Ham Bone Soup

We baked our Christmas ham a little late this year.  My husband and I made this delicious soup with the left over ham bone, which was a first for me.  It was pretty good and very simple to make.  I loved that we made it in the morning in the crock pot and dinner was done by the time we got home.  It did take a full 6 hours to cook in our crock pot.  Enjoy!

Recipe Source: All Recipes
Photo Source: Damn Delicious

Ingredients

1 leftover ham bone with some meat
1 onion, diced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (15.25 oz) kidney beans
3 potatoes, cubed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cubed
( we added 2 celery stalks, chopped)
*4 c water
*6 bullion cubes


*Note.  The last time I made this, it was too salty.  We ended up having to add more water.  Either add more water in the beginning, or less bullion cubes.  I would suggest 4 c water to 4 bullion cubes, as the original recipe suggests.

Directions

1. Place the ham bone, onion, tomatoes, kidney beans, potatoes, and green pepper into a 3 quart or larger slow cooker. Dissolve the bouillon cubes in water, and pour into the slow cooker.
2. Cover, and cook on High until warm. Reduce heat to Low, and continue to cook for 5 to 6 hours.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

In my quest to make all of my own bread, I attempted to make hamburger buns.  They turned out delicious!  In fact, my 4 year old just wanted to eat the bun with ketchup and not the meat (what?!)  These buns turn out fabulous (not crumbly or soggy) and the egg wash makes the top harder and shiny, like a bun from your favorite restaurant.  I love going healthier so I subbed out 1 C whole wheat flour in the dough and it was good.  Not sure how much more wheat I would put in it than that though.....after all, its a burger!  Gotta live a little every once in awhile ;)  This recipe made 12 buns and we froze half for another time.  I got the recipe from my friend Rachelle over at To Die For Recipes  Thanks Rachelle for a keeper recipe!


1 c. milk
1 c. water
2 tbs. butter
1 tbs. sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt.  
5 1/2 c. flour (more or less) (I used 5 C)
1 pkg instant yeast
1 egg yolk
1 tbs. water

In a glass measuring cup, combine water, milk, butter and sugar. Microwave until liquid is warm/hot and let the butter melt in the milk mixture (let mixture cool till very warm). In a mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour, salt, and yeast. When milk mixture has come to a very warm temperature, add to dry ingredients. Mix until combined, add more flour to desired consistency. Knead for 8 minutes, adding flour if dough become too sticky. Placed dough in a greased bowl in a warm draft free place (in the oven works best). Cover and let dough rise for 1 hour. Punch down dough, and divide into 12 pieces. Grease a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Roll each piece on dough into a ball, stretching it to make a smooth top, place in cookie sheet. Cover, and let rise for 25-45 more minutes or until almost doubled. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl combine egg yolk with water, and mix. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Recipe and Picture Source To Die For Recipes

Chicken Souvlaki

Huge Greek fans at this house.  I have another Greek chicken recipe on this blog (click on the "Main Dishes: Greek" tab to the right of the screen to view it).  This recipe is similar, but I like a little variety every once in awhile.  We buy Naan flatbread at Costco and I also whip up some tzatziki sauce.  Add fresh tomatoes, onions and cucumbers.  My kids love this meal, but they prefer to eat everything separate and leave off the sauce.  Easy Peasy!


(I doubled the recipe below for my family and we had plenty of leftovers)
Chicken Souvlaki

1 TBS + 1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
10 oz boneless chicken breast, cut into strips


Prepare marinade and add to chicken.  Let sit at least 15 minutes in fridge (I like to do the prep work in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until I am ready to grill that evening).  Thread chicken on skewers and grill chicken over hot coals or on a broiler pan (I grill them) 4-5 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  Turn frequently (if I am running short on time, I don't do the skewers and just grill).

Top with tzatziki sauce:


Tzatziki sauce: Yield 1 ½ Cups
-make a few hours ahead of time so the flavors have time to mix

16 ounces plain yogurt (the brand "Mountain High" works really well because it is thick)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
5-6 mint leaves, finely minced (optional)

Recipe Source:  My Sister in law Heather (I think)
Picture Source: Closet Cooking

Foster's Whole Wheat Bread

I made the leap about a month ago and now make all of my own whole wheat bread.  I have wanted to do this for a few years now and am so glad I finally did!  I know there are many great recipes out there and I have tried several using different ingredients, but this one is the one that seems to turn out the best for me in the high humid climate that I live in.  I got this recipe from a friend in my previous ward, Sister H. Foster, who lives in a dry climate, so it must be the universal recipe. :)  This recipe is famous! I bake two loaves at a time and freeze one for a later use.  I always make bread on a day when I will be home most of the day so it has plenty of time to rise twice.


Makes 2 2lb loaves
(original recipe doubled this amount, but my mixer won't hold that much dough)


Mix the ingredients below and let sit to activate yeast while assembling other ingredients.  The mixture should be foamy and frothy after 5 minutes or so.  If its not, your yeast is either dead or the water is too warm and you killed the yeast.  Try again with slightly cooler water if this happens.  

1 1/2 C warm water (not scalding, just really warm)
1 1/4 TBS active dry yeast (SAF brand recommended by  Sister Foster, but I use any kind)
1 tsp of sugar


While yeast is activating, mix the following in your Kitchen Aide mixer or Bosche with the dough attachment added.


1/4 C brown sugar
2 tsp salt


Add the following:
1 1/2 C natural apple sauce (if its been in the fridge, put it in the microwave until warm)
1/4 C oil

Add in the yeast and water mixture while the mixer is running.  Then add 1 cup at a time:

1 C bread flour
3 C freshly ground whole wheat flour

Add in another 3-4 C whole wheat flour until the dough is soft to the touch but not too sticky, one cup at a time.  Towards the end, add in the flour 1/4 c-1/2 c increments.  If you add too much flour, the bread will be dry.  The total amount of flour on my last loaf of bread was 6 1/3 c of whole wheat flour, but it depends on humidity and such so go by feel.  The sides of the bowl should be clean, not too sticky but not too stiff.  Its a learned art with a lot of tutorials online to help beginners.  Mel's Kitchen Cafe has this great tutorial.  Let the mixer knead for about 10 minutes.  Cover bowl with a damp towel and let rest until doubled in size. Dump dough out onto floured surface.   Cut dough in half, roll into dough shape and place into greased bread pans.  Cover and let rise again until bread is 1-2 inches above the pan.  Cook at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes, depending on your oven settings and pans.  Let bread sit in pans for about ten minutes, but no more than that.  Let cool completely on a cooling rack (NOT a cutting board, as I have done this before and the bread gets moist on the bottom).



Recipe source: H. Foster, directions by me, as there wasn't any written down on my recipe card
Picture Source: King Arthur

Ginger & Honey Glazed Carrots

For Thanksgiving this year, we did a potluck with a bunch of friends.  I was so excited to eat this simple, yet very tasty carrot recipe.  My baby loved them too!  

Ginger and Honey Glazed Carrots--

Steam sliced carrots in a little water till almost cooked, drain and put back in sauté pan, add butter, ground ginger, and honey. Cook until done to your liking. Then top with a little fresh parsley. 

Recipe Source:  My friend Allie C.

Photo Source: My Recipes

Cranberry Salsa

My friend Jodi and I recently threw a baby shower for our friend Angie.  Since its Christmas time, we had the theme "Santa Baby" which turned out adorable!  One food item we had was this delicious cranberry salsa.  Jodi made the snowman out of cream cheese, rolled into balls and put the cranberry salsa around the edge of the plate.  She put the crackers on another plate next to the snowman and salsa.  It was easy and so delicious.  


D. Family Cranberry Salsa:

Bag of Whole cranberries

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1-2 Jalapenos diced (start with one, add more if needed)

1 bunch cilantro 

6-8 green onions

1 t cumin (I always use 1 Tablespoon)

Up to 1 cup sugar (to taste)

8 oz cream cheese

boil whole cranberries until they pop open

dice jalapenos, cilantro, and green onions together in blender

put the boiled cranberries, canned cranberries, and mixed greens in a bowl.  Add cumin and sugar to taste.  Mix well.

Pour over block of cream cheese.

Serve with crackers

Source: Jodi D.

Top Picture Source :Whats Cooking America

Snowman Picture Source : Six Sisters Stuff

Vanilla, Banana and Coconut Cream Pie

I love this recipe because it is very versatile.  The base of vanilla cream filling is the same and you can alter with a few versions below.  There were also a few other versions I didn't post yet because I want to try them before posting.  I also used this recipe for a baby shower recently.  I made a parfait by putting the vanilla cream in the bottom of a clear cup (1/4 C each), topped with berries and homemade granola.  It was delicious and totally worth the effort.  The mixture of the berries, vanilla cream and granola was perfect in my opinion!

Vanilla Cream Pie

Prep 45 minutes, Bake 30 minutes, Oven 325 degrees, Cool 1 hour, Chill 3 hours, Makes 8 servings

1 recipe Baked Pastry Shell, store bought or whatever pie crust you choose

4 egg yolks
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C cornstarch
2 1/2 C half and half, light cream or milk
1 TBSP butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1.  Prepare and bake the pie crust.  Set aside to cool.

2.  For filling, in a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch.  Gradually stir in half and half.  Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly; reduce heat.  Cook and stir for 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat.

Slightly beat egg yolks with a fork.  Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot filling into yolks.  Add egg yolk mixture to filling in saucepan.  Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat.  Cook and stir for 2 more minutes.   Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and vanilla.  Keep filling warm.  Pour into baked pie crust.  Chill 3+hours  before serving.


For Banana Cream Pie:  Prepare as above, except before adding filling, arrange 3 medium bananas, sliced (about 2 1/2 C) over bottom of the shell.  Top with Whipped Cream.

For Coconut Cream Pie: (haven't tried yet).  Prepare as above, except stir in 1 C flaked coconut with butter and vanilla.  Sprinkle another 1/3 C flaked (and toasted would be delicious) coconut over a whipped cream topping.


Recipe Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
Photo Source: My Baking Addiction