on this recipe, here's how Mama makes it:

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy

Ingredients:

- 3 T butter

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

- 2 stalks celery, chopped

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/3 c. Flour

- 3 c. Chicken stock

- 2 sprigs Rosemary 

- 4-5 sage leaves

- 1 t. Thyme (dried or fresh)

- 1 bay leaf

- salt and pepper, to taste

- 3-8 lb turkey breast (bone in or boneless)

- 2 T. Cornstarch

Simple Angelfood Trifle with Fresh Berries

With the help of store-bought angelfood cake, this simple trifle comes together quickly and easily.  I love it for holidays, last-minute dinner parties, and weeknight treats.  No special equipment needed - I've even made this at work before!  You can mix it all together, or layer it like a traditional trifle.  Either way, it's an instant crowd-pleaser, and with all the beautiful berry blues and reds, it makes a perfect 4th of July dessert.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Simple Angelfood Trifle with Fresh Berries

Ingredients:

- 1 angelfood cake

- 1 big box instant vanilla pudding mix

- 3 c. milk

- 8 oz. whipped cream

- 1 pint strawberries, halved and stems removed

- 1 c. blueberries, rinsed

- 1 c. blackberries, rinsed

Cucumber Dill Triscuits

This is one of my favorite summer recipes.  I love to make it for showers, afternoon snacks, and parties.  It's especially great this time of year because you can actually find FRESH dill (in this case, in my garden!).  Here's how Mama makes it:

Cucumber Dill Triscuits

Ingredients:

- 1 block low fat cream cheese, softened

- 1 (5 oz) nonfat Greek yogurt

- 1 T. Dill weed

- 2 large cucumbers, sliced

- 1 box of Triscuits, dill flavored preferably

- fresh dill for garnish 

Mini Fruit Pizzas

I served this beautifully simple recipe for Emelina's birthday party this past weekend.  I remember making these with a good friend of mine for her twins' first birthday (they're now 9!) and was surprised that I'd never posted them.  They are always a favorite and the semi-homemade ingredients are easy to toss together the morning of the party.  Keep this one handy for upcoming summer parties - it's a keeper!  Here's how Mama makes it:

Mini Fruit Pizzas

Ingredients: (makes 32)

- 2 packages of 16 ct. sugar cookies (the sturdy, chewy kind)

- 1 block low fat cream cheese, softened

- 4 T. butter, softened
- 1 t. vanilla

- zest of 1 lemon

- juice of 1/2 lemon

- 1 c. powdered sugar

- 3 cans pineapple rings, drained

- 1 jar maraschino cherries, drained and rinsed
**variation - try lime instead of lemon

Emma's Cake Smash Photos

I know it's not even her birthday yet, but I just had to share these adorable smash cake pics!  I like to do their smash cake/1 year old photos in advance so I'm not trying to do them while hosting a party, competing with multiple cameras, and comforting a shy baby with tons of people watching her.  Plus, I really had it in my head that I wanted to take them in our field behind the house and had to do it before the farmer tilled it up and planted beans. 

We started with a few pics of just her in the highchair I painted, without the cake.  This was her initial reaction to strapped into a highchair in the middle of a cornfield on a beautiful day...

But, with a little motivation (had Daddy bring the cake into view) and a direction change (sun was in her eyes), I was able to capture a couple money shots like this...

 

Naptime Projects: DIY Chalk Paint Highchair

Time is a precious commodity in our house lately.  No one ever seems to have enough of it, and what little we do have, we want to spend together, so it's hard to justify projects (especially non-essential ones).  So when I discovered this recipe for homemade DIY chalk paint (not to be confused with chalkboard paint), I was pretty pumped that I had everything on hand and could accomplish it all during the girls' afternoon nap. 

I've had this old wooden highchair for several years.  It was one my mom picked up at a garage sale and used for her last wave of babysitting kids before she retired to "grandmotherhood."  She'd given it to me a little while before I got pregnant with Annalyn because I thought it was so much more stylish than the plastic/fabric kind with little animals all over them.  *Note when I actually had kids, I realized how much more practical the plastic/fabric highchairs on wheels are and found this adorable one with a little giraffe on it... live and learn.  However, I kept the wooden one tucked away in my attic because it would be perfect for one year old cake smash photos.  I had it all planned out - I'd paint it a really fun color, maybe tie some balloons or buntings to it, and set it in the middle of a field somewhere while baby adorably destroyed his/her cake.  It.would.be.perfect.  Then my first baby was born in February, so that plan was out.  But still, I held on to the ole highchair hoping that one day it would fulfill it's birthday destiny.

And then came Emma.  On a beautiful May day.  And then I blinked, and realized that she will be one in less than a month.  And then I cried just a little bit, but got over it pretty quickly when I thought back over the last 11+ months and realized for the first time in a year, I was finally sleeping through the night.  Maybe the end of the baby stage isn't the worst thing. 

But back to the chair. 

Creamy Ham and Wild Rice Soup

Call me crazy, but I jumped at the opportunity to host Easter less than a week after we moved in to our new house.  I was eager to show the house to everyone and it made for a great excuse to make sure my kitchen was painted ASAP.  I used this ham glaze from the Pioneer Woman and IT WAS AWESOME!!  Everyone really liked it, but as usual, I over-cooked so we had a good amount of leftovers.  Based on a Betty Crocker recipe, here's how I used some of the leftovers to make a soup for my mom, grandma, and aunt who came to visit a few days later.  It was a big hit, too!

Creamy Ham and Wild Rice Soup

Cook in a lined or greased slow cooker over low heat for 7 to 8 hours:

- 2 c. chopped cooked ham

- 1 c. chopped carrots

- 2-3 small red potatoes, sliced

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 2 c. chicken stock

- 1 can low sodium cream of celery soup

- 3 c. water

- 1/2 c. wild rice

- 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

add last 15-20 minutes before serving:

- 1 c. half-and-half

- 2 T. dry sherry, optional

- 1/4 c. sliced almonds

- 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

printable recipe
And here's some cute kiddo pics to look at while you're waiting for your soup to cook:

Merry Christmas!!

From our crazy, silly, wonderful family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Here's how Mama does Christmas with the family:

This year for Christmas Eve dinner we decided to make snowman pizza! It was a big hit and so much fun to make!

Peanut helped make sure it was perfect.

We also made delicious sugar cookies and molasses cookies for Santa (and carrots for the reindeer, of course!)

Squish even started officially crawling when she saw a chance to upgrade to cookie from carrot!!

Anna tried to stop her, but there's no stopping a girl on a mission in this house!

(I didn't let her eat the whole cookie, but I couldn't help but let her enjoy the sweet taste of victory for a bite or two.)

Merry Christmas, everyone!  May your days be merry and bright :)

Love,

Mama

How the Grinch Stole...

In our house, we don't have an Elf on the Shelf, but we do have the Grinch the stole Christmas. That ole Grinchy Claus keeps trying to take our Christmas decorations! Some mornings Anna finds him with ornaments from the tree. Other days, he's playing with her blocks to build his sleigh or trying to stuff something up the chimney.  Annalyn gets a big kick out of scolding him, saving the Christmas stuff and returning it to the right place.  This morning, Mr. Grinch was found with Santa's naughty/nice list - this Grinch will stop at nothing to ruin Christmas! Luckily, we got it back and plan to return it to Santa when we send him a letter. Hopefully he still has time to check it twice!

Merry Grinchmas, everyone! 

Cooking with Grandpa: Honey Wheat Bread

Over Michael's fall break, we finally had some extra time to try another of Grandpa Eddie's recipe.  This time, we decided to try his honey wheat bread.  Along with this Russian black bread, Grandpa almost always had loaves of this honey wheat bread frozen to distribute to everyone at holidays. He also made it into rolls and baked fresh for family dinners. It brings back great memories and tastes amazing. Making our own bread always makes us wonder why we ever bother to buy it. Here's how Grandpa made it:

Honey Wheat Bread

Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 c. water
- 1/4 c. oil
- 1/2 c. honey
- 2 pkg. yeast
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 3 - 3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
- 2 t. salt
- 1 T. sugar
- 1 egg

Directions:

1.  Heat first 3 ingredients to 120-130 degrees F.  Add to other ingredients except 1 c. all purpose flour and whole wheat flour.


2.  Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, then stir in whole wheat flour to form stiff dough.


3.  Knead about 5 minutes, adding all purpose flour as needed. Dough should be smooth and elastic.


4.  Place in greased bowl, let rise until doubled, 45-60 min.  Punch down, divide into two loaves, place in greased 8x4 pans.


5.  Let rise until doubled, 45-60 min.  Bake at 350 degrees F, 35-45 min.  Loaves should be deep golden brown and sound hollow when lightly tapped.  Brush with butter if desired.

printable recipe

Angel Food French Toast with Strawberry Sauce

Here's a decadent spin on one of my favorite breakfast foods.  Actually, it combines one of my favorite desserts (angel food with strawberries), with my favorite breakfast food (French toast).  It's easy, quick, and incredibly delicious!  Here's how Mama makes it:

Angel Food French Toast with Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients:

- 1 angel food cake, sliced
- 5 eggs
- 1/4 c. milk
- 1 t. vanilla
for strawberry sauce:
- 1 pint fresh strawberries
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1 t. vanilla
- 3 T. water
- 1 scant T. cornstarch

Directions:

for the sauce:
1.  Wash strawberries and remove stems.  Coarsely chop and place in a small saucepan.  Mash the strawberries slightly, then add the sugar and vanilla. 


2.  In a small dish, mix the cornstarch and water, then add to the saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, the allow mixture to boil for 1 minute or until sauce thickens.  Stir constantly while cooking.  Once thickened, remove from heat or turn heat to lowest setting to keep warm while making the French toast.


for the angel food:
3.  Slice cake into 1 inch pieces.   Combine egg, milk, and vanilla in a shallow dish and beat slightly.  Heat a skillet over medium heat, then spray with cooking spray.


4.  Dip cake slices in the egg mixture, then place on skillet.  Cook a few minutes on each side until slightly browned, then flip.  Serve warm with strawberry sauce.

printable recipe

White Almond Cupcakes with Cherry Filling

As I've mentioned before, Annalyn and I have been watching Cupcake Wars on TV every now and then.  It's a nice break from the usual cartoons she requests and usually leads to some snuggle time.  The downside?  She always wants cupcakes when it's over.  So this year when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday cake, it was no surprise that she said "pink cupcakes."  In an effort to make them a little more fun, I decided to make white almond sour cream cupcakes and bake the cherry filling into them.  I was a little nervous about baking the filling right in the cupcakes, but I'd done it before with muffins, so I figured it was worth a shot!  (And after this debacle, I needed to make up for some lost time!)  They turned out great and were a big hit.  It made enough batter that I could make Annalyn a little individual cake (from one of Great Grandma Eddie's old pans that she plays with) and a small 6" cake that I let her help decorate on her birthday.  We took half of them up to Emily and Aaron's for her first birthday celebration and froze the rest to take to my side the next weekend.  Here's how Mama makes it:

White Almond Cupcakes with Cherry Filling

Ingredients: (makes 24 cupcakes plus one 6" cake)
- 1 boxed cake mix (white)
- 1 c. flour
- 1 c. sugar
- 3/4 t. salt
- 4 egg whites
- 1 1/3 c. water
- 2 T. vegetable oil
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1 t. almond extract
for the filling:
- 1 (30 oz.) can cherry pie filling
- 1/2 t. almond extract
for the icing:
- 3 sticks butter, softened
- 3/4 t. vanilla extract
- 3/4 t. almond extract
- 6 c. powdered sugar (1 1/2 lb.)
- 3 T. milk
- food coloring, as desired
- sliced almonds, sprinkles, and/or cherries to garnish

Last Minute Thanksgiving Menu Planning

Since I just haven't gotten around to cooking up any exciting new Thanksgiving recipes ahead of time this year, I figured I would give you a list of my favorite turkey day recipes.  I did a whole series of plan ahead recipes last year, so they are just ready and waiting to be compiled!  Here's how Mama does Thanksgiving:

1.  The turkey:  This lemon herb turkey recipe is my favorite way to roast the bird.  Try it with clementine oranges for a twist on this classic.



2.  Garlic mashed potatoes:  For me, there's only one way to do mashed potatoes - skins on, whole garlic mashed in, sour cream, butter, and lots of lumps.  Not a fan of garlic?  Leave it out, the potatoes won't mind. 

Wedding Cake Timeline

Recently, I had the honor of making a small wedding cake for some of our closest friends here in Indy.  I also made 15 or so pies, but that's another story (read about it here)...  The cake itself was very simple and classy, just a small two layer 6" round white almond cake with apricot filling and buttercream icing.  Like the wedding, the bride asked that it not be too fussy - just simple, elegant, and tasty.  Super easy order, right?  Well, add in a full time job (including working pretty much up until the ceremony that day), a very curious toddler, and 15 pies to make the day before, and now it seems a little more daunting.  Completely doable, but definitely requires planning.  So I started researching timelines for making wedding cakes, in terms of when to bake, fill, crumb coat, decorate, and if/when to freeze, how to store/transport, and so on and so forth.  It's amazing how much goes into this one little tiny piece of the wedding!  Who knew? 

Basically, what I found was that it is pretty common to bake the cakes a few days before and freeze them while still warm.  This locks in the moisture, makes the cake easier to fill/ice, and saves you some time as you get closer to the big day.  Definitely not an essential step, but made absolute sense for me.  Here was the timeline I used (and loved!):

Dinner Party Menu

This post isn't so much a recipe as a menu.  Since I usually only post about new dishes I make, I rarely write about an entire dinner menu.  So a couple weeks ago when we had Michael's Aunt Beth & Uncle Clark, and Josh & Chloe over for dinner, I decided to snap a few pictures of the end result - the menu - instead of focusing on one specific dish.  Overall, the dishes complemented each other well and made for a lovely dinner (of course the good company didn't hurt, either).  My general formula for planning a dinner party menu is 1.) a go-to favorite, sure to please; 2.)  something a little more adventurous, but something we've tried; and 3.) something new we can all taste together (and get feedback on).  Of course, I usually toss in something sweet, too.  Here's what Mama made for this meal:

Slow Cooker Apple Cobbler

Here's a quick and easy dessert idea that won't leave you in the kitchen while entertaining.  As an added bonus, it will make your house smell AMAZING!  We served this at a dinner party with some of Michael's family recently and it was a big hit.  I loved having dessert already made, but still fresh and warm.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Slow Cooker Apple Cobbler 

Ingredients:
makes 8 generous servings
- 1 quart apple pie filling (or 4 c. sliced apples, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/2 t. cinnamon)
- 2 c. Bisquick mix
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 c. milk
- 1 t. cinnamon