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Monday, November 26, 2012

Creamy BBQ Chicken Pinwheels

These delicious appetizers make a very rich satisfying snack. My husband adores them and I was pretty pleased with how they turned out.

I chopped half a pound of cooked chicken breast into small cubes and set them aside.

I put 4 oz of cream cheese in the microwave for one minute. Then I added three tablespoons of my favorite BBQ sauce and mixed well.

Then I diced up ten green onions and shredded about two cups of cheddar cheese.

Spread the BBQ cream cheese onto a large wrap. I used an actual pinwheel wrap but that's not necessary. Then sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top. I found that I had enough cream cheese for two wraps, so I made two. If your wraps are smaller you may need three. Carefully roll up your wrap and bake for ten minutes at 400°. With a very sharp knife, cut into slices. Enjoy warm or cold, I prefer warm. There you have it. Another great dish from my kitchen to your table.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Picture Perfect Ham

I bought a shank ham for Thanksgiving this year, with big plans for the leftovers. That doesn't mean I didn't dedicate my day to making this thing amazing the first time around!

Like most hams one buys at the Mega Mart, my ham was full cooked, with water added. The big beautiful bone in the middle helped maintain moisture all the while, even as a certain beagle sighed longingly, knowing it would soon be his. I don't use the bone to make soup, but by all means, you can. It adds great depth and unmistakable flavor to bean soup, and a more tasty addition to bean soup has yet to be discovered.

I started out simple. I opened a can of pineapple and drained all the juice into the bottom of the electric roaster, before lowering in my cold ham. I put the lid on and let him cook for an hour, undisturbed, at 350°.

At fifteen minutes to the hour mark, I pureed half the can of pineapple and mixed it with half a cup of marischino cherry liquid, a half of a cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons of honey. I brought this liquid to a simmer, careful to continuously stir so nothing scorched.

With this, I glazed my entire ham. Then I used toothpicks to secure marischino cherries and pineapple slices to the outside of the ham.

I lowered the heat to 300° and re glazed him every hour for three more hours. Then I glazed him one more time and turned off the heat. The results were a moist, flavorful ham, with a beautiful contrast of sweet and salty.

I recommend everyone prepares a holiday ham in a similar fashion. This meat is as versatile as it is delicious. You can make omelettes, breakfast sandwiches, hot ham sandwiches, ham and cheesy mac, scalloped potatoes, cheesy ham and hashbrowns, eggs Benedict. The sky is the limit!

So there you have it, another great dish from my kitchen to your table!

Sweet Potato Turnovers

Amongst all the fantastic food on Thanksgiving, I made a special dish to try to get my husband and daughter to eat sweet potatoes. They both wrinkle their noses at the sight of them, so I hid them away. But believe me, they are definitely the star of this dish!

I diced up a large sweet potato into small cubes. Then I tossed it with seven strips of Bacon, chopped up small, a quarter cup diced scallions and two heaping tablespoons of butter. Then I roasted them at 300° for an hour. Then I let them cool completely before stirring in 4oz shredded cheddar cheese.

I used premade biscuits to save time, but homemade would be FANTASTIC in this dish. I rolled each biscuit as thin as possible before placing a small chunk of butter on one part of the disc, then piled on a liberal tablespoon of sweet potato filling before folding the other side over and pinching to seal. Bake at 375° until golden brown and delicious.

And there you have it! Another great dish from my kitchen to your table!